Kensington Digital FM Transmitter/Auto Charger for iPod - Listen to iPodŽ tunes through your car stereo!
Kensington FM Digital Transmitter/Auto Charger for iPod - 33185

Really pleased with product. It works great. It's the second one we have purchased. That way we don't have to switch from one car to the other.
 
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Transmitter works great. Live north of Chicago and travel to Ohio quite frequently. Have not experienced any static in any areas. Highly recommend this item. Easy to use, works with all ipods...even ipod touch. I bought the white version, same as the black, but a better price.
 
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I have experience with the DLO FM transmitter. It looked pretty cool and spent about 65 dollars on it. But this Kensington works so much better than its DLO competitor. This is a great product that i highly recommend. Quality is great, even with the inferior quality of Itunes.. Great product. 89.1 is a good station in the Houston/ Sugar Land Area
 
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I've never been a fan of FM modulated sound, but this product works very well with good to very good sound quality. I've tried the small universal transmitters that plug into a headphone jack and they always sound poor. This unit works great by doubling as a car charger. It's a bit pricey so value is not that great but the sound quality is worth the price. It's taken a lot of abuse by my kids in the car which makes it worth it too. The only complaint I have is the small display that is hard to see when it's plugged into a low accessory plug in the car. We've resorted to using a plug extender so that you can see the display when changing stations due to FM interference.
 
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Very fast shipping, reasonable prices
 
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I bought a Kensington Liquid to replace a Kensington FM Digital Transmitter/Auto Charger for iPod (33185), which was stolen from me. The 33185 was/is incredible! I had 3 others that were crap before I purchased the 33185. So I thought, "Hey if the previous one from Kensington was great the next generation ought to be superb!" Not so much! With the liquid I was never able to be tuned into any station for more than 4 or 5 minutes before I had to try and find a new station. And regardless of the station - they were all very very static-y. I did some reading and found that since the 33185 was made the FCC has restricted further the power that new FM transmitters can broadcast at making the Liquid (and I assume any transmitters made in the last year) CRAP! I am in the process of returning the liquid and have already purchased and received a NEW 33185! The thing is incredible - for over a week now I've been able to set the station to 88.3 and leave! Almost no static at all - and I live in Dallas where almost every other frequency is being used by a radio station. So lost of radio traffic! If you looking for a transmitter, get the 33185 - while they last!
 
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I was looking for a radio transmitter/charger for my iPod, but didn't want one with a bulky cradle. Overall, the product works great! I would recommend this transmittor above other brands my friends have tried. Two minor complaints: 1)I have to turn the volume all the way up in my car to get a decent volume from it, but that may be true with any transmitter. 2)A bit pricey. I waited awhile for the price to drop but it never did. Wish it only cost around $30 - $40.
 
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I've tried numerous wireless transmitters and this has been the best by far.
 
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Very good price / performance value. We have 3 iPods & and MP3 player - so we're very ear bud savvy! These are very good for desk work, train, etc. Not good for exercise :-( The noise canceling circuit box is not place correctly and large w/ no clip. However, I would buy these again and recommend - especially for the price!
 
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I've read a lot of reviews about how most radio transmitters don't work properly and have lots of static. The Kensington FM Digital Transmitter/Auto Charger for iPods is awesome. I live in a large metropolitan area and my reception is great. I get little to no static and the sound is amazing. I also thought that it was going to take a lot of thought getting the transmitter set up; however the setup was quick and easy. I LOVE THIS PRODUCT and would recommend it to everyone.
 
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This is a really Great product - it performs as advertised. Note however that the Buy.Com reviewer (Sherry?) didn't quite get it right - you don't plug it into your car stereo - you plug it into your cigarette lighter! Doh.....
 
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I've had this product for a few months now and I love it. I recently bought a couple as a gift as well. I used to have the iTrip, which is a waste of money, but the Kensington model is very easy to use, has excellent sound quality, and charges the iPod at the same time. I live in Los Angeles, and haven't had any issues with reception despite all the strong radio signals here. I highly recommend this product!
 
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Very easy to use. Works really good. I have had it for a couple of weeks with no problems.
 
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Scored some major points with the wife. I was even able to train her to use it in any of the cars she owns. The cord that attaches to the ipod is long enough to reach an unruly kid in the back seat. All my precious has to do now is hold the ipod menacingly above her head and there is instant silence from the rear of the vehicle. I even shut my mouth! So far, all is well and would buy another if one of the kids toss this thing out the window by mistake.
 
