Best way to listen to a Creative Zen in the car

BnA

Has anyone got any experience of hooking up a creative Zen (or ipod or something similar) to the car.

My good wife got me a Zen for Christmas and since the only place I really get to listen to music any more is in the car I would like to get it working in there.

I had initially thought I would get one of those FM Transmitters, but having read up on the internet, there seems to be very mixed reports on them. From them losing reception to poor sound quality.

Looking at it now, it seems my only other option is to get a stereo with an Aux in plug. I would rather some kind of a tidier option that having a cable stuck out of the dash into the Zen.

Does anyone know of any better option available to me. Changing the stereo in my car isn't a problem as it's already an aftermarket model anyway and I've recently bought a second car that I need a setereo for anyway.

Thanks in Advance

limklad

BnA wrote: »

Has anyone got any experience of hooking up a creative Zen (or ipod or something similar) to the car.

My good wife got me a Zen for Christmas and since the only place I really get to listen to music any more is in the car I would like to get it working in there.

I had initially thought I would get one of those FM Transmitters, but having read up on the internet, there seems to be very mixed reports on them. From them losing reception to poor sound quality.

Looking at it now, it seems my only other option is to get a stereo with an Aux in plug. I would rather some kind of a tidier option that having a cable stuck out of the dash into the Zen.

Does anyone know of any better option available to me. Changing the stereo in my car isn't a problem as it's already an aftermarket model anyway and I've recently bought a second car that I need a setereo for anyway.

Thanks in Advance

Cheap FM Transmitters will have poor quality and it will always pick up interference from nearby FM stations (if you use their frequencies) and other electrical noisy equipment nearby.

I have used and FM transmiter on my mp3 player from ebay, it worked fine. It uses two AAA battries and connect to the audio jack with no long untidy cables and It is far cheaper than having the car Radio replaced!

Key to Use FM Transmitters is 1/.Pick a FM frequency that not been used by other stations and 2/. turn up the volume loud on the MP3 player. You can adjust the Volume on the car Radio to your taste and you should be fine.

All the best

LoveDucati2

FM transmitter is sh1te

Buy yourself the tape plugin if you have a tape deck

The Zen is fab, mine is 3 years old and still going strong

homer90

LoveDucati2 wrote: »

Buy yourself the tape plugin if you have a tape deck

tried and tested..... A cheaper option too.

rgiller

Have to agree with tape plugin over fm transmitter but who has a tape player in their car these days? Another possibility is to plug into the Aux port of the radio if you have one. This will give the best sound but will require buying a lead (very cheap) and some imaginative wire routing

Cookie_Monster

I also have a Zen and a got a Belkin transmitter for it. Works fine and very little static or excess noise when tuned in either around 88 or 107 FM.

This one here :Link

CianRyan

What my mate does is uses the Aux input and ruits the wires behinds the panles somehow, and has the end of the lead hidden away nicely in the glove compartment.
Thats an option.

Appleguy

Sell the Creative Zen and pick up one of these griffin roadtrips and any old ipod shuffle or classic. It has the best sound quality i have ever heard from an fm transmitter and i've had 3 of them before.

Its crystal clear you wont ever have to change anything again for 5 or 6 years.

And as an added plus you wont ever have to take the ipod out of the car as it charges from the 12V power supply in the car.

LoveDucati2

Appleguy wrote: »

Sell the Creative Zen and pick up one of these griffin roadtrips and any old ipod shuffle or classic. It has the best sound quality i have ever heard from an fm transmitter and i've had 3 of them before.

Its crystal clear you wont ever have to change anything again for 5 or 6 years.

And as an added plus you wont ever have to take the ipod out of the car as it charges from the 12V power supply in the car.

That looks cool, not sure I can change religon and go to apple though.

On a side note, I rented a Ford Fusion in USA in 08 and the Aux cable was hidden down the bottom of the centre arm rest, anyone else have a really strange place for AUX in?

Harcrid

What type car and stereo is it?

I have used the below for iPods in the past and have worked very well. All depends in your stereo though.

http://www.ipodcarkitdirect.co.uk/Dension?items=1000&sort=2a&gclid=CNyypLrampgCFQXGsgod5VZgmg

Cookie_Monster

Appleguy wrote: »

Sell the Creative Zen and pick up one of these griffin roadtrips and any old ipod shuffle or classic.

Thats a pretty expensive way to downgrade to a rubbishy apple product:pac:

Biro

I have a Jivo FM transmitter and it's sound. Was crap in my last car though. Depends on the quality of the FM tuner in your car! Some people brand FM tuners as crap, but in actual fact their head unit might be the problem!
Don't bother with the apple - tied to iTunes for the rest of your life!

Cookie_Monster

LoveDucati2 wrote: »

On a side note, I rented a Ford Fusion in USA in 08 and the Aux cable was hidden down the bottom of the centre arm rest, anyone else have a really strange place for AUX in?

Same place on the i30