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Monster iCarPlay Wireless Plus FM Transmitter/Charger for iPod | 
 enlarge | Brand: Monster
Category: CE
List Price: $79.95
Buy Used: $20.00
You Save: $59.95 (75%)
New (24) from $22.97
Avg. Customer Rating:  173 reviews
Format: Cd
Media: Electronics
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Operating System: N/A
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2
Dimensions (in): 8 x 10 x 6
Legal Disclaimer: Warranty does not cover misuse of product.
MPN: 125875
Model: 125875
UPC: 814227013886
EAN: 0840356574813
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Features:
| • | Full FM tuning capability for clear sound anywhere | | • | Digital FM tuner with programmable station presets | | • | 3 programmable favorite station preset buttons and easy-to-read LED display | | • | Smart Digital Charger for fast charges; maximizes battery life | | • | Compatibility: iPod Nano, iPod Mini, iPod Video, iPod Photo, iPod U2,iPod 4th Gen w/click wheel, iPod 3rd Gen w/dock |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Why fumble with CDs when you can play your iPod in the car on virtually any FM radio station? Now you can do that and keep your iPod charged at the same time with iCarPlay Wireless Plus. Programmable, backlit station presets make it fast and easy to set and change stations on the go. With some other FM transmitters, finding an FM frequency clear enough to play your iPod through can be tough especially while driving through different areas and terrain. But since you can tune iCarPlay Wireless Plus to almost any FM station, you have full FM tuning flexibility in getting the best sound, free of interference. Simply tune your car radio to any clear FM station, tune iCarPlay Wireless Plus to the same station, hit play on your iPod and you're ready to roll. Change presets any time you need a clearer station. For added flexibility and convenience, Monster Smart Digital Charging technology rapidly charges your iPod, and then switches to a trickle charge to optimize its performance. It all makes iCarPlay Wireless Plus the best way to enjoy full stereo sound from your iPod in your car, no matter where your travels take you. Compatible with - iPods with Dock Connector (including iPod mini) - iPod Shuffle, iPod Nano, iPod Mini, iPod Video, iPod Photo, iPod U2, iPod 4th Gen with click wheel, iPod 3rd Gen with dock
Amazon.com Product Description
Why shuffle through stacks of CDs and tapes to find the song you want in the car when you can listen to the iPod? The Monster Cable iCarPlay Wireless Plus FM transmitter gives your car stereo great-sounding, wireless access to your entire iPod library, all while charging the portable jukebox to keep the music playing. Simply plug one end of the iCarPlay Wireless Plus into the 12-volt cigarette lighter and the other end into the dock connector on the bottom of your iPod. Once you select matching FM stations on your car stereo and the iCarPlay device, you're ready to roll. Your favorite music will transmit wirelessly to your car stereo using FM frequencies, and because it offers full FM tuning flexibility (excluding 87.7 and 87.9 MHz), you're guaranteed top-quality, interference-free sound. Meanwhile, Monster's Smart Digital Charging technology will rapidly charge your iPod when the power is low, and when its fully charged, the transmitter switches to a trickle charge to optimize the iPod's performance. You'll never have to worry about running out of power when using the iCarPlay. Additional features include three programmable "favorite station" preset buttons, an easy-to-ready LED display, and 24k gold contacts for maximum corrosion resistance and power transfer. The iCarPlay is compatible with all iPods that utilize a dock connector, including the iPod mini. iPod Compatibility
iPod nano 1G, iPod nano 2G, iPod mini, iPod 3G, iPod 4G (Clickwheel), iPod Color, iPod 5G/5.5G Video
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| Customer Reviews: Read 168 more reviews...
 Weak FM Output and Poor Audio September 18, 2006
82 out of 92 found this review helpful
I have owned this iPod FM transmitter for about 11 months and have used it while driving thousands of miles through many FM radio markets. In urban areas this unit is not useable, because, despite the availability of the three FM presets, you can't find open FM frequencies in urban areas, and if you do, the unit's FM modulator is not strong enough to overcome adjacent channel interference from city FM radio powerhouses, and typical poor car stereo FM tuner performance (selectivity).
If you live in the country this unit's FM performance is just fine, unless of course you regularly travel to a nearby urban area.
Also, my unit "overdeviates"--the iPpod audio is distorted on loud passages when hooked up to my Dodge Durango with the factory stereo installed. When the FM transmitter is hooked to my Subaru's top-of-the-line McIntosh stereo, the audio is good.
I believe this product is overpriced, and should be sold with a caveat: Not useable in and around major cities.
