Coby CA-745 Wireless FM Car Transmitter with Digital Display and DC Car Cigarette Lighter Adapter
by Coby
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List Price: Our Price: $13.65 You Save: $4.34 (24%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Car Audio or Theater See more product details |
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Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Coby CA-745 Wireless FM Car Transmitter with Digital Display and DC Car Cigarette Lighter Adapter
Customer Review: Not perfect, but good
Summary: 4 Stars
I was very iffy about buying this product. It was 20 bucks cheaper than the competition, and it had very few reviews to give me a good idea. But trust me, this little device is SO worth it!
Pros: It's very easy to use, the screen is surprisingly easy to see in even the brightest of sunlight, the transmission from the device to my radio works fine about 95-98% of the time (it's just that whenever you touch the chord attached to the MP3 player, or whenever you go directly under a phone line, it gets a LITTLE staticy). Overall, not too bad of sound quality either. My car has a pretty bad sound system, so I can't really judge the quality, but it sounds almost as good as a CD, you just have to find a good mix between the MP3 player volume (4/5 high for me) and the car radio volume (up whatever I need to hear it...I keep the volume on the MP3 constant, then just mess witht he radio). Also, I just went for the lowest frequency possible, and have been using that setting since my first day of use, and never once have I gotten interference from another station. Then again, I live in the suburbs, so only take that bit with a grain of salt.
Cons: No off button. It's really not that bad, but it IS slightly annoying that every time I know I'll be out of my car for 20 minutes I have to unplug that. On top of turning off my MP3 player and turning off my car (it's a stickshift, so you have to do more than just turn the key off), it's just another minor hassle, so really it's not that bad. Only other problem: THIS IS A CIRCUIT BLOWER!!! Meaning, when we tried it out in the Ford, if you don't put it in perfectly straight, it blows the circuit, and ya have to replace it (although we had plenty of extras - circuits are cheap, like 1 buck apiece) So we experimented for a few circuits, and it officially blew the circuit. But hey, we've been using this player in our Saturn for about a month, and nothing's been wrong with it so far.
So go ahead, buy this product. Sure, it COULD blow circuits (which are REALLY easy to fix....I know nothing about cars, and I did it just by looking in the owner's manual), but it's SO much cheaper than the competition, that in my opinion it's worth the risk. If worst comes to worst, you can return this to Amazon for what it did, but most likely it will work fine...just don't get it if you have a Ford
Happy Listening!
Customer Review: Tough transmitter to beat for the price and quality
Summary: 5 Stars
So far so good with this little transmitter (or well, not actually that little, but semantics). Prior to buying the CA-745, I'd had a relatively expensive I-River transmitter a few years back and it ended up dieing twice on me within a two month time frame (got a RMA and new one second time, same eal). So I was very cautious and fairly thrifty (budget wise) when I bought this one and I was simply just looking to have something that would stop me from burning as many music cds to keep up with the latest songs and something that would sound even half decent would have worked fine. What I got with the CA-745 was a pleasant surprise both in quality and in price. The sound is very near to CD quality and has a nice/clear display so you can see which stations you're switching to and from.
There is some mild static when I move the mp3 player to/from anywhere in my car while playing music with it. I don't quite know what to attribute that to. I'm using a mini 2gb sandisk mp3 player and I'd be willing to bet the sound circuitry on the mini ones aren't quite on par with the bigger mp3 players yet. It could also be the CA-745 itself, who knows. All I know is, when it's stationary and during non-chaotic driving, the thing works like a champ. If I was doing donuts on the freeway or driving in a NASCAR race, perhaps this would be a bigger issue. It isn't though.
I'm interested in seeing how this holds up over the long haul though. Some of the reviews on here caught my eye when they said their CA-745 died fairly quickly on them. I never know quite how to take those reviews in which people incessantly complain about it dieing or that I ran over it with my car and don't know why it doesn't work type of reviews. I think some people like complaining just so they can complain about something. Hell, it's $18 people... relax. You're not out $5000 even if it doesn't work :).
That being said though, I do expect this thing to hold up for the long haul as I'm definitely not interested in going through an I-River Part 2 saga with 80 returns and exchanges. I'll update this review in a few weeks and we'll see if mine has combusted or not yet.
-Travis
Customer Review: Too good to be true...
