Griffin iTrip Auto FM Transmitter and Charger for iPod – Black

S. Key

at 3:35 am

Review by S. Key for Griffin iTrip Auto FM Transmitter and Charger for iPod – Black
Rating: (5 / 5)
Bought this after my good lady spotted the iCast I use with my iPod 80GB Video – she wanted something to use with her faithful iPod Mini.

Had it delivered to work and tried it out (well you have to don’t you) on the journey back home.

Now I feel sick as a pig because it outperforms the iCast in every way.

The iTrip connects to the cigarette lighter socket and then into the dock connector on the bottom of the iPod. That way it takes its power from the car, charges the iPod and takes its audio feed all through a single connection. The iCast, on the other hand, supplies no power to the iPod and has a separate audio connection which takes the form of a 3.5mm jack plug that connects to the headphone socket.

The audio feed from the bottom of the iPod is independent of the iPod’s volume control so there’s no tedious mucking about with trying to get the level right and the sound’s much cleaner. Bass performance is particularly improved – music tracks that caused distortion on the iCast had no effect on the iTrip.

Added to that the transmitter signal is much stronger on the iTrip and is far less prone to interference even when tuned to a frequency with radio stations nearby. This makes it possible to turn-up the volume on quiet tracks without having anywhere near the background noise experienced on the iCast.

I noted the comment made by another reviewer with regard to loss of quality when using stereo mode but I was unable to notice any difference.

The iCast is more versatile in that it can run off a battery and can be used with devices other than iPods. That said, my wife and myself don’t need it for anything else so I’d rather have the ease of use and better performance associated with the iCast.

All in all I was expecting similar performance to the iCast so I was very pleasantly surprised when I tried the iTrip.

My next task is to order another iTrip……

R. J. Young

at 3:43 am

Review by R. J. Young for Griffin iTrip Auto FM Transmitter and Charger for iPod – Black
Rating: (5 / 5)
Summary: While not fantastic the audio quality is good, it’s easy to use and it charges my iPod. How well this will work for you depends on your car.

I bought my first FM transmitter in the US (for use here) a couple of years ago, a Belkin Tunecast, which was quite simply appalling. The output power of an FM transmitter is limited by law, so I guess the myriad of different transmitters you can buy are all very similar inside. The quality of the aerial does vary though; the optimum length for FM is around 70cm, so if you buy a compact unit like the clip-on iTrip’s you’re making a compromise with its aerial. Transmitters with cables, like this one, can use its shield as an aerial giving much better results.

I bought a Ford Focus recently and its integrated headset didn’t leave me with many options to hook up my iPod, the DIY kit to add an AUX input costs £50-£100 which is a little over the top. I thought I’d buy this to see if I could make a transmitter work better than I could in my previous car. I was really impressed when I plugged it in.

Even at frequencies with a little noise from a nearby station I get good results, radio quality music – nothing special, but it’s my radio! Reception is fine with the ‘pod plugged in at the back of the car, no need for the transmitter to be huddled close to the radio.

This is easy to use, as good as I could expect in terms of audio quality, powers itself and the iPod with one socket… it won’t work with every car, it depends how well your radio and aerial are shielded from the inside of your vehicle, but I think this is one of your best hopes at getting the music from your iPod to your radio wirelessly.