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A good product for the value you pay!
 
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Great product for the price. I plugged it in, tried a few FM frequencies and it was perfect. No problems whatsoever.
 
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This is a great product. It's easy to set 3 different channels (similar to they way you'd set your car radio stations) and a convenient push button to access any of those channels, depending on where you are driving. I have a similar product that I purchased through Radio Shack that is nowhere near as convenient. If you want to listen to your iPod in the car, this one's a sure bet. I highly recommend it.
 
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I bought this transmitter because the other one I owned was difficult to use and not very good. Was the best thing I ever did. Not only is it very easy to use, it provides excellent sound and works well even if the station you are transmitting to has a small amount of signal on it. I use it in an urban setting regularly with little or no trouble. I would buy this again in a heartbeat.
 
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I have tried a couple of fm transmitters and this is the only one that actually works. I live in the Seattle area and there is no problems with reception. Definetly worth the money and it charges your ipod.
 
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This product is the best FM transmitter I've seen yet. Good quality, and like the added ability to charge the iPOD.
 
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The Kensington FM Digital Transmitter was worth every penny and it works exactly as promised. It is very simple to use -- I just plugged it in to my 12 volt power port, plugged in my iPod, tuned the transmitter to a frequency that is not used in my area, then scanned my FM radio in the car to the same frequency. It came in clear, static-free and with CD quality sound. I have no reqrets in purchasing this great product.
 
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The transmitter works really great. Choosing a station is very simple. EVen if there is an exixting station, the transmitter signla is so strong that you will be able to catch it using your radio. Sound Quality for a FM Transmitter- Excellent. The Ipod charger works all the time, keeping your Ipod Charged. I never run out of Muisc now. If you are looking at an IPOD car charger which also transmits FM signals to your radio then this is the Product. In order to play Music through the Kensington FM Digital Transmitter, it has to be always plugged into your Ipod.
 
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I've read many reviews of folks looking for an FM transmitter for their IPOD. I finally decided on this one and I couldn't be happier. I was actually surprised at just how well it works. I placed the transmitter in my wife's '99 Montero, hooked it up to her Ipod Nano and was quite shocked at how clear the sound was coming through the radio. Kensington has some good technology packed in this unit to eliminate hiss, I think that is what suprised me the most. I was expecting some low quality audio after the conversion but that isn't the case with this unit. The entire auido spectrum is clear. Give it a try, you'll be pleased.
 
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The Kensington 33185 FM transmitter/charger does its job exactly as described. I have had excellent results with 88.5 FM in Massachusetts. Remember, it is an FM transmitter and is subject to interference. Experiment and you will find a station that works for you. It will not sound as good as a cd in your cd player, as it is compressed data in an iPod being broadcast via your FM stereo. If you have a way to input the music directly into your stereo via an aux. input jack, then by all means use it. I don't have that option and my BMW is too old to support the new BMW iPod interface. I am thrilled to have an inexpensive, efficient way to listen to all my music that is stored in my iPod 30GB in the car. I no longer carry any cds with me. Enjoy your music.
 
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I am very happy with my FM transmitter. It was such a great deal on Buy.com and is worth the money. Before buying this, I read the reviews and they all recommended the Kensington FM transmitter for iPods. I have gotten some static, but I will change the station and there is no problem. It's very convenient that you can program three stations on the FM trans. The only thing I don't like is that I can't see what station I am on because it doesn't angle where I can see it. This doesn't bother me much because the stations are preset anyway and I know which station I am on.
 
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The first replaced a cute little transmitter that plugged right into the iPod and was powered by same. Frequencies had to be stored in and navigated via the iPod. It was underpowered and more trouble than it was worth. The Kensington is the opposite extreme, a pleasure; just purchased a second one for my wife. Catch the occasional rebate and you can't ask for anything more. Oh, a minor issue with the fit of the cigarette lighter connection.
 
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This is a great product. Sounds better than the radio if you find a good FM frequency. It is kinda hard to find an unused station in our area, so for those people in major cities, it might not work so well. The magic station is "87.9", but it is too bad you can't preset this station.
 
