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Cassette Adapters

If your car has a cassette player, you're in luck - One popular method of getting your sound into your car is to use a cassette adapter, such as the MacAlly CarCassetteAdapter we carry.

While not the most attractive option out there, it does work. You may remember these from the 80s - a cassette tape with a wire coming out of it, that plugs into your audio device you wish to input into your car. I (and many of us) had one to get my Sony Discman to play through the car stereo. Ahh, the memories...

I'd review more than the one that we have but they are all the same for the most part. We carry the MacAlly mentioned above, and I have used ones from Sony and Memorex, they all work and sound the same.

Plus: Simple use, move from car to car if both have a cassette deck.
Minus: Degraded sound (flat sounding, without a lot of highs or lows), must clean cassette deck every 10 hours, 1980's technology.

FM Tuners

FM tuners are another great choice if you're looking to get your iPod's tunes into your car. There are quite a few products on the market today and a number of them specifically targeted only to work with the iPod.

Using your car's FM tuner (or other audio device, such as a boombox) allows you to easily input the sound from the iPod without having to actually install anything into your car or modify it in any way - This is very important if your car is on a lease, a fleet car or truck, or if you're traveling and have a rental car.

I'll try and cover the major FM tuning products below. Read on for more information about them and their good and bad points.

Plus: Simple use, move from car to car. Sounds as good as a strong FM radio signal.
Minus: Sound may not be as good as direct wiring. Some transmitters not powerful enough to overcome background noise.

Griffin Technology's iTrip.

The Griffin Technology iTrip is a wonder of integrated elegance. You won't find another product on the market that is designed to attach directly to the top of the iPod (First, Second, Third and even the 4th generation iPod and iPod Mini!) and broadcast a signal out to your car stereo that's so unobtrusive. It even works with many cases on the market - a real plus! its great looking too, matching the curves of the iPod.

But, it does have some drawbacks.

In our tests in our market area (Northern Illinois), the signal was not strong enough to lock in all the time, even when testing on multiple frequencies that were open. Reception was spotty at best. And, to tune the iTrip to an available frequency, you have to set up a playlist on your ipod with different coded "beeps" that sets the iTrip to the frequency you want to tune it to - not exactly cool if you want to shuffle all of your music on the fly by selecting all songs in your iPod. You're bound to hit one of these frequencies by random chance and reset the frequency you already set to the iPod.

At this time OWC has chosen to discontinue offering all Griffin iTrip products. For more information about the iTrip, you can visit the Griffin Technology website.

Plus: Elegant look, works with all iPods. Not just for car stereos - works with any radio too! Draws power from the iPod itself.
Minus: Spotty reception in our tests, often had to change frequencies on trips, inconvenient tuning method, blocks remote control use*
*see line level out adapter information below for an option.

Newer Technology RoadTrip!

The Newer Technology RoadTrip! turned out to be the minimalist in this test, reminding me of a cassette adapter for its complete simplicity. There's not much to this product other than a base plug that goes into your cigarette lighter jack, and a 3.5mm stereo plug that goes into your iPod (or whatever other device you want). The RoadTrip! uses a fixed frequency of 107.7MHz that it broadcasts your music on. While sometimes that could be a problem with really high coverage metropolitan areas, we found that while we do have a high-power transmitter about 25 miles away on that frequency, it was certainly not a issue in this case.

I invited Roger Adler, our audio expert out to my car to help evaluate some of these units, and he agreed - the RoadTrip! offered the best range of sound for the items tested. We were both pleasantly surprised as its simple design certainly does offer exactly what many are looking for - an unobtrusive method of plugging your iPod in - period.

Bottom line - I'd even give one of these to my mother to use - without wondering if she could really use it without having to call me to ask how. :>)

Plus: Simplicity rules!, works with all iPods or any other audio device with a 3.5mm stereo output jack.
Minus: Fixed frequency output, blocks remote control use*, tied to 12v power source.
*see line level out adapter information below for an option.

