Finally An iPod FM Transmitter That Doesn't Suck

I am not a big fan of the iTrip, or pretty much any of the current stable of FM transmitters for the iPod. Their signal is just too weak. And unfortunately, I have to use a transmitter in my BMW to be able to listen to my iPod. (In my Infiniti, I have a cassette player, so I can use that adapter, but my BMW is the model year before they added the iPod functionality discussed at iPodYourBMW.com).

Well, I have finally found something that works. It's the Monster iCarPlay Wireless Plus. It works.

It's not wireless like the iTrip, but it more than makes up for that with the quality. You plug it into the cigarette lighter plug, and it broadcasts a pretty strong signal on any FM frequency you want. Plus, it charges your iPod while it works (and it's a smart charge to prevent overcharging the iPod battery).

Another good thing is that it pulls the audio signal from the dock connector, rather than the top earphone jack, so it's a clean "line audio" signal. Nice.

It costs $80, so it isn't cheap. But it's definitely the most powerful of the transmitters I've tried. I put it on the same frequency as Star 94-FM here in Atlanta, and it blew that Star 94 (and it's great mix of today's top hits!) way back to Jessica Simpson-ville. And if that's all it did, it would be worth the $80 price alone.

-aB