Customer Reviews

Wireless MP3/WMA FM Transmitter with USB Port and Auxiliary Input with Remote

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(25)
3 star:		(19)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(16)

 

 

Having the ability to play digital music via MP3 Player/iPod, SD Card or USB memory makes this a very versatile device. However the great features are marred by a few faults that will require attention by the manufacturer to make this a truely great device.

The first problem is that one needs to tune to the frequency it is transmiting on manually, scanning using the seek feature of a car radio skips over the weak signal it puts out. Definately need to set a preset on the radio.

Which brings us to the next fault. Compared to FM radio stations the device is fairly quiet even when turned up to it's highest volume output. A 'buzz' can be heard when it is transmiting, turning the volume way down does not reduce this at all. The quality was disappointing, I expected CD quaility and didn't get it. I also found that the sound lacked bass, FM radio stations sound much better. These faults occurs on several vehicles and is not a vehicle or radio fault.

As pointed out by other posters, the USB port is inoperative, refusing to play MP3 files the SD card reader has no problems with. (Update: I have found one Dell 256MB USB drive it does work with half the time, not totally reliable but better than nothing).

The advertised ID3 feature is nothing of the sort, it shows the file name only, not the ID3 tag information.

One really neat feature is the auto-resume. It continues on the track it was on prior to being powered off, even if you remove the SD card and add files to it!!! That I do like.

It needs an on/off switch to save you having to unplug the device when parking the vehicle for an extended period. It keeps playing music after the car is turned off. OK you can pause it, but it still is powered up.

The unit is white which looks great IMHO.

I'll give the manufacturer the opportnity to repair the faulty USB port before considering a return. The other faults are to be expected on a relatively inexpensive device.

I had tried so many FM transimitters (5+ diff models) and this is the only one trully works. Even the channel you selected is not fully "empty", the music is neither intruppted nor carrying annoying noise! And you never have to worry about running out of battery, too.

LCD display is small. Features wise is adequate for such device. Music quality is OK (don't compare it to your CD player). Control is simple and straight forward- this is important when you are drive!

I had purchased this for more than two month and I use it on everyday commutes happily. Overall, this is the only (economy; less than 50 bucks) FM transimitter that really works for me.

To begin, what I don't like about this product:

1. LCD is difficult to read (forget about trying to drive and read it).

2. The random/shuffle feature can take up to a 1.5 minutes to go to the next song *if* you have have hundreds of MP3s on your USB drive. Having only 50 to 75 MP3s causes no problem for the randomize feature, and I noticed no delay when playing the MP3 in order. It has an external jack so you can easily connect your IPod/other MP3 player, and I suspect since that device would be handling the randomization, there would be no delay between songs.

Now, what I love about the VRFM9:

1. Ease of use.

2. Flexible neck - should work in most situations.

3. Random/shuffle feature.

4. 16 FM channels to pick from.

5. Memory so you can continue with the same song (at the beginning) after turning your car off then on.

6. Doesn't scream "Steal Me" like an IPod would.

7. Displays the ID3 info of the MP3 playing (though the screen is difficult to read).

Given how flash/thumb/memory drives have dropped in price, you can have a great way to play your MP3 in your car and only spend $100 to $125 (including buying new flash drives).

I should tell you I'm not connected with Amazon or RoadMaster in any way - just a happy customer.

Mike Honeycutt

I've tried belkin units with bad results.

This one works, has good features for the price, and was simply the only way to inexpensively get mp3 music into my two cars - a 97 Cadillac Deville and 92 Buick Riviera. It seems to easily over power the high end stations in its range in my area. Just drove from Pottstown PA to Cherry Hill, NJ and it never missed a beat. Its sound quality is not exactly CD, but it is better than I expected. Almost as good as cassettes play in the cars.

Must admit, I'm on my second one. The first one just quit, burned out or something. But I liked the unit so much I exchanged it hoping that this one lasts.

