Rating: 
Summary: So much better than the iTrip
Review: I tried using an iTrip several times, the signal always faded in and out. We live in San Francisco, which somone else has already mentioned here is horrible for these transmitters. My poor daughter would spend our entire car ride holding up her iPod to the radio in a feeble attempt to better the sound. Got the iTrip, opened it up, plugged it in and off we went. Sound is more than adequate (a slight hissing can be heard between songs, otherwise it's impressively clear). And best of all, the iPod isn't dead when you get home. And, if it ever should trip over a radio signal, we can just change the frequency while we're in the car, which you can't do with an iTrip. Much better product!!
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing Sound
Review: I was bummed to find that no matter what channel I tuned the iCarPlay to, the sound was quite static-y. For anything but very loud music, it's intolerable. Since some people seem not to have this experience, I suspect that it has a lot to do with the quality of the FM tuner in the car in which it's used (some are inherently better at tuning in weak stations, rejecting the weaker of two "competing" stations, etc.). I'm returning the iCarPlay, and springing for a deck with an auxiliary input for my iPod.
Rating: 
Summary: Works well - even in big cities
Review: I was hesitant to buy the iCarPlay - I had an FM transmitter several years ago and it was miserable. I was afraid I'd get in an accident while fiddling with the dial. The iCarPlay, however, has present stations, making it easier to change the station should you pick up some static.That problem doesn't happen often though. I live near Washington, DC, and rarely have to change the station because of static. Sure, the quality isn't as good as if you have a direct line-in port on your car stereo or a cassette adapter, but for those of us with plain ole CD players, the iCarPlay works well. It also does a great job of keeping your iPod charged. Another plus is that the cord is long enough that you can pretty much put your iPod wherever you want. I also read some great reviews of it on the Apple message boards. It might take you a while to get this product, however; I was on the Amazon's waitlist for over a month before I found it elsewhere and cancelled my order here.
Rating:
Summary: A strong option
Review: I've only had the iCarPlay for a couple of weeks. I purchased it because I was having very bad luck with my old Belkin FM transmitter (the one before they added the LCD display). The iCarPlay's major advantage to me was that it was a single piece (rather than buying a car AC adapter plus a transmitter) and that it drew power for both the iPod and the transmitter from the car. I've found that the battery-based FM transmitters are fine for a few weeks, but start to degrade quickly once the batteries start to drain.
The iCarPlay seems to have a strong, consistent, signal. It's a bit softer than the regular broadcast FM stations, so I usually have to turn the radio up slightly while I'm listening to my iPod, but it's certainly not a problem.
I've found that 88.9 works pretty well in Lincoln, NE... but I've noticed one or 2 occasions while sitting in traffic that I'll fuzz out. Actually, I'm wondering if I'm getting conflict from someone in another car. Overall, signal (once you find a somewhat clean channel) seems very good.
Only 2 quibbles with the overall design of the device... the first is that it's a bit difficult for night driving because the channel numbers are not backlit, and it's very difficult to see what channel you're on (if you're travelling long-distance, and need to switch channels as you move in and out of different broadcast areas). As the LED's are so bright, it can even be difficult to see the silk-screened channel number even when you're using a map-light in the car. The second minor problem also sits with the LED's... the bright red LED's, and the glowing "Monster" logo on the AC adapter may advertise the presence of your iPod to thieves (as I tend to leave the adapter plugged in to the "always on" outlet in my car, and don't always unplug it when I leave the car). Partial laziness on my part, but a minor criticism.
All in all, a very good product, and I recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome product!
