A company called Peripheral Electronics is selling an adapter that allows you to play your iPod through your car stereo, making a straight connection to your factory unit so it outputs the highest sound quality possible. It's compatible with the major brands of cars such as Honda, Toyota, and many more. Is it worth $199.95 for the price of admission?First, the highlights of the iPod2Car. Unlike the cheaper FM transmitters that you see in the stores, this makes a direct connection so you get CD quality sound. The FM transmitters definitely don't sound as good. The iPod2Car also charges the iPod while it's plugged in. One connection provides the sound and the power. One last thing about it is that you can control the iPod through the car radio buttons and your steering wheel. That was a big plus for me because I have the steering wheel control on my Honda.
And now for the not-so-highlights. First of all, it costs $199.95. You can buy a couple separate parts and put it together yourself minus the car radio controls for about $80, but you will need to do more fiddling. Also, you don't have full control over the iPod through the car radio, nor can you see the display. It's not advised to control the iPod unit while driving, so if you're driving by yourself, you have to wait til you get to a stop to find a specific song. There are newer converters coming out from Alpine and other brands that will provide both the display and full controls through the face unit.
All in all, I am quite happy with the iPod2Car adapter because I can listen to my iPod in the car with cd quality sound. I like to switch to the shuffle mode before I get on the road, and just let it choose random songs. It requires some work to get it plugged into the back of your factory car radio, but once that's done, it works as advertised. The iPod2Car earns 4 Bobas.
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