Customer Reviews

Kensington 33365 Pico FM Transmitter for iPod 5G and Nano (Black)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Yes, it will transmit the music from your iPod to you car stereo. But will it equal the sound quality of having a direct connection? No way. This isn't really a criticism specific to the Kensington. None of these devices consistently deliver great sound. I have tried four or five different brands, in two vehicles, both with very good quality receivers and speakers. At best, you get sound quality that I would grade a "B." You tend to lose volume and dynamic range. And unless you live in a very remote area, you are periodically going to get static interference from other radio stations and maybe other electronic devices.

Bottom line, this is a nifty unit in the sense that it is so small and connects to the bottom of a Nano. But don't expect CD quality music. Also, if you have this unit connected, you are using the Nano battery to power the transmitter, and you can't connect a charger at the same time.

Best bet: Get a car stero with an auxiliary "line in." If you can't, you might actually get better sound with a Sony cassette adaptor.

The wirelss capability was the reason I bought this transmitter for my iPOD nano, but it just does NOT perform the same as a the other trasmitter I bought that plugs into the 12V cigerette lighter for power usage (and iPOD charging). It seems that the Kensington transmitter, since powered by the iPOD's battery, doesn't have the same signal-punch as my iTrip 12V unit. Not that it doesn't work, you just have to find the right spot in the car (near the antennae or radio) that works the best.... the same is true for my 12V xmitter, just not as finiky/less sensitive to location. Also, with this wirelss unit, I only get about 4 or 5 hours of music-playing time before the iPOD dies. It cannot be charged while playing, so it means a short duration. One benefit would be if you want to bring a boom box to the park (no avail 12V source)... you could play the iPOD thru the boom box (or any radio). BUT-If you're going to use it mostly in the car, do yourself a favor and buy a 30-50 dollar 12V xmitter from iTrip or Monster... just better battery life (also charges) and signal performance.

1. It's small
2. It works
3. Low frequency range 88.1 - 107.9
4. It works
5. Easy to use
6. It works
7. I didn't need to read the manual
8. It works
9. Create 2 presets
10. IT FREAKIN' WORKS

I got this because it was the smallest FM transmitter for the iPOD Nano. It integrated well with the iPOD, and I had no problems using it to select the station. The real problem was static. I tried multiple "clear" FM channels in the Nashville area, but I could not get a nice clean signal on any one of them. There was always static or hiss in the background. I think this transmitter is just not powerful enough. I tried placing it in several positions in my car as well. I would not recommend this. I have a friend who has the Monster Cable FM transmitter and charger. He has not experienced the same problems.

It's not listed in the product description but the Pico works with the iPod Mini too. Like the other reviewers, I found it easy to setup: tune the radio, turn on iPod, connect the Pico, tune the Pico, done). In my car, the static interference was less noticeable when the unit was placed in close proximity to the radio. I noticed this as well with my home stereo. Maybe the next generation Pico needs a larger antennae, or my iPod needed charging. Regarding sound quality, my other car has a built-in iPod connector. The Pico sound quality is comparable, somewhat muted, but enjoyable. The Pico does offer the advantage of displaying the iPod menu to select tunes. I've read mixed reviews on other FM transmitters, but I am pleased with the Pico.

I tried 2 different of these, the itrip (for nannos) and the "cradle type". I returned them both to Best Buy. Neither one worked at all. I read the comments on this one and took a chance. Yes it works. As usual Amazon shipped it fast to my door in a few days. The sound does waver a bit but you just need to keep on trying the different bands. I live in the Detroit area and found good results with the low and mid 90's bands. Clear instructions (something the others lacked). Overall so far I am pleased with this item.

If you need a unit-powered FM device, you're stuck with this one. Luckily you'll be stuck with a pretty decent unit.

Not as loud or as powerful as the Griffin iTrip, but unlike the iTrip this thing will actually turn on every single time you play a song. I don't know about your requirements, but that is a pretty big one for me.

It's small as all heck. I can even fit it in my ipod's case with it's headphones. Pretty cool deal, I like that aspect of it.

It's naturally not as good as Kensington's powered FM Transmitter, but it gets the job done when it needs to. I took away a star because it's not as powerful as it could be, but again, when it comes to ipod-powered FM transmitters you'll do no better than this little guy right here.

I've been using the Kensington Pico FM transmitter for a couple of months, It works great at close distances but fails to deliver the quality of sound I expected. Another minus is that you are not able to use the FM transmitter and charge the Ipod at the same time.

I could get it to work, but the sound quality was very poor. This is the second type of FM transmitter I have tried - the search is on again I guess. I suppose with these things it is trial and error until you find one that works. I liked the fact that you could use this one with any radio, not just in the car, but I may have to resort to the "car only" type. If all I can hear is static, forget it.

So far i've really enjoyed this thing. It works really well. I think the range depends largely on the radio you're using it on. In our van, you can take it to the back seat and get a perfectly clear signal, but on the reciever in my house it has to be sitting right on top to get any signal at all. I live in Arizona, and so far 102.9 has been the best for me.