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The Kensington is one of the highest rated FM Transmitters that I've come around, and I'm happy with its performance so far. It would be nice to get into the 87 and 88 low end frequency ranges as they are one of the least used ones in larger cities. I've been using it in less populated areas and it works like a charm.
 
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can go to any radio freq. with three presets you determine yourself. cord is a good length, can even reach to someone sitting in the back seat of my civic. its critical to set your freq. to one not occupied by a radio station, usually by a gap of .7 FM. for example; if you have one radio station at 101.3 and 101.9, the best freq. is 101.5 or 101.7. Also its good to have other presets in the low end FM, 88.5 and the high, 106.1-ish range. if you do the above correctly, this thing works great and sound quality is perfect.
 
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I had a Belkin Road Trip. Got rid of that for this. The Belkin had trouble broadcasting to my radio (I had to turn the volume way up). I don't have that problem with this one. Also, the wire is so much easier to use than the dock of the Belkin. The only negative is that due to the angle of my lighter, I have trouble reading the LCD display. This is the case for both vehicles. Once you get everything set, it is great. Have not had any real problems with interference.
 
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I previously bought a Kensington Pico for my girlfriend and she complained about the reception being inconsistent so I took the Pico and got her this one...Wow! --What a difference it makes to have power from the car as opposed to running off the battery of the player (especially the first round of Nanos). The only reason I put any 4's in my scoring was because this thing costs about half as much as a decent entry level car stereo (on sale and not counting speakers of course) and some of those have line in jacks which eliminates the radio part altogether. I gave a 4 on overall because the plug for the cig. lighter flanges out and actually doesn't fit in my cig. lighter--but my car is a '98 and newer cars typically come with auxillary jacks for DC power that aren't obstructed by the ashtray, dash, etc...by the way the Pico works well enough, but not as well as the charger/ FM transmitter.
 
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If you're lookng for a very good transmitter, look no further. I had a Griffin iTrip prior to this one and had a hard time tuning in stations. The kensington makes it really easy to select stations and provides a very clear signal. All this while keeping my iPod charged. Great value for the price.
 
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Pros: Great high freq response, good signal to noise ratio, great stereo separation, easy to use. Cons: Lyrics with the 'sss' sound are distored in SOME songs, which otherwise sound fine through the headphones. Does not support 88.x bands. These are the ones usually available in most cities. Also wish the music was louder, but this may be related to normalization level of the music and not the transmitter. Pros outweigh the cons. Still sounds way better than some other transmitters I've heard.
 
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I have a 1992 Subaru Loyale in which I cover a 1-hour commute twice, 3 days per week. The CD player stopped working, the radio still works, and the car is too old to buy a new stereo. So, instead, I decided to use my G5 iPod and give this FM transmitter/charger a try. My commute is a very rural one, and I don't get any interference, and there is very little of that hiss sound on "s" sounds in music. But to get that performance I need to place my iPod on top of the sun visor of the passenger seat. That way the cable between the transmitter and the iPod seems to work as a much better transmission device than when I simply put the iPod on the passenger seat or the dashboard. That said, if I put it up there it works very well. A bit clumsy of course when I want to skip a song. It's also true that the display is very hard to read in any position that is safe for driving. So find a frequency that works, and stick with that.
 
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Just received this product, and it works great. Because I'd read that it doesn't fit some cigarette lighter sockets (like on Benzes), I was anxious to see if it fit my Porsche, which it did. I had a Mercedes before and did have problems with the out-sized lighter socket. I found it was easy to find frequencies not in use, in that in the U.S., spacing is 2 MHz, so going back 1 MHz from a station usually gives you a good signal unless there is a station only 2 MHz behind it. I easily found 3 good frequencies with only pure static. Good product and charges your iPod too! Lotsa broadcast oomph because it's running off your car battery, not the little iPod battery.
 
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I was a little skeptical but this product works as advertised. The sound can be a tad staticky at times but changing to another station usually fixes that problem. The 3 preset stations are enough for me. (Remember to preset your radio stations to coincide with the presets on your digital transmitter.)107.1 works great in Middletown. The amber light is bright and works great day or night. The only problem is you cannot read the dial on an angle. You HAVE to look at it straight ahead which can be a problem. Keep in mind that the sound quality of the files on your iPod will play a huge part in the sound you hear through your speakers. Very user friendly, plug n play. Love it.
 