My SD card is only 256M, so I can't fit more than two albums on it, so I'm not so concerned that I don't have a lot of control over the playback. The screen is too small to read most of the time without getting up close, but I don't need to read it anyway. Its so cool that the player plugs right into the 12v socket- no cords!

On my lunch hour I ran down to the local walmart. There on the shelf was the original VR MP3/WMA player for 29.95. However next to it was the newest version VR-MP3 that played MP3/WMA's from a USB port or a SD card as well as handling a line-in for only 20$ more. Sweet! I went for it. Went out to my car and plugged it in with my 1 Gig Lexar USB Flash drive. NOTHING HAPPENED! The LCD read Line-In. The Flash drive was not being recognized. What a drag.

Then I seemed to recall from an online support newsgroup that some Lexar Flash Drives seemed to have problems with MP3 players. Well no problem, I reached into my satchel and pulled out my other MP3 player that I used for gym.

I pulled out the SD card and plugged it into the car cigarrete lighter VR MP3 player. NOTHING HAPPENED! It wasn't recognizing the SD card. The LCD stubbornly read "Line-In". I pulled the whole unit out and pushed it back in. YES! It powered up. I tuned it to FM 87.9 and heard the music coming out of my speakers nice and clean. Geez it sounded a little faint. I felt panic building. Then I looked at the instruction manual. There was VOLUME CONTROL! I pressed and held the go-forward symbol button which cranked it up to comfortable volume. YES!

I will try to find out whats going on with the 1 Gig Lexar thumbdrive. I heard that this mp3 device has a problem and won't play anything if it finds any incompatible files on a thumbdrive. Since I used my thumbdrive to transfer files between work and home I saw this as a likely scenario.

Fortunately I have some new thumbdrives on order by another manufacturer. I will let you all know what happens.

Some other cons: Small LCD screen only shows song name. But it is legible. And since I tested it at night I can't tell if the LCD really lights up.

Overall, it sounds great, works for the most part as advertised. I feel like I saved money big-time.

Awesome..play your MP3 player through included jack/cable....unlimited music libraries with cheap SD cards...PLUS any USB drive. Connect your dvd player and listen through car stereo! Sound quality is superb! Better with SD card than my USB jump card. Highly recommended! I have a Chev Blazer...no issues here...My XM FM Modulator does not even work as well in the same car.

I was looking forward to getting the transmitter because of the SD port. Well, the SD port was the only thing that was decent about it. It played good but the display did not read "true" ID3 tagging like it was advertised as having. It reads the name of the mp3 file - ONLY.

The USB slot did not work at all. I tried a Lexar and a Sony. The lights on the drives lit up but the display on the transmitter did not change and it did not play any music at all.

The other bad thing about this is the display does not work (and not supposed to) at all with an mp3 player!

If you read the "fine print" - about the display feature, it says "when available". I guess I am expecting too much out of a $50 technical item.

I'm sure one day, another company will come up with something like this that will work and advertise everthing accurately without any hidden statements.

I've had an VR3 FM USB Car Transmitter for two years. However, there were things that I found most frustrating when using it and I didn't realise this until after I'd purchased it.

VR3 MP3 Player FM Transmitter frustrations:

1) It wouldn't remember where I last was listening to.
2) I couldn't fast forward nor rewind. Arrgh! You could only skip between tracks. This was frustrating because I have a habit of rewinding to listen to parts of my audio tracks again and again and of course I can't fast forward through averts. It was especially frustrating because of point 1 above as I would always have to start listening from the beginning of a track. Particularly annoying when listening to long tracks.
3) No remote - Please note most FM transmitters don't come with FF or RW functions on the remote's either.
4) It was white and it was ugly.
5) Limited frequency range. A lot of these devices only allow you turn use the upper and lower FM frequency ranges.
6) It takes USB dongles and SD cards but the SD cards are limited to 2GB.

