Transmitting audio to car's FM tuner

vsp · 05-02-2005, 08:50 AM

A long long time ago, based on recommendations by Toad in <a href="http://www.cellar.org/showthread.php?t=2539&highlight=Clarion">this thread</a>, I picked up a <a href="http://www.crutchfield.com/S-WKxpcpsgAhm/cgi-bin/prodview.asp?I=020DB625MP&search=DB625MP">Clarion DB625MP</a> deck for my wife's Ford Contour. It's served her well for a couple of years.

She picks up her new car tonight, a 2005 Toyota RAV4. The stereo in this system is nothing dramatic (CD/AM-FM/Cassette), though passable, but she's going to miss MP3 capabilities. I'm not sure whether her Clarion deck is compatible, but I'm sure that the steering wheel buttons that control radio functions wouldn't work with any third-party replacements.

She _does_ have a portable CD player that plays MP3 files, so the notion of an FM Transmitter came to mind, passing MP3s to the radio without any hardware tinkering or loss of function involved. Unfortunately, Crutchfield's <a href="http://www.crutchfield.com/S-WKxpcpsgAhm/cgi-bin/ProdGroup.asp?g=234550&avf=Y">list of such</a> is full of negative reviews. Big shock there, as it's audiophiles bitching about sound quality from a modulator, but still...

Anyone have any positive experiences with any of these gadgets? The expensive ones don't seem to be drawing any more raves than the cheapies.

(Oh, and BOO to Clarion; when I looked up their newer models, they're all Sirius-ready, not XM. If I end up taking the plunge on satellite at some point, I'd rather go with XM.)

EDIT: FM Modulator vs. FM Transmitter. Discuss.

05-02-2005, 08:50 AM	#1
vsp Syndrome of a Down Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: West Chester Posts: 1,367	Transmitting audio to car's FM tuner A long long time ago, based on recommendations by Toad in <a href="http://www.cellar.org/showthread.php?t=2539&highlight=Clarion">this thread</a>, I picked up a <a href="http://www.crutchfield.com/S-WKxpcpsgAhm/cgi-bin/prodview.asp?I=020DB625MP&search=DB625MP">Clarion DB625MP</a> deck for my wife's Ford Contour. It's served her well for a couple of years. She picks up her new car tonight, a 2005 Toyota RAV4. The stereo in this system is nothing dramatic (CD/AM-FM/Cassette), though passable, but she's going to miss MP3 capabilities. I'm not sure whether her Clarion deck is compatible, but I'm sure that the steering wheel buttons that control radio functions wouldn't work with any third-party replacements. She _does_ have a portable CD player that plays MP3 files, so the notion of an FM Transmitter came to mind, passing MP3s to the radio without any hardware tinkering or loss of function involved. Unfortunately, Crutchfield's <a href="http://www.crutchfield.com/S-WKxpcpsgAhm/cgi-bin/ProdGroup.asp?g=234550&avf=Y">list of such</a> is full of negative reviews. Big shock there, as it's audiophiles bitching about sound quality from a modulator, but still... Anyone have any positive experiences with any of these gadgets? The expensive ones don't seem to be drawing any more raves than the cheapies. (Oh, and BOO to Clarion; when I looked up their newer models, they're all Sirius-ready, not XM. If I end up taking the plunge on satellite at some point, I'd rather go with XM.) EDIT: FM Modulator vs. FM Transmitter. Discuss. Last edited by vsp; 05-02-2005 at 09:11 AM.

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