This is the BEST product of it's kind. Unfortunately, that's not saying much. Unless you have a tape deck in your care or you're willing to drop about 4 bills, an FM transmitter is the only universal tool for hooking up your mp3 player to your car stereo.
We live in DC, and considering that the radio waves are pretty crowded here, the transmitter works very well. There is some fuzziness between songs, but we have found a few stations that offer mostly good quality sound. It is essential if you live in a metro area to purchase a transmitter that allows you to use any station.
However, in order to change stations you must first save it as a preset station and then move to that station. You can't just push an up or down button and stop on a station you want to use, you must first save it. This can be annoying and almost impossible if you are driving.
Despite all this, I would recommend this product specifically for anyone looking for an FM transmitter. Trust me, this is my third one! Monster RadioPlay 300 Universal Full Spectrum FM Transmitter (MBL-FM XMTR300)
I enthusiastically endorse this product (shame it's not in stock right now as I type this). I purchased the iRiver AFT 100 and the Belkin TuneCast II after buying this product, and was able to do a direct comparison. I live in the San Diego area which is flooded with FM radio stations where it's difficult to find an empty, available radio station. My best bet with each player was 88.1, which I used to test all three products. The TuneCast was first up: It made a horrible sound as I plugged it in, scratchy and staticky which then faded into the music. Overall, it sounded like a semi-weak radio station. The iRiver was a little less weak, but still very scratchy with an inredible background hiss that persisted even as I tried every volume and position combination. The only product that created a very crisp and clear sound was this Monster Cable Transmitter. It's even powerful enough to overide live/powerful stations (though with some static) and at best sounded very similar to my CD player. I am so extremely satisfied with this product and so completely bummed out about the iRiver which from the bulk of its reviews sounded like a champ. It's not, it's a chump. The Belkin product has mixed reviews, but I have a friend in San Fransisco that says it works as well my Monster product there. All in all, thumbs up for the Monster Cable Transmitter for its shining reign over the other two "top rated" products.
I bought this item at the local Circuit City a few weeks ago and I must say this was one of the best investments for my MP3 player I've ever made. I like the fact that you can tune this transmitter digitally instead of using a wheel and having to "guess" what station you are on. I have the transmitter set to 3 stations: 88.1, 88.3, and 88.5. I even set my car stereo to these stations as well, instead of the local radio stations! Sometimes I have to switch channels when coming into a busy area (I live close to Memphis). It's VERY nice having the option of listening to my MP3 player when I'm in the car instead of all the garbage the radio stations play.
The Monster RadioPlay 300 Universal FM Transmitter is highly useful for playing mp3 players in the car, and unlike a lot of other FM transmitters out there, it works. The best thing about this transmitter is its full spectrum (88.1 to 107.9), which is essential if you live in a metro area (where a lot of stations are usually taken). I use this for my Microsoft Zune, and the sound is almost CD-quality, most of the time. You have to make sure, however, that the cord connected to the player doesn't move too much, though, because if it twists or gets pulled out a little, the sound becomes "static-y" and it may even drown out the music. So find a steady spot to hold your player and make sure the cord isn't pulled on by anything. This was really the only reason for the 4-star rating opposed to a 5-star rating. Another tip - if the bass sounds excessively static-y, try turning down the volume on the Zune (it worked for me). Before you try it out, try finding the blankest radio station you can find, and program it into one of the Monster's presets. The transmitter seems to work better if it is playing through a station saved as a preset rather than one you just found. The reality is that CD's have the best quality sound in almost any car system. With mp3 players, you're stuck with cassette adapters and FM transmitters for the most part. But that isn't necessarily bad. A tape adapter comes pretty close to a CD-sound, and I'd put them ahead of transmitters just because you don't have to change stations while travelling long distances. The Monster Universal Transmitter isn't far behind either, providing you find a blank station. It works awesomely on a very blank channel. This is the third transmitter I've tried, and it works the best...by far. Other FM transmitters don't even deserve to be mentioned along side it (maybe I just bought the crappy ones?). It is highly worth the price.
Ive had a Belkin Tunecast II for a year and a half until the wire gave out.....I was all set to but another one, but thought better of it, I always hated the auto on/off feature of the Tunecast II......I then ordered the Tunecast III, and while I liked some of the new pluses over the II, it was actually weaker in signal strength over it's predecessor, so I returned it. Looking around I noticed the praise that the Monster RadioPlay series of FM transmitters got, and thought to myself, maybe it's worth it to spend a little more, and try this baby out.......BOY, am I happy I did, the Monster RadioPlay 300 is by far the strongest FM transmitter Ive ever seen!!!!!!!!
THIS THING ROCKS!!!!! I highly recommend it!!!! Also, buy it from Amazon directly, even though it may cost a few bucks more, it's SO worth it, they shipped it to me in ONLY 2 days!!!!!!!!! - Audio - Car Transmitter - Mp3 Accessories - Mp3 Player'
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