I love my iTrip. I use it all the time while driving, and I haven't had any of the issues listed above. It's small, sounds great, and no cables to gum up your car seat.

I have the Monster iCarPlay combination charger/FM transmitter. It works okay, not as good as a built-in or direct connect set-up, but good enough. Trying to find an unused FM frequency in the city is difficult, but I have 3 that are useable.

It would be nice to have an auto stereo with a line-in jack, but I would think that the industry will have more (and cheaper) offerings soon.

Nothing beats the Alpine with iPod interface. It can add up, but the experience is by far the best I've seen, and I've tried them all (at least most of them). It's also SO much safer to control than anything else as well.

Had an iTrip for three days, stopped working altogether, Griffin wasn't much help, altogether a bad experience for me.

My experiences mirror Mr. Landau's. I've used the tape adaptor, and been generally happy with it. However, my new vehicle doesn't have a tape player, and there aren't any good in-dash options for this vehicle; the stereo is integrated with a comprehensive vehicle electronics system, and there is no head unit in the dash, nor is there space for one. I was not impressed with the iTrip, for the same reasons as noted in the article: lots of hiss, static, and hunting for the best station.

The RoadTrip does impress me. I have the basic RoadTrip, as I have an early iPod without the dock connector. It works very well. The slight hiss is, to my ears, about the same as the tape mechanism in my van -- maybe even a bit less. The points made here regarding the controls are accurate; it's easier to control everything through the car stereo, and probably safer as well. Unfortunately, that's not an option for me. My favorite songs are burned to CDs, but it is nice to have the iPod option.

You don't need to miss out on new music because of your iPod. Try podcasts. There are so many great ones that will introduce you to a ton of new music. I listen to more new music with my iPod than I did without.

The "BMW Solution" is offered by Dension, in its Ice>Link Plus. It is even available in a fiber-optic tie-in version for cars such as Mercedes; see my own installation at http://www.benzworld.org/publications/pub.asp?id=330

Not only is the sound superb, if you have a compatible radio (and many are compatible) you get ID tag info (song title, artist, album info) on the radio display. In my Mercedes I get readout (somewhat limited) on the navigation screen and instrument cluster, and my steering wheel controls function with the iPod. All the muting functions work with the cell phone and navigation instructions.

Check it out - the Dension setup is a good one; Monster makes a competing unit, the iCruze. Both would be superior to any FM setup, and the integration of functions makes them superior to a direct cable connection to an aux jack.

Sorry - should have included a title - text below

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Guest wrote:
The "BMW Solution" is offered by Dension, in its Ice>Link Plus. It is even available in a fiber-optic tie-in version for cars such as Mercedes; see my own installation at http://www.benzworld.org/publications/pub.asp?id=330

Not only is the sound superb, if you have a compatible radio (and many are compatible) you get ID tag info (song title, artist, album info) on the radio display. In my Mercedes I get readout (somewhat limited) on the navigation screen and instrument cluster, and my steering wheel controls function with the iPod. All the muting functions work with the cell phone and navigation instructions.

Check it out - the Dension setup is a good one; Monster makes a competing unit, the iCruze. Both would be superior to any FM setup, and the integration of functions makes them superior to a direct cable connection to an aux jack.

I've been very happy with the AirPlay FM transmitter from XtremeMac. The big plus is that it has a backlit display that shows the frequency, and you use up and down buttons to tune it; no playing of a special song required. But, as pointed out, you need to be in an area where you can find a dead station...

I stumped up for one of these after getting fed up with wrestling with an iTrip for a few months.

Not a cheap piece of kit, but it does what it says on the tin - which suits me. Unfortunately my head unit doesn't support tags (although Dension are apparently working on it), but I can live with that.

iTrip has been given away...

(edit: Although the new firmware update does. Damn. Need to check for updates more regularly )

The smartdeck has been "coming soon" for 5 months now. I hope we'll see it soon but I have a feeling it'll be like the Radioshark-- long delays and plenty of "vaporware" awards.

Anyone else actually HEARD anything about it??? Thanks.

I've tried five FM transmitter: iTrip, XtremeMac AirPlay,

http://www.xtrememac.com/adapters/airplay.shtml

Sonnett PodFreq,

http://www.podfreq.com/

Belkin TuneCast II,

http://catalog.belkin.com/IWCatProductPage.process?Merchant_Id=&Section_Id=201526&pcount=&Product_Id=166893

and iRock. The AirPlay is easiest to use, but I found the sound level to be maybe 10db lower (half as loud) as the iTrip and it had much more distortion. The iTrip is inconvenient to change frequencies (that is putting it mildly--it's a royal PITA to change frequencies), but it and the AirPlay are the most convenient to connect. The iTrip is the coolest looking, but the AirPlay will work on both iPods and iPod minis. (There is a separate iTrip for the mini.)

The TuneCast II uses a cable. You can get a special cable that will power both the TuneCast II and the iPod from the lighter socket, or the TuneCast II can use a battery. The iRock also uses a cable and, IMHO, is a piece of junk. You might be able to find one really cheap, however.

