Griffin iTrip Auto FM Transmitter and Auto Charger for iPod (Black)
by Griffin Technologies
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List Price: Our Price: $44.31 You Save: $25.68 (37%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Network Media Player See more product details |
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Customers in the UK,
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for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Griffin iTrip Auto FM Transmitter and Auto Charger for iPod (Black)
Customer Review: Oh my, it actually WORKS
Summary: 4 Stars
I have no tape deck or built in iPod dock in my car, so I've been beholden to the FM transmitter since I got my first iPod years ago. When I lived in Rhode Island, the performance of my trusty (Griffin) Road Trip was fine, but then I moved to Chicago and found the dial more crowded, and suddenly I couldn't get a clear signal. It wasn't worth trying to use the Road Trip (ever) because static drowned out the signal. When I got my iPod Nano the problem got much worse, as if the tiny thing wasn't meant to work with my older Road Trip.
Then I moved to Houston, and discovered to my chagrin, that I had the same problem with crowded dial and insufferable static. In despair, I was about to give up on the idea of an FM transmitter when I spotted the reviews for this version. I wondered how the cheaper iTrip could actually compare to my more costly Road Trip, but decided that it was cheap enough to give it a shot.
Well, being able to go below 88.1 FM makes all the difference, it turns out. Following the directions so kindly shared here I now have the thing preset to 87.9 and 87.5, and the signal is great. I rarely get interference, and although I do turn the volume on my stereo up a bit high to listen to podcasts, the sound quality is really good. Very happy with this purchase- the first time in my life that the superior gadget turned out to be the cheaper option.
Customer Review: useful both at home and in rental cars away from home
Summary: 4 Stars
The most obvious use for the iTrip is when you are driving a rental car that doesn't have an audio input jack. The manual gives clear instructions on programming your radio and the iTrip. When you find a vacant channel to use the sound quality is very good. If you are going to do all of your driving in one city you probably will get idea of what channels work best and you simply reprogram the radio and iTrip with those channels. An exception is when you pass through many areas in a big metropolitan area. In that case, you are real busy finding vacant channels that have good iTrip reception. Doing this on the move is very taxing as you are working the buttons on the iTrip transmitter by touch and memory. This issue would be applicable to any FM transmitter product so you can't really ding Griffin for this problem.
On the other hand, if you are making a cross country trip, you can usually use the same set of vacant channels for a long time before you have to hunt for new ones.
Now if you are using this at home, using this should be a snap. After a few trips around town you should have a pretty good idea of the best vacant channels to use and have them programmed into the radio and iTrip. Since you are staying in the same area, you probably won't have to search for new vacant channels for a long time and using the iTrip becomes incredibly easy.
Customer Review: Good Item
Summary: 4 Stars
I have used several FM transmitters (Belkin, Monster, iTrip) and think Griffin is the best product out there. The FM transmitter in a big city with alot of pirate radio it will be difficult at times to get reception without some form of static in the background to what your listening to (which at times is extremely annoying especially if listening to amateurish low level podcasts), interference from large buildings bouncing off waves, and city buses emitting a radio signal. Eric Williams (a reviewer to this item) does have a partial solution to tuning this device to a frequency below 88 which at times can be useful until you drive into the heart of the city and run into powerful emitting pirate radio stations. I have a long commute and have to change frequency 2-4 times during my commute. What I LOVE about this device that other FM transmitters DO NOT DO is when I start the car with the ipod plugged into the Griffin iTrip, it will begin right where I left off without having to touch the iPod. When I turn the car off, the power to the lighter shuts off both the Griffin iTrip and my iPod. Other FM transmitters turn off, but let the iPod stay in the ON position and continues forward, and if your listening to a long podcast or audiobook, you will lose your place where you left off when you turned off the car. Sorry for the run-on sentences, but this is not an English class.Customer Review: Extremely satisfied
Summary: 4 Stars
I live in metrowest Boston, which means I get a little less radio stations then I would if I lived right in the city. This transmitter works really well for my ipod. Anytime I experience a bit of interference, I just change over to the next station. I have four presets on my radio that are ipod stations, and it works quite well. I've been very satisfied with this product.
I DO experience interference when someone else is nearby with their own transmitter, or when I'm in a "bad area", ie, a place where I normally get terrible cell phone reception too. But like I said, I just find another frequency. I like being able to use the preset button so it'll automatically find a frequency I can use.
One thing I am disappointed by - and I was aware of this before I bought it - but the sound quality is lacking. I can have the volume on my radio turned up all the way and the sound still isn't as loud as I'd like it to be. I'm not sure why this is. Maybe because the frequency I'm using isn't very strong? I don't have this problem when I use the CD player or regular radio station in my car. I've played with the sound settings on my ipod as well but it hasn't helped. Using the "DX" setting on the transmitter helps a little.
All in all, I really like it, and I use it everyday when I commute to work, I just wish the sound quality was better.
Customer Review: Fantastic product, just a couple of drawbacks
Summary: 4 Stars
If you use the instructions in Eric Williams' review for international settings, this transmitter works perfectly, even when using the DX (stereo) mode. I bought this transmitter right before taking a long road trip (10 hours each way) and it worked beautifully the entire time; for such a long trip, it's far easier to load up my iPod with songs than to bring a million CD's and/or have to keep searching for radio stations in unfamiliar, often remote areas. It also works beautifully when driving around in Philadelphia. The sound is on par with a typical radio broadcast, and there is no static or other interference.
There are two drawbacks to this product, and these are why I gave it 4/5 stars instead of a perfect rating:
1) It may not work in older cars. While it works in my 2005 Jeep, when I plug it into my husband's 1991 RX-7, it won't power up. I think this has to do with how many volts the cigarette lighter has.
2) It DOES NOT CHARGE my 4th Generation iPod Nano; when I first plug the Nano into the transmitter, I get an error message that "charging is not supported with this accessory." However, after running the Nano for 10 hours straight, it used up only about 1/3 of the battery power, so this wasn't a big deal to me; I knew about the problem ahead of time and brought a wall charger to charge the iPod at our hotel.