Customer Reviews

Griffin 10008-SNSATA iTrip Auto FM Transmitter and Car Charger for Sansa (Iphone/Ipod incompatible)

5 star:		(53)
4 star:		(28)
3 star:		(15)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(29)

 

 

Amazon doesn't have this product, but other online stores have it, and you can get it from the manufacturer. Look around. I paid $69.99 + Shipping for the iTrip from the manufacturer, and it works great.

First off, Griffin has always spent time on their product's outward appearance. How long will you stare longingly at it before you get to actually try it out? Can it be a truly great product if the outside looks like one of those old "Electronic Science Kits" or something? Glossy, smooth exterior almost perfectly matches the Sansa. (The Sansa is more rounded than the iTrip.) How many buttons do you need for something like this? Answer: 3. An up, down, and select button is all you need, and the iTrip's uncluttered front display is perfect for the job.

Operation of the device is nearly plug and play. I have a couple reasons for the "nearly" qualifier:

1. You NEED to make sure you've got the latest firmware from Sandisk for your Sansa. The original firmware was not designed to work with the "Made for Sansa" devices, and won't work without updating. Download the updater from Sandisk before trying out the iTrip Auto. You WILL need your synch cable in order to do this. Once you've got all that together, the actual update is a snap. When I bought the iTrip, I immediately upgraded my firmware, as I knew that I wouldn't be able to do so at work when I got the device. Easy to do, and the iTrip won't work without the new firmware.

2. The iTrip is excellent in that it will operate on any frequency of the FM band. However, I anticipate that this will cause problems with users who accidentally change the band and can't get it back easily. The nice thing is that you have to press the Select button when you find the frequency you want to use in order to change it. So it's pretty easy to set and forget it. I recommend finding your frequency before going on a drive. Better to mess with the distracting electronic device while sitting still.

That being said, the device will work for most people out of the box. I forget what frequency it worked, but it was in the high 80's, which is rarely used for actual broadcast. The thing is backlit, which makes changing stations in the middle of the night a snap. It runs off the car's 12v system, and even charges the Sansa's battery...all without any problems whatsoever.

To answer the guy's complaints about the delay in Griffin getting the technology out the door, he is dead wrong. It's not just a matter of putting a Sansa connector on an iPod iTrip. The simplest thing is getting the sync cable end to work with the internal software of the iTrip. The hard part is working with the Sansa firmware to get it to work. The Griffin device has to be completely compliant with whatever standards Sandisk has, and I guarantee that a major part of the delay was the Sansa firmware itself. If Sansa could avoid releasing firmware updates, they would. However, I would venture to say that the reason they had to release firmware was because the original firmware was impossible to work with, etc. If I had to point the finger at anyone for the delay in devices, I would point to Sandisk for either not providing the firmware specs to the manufacturers in a timely fashion, or else creating a firmware that was originally impossible to work with. It's not just Griffin who was slow...Macally only just got their device out before Griffin, and DLO still doesn't have anything out there for the Sansa.

This device is excellent, and anyone who can lay hold of one, you will not be disappointed.

This is a neat product, and easy to use. Too bad the quality of the FM transmission isn't that good. I picked a quiet FM frequency, but once the iTrip is turned on--even when the Sansa is paused--there's a whole new level of noise above that of my chosen frequency. When loud music is playing, you really don't notice it, but in quieter passages it's annoying. Also the volume level is quite a bit lower than real radio stations. So when I switch the to iTrip, I have to crank up the volume; and when I switch the other way, I'm apt to be blasted! One other quirk is the iTrip manages to transmit these odd little clicks and buzzes associated with the Sansa switching to the next song in a random shuffle--sounds I do not hear when listening directly on earphones.

After spending WAY too much time laboring over which FM transmitter

to get for my new Sansa e260, I eventually sided with the Griffin

iTrip for Sansa, and have no regrets! This little wonder works perfectly

with my Sansa mp3 player... little to no noise... usually NONE. Also,

great bass response. Everything sounds just as clear as it can with

mpeg-3 compression on an FM receiver. The fact that it also charges

my player while I'm driving and listening makes it that much better.

Two thumbs up, 5 stars, and one happy camper. :)

I bought this not knowing whether it would work with a Sansa Fuze or not....Well the news is............IT DOES!!!!!!!!!!!

