Monster RadioPlay 300 Universal Full Spectrum FM Transmitter (MBL-FM XMTR300)

Comment: I originally had an adapter for my tape player, but when my tape player broke I was stuck listening to the radio. Then I remembered these FM transmitters and started to look around. I decided between this and one that was cheaper but only had a few preset stations. I decided to drop more money on this just for the security of knowing I could tune it to every station (and more) that my car can.

The sound quality is excellent. Only if I turn it up quite loud can I hear any background fuzz. From all of the reviews I was expecting to hear fuzz almost all of the time but this thing works almost as good as my tape adapter(maybe just as good because I can hardly remember the quality of my tape adapter because it has been so long since I used it). Even if there is a station that is coming in quite clear on the current channel it still plays fine. It has happened before that I traveled a long distance to school and when I unplugged the FM transmitter to find that there was a station paying on that same frequency and I hadn't noticed a thing.

Anyway, I wish I had more to write but it is a pretty simple device and does what it is meant to do and does it very well. I besides less than perfect sound this is a perfect device of it's kind. I would definitely recommend it.

Comment: This product won't fit into the cigarette lighter in my car. It is totally unusable for me.

Comment: I love this transmitter. I have owned two others that I bought on the recommendations of folks here (the iRiver AFT 100 and the Belkin TuneCast II) but this one wins hands down. It is slim and doesn't take up much room in my car. The sound using the Monster Cable Transmitter was very crisp and clear. If you have ripped your mp3 at a high quality level, the sound is pretty close to that of a CD.

I was very surprise to see that it had enough power to overide live stations (with some static depending on how close you are to the source). I also like the fact that I can preset my three stations and just push a button to get to it. I live in Chicago and have the transmitter set to 90.3, 90.5 and 90.7 (this station's call letters actually shows up on my faceplate late in the day, but when I hit the button to play a song on my player, it plays and overrides the talk show). and my car stereo is set to these stations as well. The only drawback to this product is the fact that it does not charge the player while in use, but I knew this when I was buying it. My husband is an electrical engineer and uses Monster Cables (guess they are known for making high end sound cables), so the changes of them coming out with one that charges might not happen. Until something better comes along, this it the transmitter I am sticking with.

Comment: I got this for my boyfriend as a Christmas present. He loved it! I couldn't figure it out at first because it seemed to come with minimal instructions, but he figured it out right away and had 3 stations preset by the next time he drove his car. He plays Pandora through his Blackberry and the sound quality is so good I'm always surprised he's using the transmitter. We use it on 2-3 hour trips so sometimes the station has to be changed to keep the quality at its best, but most of the time it's great! The cord is long enough that you can move your music device anywhere without accidentally pulling it out (except maybe all the way into the backseat) and the buttons are big enough that you don't really have to look at them to press the one you want.

We usually use it in the NC Mountains area, or anywhere between the mountains and Raleigh. That's a pretty big range so some static is expected, but it definitely exceeds my expectations! Overall great product!

Comment: I have tried three different brands in my quest to be able to listen to podcasts while driving. This one has the best electronics of the three, and I would strongly recommend it over the Belkin competition, but I actually find myself using a no-name off brand model (for which I have forgotten the name) more often due to the form factor of the latter (the off brand charges my Sansa Fuze, plays audio directly through the same connection, and mounts securing in the cigarette lighter without the long cord of the Monster RadioPlay.

Monster
Pros:
1) Very easy and convenient to see what frequency is broadcasting (bright red LED's!)
2) Very easy to change by feel (no need to take eyes off the road - three large preset toggle buttons
3) Fairly good signal strength, about as good as they get (which is not a lot, esp. in big cities where you may or may not be able to find a frequency lower powered enough to use)
4) Cord appears to be used as an antenna, so it is position sensitive (sometimes draping it over a seat will allow the signal to better reach the antenna (esp. if you have an external one like my car).
5) Good sound quality for what it is (Monster apparently filters out my alternator's interference as I don't hear it any when using this transmitter.
6) Cool looking cigarette lighter plug logo glows when powered -this is very helpful when trying to troubleshoot (is the cigarette lighter plug loose? no, the light is on...)

Cons:
1) Cord wrangling is a bit of a nuisance, not terribly long, but sometimes you have to fish the device back into arms reach so you can change the frequency when a new station comes into range.
2) Does not charge your Sansa Fuze...just an audio+12v in, FM out device.
3) Like any FM Transmitter, it is very frustrating to use in some Urban areas due to interference from radio stations, however it partially compensates by allowing easy station changes (which I have synchronized with my radio presets so only two buttons to push).