Kensington RDS FM Transmitter/Car Charger for Apple iPod
Manufacturer: ACCO Brands, Inc. Part number: K33364US
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Product series
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- The Kensington RDS FM transmitter works well enough, but unless you find RDS data necessary (and you have an RDS-compatible car stereo), you should consider another model.
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CNET editors' review
Kensington RDS FM Transmitter/Car Charger for Apple iPod price range: $69.99
- Reviewed by: James Kim
- Reviewed on: 07/24/2006
The good: The Kensington RDS FM transmitter has decent signal strength and sound quality and is the first transmitter to use RDS technology for beaming song info to a compatible car stereo; it has three presets, uses the iPod screen for FM tuning, and recharges an iPod.
The bad: The Kensington RDS FM transmitter has a poorly designed base unit, and it can occasionally freeze the iPod. In addition, there is no audio line input, and the RDS feature requires a compatible car stereo (while RDS is common, we didn't easily find one). Also, the RDS feature only works with Nanos and 5G iPods.
The bottom line: The Kensington RDS FM transmitter works well enough, but unless you find RDS data necessary (and you have an RDS-compatible car stereo), you should consider another model.
According to Kensington, "RDS is now available in most vehicle models offered by leading U.S. and foreign automakers. Our research indicates that over 80 percent of all new cars being sold in the U.S. include RDS-enabled stereos." RDS may soon become mainstream, but in four of the six autos we tried to test the transmitter with, RDS was not even supported. In addition, the $100,000 BMW M6 that car editor Kevin Massy is reviewing supported RDS, but its annoyingly unintuitive iDrive entertainment system failed to display our iPod's track info. We did manage to find a car that worked (Jeep Cherokee) and found the heads-up view of song/track info on our stereo to be quite cool, though more for its gee whiz factor than its usefulness. On several occasions we instinctively tried to press a button on the stereo to change tracks.
With that said, the transmitter itself is a mixed bag. It's in-line style, with the iPod connecting to the end of the cable via a dock connector. It's important to note that this unit will not work with the 3G iPod; furthermore the RDS feature will only work with Nanos and the 5G iPod with video-- the 4G iPod is limited to the FM transmitter. The unit's main piece plugs into a car lighter adapter, as many FM transmitters do. Its odd shape, though, makes it tough to fit it into the tight spaces surrounding your lighter adapter. By twisting the unit, we were able to plug into all of our test cars, but in most cases, we were not able to easily access the power switch. A rare FM transmitter feature, the aim of the switch is to prevent battery drain in some cars, though it won't operate or recharge your iPod unless your car's engine is running (at least not in the cars we tested).
An attractive metallic button, which toggles three ways (left, right, center), is used to choose one of three presets. The presets, which are set by holding down the button, are fairly easy to access. A four-foot cable runs from the base unit and terminates at the 30-pin dock connector for the iPod. This connector has a built-in set of metallic buttons for manual FM tuning. You actually use the iPod's screen to tune, as the dock connector activates software that presumably lives in the dock connector.
You will notice a one- to three-second delay after you plug the connector into the iPod. While it's nice (and uncommon) to use the iPod's display for tuning, it can get in the way of normal navigation. This reviewer prefers a dedicated display. The in-line cable design (it's common, and one advantage is that it offers a low profile) allows passengers to control the iPod, but it can be dangerous for the driver to use while driving. In general, we prefer some kind of dock to sit the iPod in (like DLO's TransPod) for a heads-up view.
The device can be tuned in odd frequencies (88.1, 88.3, 107.9). Sound quality and signal strength rate on the mid-to-high scale; at our most open channel (San Francisco's 88.1), we got good sound reproduction with occasional patches of slight static. In some parts of the city, though, we got a good ounce of static and distortion. You'll get the best results by stretching the cable out. While it wasn't the best we've heard (try the DLO TransPod), it does pass our audio standards. However, twice in one weekend of use we experienced a glitch wherein our iPod froze on the frequency screen. Music continued to play, but we couldn't navigate our iPod until we unplugged the dock connector or powered the unit off.
Overall, the unit's ability to beam iPod metadata to a car stereo is a cool trick, and we were satisfied with the quality of sound. The difficult design of the base unit and the unit's iPod software bugginess should be called out, especially if the iPod screen freeze is a widespread issue. You should also note that the unit has no audio line in for other audio devices, and that you could also either get a transmitter that holds your iPod up (so that it's readable like a car stereo) or find a more expensive integrated solution offered by many automakers.
User reviews
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good quality and design - works well.
by ubaggili on August 5, 2006
Pros: small, light and works well.
Cons: The product met my expectations.
