Customer Reviews

Kensington Cassette Adapter/Car Charger for iPod, iPod Mini 33161

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

UPDATE!

Since I wrote my last review (below), I've tried another 3 products: Dr. Bott's iPod Connection Kit, the DLO mount with cassette adapter, and the Sony cassette adapter.

Sound quality from the Dr. Bott's cassette adapter was horrible compared to the Kensington model and it too eventually started auto-reversing. The DLO mount with cassette adapter auto-reversed the very first time I used it. When it did work, the sound quality also was not as good as the Kensington. The Sony sound quality was OK, but it too auto-reversed intermittently. In the end I returned all of those and bought another Kensington because that's what works in my car and it sounds decent.

I think the point I'm trying to make here is that it's likely that all cassette adapters will intermittently, if not eventually permanently fail (e.g., auto-reversing, ejecting). I'm imagining the moving parts in these things get dirty/worn causing them to stop moving as smoothly, resulting in the tape player getting "end of tape"-like resistance. Or, maybe a particular adapter's resistance is too great for specific tape players, in general, so you're out of luck from the get go (this may depend more on your tape player than the actual adapter). And I'd imagine environment -- heat, humidity or severe cold -- is a factor, as well!

My advice -- find a cassette adapter that sounds good. If it auto-reverses and ejects on you, try it a few more times (I have good days and bad with the Kensington, again, after a year of trouble-free use). If it just won't work at all, switch to an FM modulator or iCruze system. Drawbacks with these options are FM modulators' comparatively poor sound quality and iCruze's cost, installation complexity, and limited availability for all car makes/models.

ORIGINAL REVIEW: Not So Bad ...

Like other folks here, my Kensington Cassette Adapter started auto-reversing so I'm in the market for a new adapter. However, it's worth noting that this was after a year of every day use during long commutes. And, I liked it so much that I'm still considering purchasing another Kensington.

I tried some other manufacturer's cassette adapters and found the sound from the Kensington to be much brighter. As for volume, it uses the headphone jack and therefore your iPod acts as a pre-amp. So, yes, you will have to turn iPod up (but no more than three-quarters of the way or you'll get distortion). But that's logical. You'll also have to turn up your stereo volume more than you're used to with your CD player or your radio. This is just how it works ... Don't worry. It'll still be loud and sound good. It'll just be different from how you're used to using your stereo.

And I did not find there was much noise coming from the adapter. There was a little, but it didn't detract from the overall sound quality/output (and is understandable given that all cassette adapters have some moving parts). And there was some hiss from the tape deck itself. But, that's inherent in the tape deck -- not the adapter (or the cable, as others have mentioned). If it bothers you, try using noise reduction in your tape deck (but I find this also reduces sound quality).

In short, I found this to be a good product and loved the retractable cabling. But life-expectancy could be longer ...

Ok, the most important thing to note on this cassette adapter (and all of them as far as I know): Most tape decks have an auto reverse feature, which is driving us all insane. Luckily there is a solution to this problem! Find a small screw driver and unscrew the 4 screws that hold the adapter together. Remove the SMALL pulley that is closest to the magnetic head...it has a smooth surface. I assume its function is to apply pressure to something, and this seems to trigger the auto-reverse. Do NOT remove any of the other pulleys or mess with anything else...only the small one that has a smooth surface. Carefully line everything back up and screw it back together. Bingo...no more auto-reverse problems. Worked in my Ford anyways. If you can disable the auto-reverse feature in your tape deck, that's obviously an easier fix. But I wouldn't count on having that ability if you have a factory stereo unit. Also, there is probably a small piece of plastic covering the magnetic head unit on the adapter...it seems to weaken the signal considerably...so remove it. You may have to turn the volume down on your MP3 player in order to have good sound quality...but then you can use the stereo to adjust the volume...so you can still crank it up loud. But again, do not remove anything (not even just to look) except that one pulley...playing around with it could cause the pulleys to make a little noise when the tape is being played. Otherwise, sound quality is awesome once the plastic is removed and the auto-reverse is "fixed."

The charger is awesome...and the cord retractability is awesome for both the cassette adapter and the charger. If all cassette adapters have the auto-reverse problem, then I would strongly recommend this combo...it's easily fixable...cheap...and convenient. If you can find a cassette adapter that doesn't need tweaking, then go for it. Hope this helps!

First I would like to say that if you do what I suggest in this review it will probably void your warranty.

