I bought this unit with a specific purpose in mind using the RDS functionality. I just recieved this unit yesterday and it is pretty impressive considering the low costs and RDS functionality.
1.) Sound – This is tricky. The car cigarette lighter socket sound is good using USB and SD cards as your source. However, the sound is great when you use the Analog input(2.5mm input) I would have expected the sound to be better with USB/SD cards. I was blown away when I played my Sony MP3 player thru the input jack. It sounded great. ( 4.5 Stars here)
2.) Power – This cigarette lighter splitter is powered by a 12v cigarette lighter plug. I wanted to use it in the house and power it from an AC outlet. I used a litte converter specifically designed for that purpose. On other units, as soon as you plug the unit into AC, you get a nasty little hum, and sometimes static. When this unit, it is very clean, no hum at all. ( Five Stars for that)
3.) Ease of Use – This unit has a very simple display that can be cryptic if you don’t read the instructions. It is easier to use via the remote control,than the buttons on the unit. Most notable is the equalizer display which also doubles as a Volume Unit ( VU) meter. The instructions don’t mention that, but that is how it works. There is also a volume control on the remote, but not on the unit itself. You can save up to 7 FM freqencies in memory and use the remote to scan the frequencies, pretty cool.
4.) RDS – This is the feature I was most curious about. The instructions say that RDS only works with the USB memory port, however that is not true. It also worked with the SD card port too, which was a nice surprise. The SD card hides away neatly. When you use a USB Flash drive, the flash drive sticks out and takes away from the compact form factor. The unit displays the name of the Song, track number and folder name. It also displays ” Musicfly” intermittenly when a song is playing via SD or USB use. It displays “Musicfly” continuously if no song is playing. ( I am assuming this is an advertising splash screen from Sound Fly). Didn’t see anyway to get rid of this.
Here is another operational quirk not mentioned in the intructions. If you decide to use the Analog input, but leave a USB or SD card in the unit,t he unit will keep playing and displaying the Song information on your RDS radio screen even though the audio switches the Analog Source. This was actually a plus for me because it means I can search through memory cards while listening to another audio source.
5.) Transmission Range – This car cigarette lighter socket is the only area where I was dissappointed. In all fairness to Satechi, it is advertised as a personal transmitter, and is probably not designed to transmit very far. That being said, I have other personal units that will transmit over 75 ft. ( line of sight) with no problem. This unit may give you 15 ft, but operates best within 10 ft of your radio. If Sound Fly would add just a little bit more power to this unit, it would be a great unit.
Summary — The sound is great on the Analog input jack, Sound is good using SD or USB input. The remote control is very useful and adds some functionality that you can’t do with buttons on the unit. ( don’t loose your remote) It can be powered with AC/DC converters sources without the worry about HUM and interference. The RDS display works well if your radio is so equipped. ( I have only been able to find, 1 other RDS capable transmitter(Kennsington) and it is for the Ipod only and costs twice as much as this one.)
The only downdside for this unit for me is the transmission range, but that should not be a problem for anyone using this in a car.
Would I buy another one ? Yes
Update – 8/14/08
I did finally take this unit out an use in my car driving around town and it worked flawlessy most of the time. The only propblem, as I mentioned earlier, is power. You get a litte bit of hiss on the radio at various times, and I also noticed that if you pass another car that may be using a similar device, you will get interference from that passing cars’ transmitter. As we use to say in the old days of CB radio, other transmitters just ” step all over” this device. I don’t have this problem with my VR3 transmitter. So again, if Satechi would add just a litte more power, this would be a 5 Star Unit.
Update – 11-10-08
This usb car cigarette lighter unit is great and has quickly become my favorite player transmitter. The sound is great and I only seem to have interferrence in heavy traffic or downtown ( Atlanta) settings. This unit is so easy to use. I also want to correct something I stated earlier, you can adjust the volume without the remote. You just have to press the right sequence of buttons to do it. I plan to order two more of these for Christmas Gifts.
Update – 10-21-09
Still love this transmitter. Take it with me when traveling because it works great in rental cars. Only issue now is not a problem with the unit, but local issue. CDC( Center for Disease Control) uses the 87.9 frequency for low power FM Emergency Broadcast. Anytime you are within about 3 miles of the CDC, all you hear is the CDC announcer. I had to program an alternate frequency for use when I travel near CDC now. The only problem is there are not that many open frequencies above 88.1 in the Altanta area anymore. 87.9 is still your best option in most places.
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