iriver AFT 100 Mobile FM Transmitter Reviews
The AFT100 is very good compared to the other FM transmitters. Kicks the crap out of those by Belkin, Griffin, etc. I bought this from WorstBuy several years ago to try it out for 50 bucks (never buy A/V equipment before testing it yourself), and the sound quality was excellent.br /br /Pros: It is a powerful transmitter, that can easily overpower many radio stations. Almost full FM bandwidth. Bass is powerful, treble is crisp. Input audio sensor - turns on and off automatically when it senses an input. Has 3 station memory buttons which are infinitely convenient when driving through different regions.br /br /Cons: There is some static that is barely audible in very very quiet music or silence. The 30 second turn off can take you by surprise when you have the volume cranked up and all of a sudden static is blasting through your speakers. I also thought the input audio sensor could be more sensitive on the quiet end because it had some trouble picking up very quiet parts in the Carmina Burana. Build quality could be a little better (mine rattles if I shake it, but my friend's is rock solid). However it's going to be plugged into your car, so it won't be moving much.br /br /I have also found that in random cars the cigarette lighter or power socket is larger than normal, so the input power contact on the end of the unit sometimes doesn't make contact. I fixed this by unscrewing the end of the unit, and stretching the spring out a tad bit.br /br /Other: To get the best sound quality set the volume on your mp3 or cd or cassette (lol) player somewhere in between 1/2 to 3/4, then adjust to a comfortable volume on your car's tuner. For boomy bass songs, bring it down closer to half way, and for quiet songs bring it up to 3/4 or slightly higher if necessary. At one point some of the very high treble (ie. "S" sounds in vocals) was slightly crackling but was fixed by fully extending the wire from my mp3 player to the adapter and bringing the volume on my mp3 player down a notch or two. Keep in mind that wire acts as the antenna also. Ultimately your ears are the best judge. IMO this is the best quality FM transmitter to buy for the mainstream market, you will not be disappointed. I never had a problem with my unit for the 3 or 4 years I had it.br /br /How it finally died (and I gave up on fixing it): One too many yanks on the cord caused the signal wires from the mp3 player to slowly break off at the connection to the circuit board inside the unit. Some very careful soldering fixed it until the next accidental yank pulled it out again. I just recently got tired of doing this for about 6 months so I finally retired the AFT 100, and I'm going to find a way to directly wire in to my car's head unit. br /br /Overall, still highly recommended if you're in the market for an FM transmitter.
iriver AFT 100 Mobile FM Transmitter Feature
- Mobile FM transmitter for listening to portable audio devices through your car stereo
- Transmits to all FM frequencies (88.1 to 107.9 MHz)
- Plugs into standard car power socket--no batteries required
- Connects to the headphone jack of portable MP3 or CD players; easy-to-read blue LCD display
- Universal accessory for all digital audio players compatible with a 3.5-mm mini-jack
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Have been using almost for 2 yrs now.... - Supratim -
I am a person who will read review for months before buying a product. I brought this product back in 2008 and has been using this product since then without any issue. Before buying this product I used to write Auto CDs which used to have hardly 18-19 songs and MP3 player is not supported in my player. Hence I needed to find one good FM transmitter. I have been many of my friends car and checked out their FM transimitter, believe me all of them produced crappy output. I have seen some casette player which used to generate better sounds than the transmitter. Hence I really did not hope much from this device. Though when i checked with my friends they did not invest more than 15 bucks to buy the transmitter. Hence I thought I will see what is available best in the market and if the review is good I will pay for it as this is of a really good use to me. After reading several several review and getting confused with this model and one more finally I opted for this one. And once I received the device believe me it has been a pleasure to listen to the songs from my chinese cheap MP3 player :). The player automatically shuts off when there is no input and I really like the featuer. Also u can nicely set up 3 presets which would be very useful if u travel great distances when free channel might change. So make sure you set it up a channel which is not in use at all. br /br /Only problem I have is whenver I reach Chicago city the channel scrambles down, and it has nothing do with the player. It is the chicago radio traffic which causes the issue. I just dont have the patience to find a free channel to reset it. Now my friends tell me wow your player is nice, but I can only tell them if you pay 45 bucks like me you will also have a good one :). Five star from me for this one. I myself really appreciate other people who writes review which helps me deciding my product hence I am writing this review after 2 years of using it so it can help other confused geek like me :)
Critical Design Flaw - Dave Kochman - Pittsburgh, PA
The transmission quality of this transmitter is excellent, but before you spend of your hard-earned cash, you need to know this unit has a critical design flaw in the internal insulation of the stereo transmitter wire that will pretty much guarantee you only get about 6 months of problem-free use and about 9 months absolute life-time before it shorts out or you lose a channel of audio. The internal insulation of the wire is entirely too brittle, which means that the cable will very quickly break down under normal use far before the unit actually 'wears out'. Engineered obsolescence? Possibly...a more durable and pliable insulator coating could certainly have been used for pennies more in manufacturing costs.br /br /iRiver's warranty is pathetic at 90 days, so I'm not sure what recourse most users have other than to complain and not purchase this product. I have contacted iRiver about the defect and will provide an update based on the feedback provided.
Oct 28, 2010 01:15:03
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