FM Transmitters Test

April 2009

Car makers may be slowly catching up with the digital music revolution, but the easiest way for most of us to listen to our MP3 player while driving is through an FM transmitter. Hooked up to your device via the headphone jack or Apple’s iPod dock, these clever gadgets broadcast a low-power radio signal, which can be picked up by the car tuner and played through its speakers. Most will charge the iPod as you drive and some search the airwaves for the clearest frequency to avoid interference. As with portable sat-navs, the market has shrunk to mainly the big players – and we tune in to 10 to pick the best.

The iPod continues to dominate the MP3 market, so our winner had to work with most versions of Apple’s player, including the iPhone. Other desirable features were a headphone jack input, station presets, clear frequency scanning and the ability to charge the iPod.

We tried all the units in two cars, checking ease of use, sound quality and simple retuning. Cost played a relatively minor role as prices vary significantly, both online and in the shops. And prices here do not include any delivery costs.

Contacts

Belkin, 01933 352000, www.belkin.com
Gear4, 01494 435530, www.gear4.com
Kensington, 0845 603 1730, www.kensington.com
Gear4, 01494 435530, www.gear4.com
Griffin, (Apple Store), 0800 048 0408 www.apple.com/uk
Belkin, (Halfords), 0845 762 6625 www.halfords.com
Alpine, 0845 3131 640, www.alpine-electronics.co.uk
Griffin, (Halfords) 0845 762 6625, www.halfords.com
Macally, 01223 833412, www.mp3essentials.co.uk

Top 3

1. Belkin TuneBase FM
2. Macally FMCup-B
3. Griffin RoadTrip

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