FM Receivers for cars - any good?

cashback

I've heard some of these can be dodgy enough. I wouldn't bother with one if it was always crackling and reception coming and going. Would just stick to cds.
Anyone any experiences or recommend decent ones?

woop

hah I was just going to post about the exact same thing

also if anybody has used the direct connection to a stereo using the usb wire, Id be interested to hear what the sound quality is like? worse or better than the fm yokes?

Creamy Goodness

i've got the belkin tunecast and it's terrible.

reception is fine i can hear my music with no interferrence, but my god the sound quality is dire, it sounds like you're listening to your music through a 100foot piece of guttering.

cashback

Cremo wrote:

i've got the belkin tunecast and it's terrible.

reception is fine i can hear my music with no interferrence, but my god the sound quality is dire, it sounds like you're listening to your music through a 100foot piece of guttering.

That's what I was afraid of...

the_syco

I've two. They're handy, but there's one BIG drawback. They must be next to the aerial.

Now, you may think thats obvious, but think about it: where's the aerial? Either on the roof, or sometimes on the back window. Both aren't "easy" to get to.

Now, you say, doesn't it jam them from anywhere? Well, yes, but think about it this way. Which sounds stronger: small FM transmitter lasting 2 meters, powered by 2 small batteries, or 104FM aerial transmitting miles out? Yeah. The FM transmitter is good, but when I was travelling from Dublin to Sligo in my mates car, I had to change the channel 4 times, as we picked up different stations along the way.

TBH, your best bet would be to see if you can get someone to add a female jack at the point where the wires go into the radio, and plug the iPod that way.

The easist way, though, works if you have a tape deck. One of them CD player to tape contraptions.

woop

if its sound youre looking for those tape yokes are horrible

Voodu Child

I had the Griffin itrip a couple of years ago and it worked flawlessly with my old Nano.

Sound quality was fine, and reception was perfect too. (It WAS dependent on channel of course, but i never had to change channel mid trip once i'd settled on a good one, and i was dong the Dublin-Cork route a lot at the time, so i was passing a good few different stations.)

I used to keep it in the space below the radio, certainly didn't need to be placed anywhere close to the ariel etc.

loyatemu

I have one I bought off Ebay - transmitter is powerful enough - I don't need to hold it up to the aerial and it works from across the room at home. Main gripe is that the sound level is pretty low - though I think this is more to do with my Creative player as its pretty low plugged directly into a hifi as well.

woop

which one did you get?make etc

and the person with the belkin tune cast, is that the tunecast I http://catalog.belkin.com/IWCatProductPage.process?Product_Id=140984

or II http://www.pixmania.com/ie/uk/349114/art/belkin/f8v3080ea-tunecast-ii-fm.html#fichetechnique

Creamy Goodness

tunecast II

440Hz

Ive tried a load of them from Belkin to Griffin, you name it... eventually read a review and bought a Groove Rider from Cygnett, best one yet, really great reception and USB/car charger no nightmare batteries. Highly rec. it, checkout amazon or ebay, its even cheaper than most of the others.

Having said that.. I have loads of the other ones I tried sitting around gathering dust if you want one.. i def never plan on using em again!

Zimmerframe

Never tried the one 400Hz is talking about, but had a few and imho they are all a waste of time.
I wouldn't dream of using anything other than a Dension interface (or similar where the ipod emulates a cd changer) unless of course the car stereo had an aux input.

whiterebel

voodoo_child wrote:

I had the Griffin itrip a couple of years ago and it worked flawlessly with my old Nano.

Sound quality was fine, and reception was perfect too. (It WAS dependent on channel of course, but i never had to change channel mid trip once i'd settled on a good one, and i was dong the Dublin-Cork route a lot at the time, so i was passing a good few different stations.)

I used to keep it in the space below the radio, certainly didn't need to be placed anywhere close to the ariel etc.

Same here, but with a 30Gb 3G. Secret is to pick one of the lower frequencies and put down the aerial if you can.

patpark121

voodoo_child wrote:

I had the Griffin itrip a couple of years ago and it worked flawlessly with my old Nano.

Sound quality was fine, and reception was perfect too. (It WAS dependent on channel of course, but i never had to change channel mid trip once i'd settled on a good one, and i was dong the Dublin-Cork route a lot at the time, so i was passing a good few different stations.)

I used to keep it in the space below the radio, certainly didn't need to be placed anywhere close to the ariel etc.

Use griffin all the time with my 30g. Never had problem with it yet. I upgraded it recently to the roadtrip. Plugs directly into power outlet on the dash with an adjustable holder. Sound is crystal clear - almost cd quality. Depends on budget or trial and error. Everyones going to have their fave.

TJJP

Find them all pretty crappy in Dublin, too many stations clogging the airwaves methinks. Tried a belkin and some other spurious yoke, no joy with either. Seems hardwired is the way to go....

440Hz

Yeah for Dublin, hardwired prob is the best solution. Its the only place that I have found I lose quality, rest of the country it works a treat for me.

corcaigh07

440Hz wrote: »

Ive tried a load of them from Belkin to Griffin, you name it... eventually read a review and bought a Groove Rider from Cygnett, best one yet, really great reception and USB/car charger no nightmare batteries. Highly rec. it, checkout amazon or ebay, its even cheaper than most of the others.

Having said that.. I have loads of the other ones I tried sitting around gathering dust if you want one.. i def never plan on using em again!

id take one of them off your hands if theyre going.