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I was very skeptical of FM transmitters and such after reading so much about them. I was tempted on this one by reading all reviews and the rebate offered. I'm in Tucson, AZ and have to cross town to work. My car is an 01 Acura 3.2 TL. I tried a low frequency first and it was a little noisy (background noise). I switched to a higher frequency which I still use now and it's great! No interference, no noise. It's 99% like using my 6CD changer. I also noticed that my Ipod turns off automatically after a couple of minutes I shut off the engine, so no need to manually turn it off. To turn on you do have to manually do it (which is annoying but haven't found any solution to this out there...). Overall, great product, good looking and I recommend it.
 
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perfectly clear, works great, easy to use, the ability to choose your own frequency settings to transit at is very clutch
 
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Before purchasing this item, I was convinced from my research that people have mixed experiences solely because there is a compatibility issue with the car. I mean there is nothing wrong with the product - it frequency modulates your music and throws it into the air. That's all it is meant to do, and this model has a surprisingly high number of frequencies it supports - most other FM transmitters are limited to 4/8/12 frequencies. Whether a particular frequency works or not totally depends on the area you live (oops, drive). So more choices you have the better. That said, let me return to my original statement - before buying, the only thing I would have died to know was "whether it was compatible with Honda Odyssey 05 model". Yes, people who could not make this work must have their car FM antenna positions/power/etc incompatible with this device. Either there is big blocking hindrance between the antenna position and the 12V DC outlet of the car (where this device will plug in) - which prevents smooth reception, or there are environmental factors like in your area you do not have a "comfortable contiguous blank range of frequencies". I mean if you have 89.1 used by some staion and 89.5 used too, probably you will have a lot of interference in 89.3. Though 89.3 is "available" for your Kensington FM transmitter, you will probably hear lots of hissing sound etc on that line. That's nobody's fault. Bottomline for me - it worked great with honda Ody 05. Every reviewer should specify the make and modek of their car. Without that information, the review will not be much useful for obvious reasons. And if possible, area too. I live in Dallas, TX. 89.1 MHZ works great for me. Tips - Set your iPOD EQ to "treble reducer". Do not tak out the Kensington transmitter off and on again and again - leave it inside the car outlet (if you have only one, and you need to use the cigarette lighter, then quit smoking). Lastly, I gave 4 out of 5 in "ease of use" because its display could have been better. You cannot tell what the numbers are being displayed from 99% of the angles. Especially when you are driving thru an area where you need to re-adjust the frequency, you need the display.
 
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I previously had an ExtremeMac Airplay transmitter, and it sounded AWFUL. Bah hiss and electronic hum at all times. I used it once and put it away. Then I got this Kensington transmitter, and the difference is absolutely night and day! I love how the Kensington charges the ipod, so you will never run out of battery while on a long road trip. I am not a hardcore audiophile, but I like decent sound... And this is honestly 98% cd quality in my car (06 Mustang). The transmitter can be 'tricked' into using 87.9, and at that frequency, I am not getting any hiss, hums, or pops. For an FM transmitter, it truely sounds magnificant. Changing frequency is also quite simple. The only cons are that the unit feels a tad cheap, and the frequency changing button is not very easy to push.. But hopefully I won't need to be changing it all that often. I love it!
 
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I did a lot of research on FM transmitters with chargers before settling on the Kensington, and I couldn't be happier. Plug and play right out of the box, and I had no trouble finding a signal - it even worked on stations with moderately strong signals on my Ipod Mini. Display can be hard to read if your outlet is low, and a color option (black) would be nice. A lot of transmitters out there make you manipulate the volume on your player in order to hear the music, but this one works like a charm. Stop looking and buy it today!
 
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This unit performs perfectly on both my daughters' iPod Nano and iPod Mini. Sound quality is what you would expect from an FM radio, certainly not as good as using headphones on the iPod itself, but you have to consider the limitations of FM bandwidth. The only minor grip I have is the shortness of the cable, while four feet seems like a lot. It is not, when the kids are in the back seat controling the music. Still, the ease of selecting an open frequency and tuning the Kensington transmitter to the same frequency couldn't be easier and the bright blue display is easy to see in bright daylight.
 
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I read through alot of reviews before finally settling on this transmitter to purchase. Boy am I glad I chose this one. I didn't experience any problem either setting it up or using it. I have had it now for about 3 weeks and it works GREAT! The only issue that I have had was that the channel that I selected to use has a signal in part of the area that I drive through and even with that, I still get good quality sound (just a little static - still not too bad). I would definately recommend this as worth the $$!
 
