Reviews about Misc. Car Audio & Video

bob60115 says "The BCD396T is the best scanners I've ever owned!" about Uniden BCD396T Handheld Scanner

bob60115 — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 16:42:41 GMT

My brother in law bought a BCD396T. He found it dificult to program, so he asked me if I would try it. After a little while of reading the manual, it "click" how to program this thing..As I read on in the manual arout the many features of this scanner, and playing with the scanner as I was programming it, it becane obvious the I needed to buy one also. This is not a scanner for someone new to the hobby (it's complex nature could frustrate a newby). I've been scanning for about 3o years now. I've seen and messed with many scanners in this time. It takes a lot to impress me with features of a new scanner. The BCD396T is very impessive....

cmarkward says "Great, until it broke" about Kenwood DPX302 CD Player

cmarkward — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 15:03:59 GMT

I was so excited when my boyfriend purchased the Kenwood for my birthday. I loved that it would fit my Scion tC and that I could get satellite (Sirius) as well as be able to plug in my MP3 player via a USB port and play native AAC (Apple files, I believe that they are also called MP4 and are the type of files that natively download from Apple's iTune's music store).
Problem #1: Despite the fact that it was deemed compatible with my car, the installers had to, for an additional charge, modify the car stereo cover door that comes with the Scion tC. Ok, not quiet fully compatible, but at the least, if I didn't have the installers fix the problem (say, if I installed it myself), I could keep the door open all the time.
Problem#2: Ok, the iPod controls something like 70% of the market (and I'm being VERY conservative. I'd bet it controls closer to 90%). So why does the Kenwood literature (on Crutchfield.com's website) state that it's USB is for "MP3 players", yet you need separate equipment if......

Kyle says "iPhone + Car = Heaven" about USA SPEC - iPod Interface

Kyle — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 18:03:16 GMT

Why didn't I install this sooner? For almost a year, I had been looking for an easy way to play music on my iPhone in my car (a 2006 Volkswagen Passat). With no cassette player in the car, no Bluetooth A2DP capability on the iPhone, and no use for sub-par FM adapters, I figured I was out of luck for the time being. I had heard of iPod interface adapters that hooked right into the back of a factory installed radio, but I questioned if they would work with the iPhone. It turns out they do, with just a few caveats.

The USA SPEC iPod Interface is just under $150 from several online retailers. I got mine from Crutchfield. It is a little box that sits between the radio and iPhone. The end result is one black cable that runs out of the back of the radio and plugs directly into the bottom of the iPhone. Everything else is neatly tucked away and out of sight!

The main selling point is sound quality. Unlike other types of adapters, this one does not lower the sound quality in any way. None. Whatsoever....

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toolman says "Excellent radio" about Alpine - 786

toolman — Sat, 17 May 2008 02:56:41 GMT

I have had this alpine head uniy for about six months now, and wow what a great product. This head unit has brillint color, and is very tuneable. It was a great addition to my audio system . As usual another great product from alpine. I would highly reccomend this product to anyone looking for a high quality affordable head unit....

edwardw35242 says "U can carry and listen to your whole music collection in any car" about Microsoft - Zune Car Pack

edwardw35242 — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 20:08:49 GMT

The Car Pack expands your music options while traveling in a car - or by any other means for that matter. It's great being able to bring all of your music with you to play as you drive to some far, or near, point; and, it gets done automatically too. Great....

p3epilog says "Easy install, happy with the results" about DICE Electronics - i-VW-R iPod Interface Kit

p3epilog — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 18:30:34 GMT

I purchased the i-VW-R unit to integrate my 30GB Video iPod with my 2003 Volkswagen Passat factory stereo. I had done a fair amount of research before deciding on the DICE unit, so I was fairly confident that it would do what I wanted. Installing it involved going to the company's website to get a vehicle-specific installation addendum, which was no problem. The trickiest part of installing it was not in any way a problem with the DICE unit but rather with the factory VW head unit. Special "keys" are required to remove the stereo, and the directions for using them are clear as to how to insert them. However, nothing is included about how to REMOVE the keys. There is plenty of information warning about how improper use of the keys can permanently damage the radio, so I was a bit surprised that there was nothing about taking the keys out. Once everything was in place and the stereo was fired up, I had access to my iPod just as advertised!...

joeguzman2001 says "Good solution for the price!" about Audiovox - fm100 fm modulator

joeguzman2001 — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 19:40:16 GMT

I am very impressed with this product. The sound is near CD quality.

if you do not have an auxiliary button on your car stereo this is a good solution. I tried a couple of wireless transmitter before buying this product. Needless to say I was very disapointed with the amount of interference.

The hardest part of installing this product was tapping into a power source. I tapped into the cigarette lighter.

Over all the quality is good for the price of $50.00

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trehahn says "When it comes to scanning, the BCD396T is 2nd to non!" about Uniden BCD396T Handheld Scanner

trehahn — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 21:19:57 GMT

When it comes to scanners, especially digital scanning, there simply is nothing that beats the BCD396T from Uniden. When our local police and fire went digital I was forced to replace my old Radio Shack scanner. Since there were only 4 models available, 2 base and 2 handheld units, the choices were easier. There was one other handheld but it had issues, the 396 replaced it. I chose the BCD396T over the Radio Shack and haven't regretted it a bit! Not only were they priced about the same, it comes with everything I need to program it myself. No buying extra cables, batteries, software etc. Not to mention the dynamic memory is far better than the old bank system! If you're looking for a good scanner, especially if your area may go digital anytime soon you want the Uniden BCD396T....

trehahn says "Simply the best handheld scanner on the market! 2nd to non!" about Uniden BCD-396T Handheld Scanner

trehahn — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 21:12:57 GMT

falze says "Works better than expected" about iRiver AFT 100 Mobile FM Transmitter

falze — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 17:41:39 GMT

This little gadget definitely exceeded my expectations for a radio transmitter. We just used it on a trip from upstate NY, through NYC, onto Long Island (you might have heard that there are a lot of radio stations in NYC) and only needed to use 2 frequencies for the whole trip. Using our first setting it wasn't until we hit a station using that frequency that had a full blown signal that we finally started to get a little static through the music coming from the MP3 player. When I turned it off the radio station was coming in loud and clear. Weak stations are simply overwhelmed and overridden by the IRiver transmitter. Found a second frequency without a strong signal near NYC and was able to use that until we headed back upstate. I had another transmitter years ago with a limited frequency range and it barely worked even through the radio wasteland of upstate Vermont, the IRiver simply overpowers static and weak stations and plays your music loud and clear (well, as clear as...

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MattA75 says "iRiver has created a near perfect FM Transmitter for mp3 users." about iRiver AFT 100 Mobile FM Transmitter

MattA75 — Sat, 28 Apr 2007 13:38:14 GMT

When I bought my mp3 player in January, I knew I would need an FM Transmitter to go with it. After all, what good would it be if I couldn't play it in my car? The transmitter my brother recommended was no longer being sold, so I was pretty much on my own. I went to Amazon, did some research, and ended up purchasing the iRiver AFT 100 Mobile FM Transmitter.

At $37.49, it wasn't much more expensive than most other units, but the reviews seemed to be that much more favorable. And with good reason too. I've had zero problems with this unit in my car since purchasing it at the beginning of January.

Unlike a lot of FM transmitters, the AFT 100 allows you to pick any frequency on the FM dial. A lot of transmitters merely lets you pick from 3-4 preset frequencies. In addition, you can program up to three frequencies as presets. This is convenient if you know that one frequency works well in one area, but not so well in another.

I've picked up virtually zero static in the last...

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