The PodFreq is a bit different.

http://www.podfreq.com/

Unlike the others I've used, it uses the line out connection via the dock connector. That gives better sound quality and the iPod's volume control isn't involved. The PodFreq also provides a sort of "case" for the iPod. However, it is much more expensive and I keep my iPod in a Vaja iVolution case. I also think that the PodFreq is a bit ugly.

The Belkin TuneCast II and the iRock can be used with other devices--cassette player, CD player, even the audio output of some GPS devices. I use the TuneCast II to listen to audiobooks on tape, as my car doesn't have a cassette deck.

All that I've used, except the iRock, can tune to any frequency in the FM band. Some are restricted to four (or fewer) frequencies. Many use 87.9, which is technically below the broadcast FM band. However, if there is a local station at 88.1 (lots of public stations and college stations are in the lowest part of the band), it can cause interference with most of these.

For any of these, you'll also need a charging cable. There are several options. Some plug into the lighter and have an iPod dock connector on the other end, but I prefer devices that have a FireWire or USB connector, so I can use a retractable iPod cable--a much neater system.

I have one device that plugs into the lighter and has both USB and FireWire connections. I can use it to simultaneously power an iPod (FireWire) and charge my Palm Tungsten C.

There is a third option: an adaptor to connect your iPod to your car's stereo system. I know of two: the iPod2Car

http://peripheralelectronics.com/2002/ipod2car.asp

and Monster's iCruze:

http://www.monstercable.com/iCruze/default.asp

I have the iPod2Car in my 2004 Toyota Prius. I didn't have a choice, as the iCruze still isn't available for the Prius. (The websites have lists of the models of original equipment stereos that will work.) It works pretty well, taking the place of a CD changer. (The built-in CD player still works.) The controls on the stereo and the steering wheel can change the song and volume. It is supposed to be able to change the playlist by selecting a "disc," but that doesn't seem to work correctly.

This system has several major advantage over any of the others:

- Sound quality is much better, as it comes from the line out connection (the dock connector) and doesn't go through the FM radio but directly into the amplifier.

- Much more convenient controls.

- The iPod turns on & off with the stereo power button, the mode control (AM, FM, CD), and the car's power switch. With all the other systems, I would have to remember to turn off the iPod or it would keep playing and run down the batteries. (Also, I listen to audiobooks a lot, so I would lose my place.)

- The cable is powered all the time. If you use the lighter outlet, it may be turned off when the ignition is off. Older cars may keep it live, but modern cars turn it off so that stuff plugged into the socket--they usually call it an "electrical accessory socket," as they don't include the lighter part--won't run down the car's battery.

Disadvantages:

- COST!! These babies run about $300 installed.

- There's a white cable somewhere. Now, you can put the iPod in the glove compartment or console and have the cable routed there. I have it out in the open, however, as I bring it in every evening.

- The on/off function doesn't always work correctly with my 3G iPod, so I have to manually check that it turned off. (Easy to do--look for the charging symbol on the screen.) I don't know if this is a problem with my iPod--it may need to have the OS reinstalled--or with the iPod2Car system. If it does this, I can turn it on and off manually, which rather defeats part of the purpose of having the iPod2Car, or reboot the iPod, which loses my place if I've been listening to an audiobook.

- It's not portable.

Based on this article I bought a RoadTrip Plus from OWC. Not only didn't it work, but now after trying it, my iPod will no longer mount. Looks like I'm out $250.

I have found that the best soundquality comes from the direct connect adapters that go in place of your cd changer (if you have one). The product I choose to use is the iPod2car by peripheralelectronics (www.peripheralelectronics.com). It gives me cd quality sound, while charging my iPod, and it lets me control it from mt factory radio and steering wheel controls! It was pretty affordable as well, I bought mine for $190 and installed it myself in about an hour. I highly recommend the iPod2car if you are truely serious about the quality of your music and the convenience of your iPod.

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Anonymous wrote:
Based on this article I bought a RoadTrip Plus from OWC. Not only didn't it work, but now after trying it, my iPod will no longer mount. Looks like I'm out $250.

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Intruder wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:
Based on this article I bought a RoadTrip Plus from OWC. Not only didn't it work, but now after trying it, my iPod will no longer mount. Looks like I'm out $250.

Hail Apple, master, give me my daily commands.

hi, i live in los angeles, and am looking for ways to play my ipod on my stereo (doesn't have a cable jack) . . . i've been told that there are no empty fm frequencies in the city, and these sorts of devices don't work. is that true? has anyone tried one in l.a. with good result?

another question: when you play an ipod over a car stereo either through a cable attached to the stereo or an fm transmitter, does it have the same volume (ie - are you able to turn the sound up as loud as you would if you were just playing the stereo)?

thanks for any info

hi, i live in los angeles, and am looking for ways to play my ipod on my stereo (doesn't have a cable jack) . . . i've been told that there are no empty fm frequencies in the city, and these sorts of devices don't work. is that true? has anyone tried one in l.a. with good result?

another question: when you play an ipod over a car stereo either through a cable attached to the stereo or an fm transmitter, does it have the same volume (ie - are you able to turn the sound up as loud as you would if you were just playing the stereo)?

thanks for any information