Transmitters for MP3 Portables?

kwerle writes "I have just received my new iPod, and am now faced with the issue of how I should hook it up to every stereo I own. For the car, I could just get one of those cd-to-cassette converters, but that just doesn't...feel right. What experience have you had with mp3/cd player transmitters (like this one from Arkon or the MK-90)? Any suggestions?" Don't forget about the iRock Update: 04/24 07:46 GMT by C : Errors in the URL for the iRock have been fixed. My apologies.

Comments

Cheap FM transmitters suck

[fm6]

Why do FM transmitters "feel" better than casette adapters? They're both cheap kludges!

My experience with casette adapters is pretty good (though I have bad hearing, so I'm no judge of sound quality). Anyway, they cost almost nothing, so why not just try one?

I've owned various FM adapters. Unless you're willing to pay a bit of money (in which case it's cheaper to just add an input plug to your car stereo), they're worthless. To work, they have to be carefully tuned to slot not occupied by a local FM station. And for $25, you're just not going to get a tuner that's sufficiently precise and reliable.

I used a soundfeeder - no probs

[Bitsy Boffin]

I bought a Lennox Sound feeder to hook my NAPA MP3 CD player up to the stereo on a thousand KM trip a few weeks ago. I would have just bought a cassette adapter - but the stereo in the MU doesn't have a cassette player.

Anyway, it took me all of 30seconds to setup, and I only had to adjust it 3 or 4 times (which takes about 5 seconds of "fine tuning" with the dial, one handed in the dark while still driving) through the trip. This is mostly due to driving into range of a radio station directly on top of the transmitted signal (if it's strong it'll interfere, if it's not so strong the soundfeeder pretty much overrode it).

Sound was great, and it was very nice to have my collection of quality MP3 programming in the car.

My only complaint with it is that the DC out on it didn't have a voltage to match the NAPA MP3 player so I had to keep the ol' batteries charged.

The NAPA is very nice also by the way, although rough single roads tend to out-do it's buffer a little :-)

aux input

[rehannan]

The best solution it seems is to get a car stereo with an aux input. I noticed several at Crutchfield. Then you can use just about any device (iPod, laptop, old tape player, etc...). The only drawback is having to buy a new car stereo...