Just not good enough October 22, 2006
49 out of 63 found this review helpful
I SO wanted to love this thing. I have an iPod that I am seldom without, and my car isn't iPod compatible. I bought a Monster Wireless FM Transmitter/Charger so I could listen to my music on the way to my class reunion. Unfortunately, the thing just didn't work for me.
There are 8 preset stations (low on the dial) and if all of them are in use, you're out of luck. I don't live in a huge city (maybe 60,000 with farmland all around), but only two of these stations were available. Although I was able to tune in to my iPod, it wasn't crystal clear. In fact, it wasn't even plastic clear. The static sometimes overrode the music, which drove me nuts. This is like a fax machine - the original may be spotless, but the fax will be a little fuzzy.
If you have a cassette player in your car, there are adapters that go through the cassette player and are much better. If your car isn't iPod compatible and you don't have a cassette player, you're better off just burning a bunch of CD's.
 The best FM transmitter available by far March 4, 2007
18 out of 21 found this review helpful
It's only three stars now, because the Monster iCarPlay 200 wireless is a much better solution. It finds stations you could not find with the iCarPlay Plus, which I stopped using because it was just more hassle than fun to use driving in Los Angeles. Below is my original review of the iCarPlay Plus, before the "200" model came out:
*******
I have used the Griffin and Belkin FM transmitters, and the Monster is the only one that is useful for me driving around Los Angeles, where almost all of the available FM stations are in use. The Monster has a lot less static and locks onto the station a lot better than the other two. It is good to have the three pre-sets on teh Monster ... that are easy to set. I need the three pre-sets bacause as you drive, one station gets noisy (as you get closer to the transmitter of the real owner of that frequency) and you need to change to another. It is a hassle to change the station on the radio and also change the station on the Monster, but that is life with an FM transmitter. It is definitely an imperfect solution. (If you have a cassette tape player in your car, use the Sony cassette adapter instead. I never tried the Monster cassette adapter.) For people who drive shorter distances or who don't have as many FM station broadcasting nearby, the other brands might be ok.
 Does Well If You Have No Alternative January 17, 2007
17 out of 17 found this review helpful
As someone else already noted, there are better methods of listening to your MP3 player in your car, such as through the tape transmitter. For those of us who don't have it, though, this is a sufficiently apt substitute.
First, whoever said that there are 8 presets must be thinking of some other device. You only have 3 presets here, but you define them yourself from the whole FM range, an you can always deviate from them. Hence, this thing has an advantage over, say, the iTrip because you can easily surf between three stations if the one you're listening to now starts getting static.
Second, I find it powerful enough in most situations. I live in Boston, and drive around it often enough. Downtown, most stations will give you a small amount of interference, and that is probably the best you will get. Drive around the suburbs, though, and you can easily find around 3 stations that will play almost as well as your CD player in terms of quality.
The secret to this is to set your iPod volume somewhere around the middle to upper two-thirds of its capacity. If you set it to the maximum, all bass lines will be completely distorted. Set it to the middle, though, and you'll have rather crisp audio, although you will have to compensate for the lost volume by turning up the car radio. Hardly anything to complain about, though.
My two complaints with this device are these:
First, the marked price is far too high. You can find a much cheaper device on eBay, or even in the Amazon marketplace. I paid around $20 for it, plus delivery.
Second, some types of music sound distorted even at medium volumes on a lot of the stations. I have in mind the Waltz of the Snowflakes from the Nutcracker when I write this. Beside it, just about every song I played sounded clean, although sometimes a given station would encounter pockets of interference.
Given that a more powerful transmitter would probably end up messing up the radio reception of neighboring cars, I'm prone to think that this is an inherent problem to all FM transmitters. I think this is one of the better ones, though, because of its preset options, its ability to scan the whole FM range, the fact that it doesn't drain your iPod's battery, and the fact that you can manipulate your iPod volume on it for better performance. The iTrip can't do three of these. You will, of course, have to sit down in your car and look for usable stations manually, .2 by .2, but ultimately, and if you have no other option available, I think you will find this device to do a good job. Just do yourself a favor, and find a cheaper source.
Better Than I Thought November 10, 2006
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
I did a lot of online research before buying this transmitter. I had low expectations since it seemed like most of them have mediocre quality and problems of one kind or another especially in metro areas. I decided on this one since this best met the criteria I had set for the purchase:
1. Good Reviews
2. Price at $50
3. Easily protable from one car to another
4. Wanted the passenger to be able to control it in addition to the driver.
This product more than exceeded my expectations. The sound quality is awesome. I have never had any difficulty finding at least one station where there is no interference. Also, the protability and passenger use has really come in handy. It is great to let the passenger control the tunes.
I would highly recommend this product if your needs are similar to mine.
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