Parrot MKi9200 MP3/hands-free kit - tested

If your car doesn’t have an iPod connection, this new Parrot kit is a great solution. The MKi9200 not only allows you to relay your MP3 player’s digital music via the speakers, but also adds a built-in hands-free kit.

Installation by a professional fitter takes a couple of hours, and we were impressed at how neatly the set-up fits into the cabin. The twin microphones, display, wireless remote control and connection leads were all well sited and unobtrusive.

On our car, the connectors for iPod, USB and headphone jack were hidden in the central armrest, and kept tidy by a sorting block. Once hooked up, audio quality from our iPod was excellent, and the system responded instantly to our remote commands. Volume from the 20-watt amplifier was very loud, and sound distorted only when it was really high. A minor gripe was that the album artwork was a bit slow to change when moving between tracks.

Phone contacts downloaded automatically, and the voice recognition was good. Sound quality was also decent.

So if you can look past the high price, plus the fact there’s no illumination on the remote, the Parrot is a superb choice.