Sonnet Technology Podfreq

Sonnet Technology has the king of all-in-one Swiss Army knife iPod accessories with its Podfreq. Want to play your iPod through your car stereo? No problem - it can do it! Want to take your iPod to the beach and listen to it through your boombox? Same thing - it can do it! All while enclosing the iPod in a protective case.

Where the Griffin iTrip lacked the ability to always lock a signal and keep it, the Podfreq was able to put out more power because of its extendable antenna. Yes, that's right, this thing looks like an old AT&T cordless phone if you want it to, sporting a collapsible metal antenna that you can extend if you want to boost the range. The PodFreq came in a close second for best sound output, right behind the Newer RoadTrip!.

Speaking of boosting the range, it has an enticing rotary dial screw hidden inside the bottom left of the base unit... hmm... could that be for adjusting the power output? Better try it out! :>)

Need to connect your iPod to your computer? The Podfreq has both FireWire AND USB 2.0 connection ports built in! And, it even has a flip stand base - it will sit on your desk in style without having to lay down while you're reloading or recharging it- pretty cool!

Plus: All In One design. You don't need to buy any more accessories when you get this wonder - it has everything!
Minus: Expensive - but all encompassing. Like the plus points say, it has everything. Only for the 3G and 4G iPod.

Care to hear how these 3 FM transmitters sound with your own ears? Give this a try - listen to the differences between them by clicking to download this MP3 recorded in my vehicle. Click here to download. (5.8MB)

Other methods

There are other ways of getting your iPod's sound into your car stereo but you need to understand that most people won't want to either go to the expense of adding these interfaces, or add an aftermarket stereo to aid in the use of it. But, here's some of the other ways to do it.

Auxiliary jack on aftermarket stereo head unit:

If you've got a 3rd party stereo head unit, you very well may already have an auxiliary interface either on the front of the faceplate, or RCA jacks in the rear. Consult your maunal to determine if this is the case. If so, you're really in business with the highest quality input you can get - a line level input, ready to accept any auxiliary input source. Congratulations, you did the right thing buying that new stereo!

Plus: THE best way to get sound into your car stereo
Minus: None, other than having to spend hundreds, if not thousands of dollars on that killer audio system. :>)

FM Modulator:

If you're like me and have a car that came with a Bose audio system (The car I wanted was only available fully loaded at that time in the color I wanted... the Bose system was an unwanted upgrade), you may be totally stuck and have to use a FM modulator to get sound into your car stereo. Your other choice is to use one of the above-mentioned FM tuning products, but there are also higher quality input FM modulators available. Since the advent of XM Satellite and Sirius satellite radio, there are a few different choices on the market.

These generally take a bit of work to install, will require adapters for the antenna system in your car since the modulator is inline, fitting between the head unit and the antenna, and need a power source and switch since you need to turn ON the unit, killing all other antenna input (you have to switch off the radio stations to use this). its not exactly plug and play.

Plus: Sound as good as any FM radio station you've ever heard.
Minus: Expensive - Requires professional installation in some cases, and not intuitive for use since you have to flip switches to turn on or off.

Direct Interface Kit:

Just coming to market in the last year or so are other input methods made by a few companies. Once again, these are not for the normal everyday person to install. Many car stereos have auxiliary jacks that aren't exactly intuitive to hook up to - if your car has a 6 disc or 12 disc changer hookup for a multi-CD changer in the trunk, glovebox, or under a seat, you probably can convert this to use as an input for your iPod. Expect to pay between $90 and $200 for this adapter box though, and whatever the car stereo installers charge you. But, its sound is just great, and even more cool for a person like me, steering wheel controls still work to at least turn on that input. You still won't be able to control the iPod though, without its remote. :>( Just google "iPod Car Stereo Interface" and you'll start to see how to do this. You'll need an adapter for the iPod, an adapter for your car stereo, and figure at least 1 hour if not 2 from a car stereo installer to get it put together. Oh, and your iPod will need a cradle to look cool when plugged in... that could cost a lot more, especially if it has to be hand made. Otherwise, it'll have to ride in a pocket in your center console, or in the glove box.

Plus: Sounds as good as any direct input.
Minus: Prohibitively Expensive - Requires professional installation.

