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 Monster cables have a great reputation and I needed a way to take my iPod on long car trips. It works great when plugged in, perfect clear signal, easy to adjust. However, I have trouble plugging and unplugging it in the car lighter, and even worse the plug into the iPod almost refuses to release. I have to press really really hard on the release buttons and yank to get the cord out of my iPod. This is a problem since I take my iPod with me every time I get out of the car. In short, they need to work on the details a little. I'm definitely keeping it, but also definitely keeping the warranty and return info.
Compared to other FM transmitters, the iCarPlay has a number of design advantages: It is powered from your car's DC adapter (a.k.a. the cigarette lighter plug), so you don't have to worry about batteries (as with the Belkin transmitter). Unlike other transmitters which are car-powered, this one also has a pass-through to recharge your iPod while it plays. The iCarPlay and Transpod are the only two products which provide this sort of integration. Controls on the device are simple: A button switches between the available frequencies (which are limited, so if you're in an area where all the low-band FM stations are taken up, you will get very poor quality sound), and a red LED notes which frequency you're on. The LEDs are bright enough to let you (barely) read the station on the device at night. Other than that, you just plug it into your car and into your iPod and control your iPod as normal. Physically, the iCarplay is adequately well made, but for such an expensive product, it feels a little too "plasticy" for my tastes, and seems that it could easily crack if abused. Compared to the flawless and solid plastics of the iTrip, it seems downright chintzy, although certainly no more so than the Belkin adapter. The iCarPlay's longish cable proves to be an advantage, as you can pick up the iPod and change songs, without losing transmission. I wouldn't mind a longer cable, but already, the 3' or so provided sometimes gets tangled up on the shift stick, so I'm not sure that would be ideal. The cable is long enough for most use. Signal strength is excellent, better than any other transmitter I've used, and it can usually overwhelm the transmission of any not-quite-received stations, and even makes a good effort at coming in over a local FM station, although the interference is severe when it does this. There's a certain amount of FM "hiss" when it plays, which seems more pronounced than that of other transmitters (particularly the iTrip which has an amazingly clear transmission, but a comparatively weak signal). The hiss isn't enough to bother me, with my poor factory stereo speakers, and again, if you're really serious about audio quality, you'll use a line in of some sort. Placing the transmitter as far away from the radio as possible (the DC jack in the hatchback of my Subaru -- a good 6'+ away) did not impair the signal quality. In the end, the iCarPlay offers an elegant and practical way to play my iPod in my car. It's priced a little high, but there's only one other device that comes close (the TransPod) and it's even more expensive and, to my mind, less useful. Still, for $70, you can easily add an aux jack to most stereos (except car factory stereos), and for a little more you could buy a low-end head unit with a built-in aux input. But, if you can't stand to take your dashboard apart, this will get the job done and do it with a minimum of fuss. |
I've had the iCarPlay for a month now and am thoroughly enjoying it within its limitations. I move it between 4 cars and a RV trailer. It seems to work best with the car with the worst radio (poor reception on weak stations). The car with the best reception sometimes picks up static from the iCarPlay's limited number of frequencies. The best surprise was when I tried it with the radio in my RV trailer. The trailer is an older model with only a cassette player which limited my music choices/playing time. I plugged the iCarPlay into the 12v accessory outlet and now I can use the trailer's stereo system with my ipod. A plus is that I can charge my ipod when I use it; the only negitive is the limited number of frequencies I can use (8) if there is weak station conflict. One reviewer wrote that he had to play with the ipod volume control, I don't understand this since it is disabled when I plug it into the iCarPlay
I have tried every kind of FM transmitter you can buy and they have all been unnacceptable. This one is more expensive but it actually transmits enough power to eliminate static at volume. There is some static when there is no volume but the music hides it so it's fine. The fact that this one charges your i pod as well is enough to sell me.
