Mp3 Car Cassette Adaptors - Any Good?

[CarlP]

Hi All,

I'm looking for a really cheap solution to connect my Creative Nuvo MP3 player to my Avensis audio system and want to avoid any head removal or docking stations etc. So are the cassette adaptors any good? There are loads of really cheap ones on eBay, but usually unbranded or unknown brands. Can anyone recommend one that they've used which delivers a half decent sound?

Alternatively I can burn loads of CDRs but my car manual says not to use them (although they seem to play fine!). Why is this? Would I damage the CD player by using CDRs?

Thank you.

[gazza1286]

I use the cassette on a wire with my MP3 player and the sound quality is excellent.

I got one of these for my son:

Branded - Belkin and these are £14.99 in the shops - significantly cheaper on eBay - and they are the real thing:-

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/BELKIN-MP3-CD-MD-iPO...1QQcmdZViewItem

I have it 'permanently' wired so that the feed wire is hidden behind the facia coming out on the centre console. An extension lead was bought from Maplin for £2.99.

[Slowtraveler]

You can burn and play CDR without any technical problem.

I used such on my Avensis and there is no practical problem.

My CD player cannot play rewritable CDR, but for normal CD's - no problem.

If you want other idea - you can buy MP3 FM transmitter.

The one which i saw costs about 25EUR.

It have 2 inputs - one 3.5mm jack and also USB input.

You can use normal USB flash memory.

You must put this small device to cigarete lighter.

Basic model have 4 buttons (play, forward, backward, stop).

You can tune any FM radio on his frequency within 15 meters....

Just tune your car radio to one of pre-setted frequences and you will have very nice/small/cheap/reliable solution...

[gazza1286]

Don't waste your money on an FM Transmitter.

Interference is a problem.

The dynamic range is extremely poor, resulting in a very distorted bass.

The playback is at best equivalent to AM on a bad day. A cassette is simple and the sound is as good as a CD.

[CarlP]

Don't waste your money on an FM Transmitter.

Interference is a problem.

The dynamic range is extremely poor, resulting in a very distorted bass.

The playback is at best equivalent to AM on a bad day. A cassette is simple and the sound is as good as a CD.

Thanks very much for the replies. I had read similar comments about FM transmitters so I'll give the Belkin a go.

My previous 1999 Avensis had a Sony 10 disk CD multichanger which didn't like CDRs at all. I had problems with skipping tracks and failing to recognise the disk. I had a new laser fitted but eventually it stopped working again and wouldn't play anything. I'm therefore a bit nervous about playing CDRs in my 2003 Avensis, especially when the manual says not to.

[uumode]

FM transmitters are illegal to use in the UK, unless you have a license for broadcasting

[runboy]

I read that the law was to be relaxed towards the end of this year with regard to FM transmitters. Maybe a Google search will brink something up!

[Slowtraveler]

There is no possibility to damage electronically your CD player with CDR.

Only way to have problem is if you use very low quality CDR, which have mechanical disbalance.

But if you have such disk, you will hear and feel it during burning process...

RE FM transmitters - i never used it and i am not sure about the quality.

About interference - i am sure that if you preset transmitter to free frequency, than you will not have interference at all.

Few years ago I have used FM encoder (box, which have audio input and is put between antenna and radio) and it have the same interferency problem. But when you select in presets of device frequency, which is free of any local radio-stations, than you have no problem.

...

[Nightstalker]

Dont like any solution other than hardwiring the player into the radio system.

I have given the tape a go and yeah its ok BUT after a while you can hear the tape in the tape deck and unless you turn the volume up pretty much to max it is quite annoying...

Trying to get the bank manager (the wife) to allow me to fork out 200 notes to get my Ipod hardwired into the car...

[Slowtraveler]

Nightstalker is 100% right about hard wiring - that's the best.

All other variants are compromise with the quality. FM is limited to 15kHz, MC frequency is limited even more (usually 12kHz)...

But sometimes you want to use compromise, but not to cut/weld wires in your car (especially if you are not electronic engineer)...

[BawFlinger]

Tape adapter did not work in my 98GS, so I just went out and got a Sanyo MP3 CD-R compatable head unit with input for MP3 player. Job done for £90. :)

[CarlP]

Belkin cassette adaptor, similar to that suggested by Gazza above, arrived today. Sound quality is actually very good and no different from CD really. Sure there's a slight noise from the tape player, but a couple of notches on the volume soon drowns that out. Would recommend this as a very cheap (less than £6.50) way of getting mp3 music in your car.

[funkyg]

Belkin cassette adaptor, similar to that suggested by Gazza above, arrived today. Sound quality is actually very good and no different from CD really. Sure there's a slight noise from the tape player, but a couple of notches on the volume soon drowns that out. Would recommend this as a very cheap (less than £6.50) way of getting mp3 music in your car.

That's how I got my iPod connected in my Avensis. It sounds perfectly fine. The only problem I had is that the mechanism inside the tape wore out I used it so much! But for less than a tenner it's no biggy to just buy a new one.

If you pull out the centre console you can tuck the wires away in between the two halves of the stereo. The number of people who have been in my car and thought the iPod was hard wired in is unbelievable!

Funkyg.

[Desmond22]

The Sony cassette adapter is miles better audio quality than the Belkin and about the same price.

Added bonus - it's black so it doesn't stand out like a sore thumb that you've got an iPod in the car.

I have my iPod attached to a Monster charger unit that has an output socket built in to attach the Sony adapter. It's fairly easy to use it on the console behind the handbrake and stick it in the centre console box when you park.

FM transmitters are pretty bad but the latest ones are supposed to be a lot better. The Kensington seems to get good reports but it's expensive at £55.

Kensingtom FM

[Nightstalker]

Has anyone ere used the SmartDeck adapter? Apparently you can control the ipod (partially) via the steering wheel control???

[Desmond22]

Has anyone ere used the SmartDeck adapter? Apparently you can control the ipod (partially) via the steering wheel control???

Yup - it works quite well sometimes but the cassette doesn't always mate properly with the Avensis stereo and keeps ejecting. The sound quality is pretty good but not as good as the Sony adapter. That's why I swapped over. The money i've spent on trying to get a decent iPod link I could have bought a new dedicated audio system! :( :D