Summary: 5 Stars
I was looking for a good FM transmitter for using my ipod in my car but was not sure which one to buy as I read reviews of other brands and they werent that good. Thats when I came across a Coby FM transmitter in my friends car. Though it was an older model no longer available but I was amazed at the quality of the signal it was transmitting and it really seemed like you are hearing the songs thru the AUX and not thru any FM. It didnt have any disturbance of any sort. I was very impressed with it and decided to buy a Coby which lead me to Amazon and this particular model. Since I was impressed by the brand I decided to give this model a try as the one my friend had doesnt exist anymore. And to my belief, it didnt disappoint me and really turned out to be equally good as far as the quality of transmitting is concerned. I travelled all the way from Richmond, VA to NJ and back on I-95 in my car using this and just once while I was crossing thru Washington DC did I get some interference but that was because I could see a Radio Tower on my right. So I guess it was because of Radio Tower as the moment I crossed it and was a little farther, it was back to normal and then it never happened again.
I must say I am truly impressed with it. The best part is that you dont have to search for a blank radio frequency and then tune ur transmitter to that frequency. Just select any frequency which is actually relaying some radio channel and this little guy overrides what is actually being relayed and transfers ur ipod on that frequency. So one can see how strong it is to override a relay and transmit its own.
Just one minor glitch I have which is when your ipod is stationary at one place while connected to this guy, its fine but when you move your ipod for say changing a song or something then since the wire also moves, it kinda gives a static disturbance but thats only with my piece. My other friend also has this same one after I recommended him and he doesnt have this problem. So, I guess its just mine. Nevertheless, it doesnt bother me as how many times does one actually have to change a song once your favs are being played on a playlist? ;-)
Customer Review: Fantastic with Satellite Radio
Summary: 5 Stars
The FM antenna supplied with my Sirius satellite radio did not provide sufficient power to override even distant radio stations. I found myself having to change stations 4 times during my daily 65 mile commute, and there was always some level of static. This review only covers my experience with satellite radio, but I have to believe there will be comparable results with other types of media.
After reading several reviews for FM transmitters, it seemed as though all had inconsistent performance. Prices range from under $18 for the Coby CA-745 to $40 - 45 for the Monster, Kensington, and iRiver units. The Belkin transmitter had too many negative reviews, for me. I decided to start with the Coby, and work my way up through the more expensive models, if necessary.
It is NOT necessary.
Out of the box, the CA-745 performed flawlessly. I was concerned there would not be enough power to transmit to the rear-mounted antenna on my Taurus. There were no problems. The sound quality is equal to any FM station, and is better than the FM antenna provided with the Sirius radio on it's best day. It's like a painkiller taking effect after suffering with a headache for weeks! The signal is strong enough such that I don't have to change stations at all during the trip. This is fortunate, since there are no presets on the Coby unit, and I'd have to hold down the scan button, watch, and change stations while driving.
I've addressed out of the box performance, but the durability of the unit has yet to be tested. As with other reviewers, I'll be updating my review after this summer with the results. The owner's manual states: "Warning, The unit must not be exposed to excessive moisture, or heat." We'll find out if the temperature of a car interior in Indiana summer reaches "excessive" levels.
Sept. 30, 2008
The unit has continued to perform flawlessly. The Sirius-provided antenna in my wife's minivan has begun to fail. Since I've raved about my experience with the Coby unit, she asked me to get one for her, also. It isn't often I find a high-performing device at a low cost.
Customer Review: Wow, I mean WOW!
Summary: 5 Stars
This is my third FM transmitter in about as many years. I owned the Belkin and the iRiver prior to this one. I use it with an iPod during my commute, about 90 minutes total, every day. I have a sedan with a rear-window FM antenna, so signal strength is critical.
The Belkin didn't have nearly enough signal strength or a flexible enough station selection, so I didn't stick with it very long. What prompted me to replace the iRiver after about two years of use was the auto-shutoff "feature" of the iRiver and the tenancy for high frequency audio to break up and distort badly when the iPod was above moderate volumes. The auto-shutoff powers down the transmitter when it thinks there's no music. What really happens is when the music levels are low or between tracks, the thing powers down letting high-volume static come crashing through the speakers at until the music level picks up to the point where it thinks there's music again (or until I can kill the radio's volume). Annoying to say the least. It's signal strength was better than the Belkin, but I would still get interference periodically.
The Coby is always-on (when the car is on) so there was an immediate and welcome relief. That alone makes it a winner in my book. But when I spent time playing with the iPod and radio levels, I noticed that the Coby didn't distort the high frequencies, no more playing with levels. Cool! Then after listening to a couple of tracks it was obvious that the Coby has much better low end response compared to the other two I owned. The bass was more defined (not boomy) and the punch that I didn't even notice was missing, was back. What a huge improvement! Much more life-like. Not over-pronounced, just full, all the way to the bottom. To boot, I don't hear any interference at all during my Chicago area commute, signal strength is very good. Combine that with a price that is half that of the others, there's no way you can lose with this unit.
If you're considering an FM transmitter solution for your in-car MP3 player listening, give the Coby your full consideration. I know you won't be disappointed.