THE GOOD: Easy to operate, don't get much static even in LA where there are lots of radio signals to compete with, recharges your player during use. THE BAD: Weird auto shut-off if you don't use it for one minute, I get static and distortion on the stereo setting and have to use it on the mono setting, can't control volume on the unit when it's plugged in (have to use car volume control). OVERALL: If you're looking for a basic FM transmitter and don't set your expectations too high, this is fine.

I bought this little gaget for our vacation trip and loaded my Sansa up with opera, Charlotte Church and Sarah Brightman, cause my mom was along for the ride and that's what she likes. It worked great! The iTrip lets you choose from a wide range of channels (not just 4 or 5 like some transmitters I looked at). The channel is easy to select and easy to set. It's basically plug-n-play. (I had already done a firmware download on my Sansa, cause other reviews said you had to. For firmware update information, go to the Sandisk website.)

I got good reception the whole trip. I did have to change channels once as we drove south because we were running into some interferance. And as I said, changing channels is super easy.

Now I did notice that the upper end of the opera, the high notes, got a little "muddy". It wasn't quite as crisp as if you were just playing a CD. But it wasn't so bad that it interferred with out listening enjoyment. Pop and rock seem to do better.

I really only had two complaints:
1. occasionally, when restarting the car you had to unplug and replug in the iTrip to get the LCD display to power back up. Not every time though.

2. the volume from song to song wasn't consistant. And I honestly don't know if this has anything to do with the transmitter or if it's something to do with the WMP files themselves. But from song to song, there was a lot of turning the volume up, turning the volume down, turning it back up. Not a big deal really - just a little annoying.

I'm giving the iTrip 5 stars. It did everything I wanted it to and worked without a hitch. The power issue and the volume were minor annoyances and wouldn't stop me from purchasing this product again.

I just bought this item couple of days ago and I think overall it's pretty good. Here are the pros and cons:

Pros:
-Cheaper compared to other options available
-Works great, no issue with the wireless connection to the car's FM receiver, antenna is in the back of my car and still this item works great!
-Charges Sansa battery while working hard to transmit music to the antenna :)

Cons:
-The socket that connects to Sansa is little loose, I thought of returning it but it's not that bad
-Everytime you shut down car engine you have to press one button in the itrip to start transmitting signal again

I know there is no picture of this item but it is very nice. The screen has a high quality l.e.d. backlight that auto shuts off, it charges your player and the sound quality is perfect. plugged it in set my radio to the default station (never even had to change it) and my stereo came alive. The sound quality is much better than the radio itself. Since there is no picture I'll Describe the player for you. Cigerette lighter plug with aprox 1.5' cord to a 2" by 1" box with a two foot coed going to the large usb that plugs directly into the buttom of sansa, has a super bright and clear white led backlight on the screen which has two buttons that you can select any!!! frequency you want instead of a cheep plastic switch with three or four factory presets. A good deal when compared to other items that are universal and only designed to work off headphone jack.

Griffin iTrip Auto FM Transmitter & Auto Charger for Sansa
The Griffin iTrip for Sansa e200 series mp3 players works quite well.
Just select an FM station with no or very weak signal on your radio and then the same frequency on the Griffin iTrip, plug one end into your Sansa and the other end into the cigarette power outlet on your vehicle, then select the item you want to listen to.
You usually have to increase the volume on the radio and occasionally will there will be a little static in the background however overall it works quite well.
I use it mostly to listen to downloaded podcasts while I'm travelling in the vehicle.

This unit will also charge the Sansa battery when the Sansa is plugged in.

I found that a short time after my selected podcast ended the contact between the iTrip and the Sansa was lost.
To start again just pull out the power connector and plug back in.

I have no other experience with mp3 to FM adapters however I'm quite pleased with this unit and would recommend it to others.

It will work with any of the Sansa e200 series.

The first minute that I bought the Griffin I trip auto FM transmitter I was able to plug it in effortlessly and change the station to the correct station and within seconds I was already hearing from my MP3 player. The FM transmitter is far more powerful using the 12 full battery system from the car than they battery-operated one. I highly recommend for all of those people who have bought Sansa e 200 series MP3 players! You will not regret your purchase. The best feature that I like about it is that it charges the battery while it's in use! There is no hissing sound, no static sound, no interfering stations sounds only crisp clear music from the MP3 player. A great value and a great purchase.