Summary: I have the black ipod and from a color perspective, this one matches it very well. Functionally, it also works as expected. It is smaller than others on the market ...
Summary: I have the black ipod and from a color perspective, this one matches it very well. Functionally, it also works as expected. It is smaller than others on the market and it feels like it is only a car charger (that small). I'm not getting the RDS feed yet as my car stereo doesn't support it. However, I was able to find channels and the quality is great. For me, that was the hard part, figuring out how I can get my stereo not to skip channels.
If your stereo is like mine, I would suggest tuning your ipod first to transmit on the next increment, and only then seeking on your radio. This way, your radio will pick up every avaiable channel. Quality is different from one to the next. In th DC area, I found 104.5 to work great for me.1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Nice feature, but doesn't work for everyone
by jbrettl on July 23, 2006
Pros: Compact, some metal, RDS feature
Cons: RDS feature only works for Nano and IPOD photo
Summary: I spent the last week looking for a way to transmit my IPOD music into my car stereo. I have a new car with a fairly good factory stereo system ...
Summary: I spent the last week looking for a way to transmit my IPOD music into my car stereo. I have a new car with a fairly good factory stereo system and I really did not want to swap out the stereo for one with line inputs. My only other alternative was to look at FM transmitters. This is one of the first that I tried.
I was intrigued by the RDS feature. The packaging and web info that I received is not very clear that RDS will only work with the IPOD Nano and Photo. 4th generation IPODS such as my 40GB model will not produce the RDS info,
The sound was very good until I took it out on the road. It is very sensitive to interference from electrical lines and FM channel leakage producing a lot of static. Placing metal on plastic does not make a product better. Save your money. Very expensive for what you get.1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Works as advertised
by beachtech on January 4, 2007
Pros: compact simple design
Cons: Must turn volume up almost to MAX on car stereo for some songs
Summary: Bought this for use in an '03 Accord with stock stereo system. Unfortunately, no RDS so I can't comment on that feature.
After a disappointing first attempt to find ...Summary: Bought this for use in an '03 Accord with stock stereo system. Unfortunately, no RDS so I can't comment on that feature.
After a disappointing first attempt to find a station on the trip home from the store (only searched from 88 thru 92), we gave it another shot on a longer trip the next day. Immediately found a clear station in our small/medium market home area and the sound was acceptable. While we did have to crank the volume up a bit higher than usual, tweaking the EQ from within the iPod helps as well.
Overall, minimal to no background interference if you can find a dead enough frequency in your area and the sound is about what we expected. The product itself seems to be sturdy enough to withstand daily use and the setup and controls are about as simple and straightforward as the come. Gave it an 8 because "Spectacular" didn't quite fit considering the need to crank the volume so high on the stereo, otherwise it works as advertised. -
RDS is cool, but sound quality is very bad
by Xenophane on December 20, 2006
Pros: Obviously RDS make this product currently unique
Cons: Very bad sound quality, strange connector not easy to remove from iPod
Summary: I just purchased this product, and I am returning it back right away. The RDS works on my Audi TT and Audi A6, 2001 but the sound quality is just ...
Summary: I just purchased this product, and I am returning it back right away. The RDS works on my Audi TT and Audi A6, 2001 but the sound quality is just too bad.
I found the setup easy to do. But the quality of sound is not there. Also the connector is not easy to remove from the iPod.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: ACCO Brands, Inc.
- Part number: K33364US
- Description: While listening to your iPod, see the song and artist's name displayed on your car stereo using the Kensington Technology Group's RDS FM Transmitter/Car Charger for iPod. ClearFM technology reduces noise and enhances stereo separation providing superior wireless audio quality and FM reception.
General
- Product Type Digital player RDS FM transmitter / charger for car
- Packaged quantity 1
- Color Black
Manufacturer Warranty
- Service & Support Details Limited warranty - 2 years
Service & Support
- Service & Support 2 years warranty
Service & Support Details
- Service & support details type Limited warranty
- Full contract period 2 years
Product series
-
Kensington Digital FM Radio and Transmitter for iPod
Manufacturer: ACCO Brands, Inc.
Specs:
-
Kensington Pico FM Transmitter for iPod (Black)
Manufacturer: ACCO Brands, Inc.
Specs:
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Kensington Micro FM Transmitter for iPod
Manufacturer: ACCO Brands, Inc.
Specs:
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Kensington RDS FM Transmitter/Car Charger for Apple iPod
Manufacturer: ACCO Brands, Inc.
Specs:
Manufacturer info
- ACCO Brands, Inc.
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse ACCO Brands, Inc. products on Shopper.com
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- Website: http://www.acco.com/
