griffin itrip

Mar 19 2005

Sonnet PodFreq iPod FM Transmitter

This review is actually in response to a thread in our forums:

FlyByKnight wrote: Anyone
know of a good FM transmitter?

I was one of the countless people sucked in by the iTrap (editor’s
note: iTrip. misspelled to make a statement). Ya know, the cigar butt
looking thing that doesn’t work if you live in a civilized area with more
than 5 radio stations? You plug the thing into your ipod, and your battery
life goes from 8-10 hours, down to about 2.5 if you’re lucky? And most of
that 2.5 hours, you are trying to finagle the thing to even start to get reception?
yeah…that iTrap.
….

without spending a ton of $ here, i would like to listen to my ipod in
the car. does anyone have any experience with this?

to which Alec replied:

I’d like to know of anyone’s experience with Sonnet’s
Podfreq. Based on my experiences with many of Sonnet’s other products,
I would hope this one is a killer… even if a little pricey.

I got Sonnet to lend me a PodFreq for a little while so that I could test it
out. Here’s the story:

The Sonnet Podfreq is
an FM transmitter and enclosure available for all dock connector iPods with
the exception of the iPod mini. It features a small display on the bottom of
the unit that allows you to power it on and begin broadcasting whatever is playing
on the encased iPod anywhere on the FM dial from 88.3 to 107.7 MHz (in 0.1 MHz
steps). The unit draws little power off the iPod and also comes with a car cigarette
lighter adapter so that you can charge while you drive and listen to tunes.
Its most striking feature is its 8.6″ telescoping antenna which is situated
on the back of the case.

Having been successfully using the Griffin
iTrip for over a year, using the PodFreq with my iPod was an eye opening
experience…or should I say ear opening. The sound is so much bolder on a unit
that draws audio data through the dock connector than from the earphone jack.
There was no waiting for the unit to warm up or clue in that I was playing music.
And, with its built in Auto Level control, I was able to shut off the iPod’s
Sound Check and listen to my tunes loud and undistorted on my car radio. All
this time I thought I just had a sucky car radio! The buttons on the lower end
of the unit make it easy to change frequencies in the event of noise from outside
influences and unlike the iTrip there is no need to do any complicated handshake
installation maneuver involving several dozen little mp3 files installed on
my iPod–the PodFreq does the work for you and does it well.

I
tested the Griffin iTrip on my iPod while it was installed in the PodFreq and
set each device to broadcast on its own clean channel. When I switched between
the two broadcasts on my radio I was able to set the volume on the iPod to the
point where the iTrip’s signal was as loud as the PodFreq’s. From that common
ground the audio on the PodFreq station was brighter and cleaner and I was able
to crank the volume up with no distortion.

The PodFreq also does a great job of moving from the car to the home in that
it has a built in stand and functions as a dock replacement.

I do have a few minor beefs with the PodFreq though. Let me say I love the
PodFreq, but it is not for everybody–so read on.

My main issues stem from the antenna and the placement of the FireWire port.
The FireWire is how one connects the PodFreq to the car charger that comes packaged
with the unit. Unfortunately, in the interest of keeping the unit’s size down
(and it is big, let’s face it) a 6 pin FireWire port has been placed on the
right lower side of the PodFreq. This makes it awkward to place in a vehicle’s
cup holder or similar compartment. The antenna also gets in the way quite a
bit and since it didn’t seem to be detrimental to the broadcast when it wasn’t
extended, it kind of makes me wonder why Sonnet bothered with it at all. When
you consider that the very design of the PodFreq makes it incompatible with
almost any car mount you are likely to find for an iPod, the fact that it won’t
just sit nicely in a cup holder becomes a bit of a hassle.

I like that the PodFreq doubles as a case and allows access to the earphone
jack at all times. But I would have liked some more protection for the face
of the iPod and, again, that antenna gets in the way when you’re walking around
with earphone cables dangling near it. I was also a bit disappointed that the
“dock replacement” selling point was diminished by there being no
6 pin to 6 pin FireWire cable sold along with the PodFreq. The device is compatible
only with iPods that have dock connectors which means users will have a 6 pin
FireWire to dock connector cable at the ready with no way to use it and no supplied
cable to take its place. All minor points, but ones to consider.

In conclusion, I recommend the PodFreq to anyone who is dissatisfied with the
iTrip and is looking for a device that will make the transition from the car
to the home seamlessly. I found the quality of the FM transmission to be brighter
and the experience of using the unit to be easier and more enjoyable than the
iTrip. The PodFreq retails for USD$99.95 and might be just the right unit for
someone looking to graduate from the iTrip and into an FM transmitter with more
to offer.

By admin • Reviews • Comments Off • Tags: battery life, cigar butt, cigarette lighter adapter, fm dial, fm transmitter, griffin itrip, ipod mini, mhz steps, sonnet podfreq, striking feature