I've now purchased the SoundFly SD:Soundfly SD WMA/MP3 Player Car Fm Transmitter for SD Card, USB Stick, Mp3 Players (iPod, Zune)

1) The SoundFly SD remembers exactly where you were last listening to. This is so refreshing as I can just turn off the car and when I next climb back in and start the car, with the SoundFly SD plugged into the car lighter socket, it just starts right of from where I left last. Awesome! Bear in mind I have a new model car less than four years old, but a lot of these devices just die when a car is started and the device has been accidentally left in. I've not had a single problem with using the Soundly this way, and I believe I have no reason to worry about it. You even have a bookmarking facility.
2) I can fast forward and rewind to my hearts content. Even with the remote.
3) The remote is is actually quite handy, especially when driving. You can certainly use the controls on the device itself, but the remote is easier. It's not too difficult to remember the position of the keypad buttons, so using the remote while driving is quite easy. Don't crash.
4) This FM transmitter is black. The device itself is a heck of a lot more attractive than the VR3 I have. It's even smaller.
5) You can tune into all the FM frequency range in single steps, so there's no shortage of places to find a gap in the FM range. The Soundfly can remember up to seven bookmarked spots. As for the strength of the FM transmitter, it's certainly no worse than the VR3. But unlike the VR3 I have a much broader spectrum of FM frequencies to try to find a clear spot. Much better.
6) The device takes USB dongles & SD cards. But this device takes the High Capacity ones up 32GB.

Other points to note. You can also connect your iPod or MP3 player via the supplied cable. You also get a 10A fuse. In case you can't figure out what it's for, and it's not stated in the instructions, the device has a fuse inside the part that pushes into the lighter socket. That should blow before the device does. Handy if you leave the device in all the time. If the device stops working, check the fuse. You unscrew the end. The instructions are clear, but one point of note is that it doesn't show you how to change the fuse.

I'm so happy with the SoundFly FM transmitter and highly recommend it to anyone who'll listen. It's much better than the VR3. The only thing I can think that is lacking with this is Bluetooth. I would love for this device to be able to communicate with my phone or Bluetooth headset (if I had some), or or an MP3 player that had Bluetooth.

A versatile FM transmitter, the unit gives you three ways to enjoy your mp3 or wma collection!

Simply plug the unit into your car's power adapter then choose from one of three methods to listen to your stuff:

1) Plug in any USB flash drive to the onboard USB port, tune to the desired frequency, and sit back, relax (unless you're driving!) and enjoy your audio library clear, and static-free.

2) Use a 3.5mm to 3.5mm cord and plug one end into your mp3 player's headphone jack and the other into the transmitter, and enjoy hours of trouble free audio right through your car's radio...

3) And, as if this wasn't enough, the unit has a SD card slot giving you yet another way to listen to your collection!

With a clean and reliable transmitter and three ways of getting audio onto your car's radio, you'd be hard-pressed to find a better value in another FM transmitter.

Great value and an even better product! Get yours now!

Here, we have a nifty little gadget. It plays MP3s and WMAs off of SD cards and USB drives. It sounds like a novel idea, but it has a few drawbacks.

One of the most glaring flaws is that not *all* USB drives will work with this. I have two cheap USB drives from "DaneElec" that do not work, but I have one that I bought from SanDisk that *does* work. My recommendation is that you use SanDisk Drives to use with this item. (On a sidenote, it may look like it's not workin when you plug it in, but it takes a little bit for it to read it; give it a few seconds, but nothing more)

Another flaw is that there is some buzzing and static, even on clear stations. But, this isn't a glaring problem. It is, for the most part, hardly noticeable during playback, although it is there.

This is minor, and I don't have much to say about it, but it has a relatively small screen, despite what it says. Most of you probably figure that it isn't very big from the pictures.

I would only recommend this product only if you have no other option to play your music (my car has no tape nor CD). If you plan on using a tape-line (I assume that's what they're called; those tapes that connect to the output line of your music player), I would recommend this over that. This is a little pricy at $50 (my first FM transmitter was only $20), but far more affordable than buying a CD player for your car.

So, if you got a little extra cash, no other way to play your music, and have a few SanDisk drives laying around, I definitely recommend this to you!