BMW:

This is probably the most simple method out there - just go buy a BMW and you can get an adapter (probably very close to the direct installation kit listed above)! Supposedly they will be shipping these starting in October as a factory installed option, being the first car company to make the iPod an integrated part of the car. You may recall that Volkswagen teamed up with Apple last year for a promotional giveaway campaign with their New Beetle, well, BMW one-upped them here, that's for sure.

A great quote from the Apple page listed below is this: "Anyone who has driven a BMW, or plugged into an iPod, knows the pleasure that comes from experiencing the perfect marriage of design and technology. Now you can merge your driving and listening pleasures into one seamless sonic experience. What could be better?"

Visit http://www.ipodyourbmw.com/ or http://www.apple.com/ipod/bmw/ for more info. Both sites are definitely worth visiting anyway - even if you don't want the ultimate driving machine. :>)

Plus: Sounds as good as any direct input. The "Ultimate Driving Machine".
Minus: Depending on the car you choose, it could be prohibitively expensive - and may require you to hire an attorney if it causes a divorce when your better half finds out that you bought a BMW because "It interfaced with my iPod!" :>)

What cool accessories are out there for my iPod?

Well, there are more and more toys for your iPod every day it seems, but the really necessary ones are as follows:

12v Car Charger:

You need to be able to recharge your iPod while on the road if you're going on a long trip. its not cool to be halfway to Timbuktu when your tunes give out on you - pick up a 12v car charger like the this one from Griffin Technology, or this one from MacAlly.

As long as it keeps your iPod up and running, its worth its weight in gold.

Line Level Audio Adapter:

If you're like me, you want to be able to use your remote control that came with your iPod. I had one of the very first iPods that came to market (in fact, I had a prototype just weeks before release... that's another story though!). However, the first thing we knew it needed was a remote control, and Apple came through with one pretty quickly. its a good enough design that not one 3rd party company has tried to get in on the market - especially since most iPods come with the remote already bundled, at least before the new 4G iPod was released.

The problem with the remote control is that you have to use the pass-through connector on the remote to output to your car stereo. Or, at least you did - with the 1st and 2nd generation of iPod. And that meant you were getting a variable volume level output - not optimal, for transmitting out to a FM tuner or a line level output. You'd get distortion.

But, the 3rd and 4th generation iPods offered something that the older models didn't - the ability to provide a fixed line level output. What's that all about? Well, the headphone jack on the top is designed to have a variable volume output, so you can use headphones with it. While that's great for personal listening with earphones, it stinks for car stereo output. The volume has to be JUST right for it to sound correct. Too little and you're strangling the signal. Too much and you're clipping highs and muddying lows. Well, the 3rd and 4th Generation iPod have a line - level output available through the bottom multi- connector on the iPod, where it docks. SiK has come up with a sweet little adapter cable called the DiN that splits out a FireWire charging or connecting jack, and a 3.5mm stereo fixed line level output. This is JUST the ticket for many car stereo hookups. You can charge the iPod AND listen to it at the same time, controlling it with the factory remote. its exactly what I use in my car, with the expensive FM modulator I bought nearly 3 years ago now. I highly recommend this adapter cable!

Cases:

There are more cases for the iPod than you can shake a stick at. We've come a real long way since the first case for an iPod hit the market just days before Christmas, 2002. I should know, I designed that case for OWC :>) Check out what's on the market now at this link: OWC iPod Accessories: Cases. The most popular ones are the silicone rubber cases in about as many colors as a box of crayons. :>) Black is still available too, for those of you whom are purists.

No matter what, keep your iPod looking new with a case. I've seen nearly every case that has come onto the market for the iPod and all offer protection for your valuable investment.

I sincerely hope I've covered all the bases trying to help you understand what products are out there for the iPod and your car stereo. The iPod has revolutionized the way we listen to music! I can't believe how nice it is not having to worry about CDs being left in the car, if they're getting scratched up, or if I remembered to bring that album from the house before I left for work.

Apple has made it easy to bring your music with you, wherever you go. Thanks for reading this - if there's a product for the iPod we don't offer that you want, drop me a note - we'll give it consideration!