Customer Reviews

Monster Cable Ultra-Low Profile iPod iCharger (AICHG2 IP)

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

(This review is in regard to playing your iPod in your car)

I had no idea what I was missing until I bought this iPod charger.

I also own the Monster iCarPlay cassette adapter which plugs into the headphone input on top of the iPod. Unfortunately, the sound quality has been mediocre at best. It was also very bothersome and annoying to have to adjust the volume controls on both the iPod and the car stereo.

Enter the Ultra-Low Profile iCharger...

...not only does this device charge the iPod, but there is an input for your cassette adapter on the charger. What it allows is for the connection of the iPod to the cassette adapter via the dock connection. Now, I'm not sure why, but when you connect your cassette adapter to the dock connection instead of the headphone input on the iPod, the sound quality drastically improves! The sound is clear and crisp, not loud, blown-out, or hissy. When you connect your iPod in this fashion (via the dock connection) the volume is fixed, so you only have to adjust the volume on your car stereo.

I have no idea why this feature is not listed nor explained in detail on the packaging of the iCharger - but it is the best part of product and justifies the rather hefty price tag.

The iPod nano Gen 4 is NOT COMPATIBLE with this charger. Please read this before purchasing.

If you want to listen to your iPod (with dock) in the car and have a cassette player in the car, you need this device.

I'd initially tried the Belkin product that does much the same thing... powers the iPod and allows access to via the dock to the line out on the iPod... but the Belkin version adds an amplifier to the line out. And, that amplifier colors the sound (muddy, bass heavy, and nasty!) and easily distorts. Very much defeats the purpose of getting to the line out. If the volume was lowered on the Belkin, I needed to push the volume on my car stereo to get to acceptable levels. When that happened, tape hiss was prominent.

Enter the Monster iPod charger. This product does not include an amplifier... you just get access to the line out signal. Just connect your cassette adapter to the charger, drop the adapter into the cassette player, and enjoy the sound. The volume is totally controlled by the car stereo.

The difference between the Belkin product and the Monster? Night and day. Sound from the Monster charger was clean, crisp, not muddied, not distorted. Much, much improved sound quality.

The only thing I would improve about this product is the connection to the iPod. It's a bit of a tight fit when the iPod is in it's usual case (basic DLO case).

This is an excellent car charger for your iPod. It is sturdy and well designed. Even though it does not indicate this anywhere on the packaging, it works great for an iPod mini as well. I really like the fact that I can plug my cassette adapter into this charger, rather than into the earphone jack of my iPod mini, to play tunes through my car's speaker system. Before I used this charger, I could not always get the plug from my cassette adaptor to fit snugly into my iPod mini's earphone jack.

This is NOT a wireless system for your iPod to play in your car; I believe the reviewer below from Texas posted under the wrong product.

If you're looking for a car charger for your iPod or iPod mini, you won't be disappointed in this product.

WARNING: THE CAR CHARGER IS INCOMPATIBLE WITH THE IPHONE G3. The audio still works, but the iphone does not charge.

Low profile dc plug is great as is coiled cable. People with iPod cases that partially cover dock connector won't be able to use - as dock plug is very large.

I have owned 2 of these units, and both have had flaws. The first one lasted me for just over 1 year, then the connection to the cassette adapter got loose and stopped working, creating fuzz and sometimes getting sound out of only 1 speaker. I figured it was too much hassle to try and fix, so I bought a new one.

The second one I bought worked okay. The first time I plugged in the charger, the charging light did not come on and it appeared as though it was dead right out of the box. Suddenly, after playing with it a little bit, it started to work. I got about 3 months out of it, and now the connection that goes into the dock connector of the iPod just stopped maintaining a tight connection. Thus, I cannot charge OR listen to music from my iPod.

I just purchased a third, because I can't stand the FM transmitters (I'm a musician and I can tell bad audio vs. good audio), so I figured I would give Monster one last try before I try another alternative.

Wish me luck...

Specifically looking for an iPhone 3g charger and this said it was compatible. As soon as I plugged in the phone the message, "This accessory is not compatible with this phone. Charging is disabled." came on the screen. Nice, a charger that won't charge. Great if you have an older iPod, but not good for iPhones.

This model will not charge your newer ipods or iphone.
Get the newer model.

Great charger. No ground loop noise, and it even stops the iPod when the car is turned off.