Think twice before taking this iTrip...
Written: Oct 27 '04 (Updated Jan 30 '05)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Allows use of iPod over factory car stereo, much better than CD changer for variety.
Cons: Difficulty tuning while driving, often fuzzy reception, slowly drains the iPod's battery.
The Bottom Line: I can't give this product my wholehearted recommendation, since my experience hasn't been positive. Great idea that just doesn't work quite as well as it should.
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| openroad's Full Review: Griffin Technology ITRIP FM TRANSMITTER FOR NEW (4... |
----- Why an iTrip? -----
Not long after I purchased my 20gb iPod I started searching for a way to use it while driving in my car. I couldn’t see a reason to fish around looking for CDs when I had all my favorite music loaded on my iPod. Since I have a CD player in my daily driver vehicle, I didn’t want to make a cassette adapter my only option. After researching the market I decided an FM transmitter was the perfect solution to my dilemma. An FM transmitter takes the audio playing from your iPod and sends it out over an FM frequency selected previously. This allows you to tune your in-car receiver to the iTrip and listen over your car’s stereo system. At this time I didn’t look at the Belkin Tunecast, which is the main competitor to the unit I decided to purchase.
The Griffin Technologies iTrip is a stylish looking unit that matches the color and theme of the 3rd generation iPods. Griffin’s iTrip plugs into the top of the iPod and uses the headphone jack and data port to receive its information. It doesn’t require batteries or a separate source of power, instead it draws a small amount of power from the main iPod battery. When the play button is pressed the iTrip activates and begins broadcasting on the selected frequency.
----- How easy is the iTrip to use? -----
This question requires a two part answer, as there are two distinct operations the user will perform on a regular basis. First I’ll comment on the positive features, namely the easy power control system and hands-off operation. Once you turn your iPod on and begin playing music, the iTrip broadcasts automatically. No buttons need to be pressed or menu items selected. After 3 or 4 seconds the iTrip begins streaming audio over whatever station you were last broadcasting from. If you pause or stop playing music the iTrip automatically powers off after 60 seconds. If you turn your iPod unit off manually the iTrip also powers down simultaneously.
Now on to part two, and the more frustrating part of iTrip operation. Selecting a station to broadcast from is something you’ll run into quite often when traveling long distances or in urban areas. The iTrip signal isn’t very strong and can be overpowered by radio stations fairly easily. This causes the streaming audio to either sound scratchy or even become completely overwhelmed. I’ll get around to sound quality in the next section a bit more. When you need to change the station for one reason or another, you’ll have to make your way to the “Playlists” menu in your iPod. When you install the Apple software for your iTrip it automatically installs a new playlist titled iTrip Stations. This listing contains stations from 87.9 to 107.9 with stations every two-tenths on the scale. This gives you the choice of 101 stations, more than enough choices for most people. The difficulty comes from actually activating the station of your choice..
First select the station of your choice from the playlist and push play, this activates a 4 second sound blip that programs the iTrip for that station. A successful programming attempt will be verified by the iTrip’s status LED blinking rapidly. The difficulty with this system is the next track automatically starts playing after the 4 seconds are up. This causes that station to be the active station, and thereby causes you to madly press pause and menu to back out of the iTrip playlist and prevent accidental station selection. The common side effect to this play-pause station dance is you’ll end up with a failed station program attempt. If you press pause before the selected track reaches its end, you’ll still be stuck with your old station even though the LED light blinked a change confirmation. Frustration begins to mount about this point, especially if you’re attempting to drive while keeping an eye on the iPod screen and the iTrip LED.
----- Sound quality… or lack of it. -----
Overall I’m moderately satisfied with the sound quality of the iTrip, which most times approximates the quality of FM radio. While not CD quality by any means it’s fine for driving down an interstate or sitting parked in traffic. If you live in a large metro area you’ll notice a reduction in quality depending on how close you are to another station. My rule of thumb is to stay at least two-tenths away from any other stations on both sides of your selected frequency, which is nearly impossible in large cities. For those of you often driving in or between metro areas I’d recommend a cassette adapter. If you don’t have a cassette player you’ll be stuck with an iTrip and have to learn how to switch frequencies quickly. While traveling on rural Midwestern interstates I don't have too much trouble with the iTrip’s quality.
Both my vehicles are very picky about where I place the iPod unit while driving. In my SUV I need to place the iPod on the dash or in the little pocket under the radio to keep the sound quality acceptable. If I set the iPod in the seat next to me or on my console I begin to pick up interference and static. Sometimes a loud burst of static or a high pitched whine will randomly intrude into the music, which requires me to move the unit yet again. In my car I need to keep the iPod higher than the radio or it sounds like an AM station. These little annoyances have more to do with the quality and design of my radio units, but it’s frustrating nonetheless.
----- Bottom Line -----
Okay, you’ve read all my comments and complaints and you want to know whether the iTrip is worth your $35. My answer is a conditional yes, so I’ll try to explain what that means. If you don’t have a cassette player and no plans to install one, you’ve eliminated the main competition for the iTrip (and Belkin's Tunecast). From my experience you only have three remaining choices, of which the iTrip is cheaper by roughly $350-$25,000.
The best route to take is to install an Alpine CD/Receiver and the Alpine KCA-420i iPod control interface. This allows you direct connection from your iPod to your receiver and into your car’s speakers. CD quality sound for about $400, but you have to ditch your factory radio. You may not wish to do that, and in some newer cars it’s nearly impossible to replace your OEM radio. The other choice is to buy an 2002 or newer BMW and purchase the iPod interface cable. This cable integrates you iPod unit into the factory BMW audio system much like the Alpine system does. Lastly we have the iTrip coming in at $35 and sounding pretty good to most people.
While I’ve had a few frustrating moments and poor signal quality at times, I’d still say the iTrip was a good buy. My trips are a lot more bearable with a giant library of music on hand, not to mention pre-made iTunes playlists of my favorite songs.
Now to the big question, do I recommend this to readers and friends? I would say first to check out Belkin’s Tunecast before buying the iTrip. It has a very limited frequency selection, but integrates wonderfully with the Belkin iPod Auto Kit. I hate to sound so divided over this product, but it's a love/hate relationship for me. If you want or need virtually endless frequency options the iTrip is your ticket. For $35 it's better than XM or Sirius for most travelers, and in the end might even convince you to buy a BMW!
Related links:
Apple iPod 20GB
Apple iPod Photo 40GB
iSkin EVO for 3rd Generation iPods
Belkin iPod Auto Kit DC Charger
Belkin Cassette Adapter
Apple Powerbook G4 17"
Thanks for reading, and feel free to comment!
Openroad
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 35
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