Any of those car FM transmitters not suck (in a big city)

[slackerinabox]

We're getting a hand me down car next week and I don't believe we can change the stereo easily (supposedly the 2004 volvo s80's stereo's a chore to replace). I'm thinking an FM transmitter will be a good temporary solution for iPhone playback but every one I've used sucks in NYC (lots of FM congestion). Any out there not suck?

 

[NutBucket]

Get one that's hardwired. Basically it will disconnect the car's antenna from the radio when the modulator is on.

Something like this: http://www.amazon.com/Scosche-FM-MOD...s=FM+modulator

 

[jhansman]

You might want to head over to Crutchfield and do a little research. Replacement might be easier than you think, and they will walk you through installation on the phone if you buy from them. I decided to go for a head unit that uses Bluetooth for both music and phone, and it has worked out great. Installation was a bit of a challenge, but I made it all work. In years past, I tried two FM transmitters with my iPod, both of which sucked balls, and ended up with a wired solution. Once I decided to ditch the iPod in favor of my phone, I knew that BT was the only way to go (even though the Pioneer head unit has an AUX in on the front, and USB!). Good luck.

 

[waggy]

yeah? they suck in teh country too.

 

[ZaneNBK]

They all suck, even direct wired in with your antenna, I've had one of those before. Almost any other method of connection sounds drastically better.

 

[slackerinabox]

You might want to head over to Crutchfield and do a little research. Replacement might be easier than you think, and they will walk you through installation on the phone if you buy from them. I decided to go for a head unit that uses Bluetooth for both music and phone, and it has worked out great. Installation was a bit of a challenge, but I made it all work. In years past, I tried two FM transmitters with my iPod, both of which sucked balls, and ended up with a wired solution. Once I decided to ditch the iPod in favor of my phone, I knew that BT was the only way to go (even though the Pioneer head unit has an AUX in on the front, and USB!). Good luck.

Yep, I popped in a head unit with aux, usb, and bluetooth in my current car and I love it. Doing some research on the 2004 s80 makes it seem like there's a weird electrical system issue with replacing the radio. I don't really know much about car audio but all I'm hearing is "this is going to be expensive!"

If there staff is knowledgeable then I'll happily give them a call - my experience with car audio guys is that they don't see the problem until after they rip open your dash (and the solution is always paying them more!)

 

[bignateyk]

They all suck. It's because FCC limits transmit power on those devices. You can mod them on your own to crank out alot more power.

 

[jhansman]

Yep, I popped in a head unit with aux, usb, and bluetooth in my current car and I love it. Doing some research on the 2004 s80 makes it seem like there's a weird electrical system issue with replacing the radio. I don't really know much about car audio but all I'm hearing is "this is going to be expensive!"

If there staff is knowledgeable then I'll happily give them a call - my experience with car audio guys is that they don't see the problem until after they rip open your dash (and the solution is always paying them more!)

The Crutchfield tech that helped me stayed on the phone with me while I pulled the unit and rewired it to get all my speakers working (I have a weird setup that splits my four channel amp between the head unit and a passive sub in my trunk). We were almost 30 min. doing this, and he was patient, knowledgeable, and friendly. Highly recommended.

 

[BUTCH1]

They all suck. It's because FCC limits transmit power on those devices. You can mod them on your own to crank out alot more power.

I have one, the lower frequencies are lopped of badly on mine. I was wondering if spending more $$ will get me decent sound, sure is convenient to pop in an 8 gig and have thousands of songs without any disks..