iTrip Auto Links iPod to Car

Versatile attachment from Griffin works with most newer iPods, serves as an iPod charger, too

By Charlie White

The iTrip Auto ($70) is the newest entry into a line of devices from Griffin that let you play your iPod through your car stereo. This new device also allows you to charge your iPod?s battery via your car?s cigarette lighter. Easy to hook up, it?s designed to convert the music from your iPod into FM signals and transmit them to your car radio. The unit also lets you control the iPod?s volume with your car stereo?s volume control. Let?s take the iTrip Auto out onto the open road and see what it can do.

 

After plugging one end of the iTrip Auto into the car?s cigarette lighter, you insert the other into the iPod?s dock connector. The fact that this unit will plug into any of the newer iPods? dock connectors, and hasn?t been designed to mate with any particular iPod, makes it quite a versatile accessory. This is where the iTrip Auto is different from the iTrip we reviewed previously here on Consumer Electronics Net, which is made to be the same size as the standard-sized iPod. Since this iTrip Auto is more of an adapter than a fitted attachment, it will easily connect with almost any recently-purchased iPod, including the 3G, 4G, iPod photo, 5G, mini and nano models. Unfortunately, it doesn?t work with the iPod shuffle or any of the older iPods which aren?t equipped with the now-standard dock connector.

 

It was an easy process to introduce the iTrip Auto to my car radio. After selecting an unoccupied radio frequency on the car stereo, I then plugged the iTrip Auto into the car?s cigarette lighter. As soon as I plugged it in, my iPod nano?s LCD display sprang to life, lighting up in full color. When this happened I was reminded that the iTrip Auto doubles as an iPod charger, drawing its power from the car?s battery or alternator. This could be a handy feature if you?re on the road and your iPod has run out of juice.

 

Pushing the small plus and minus signs on the iTrip Auto, I noticed that the LED window was nicely backlit, and with its bright LED display easy enough to see even from a distance, I matched its frequency with the one I had selected on the car stereo?s radio. I also noticed that the unit?s 3.5-foot cable is long enough so that you can place your iPod wherever it?s most convenient and still be able to see the iPod?s LCD display as well is that of the iTrip Auto. After I had matched the frequencies on both, I pushed the Select button and suddenly I heard glorious music?the two were synchronized. And there it was, the audio from my iPod playing through my car stereo. Neat. 

 

However, I wasn?t overjoyed with the sound quality?it certainly wouldn?t excite any audiophiles. Keep in mind, the audio that you?re going to hear using the iTrip Auto or any other FM-based iPod adapter will suffer from all the limitations of FM radio. That?s because this is actually an FM transmitter, so you?ll hear sounds you?ve never heard from your iPod before, namely a considerable amount of hiss that?s common with FM transmissions. However, as I drove around with my iPod playing its familiar playlists through the car radio, that pesky hissing noise faded into the background. The only time it was a noticeable problem was when the car was stopped or when the music wasn?t playing. When the car was moving, the wind and engine noise covered up most of that FM hiss. So, I was able to live with that limitation, but if you?re a true audiophile, this amount of noise might still bother you.

 

Attempting to eliminate the FM hiss, I tested the iTrip Auto on most of the unused frequencies available around here at our Midwest Test Facility. Alas, the hiss problem sounded the same no matter where on the FM dial I decided to transmit my iPod?s signals. There?s another control that?s accessible with the Select button when you push and hold it?the DX and LX selectors. DX is intended for use with lower-fidelity sources, such as audio books and voice recordings. However, I noticed little difference in fidelity between the DX and LX settings, where I could hear the same amount of hiss while using either one.

 

I found the iTrip Auto easy to set up and well-designed. I especially liked its black color which perfectly matched my black iPod nano. Although its frequency response was adequate, its FM-based limitations might prove to be a show-stopper for some. I would suggest that you give the iTrip Auto a listen before you commit yourself to it. And then there?s the matter of that relatively high price: I suppose creating an FM transmitter with an LCD display on it is a fairly expensive proposition, but in my opinion many consumers might be reluctant to spend $70 on such a trinket as this. To me, it looks more like a $40 item. But whenever you?re talking about anything for the iPod, you can automatically add about 20% to the price just because of the cachet that goes along with Apple?s popular music player. That said, for getting music from your iPod into your car radio, the versatile iTrip Auto gets the job done, but is expensive and not without its flaws. Recommended. 8 out of 10 stars.