Belkin TuneBase FM for iPod Mini (white)

Pros: Excellent fit, portability, and access to iPod controls which means safer driving

Cons: Sound quality not as good as earphones, reception dependent on your existing system

Summary: As with most items you purchase, I would strongly suggest you purchase any FM transmitter with a return policy. This is because I found out that this Belkin Tunebase for iPod Mini plays differently on both my cars. On my first car, the reception was extremely poor. I couldn’t drive 1 block without heavy static. I was considering to return it when I gave it a try with my other car which has a Bose system. The reception was surprisingly impressive considering that I live in Los Angeles, where almost every increment of 0.4 is taken on the FM dial. I can’t claim to be an audio expert so I don’t know exactly why it plays so differently on both systems. I am attributing it to the quality of the existing systems. Keep in mind, the Bose system always played with better quality than my first car (which has a Sony MP3/CD player which BestBuy installed for me). Anyway, because of this great reception on my second car, I am keeping it.

I was also considering to keep it even with the poor reception on my first car just because it makes for such an excellent “stand” to hold the iPod while driving. The metal is bendable to conform to any position yet it is still rigid. So using the controls on the iPod to change playlists or volume is now much easier and safer while driving. I was considering to keep it even with the poor reception because you can still listen to it on your earphones anyway (which I would personally prefer over the FM transmitter). Also, I didn’t have a car charger so it also made for a car charger for long trips. And if I do plan on going on a long trip (ie/ Los Angeles to Las Vegas), chances are the FM reception would be much better since any area would likely have more FM stations to tune into than Los Angeles does.

I don’t think any FM transmitter is as good as earphones, but if you’re in the market for an FM transmitter, the best advice would be to make sure there is a return policy because what works well in one car may not work as well in another.