Monster Cable iCarPlay FM Transmitter: Not The Worst Option...
Written: Dec 20 '07 (Updated Dec 20 '07)
Product Rating:
Pros: Works through any FM radio, three presets, charges iPod, easy to use
Cons: Expensive, static is abundant
The Bottom Line: A decent option for some people. If you have other options or live in an area with a lot of interference, it may not be worth the money.
noangels's Full Review: Monster Cable Products iCarPlay FM Transmitter for...
My music collection has evolved over the last few years. In 2003, to cope with an inordinately small dorm room, I ditched the CDs and stereo and digitized my entire music collection. After hours of hard work, I now have more than 5,500 songs and 30 gigabytes (GB) of music. The next step was making my music collection portable. In 2005, I purchased an Apple iPod Photo 60 GB MP3 Player. I was thrilled with it, but became spoiled. As happy as I was to have music for my commute and at the gym, I wanted to be able to hear my entire music library in the car too. I’m sure using my iPod’s ear buds would have gone over well with the police if I were pulled over. How dangerous could it possibly be to not be able to hear sirens? So logically, I went out and purchased a Monster Cable iCarPlay FM Transmitter.
How It Works and How Well It Works
This FM Transmitter hooks up to any iPod and transmits the signal to your FM radio on the channel of your choosing. The sound is played through your car radio, just as it would with any FM radio station it picked up. It has the added benefit of charging your iPod, while playing it, ensuring you will never be without your music because of a dead battery. It plugs directly into your car’s cigarette light/power outlet, powering both the Transmitter and the iPod.
The Monster Cable iCarPlay FM Transmitter is easy to set up and use. It is a small, portable accessory consisting of three main parts all connected by a wire. The power plug fits into any car power outlet, lighting up red to indicate that it is powered. At the opposite end of the wire is a plug that connects to your iPod. It is no more difficult to connect than the standard iPod charger that your iPod uses now. A little plastic box located at the midway point of the wire serves as a display, indicating the station that the Transmitter is broadcasting on. I found that the display was bright enough most of the time, though in bright sunlight you may have to tilt it to see what channel it is on. The sun glare coupled with the red light be drowned out by sunlight can make it a bit difficult to see; nothing that can’t be compensated for. Three red, light-up buttons are located to the right of this display, serving two functions. Each is a pre-set where you can set the channels that work best for you. They also allow you to adjust the channel as you see fit.
You may set the Transmitter to transmit to any channel from 88.1 to 107.9 FM. It will function best on the channels where the signal from a radio station is weak or non-existent. Here in New York City, that is a formidable task. The only channels that seem to work for me here are on the outermost channels of that range: 88.1 and 107.9 FM. I set those as my presets. I have been able to use other channels while traveling, especially on trips Upstate, driving through the Catskills which block out most radio stations. I used my presets most often and set the third for the channel that is best when we go Upstate, since that is the road trip we take most often. During road trips to Virginia and Pennsylvania, I manually set it, which can be a bit tedious since you must scroll through each channel individually. There’s really no other way to do it, however, when you’re traveling long distances.
Controlling the music only requires knowledge of your iPod. The Transmitter will transmit whatever you play. It is no different than using your iPod with headphones.
The charging feature takes about two hours to fully charge the iPod once fully discharged. I have only used it once, solely for the purpose of charging the iPod. Usually I just charge it as I’m using the Transmitter and I usually don’t notice the length of period it takes to fully charge. If you’re in and out of the car periodically and using it between trips, you’ll be fine.
How well it works can depend on a lot of factors. I’m sure New York City isn’t the ideal place for this to function well, which is not necessarily the fault of the product as much as it is the fault of the way it works. The audio was often very fuzzy. I would get a low roar of static in the background most of the time, while at some times the static would overpower the music. It was not a defect as I purchased two at the time and my fiance’s would function the same way. There would be times when there was no station that it wouldn’t interfere with. Like cell phones, certain areas were worse than others. When I was on a bridge, it would be unusable because the static would get so loud. It functioned best during road trips to more rural, remote areas. In the Catskills, the background static would sometimes be inaudible and would only periodically resurface.
The static was also affected by the positioning of the Transmitter. I found it worked best when elevated. The wire is sufficiently long to allow you to rest the iPod wherever you need to. I found it to be too long for some cars, as there would be wire everywhere, but better too long than too short.
How Long It Has Worked
I have owned the Monster Cable iCarPlay FM Transmitter for over two years, and it still works as well as it did when I purchased it. It was guaranteed for the first year.
Price
I purchased this Transmitter for $59.99 from The Apple Store in 2005.
Recommendation
I would recommend looking into other options for playing your iPod in the car before you purchase the Monster Cable iCarPlay FM Transmitter. I now use a male-to-male audio cable to plug my iPod into an auxiliary audio port when I want to play it in the car. At the time I was using my Transmitter often, I was driving a 1990 Pontiac that had no cassette player and no auxiliary audio port, leaving me with few options. This Transmitter may work better for someone who does not live in an urban environment. It has worked decently for what it is, but it isn’t worth the money if you live in an area like mine and have another option.
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