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I love the sound quality and convenience, but I wish the tuner was placed somewhere other than right where it plugs into the cigarette lighter. The tuner is already difficult to read (especially during daylight hours), but it can be impossible to see depending on your car's lighter placement. On a recent road trip, I had to pull over every time I needed to find another signal, or risk an accident! Otherwise, the Kensington FM transmitter provides great sound, and is a much better product than the Griffin iTrip that I owned for one day before the tuning buttons stuck!
 
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Had this for about two months now and in the suburbs, they are pretty decent. Gets good reception using 88.5 or 88.1. But when we go to New york city then its a little tricky and gets some static. Also, not sure if my observation is true, the placement of the IPOD is also important. I noticed that when I get some static I need to move the IPOD closer to me and the reception is better.
 
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I just received my new Kensington Transmitter and let me tell you..this little unit is amazing. I owned two (2) different i-Trips and was never happy with their performance. The Kensigngton transmitter with "Arielle" technology,is extremly easy to use and it works great with my new i-Pod video 30. I was able to achive the best sound quality by setting the i-Pod EQ to "Flat". Buy.com offers the best price in the planet...Thank you Buy.com!
 
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I am quite pleased by the performance of this product. Hardly any static. Easy to change the frequency. Enhances treble to provide CD-like sound. You can't overmodulate it since it is not connected to the earphone jack - the volume control has no effect but the equalizer does. It's design doesn't block anything on the dashboard. My only "complaint" is that it is white. I realize most iPods are white (mine is black) but I haven't seen that many dashboards that are white! I had a Belkin digital battery operated unit and it was junk. Remember, any battery unit will lose it's signal strength as the battery depletes. Also, any battery unit that "automatically" turns on is actually ALWAYS on to sniff it's audio input. The batteries in the Belkin unit lasted two weeks if I was lucky. In my opinion you will enjoy the Kensington 33185.
 
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i've had a number of these fm transmitters now and i have to say without a doubt that this one is has the best sound quality of them all. without a doubt! it's better than the itrip, the roadtrip and countless others. it's easy to use and looks good. the only downfall is THERE IS NO POWER BUTTON!! i can't believe it, but there is no power button and there isn't an auto shutoff either. i have a 10 dollar unit with a power button. the bad part is that the cigarette adapter in my car powers down when the car does, which is good. but it's in sortof a bad spot to use the kensington. the better place to use it is the 12v outlet which it would be perfect for. only, that socket doesn't power down when the vehicle is off, hence leaving the kensington powered on all the time. you could simply unplug it to power it off, but doing so erases all your memory with the unit. i love the sound quality of this item and that's what it ultimately comes down to, but a lack of a power on/off feature is a big downer for me.
 
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I did some research on all the FM transmitters for the iPod Nano and was still somewhat unsure of which one to buy. I purchased the Kensington FM Digital Transmitter because it had several station memory buttons and it charged the iPod while driving, thus eliminating the need for a separate auto charger. When I received this product I selected a blank FM station on my car radio, set the digital transmitter to the same station, plugged it in to my iPod and immediately was listening to my iTunes. It was that easy. I live in a very FM congested area but this unit functions perfectly. I love it and am going to buy one for each of our vehicles. If you are looking for a great FM transmitter for your iPod then buy this product. You will not be disappointed!!!
 
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This Kensington transmitter is great! I have been very impressed with its performance over the past week. I set it to 88.1 here in San Francisco and haven't changed it. The sound quality is about like FM radio, which is great compared to my previous transmitter. I had been using an ExtremeMac AirPlay, but got a lot of static and AM radio quality for music. The AirPlay worked off and on here depending on what part of town I was in. Only occasionally has the Kensington had a little static for a few seconds. I figure it would cost about $200 to hook my iPod directly into my CD player, so this a great, cost effective solution for me. An excellent product at an excellent price.
 
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I have owned the Belkin FM/Charger, the Kensington analog, and even for a couple weeks one of those big cumbersome ipod car docking stations. This is by far the most versatile and sounds the most crisp. Digital is definitely the way to go. With this device you never have to worry about your ipod needing charging! And the blue light is pretty cool too.
 
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