irock! Beamit Wireless Music Adapter (400FM)

by iRock

Product Details

• Item Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B0000DK6II
• Item model number: irock! 400 FM
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (74 customer reviews)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: September 29, 2003

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

The irock! 400FM wireless music adapter lets you listen to any portable-music device over any FM tuner and speaker setup, without a clumsy or constricting cable hookup. It's the perfect way to simply and efficiently listen to MP3s, CDs, minidiscs, and other formats in the comfort of your car or living room. Just plug the 400FM into the headphone jack of your portable device, tune your radio to one of four pre-selected frequencies (88.1, 88.3, 88.5, or 88.7 FM), and crank up your tunes. The 400FM's operating range (limited by FCC regulations) is 10 to 30 feet, depending on environmental conditions and the quality of the FM receiver.

The tiny (1 x 2 x 3 inches), lightweight 400FM is powered by two AAA batteries (not included) or, in your car or boat, by the supplied 12V DC vehicle power adapter for hours of blissful music while traveling. The 400FM features a simple on-off switch on the front and a red LED that lights up when the unit is on. It comes with a seven-foot flexible antenna that folds around the 400FM when not in use.

What's in the Box
iRock 400FM, 12V DC vehicle power adapter, a user's manual, and warranty information.

Product Description

IROCK-400FM, WIRELESS FM MODULATOR

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A functional product, but not the best, January 15, 2004

By 

Kirsten R "Mac user since '88" (Twin Cities, Minnesota) - See all my reviews

This review is from: irock! Beamit Wireless Music Adapter (400FM) (Electronics)

Actually, I'd like to give the iRock a rating of 3.5 stars, but settled on 3 stars.

I bought the iRock to go with my 40GB iPod. Overall, I'm quite happy with it. Here are the plusses:

*easy to use/install
*small (takes up only a little space)
*coiled power cord (helps!)
*uses very little power (with the batteries)
*reception is quite good on all 4 settings in a medium/large metro area (Twin Cities, Minnesota) with a lot of radio stations

Here's the minus: I was disappointed in the clarity of sound produced by the iRock. I don't know if the decreased clarity is due to the iRock or my car stereo (an Alpine in my Honda CRV), but the sound produced by the iRock simply isn't as good as the sound I get listening to the iPod with a cheap pair of headphones. If the clarity was a bit better I'd probably give the product 4 to 5 stars.

[I have discovered that I can improve the clarity of sound if I keep the volume on my iPod low and use the car stereo to adjust the volume. The clarity is 'fine,' but isn't great.]

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pirate Radio, February 11, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: irock! Beamit Wireless Music Adapter (400FM) (Electronics)

Arg...I bought me this nice little gadget to use with my new iRiver iHP-120 MP3 player. It's small and light and comes with a coiled cigarette lighter power adapter (top selling feature for me). A red led indicates that the unit is on. It can transmit on one of four selectable frequencies. Choose the frequency with the least noise and you're golden. It packs away nicely in my armrest storage or glove compartment.

I found that the quality of the reception depends greatly on the quality of the car stereo picking up the transmission. I find that in my Civic the reception is a little scratchy, but still very listenable. In my wife's Contour, parked next to my Civic, the reception is near perfect.

Here's a hint for those of us without EE degrees interested in boosting the quality of transmission. The antenna is the wire that attaches to the headphone jack of the music player. If you add an additional couple feet with a headphone cord extension, you'll get a stronger signal. Just don't tell the FCC.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Works nearly perfectly, January 10, 2004

By 

B. Sowers (Virginia, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: irock! Beamit Wireless Music Adapter (400FM) (Electronics)

I'm using this in my car and it works great. I originally bought a Soundfeeder SF100 to use in my car, and had so many problems with it that I decided to buy the iRock 400 FM. The iRock works much better, I haven't had any problems with it. The reception is good, I never hear any static. The stereo separation and sound quality are good, it's almost full CD quality. And I've never had any problems with the frequency drifting, even when my car has been out in the bitter cold all day and I first turn it on.

The frequency selection is kinda limited on this product (either 88.1, 88.3, 88.5, or 88.7 MHz). But I've found that even if you set it to a frequency that there is a radio station on, if you've got the transmitter close to your antenna (10 feet or so), there are no interference problems.

I would highly recommend this for use in a car.