I had the autoreverse problem when I first used this unit also but I followed the directions of another reviewer and it worked perfectly.

1. First find a clean place to work.
2. Lay the casette flat with the five screws showing up.
3. Remove the five screws and CAREFULLY take apart the top of the casette.
4. Remove the gear closest to the magnetic head. (this one has a rubber washer attached to it.
5. Put together the casette again.

That's it! If it does not play when you put the tape in then manually press the autoreverse switch on your tapedeck.

If you get hissing noises try cleaning your tapedeck.

The sound is awesome in my 2001 buick regal with premium sound. I can control the volume using the ipod and this works well considering I have to touch the ipod to change tracks. I have a 60 gb ipod video black.

I hope this helps you.

I plugged this into my car stereo and had to turn the volume up all the way on the stereo AND on the iPod just to get the audio to a barely satisfactory volume level. Also, there was a lot of noise from the cable.

I returned this immediately.

What a horrible piece of ....!

It worked well the first oh.... 45 minutes, then as stated in the other reviews my tape player kept reversing every song or so & would then just eject the tape. Evidently from what I've learned this isn't an uncommon problem with this unit.

I did like the fact that it has a car charger, great for road trips & if you spend lots of time in driving like I do. Also I liked the fact that the wires are retractable, unfortionately the pros don't mean anything if it won't stay in the tape deck!

I've read several other reviews of these & am sorry I didn't purchase the Sony version which I'm going to have to buy now anyway.

My advice is if your going with a tape model, stay away from this one & get the Sony.

OK, in all honesty, this review is more about A. Graham's advice posted Dec. 25, 2005 about this adapter than the adapter itself.
ALL I CAN SAY IS THANK YOU!!!! For anyone who has been tortured by the auto-reverse mechanism on your cassette player when you have tried to use a cassette adapter - then this article is a must read. Simple straight-forward procedure fixed this issue entirely. MORE PEOPLE NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THIS. My Ford Explorer caused grief to no-end till I applied this simple method for adapting my adapter as outline by Graham. Give it a try!! The key is to get rid of the tension mechanism.

At first my music sounded horrible. I figured out that I needed to turn down the volume control on my iPod AND take the EQ setting off (which I'd set to "Bass Booster").

Having gotten past that, I enjoyed pretty decent (but not great) sound quality, only to have another problem crop up. My car's tape deck began reversing direction automatically every few seconds, cutting off the music each time. Ugh!...

I hope this is fixable (haven't found the solution yet), but I sure could have used some clearer directions when I bought the adapter.

So...so far, I'm finding this is not a carefree "plug & play" product. Hopefully, it'll wind up being fully functional, though.

Maybe it was just my copy, but I could not get the charger to work reliably. First, after inserting the charger into the lighter outlet, it almost immediately smelled like burning plastic and became extremely hot. Then I was only able to get the indicator light to come on and charge the iPod if I applied pressure to the cable connector at the charger. If I let go, the light would go off and no longer charge the iPod. The cassette adapter works as it should but it would have been nice to be able to have a choice as to where the cable connects to the adapter as I have seen on one by Philips. This would accommodate those cassette decks (like mine) where the tape side faces the right rather than the left when inserting a tape. As it is now, for it to work, the cable is on the "wrong" side, that is, the side that enters the deck first. The retractable cable is a nice feature, but in retrospect I would have been better off buying the Philips adapter and a Belkin iPod charger from Wal Mart (which, in fact, I had to do). The Belkin works great.

Both items worked perfect for about 30 days, then the cassette started rattling to the point of being completely annoying and distracting. I had to throw it away and ended up buying an FM transmitter which works better.

Both the charger and cassette have AWESOME retractable cords. I especially appreciate the charger having this because, well, for one it works, and for two I keep my ipod right next to my cigarette adapter. No long cords lying around!

If they sell these items separately go for the charger...skip the cassette, it is junk.

Unfortunately, the cassette adapter didn't work in either my Volks Passat or Ford Ranger. Both tape decks just kept switching from side A to side B looking for music to play even though the iPod was playing. I couldn't find anything on the Kensington web site as far as tech-support either. However, the auto charger is fantastic and worth the money itself. You can take off the cigarette lighter tip and it turns into a iPod firewire cord. There is a little thing in the middle of the cord that winds up the cord for you and makes it neat and tidy and easy to travel with.