ANTOnline.com - Kensington K33383CA Universal Fm Transmitter (blk) for MP3 Players

Customer Reviews

Reviewed on 2008-07-10

Very good transmitter.
This transmitter is the first one I have ever bought. I chose this one because of all of the high ratings it has gotten. I'm not disappointed in it. I bought it to play books on tape when travelling. I only have a cd player in my car (05 Civic), so I needed this to use my tape and mp3 player. It works well with the mp3 player. Took it on my trip from Denver to Albuquerque. Only had to search for an unused channel twice; Sante Fe, then Albuquerque. This isn't hard to do, so it wasn't a hassle. The tape players that I have are a different story. My Sony walkman worked with it until the player broke. The Tozaj(sp?) worked until it broke. The Durabrand one I have that still works won't output into it for some reason. I've also discovered that the tape player doesn't work with noise-cancelling headphones. That makes me think it's the tape player and not the transmitter.

The only problem I've had with the transmitter is not being able to see the station that it's outputting to after it gets hot. All I can see is 188.8. A little frustrating when I first turn it on, but not a big deal after I'm tuned in. 4 out of 5 stars.

Reviewed on 2008-06-21

great for audiobooks by MP3
I live in the country, drive most days to one of several towns 30-70 miles away, including one large city. I listen to audiobooks downloaded to my MP3 player. After considering a manufacturer based upgrade to my car stereo (very expensive) or a local shop's own upgrade (still 250) I found this solution and it works very well for me. Its true that the channel I tuned is only empty at my home --therefore if the reading of the book finishes while I am driving audible interference can be annoying for a moment. I simply mute the volume until I have a chance to start a new book or newspaper reading. As these usually last 1-8 hours, this isnt much of a limitation. So I find the device absolutely wonderful. It also plays just fine in mountain passes where no FM reception is available. Reception is as clear as a CD. Ive never seen fit to tune another band on
either of the unused alternative frequencies. I found getting started very simple and was up and running within 5 minutes of receiving the Kensington transmitter. My only warning to potential users is that if you have unrecorded blank space between songs you may really have to find an empty spot on the FM band at each location you visit frequently. If this is your pattern, see if you can do this with your radio before you buy it.

Reviewed on 2008-06-12

You'll Have To Try It For Yourself
Okay, so I'm not sure how much I can really add to what's already been said about this product.

The first thing I would say is to not judge your purchase of this product based on the reviews. (Kind of ironic since I'm writing a review of it! LOL)
The saying "Your Mileage May Vary" would totally apply here. I'm quite sure that as many different models of cars, factory stereo systems and aftermarket stereos that are out there, that's how many different opinions you are going to get on FM transmitters in general... and this one is no different.

I purchased this unit, simply because my particular model of vehicle would require a high cost to install an aftermarket stereo system with an MP3 player hookup (line-in), so I decided to go the cheaper route with this. You can't beat ~$40 to connect any kind of audio device to your stereo!
I'll also say that I own a Zune, so the iPod connections out there won't work with my particular model of MP3 player.

The first thing I did was remove my external antenna from my vehicle, as it's very easy to do on mine. It's simply unscrews from the connection to the car. Your car might not be as easy to remove its antenna, so keep that in mind.

I'm pleased with the unit for what it does: let's me play my music collection through my car stereo. That benefit far outweighs any of the negatives that I have with this unit. Without it, I would have to listen to the radio, or constantly burn CDs whenever I get in the mood for something that I haven't burned yet. Which is all the time!

Now I will go ahead and address the cons to this unit, but these cons would go for ANY FM transmitter, not just this one.
First, it's an FM transmitter, so I'm only getting FM quality sound. It's not CD quality by any means, so that is definitely a negative for an audiophile like me. I love my music, and I love it as best quality as I can get, so I don't particularly love the sound quality of the unit.
It also takes up my cigarette lighter connection, so if I want to use it to charge my Zune (or any other device, i.e. cell phone), I wouldn't be able to use it. I suppose they make cigarette lighter adapters that let you connect two devices at once, so I may look into that if I feel like I have to have it.

So those are my only complaints with the device. If you can get past those, then this is a great unit for you. Hope this helps!

Reviewed on 2008-06-02

Don't bother......it doesn't work at all
Did not work at all. I returned the same day I received it. I followed the instructions for use exactly and when I got it all set up, the radio static and interference is all I could here...I tried numerous stations.
It is a crappy and cheap piece of equipment. Don't bother. If you want good sound, spend the money on a nice unit.

Reviewed on 2008-05-30

Does not work...
I recieved this product.. It worked for about 5 days.. Then, when i turn it on.. it works for about 10 seconds then goes out..

I then was issued a replacement... then, the same problem happened to this one within 2 days...

And now amazon will not give me a refund, even after i sent it in to them.. so i'm left empty handed and nothing to show for it...

Do not buy...

Electronics » Accessories & Supplies » Audio & Video Accessories » Portable Audio & Video Accessories » MP3 Player Accessories » FM Transmitters

Universal Fm Transmitter (blk) for MP3 Players

$37.15

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