Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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38 of 39 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
What a disappointment!, December 21, 2005
I really, really wanted to like this product, but it was not to be. I bought it for use with my '05 Toyota Sienna. Here is a structured list of comments, marked + or -:
(+) Compatibility: the cassette drive accepted the product without spitting it back out. So far, so good.
(-) Appearance: white looks good in the package, but a bad, bad choice in the car. That white cable is pretty ugly hanging down from the cassette drive and I think it advertises to potential thieves that there might be an iPod in the car.
(+) Auto-play: the adaptor is supposed to start the iPod when the cassette starts. This worked fine.
(+) Auto-stop: the adaptor is supposed to stop the iPod when the cassette stops. This worked fine.
(-) Auto-forward: the adaptor is supposed to skip the iPod forward a track when the cassette fast-forwards. This didn't work.
(-) Auto-reverse: the adaptor is supposed to skip the iPod backward a track when the cassette rewinds. This didn't work.
(-) Reliability: the day after I bought it started emitting very loud static that made the music almost inaudible. I returned it for a replacement.
(-) Sound quality: very, very poor. This is really the deal breaker. Low-level static afflicted both the original unit and the replacement. This really shocked me. My generic cassette adaptor was much better than this. And so, the smartdeck went into the trash and I've resumed using the generic adaptor.
(-) Conclusion. I would strongly recommend against buying this product. I can't imagine how Griffin can justify selling it. It will be a long time before I consider buying anything more from them.
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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
When It Works, It's the Best Available Tape Adapter. But..., August 12, 2006
I've read many of the reviews of the sorely disappointed, and I understand their complaints since I've also experienced many of the same problems. There are, however, some workarounds that might help some of the stuckees...
Regarding too-high-gain leading to static, I've learned through trial and error that the not-so-SmartDeck volume is fairly random due to variations in mechanical position of its head relative to the tape deck head. If the volume is set too high (or low), try plugging the SmartDeck in and out a few times, or reach your finger in and see if you can jiggle its position. Picking an especially loud song while you do this will help you to know when you have successfully adjusted to a good volume. Unfortunately, this workaround doesn't work for all iPods... although I can always successfully find a good position with my 4th generation 40GB iPod, I've noticed that the output from the iPod mini is significantly louder, and therefore, much harder to adjust this way. For it, I taped several small pieces of scotch tape over the head to create a small gap between the heads of the tape deck and the adapter. Start with 3 layers, then keep adding additional layers until the desired attenuation is achieved.
Regarding the tapedeck-spits-out-SmartDeck problem, I've noticed that I only get this problem when the SmartDeck is cold, usually first thing in the morning (clearly, this is the tape deck thinking the SmartDeck is a jammed tape). Try warming the SmartDeck by blowing warm breath into the hole where the fake "tape" is, then put it back in. In cold weather, the deck itself is also going to be cold, so you may have to do this several times until the entire car warms up.
Unfortunately, I don't have a workaround for the intermittent track-skip/FF problem. I have seen that once or twice, though in general, that feature tends to work for me (both track skip, and track FF/Rewind). I have a suspicion that this is another cold weather problem and a side effect of the spits-out-tape problem, but now that I have a workaround for the latter problem, I think I haven't seen this problem in the past 6 months.
Ironically, if you manage to avoid all these warts, the SmartDeck is the best-sounding adapter I've ever heard. Plus, the auto-on/off feature is much more valuable than you might think (and no one seems to complain that this feature is broken). With the four other adapters I've tried -- two cassette, and two FM transmitter -- I cannot tell you how many times I forgot to turn my iPod off when I exited the car, then came back to a dead iPod. Nevertheless, the warts are pretty obnoxious, therefore I must deduct 3 stars from this otherwise 5-star product.
P.S. After about a year of use, I discovered that the spits-out-tape problem becomes progressively worse with age. Even warmed up, the cassette would often spit out, completely ruining my mood and listening experience. One day while playing my daily game of "tape in / tape out", I warned the adapter that I only had sufficient patience for 6 rounds. When the adapter popped out the sixth time, I tossed the adapter out the sun roof. Hey, he had no one to blame but himself ;-) Still one of the best decisions I've ever made.
P.P.S. I eventually found a Kensington FM transmitter that is inexpensive and works really well. Check my other reviews if you need a pointer to it.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Works Great....in some cars, February 6, 2006
Firstly, let me say I have the SmartDeck with the docking connector (rather than the usb or the headphone jack connection) and I use it for my 5th generation video ipod.
This acually functions great in my car (99 Mazda 626 with factory radio). The sound is near CD quality, and the forward feature using the cassette controls worked like a charm. YES it does take longer than using the iPod itself but I like being able to just hit a button while driving rather than grabbing the iPod.
I also tested this in my sisters 2000 Hyuandi Sonata factory stero and it also worked like a dream!!
I tested this in my boyfriends 2005 Infinity FX with Bose system and it SUCKED!!!! The tape kept clacking and trying to go to the other side. It would play the music but the clacking of the tape was LOUDER than the music even with the volume turned up.
My take on it.....works better with older non-complicated stereos. The biggest downside is that with the dock connection I can't charge AND play my iPod in my car.
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