Review: I've tired the belkin FM tuner and ended up having to return it twice because it wouldn't turn on and I had a lot of problem with it. So I ended up splurging and getting the monster one, and it works EXCELLENT! I get great reception with it and it hasn't failed me yet!!! I would def reccomend this product to anyone who has an I-pod and wants to listen to it in the car! ;-)
Rating:
Summary: Monster iCarPlay
Review: Just received my Monster Cable iCarPlay today. I had my doubts that it would be any better than the Belkin it was replacing. Unless your vehicle's sound system has a cassette player, or is iPod compatible, there is no other alternative than going the FM converter route. I was pleasantly surprised with both the ease of use and the sound quality. I have not experienced any of the static mentioned in some of the other reviews. Audiophiles beware - although the sound quality is very acceptable, do not expect perfection. You are converting digital to analog and some degradation is to be expected
Rating: 
Summary: Great technology, sketchy construction
Review: Monster cables have a great reputation and I needed a way to take my iPod on long car trips. It works great when plugged in, perfect clear signal, easy to adjust. However, I have trouble plugging and unplugging it in the car lighter, and even worse the plug into the iPod almost refuses to release. I have to press really really hard on the release buttons and yank to get the cord out of my iPod. This is a problem since I take my iPod with me every time I get out of the car. In short, they need to work on the details a little. I'm definitely keeping it, but also definitely keeping the warranty and return info.
Rating:
Summary: WONDERFUL THING
Review: MONSTER ROCKS ! I have been thru 3 other iPod to FM devices of other brands and they all sucked, I used them a few times and gave up for one reason or other: Too weak a signal , Too many wires etc they were just not worth the hassle. Now at last I have my ALL my music in the car. This produck works really well is simple & elegant. I DO wish they had configured the cord length a bit differently but then every car is going to be different, maybe if they used plugs and you could swap the location of the sender unit ? NOW I need a male Firewire to new iPod dock adapter so I can use my old school iPod in the car too. I AM A CITIZEN OF BLACK ROCK CITY AND I WANT TO GO HOME !
Rating:
Summary: Best FM adapter yet, but it's still an FM adapter...
Review: Of all the ways to plug an iPod into your car stereo, an FM transmitter is the worst, sound-quality-wise. A good line in to your aux input will, without exception, yield better sound. However, if this is too daunting a procedure, or if you lack a standard aux input (or the ability to add one -- my situation), the iCarPlay is an excellent product. I have used the Belkin Tunedock, the Transpod, and the iTrip, and iCarPlay manages to be the best solution among them. Compared to other FM transmitters, the iCarPlay has a number of design advantages: It is powered from your car's DC adapter (a.k.a. the cigarette lighter plug), so you don't have to worry about batteries (as with the Belkin transmitter). Unlike other transmitters which are car-powered, this one also has a pass-through to recharge your iPod while it plays. The iCarPlay and Transpod are the only two products which provide this sort of integration. Controls on the device are simple: A button switches between the available frequencies (which are limited, so if you're in an area where all the low-band FM stations are taken up, you will get very poor quality sound), and a red LED notes which frequency you're on. The LEDs are bright enough to let you (barely) read the station on the device at night. Other than that, you just plug it into your car and into your iPod and control your iPod as normal. Physically, the iCarplay is adequately well made, but for such an expensive product, it feels a little too "plasticy" for my tastes, and seems that it could easily crack if abused. Compared to the flawless and solid plastics of the iTrip, it seems downright chintzy, although certainly no more so than the Belkin adapter. The iCarPlay's longish cable proves to be an advantage, as you can pick up the iPod and change songs, without losing transmission. I wouldn't mind a longer cable, but already, the 3' or so provided sometimes gets tangled up on the shift stick, so I'm not sure that would be ideal. The cable is long enough for most use. Signal strength is excellent, better than any other transmitter I've used, and it can usually overwhelm the transmission of any not-quite-received stations, and even makes a good effort at coming in over a local FM station, although the interference is severe when it does this. There's a certain amount of FM "hiss" when it plays, which seems more pronounced than that of other transmitters (particularly the iTrip which has an amazingly clear transmission, but a comparatively weak signal). The hiss isn't enough to bother me, with my poor factory stereo speakers, and again, if you're really serious about audio quality, you'll use a line in of some sort. Placing the transmitter as far away from the radio as possible (the DC jack in the hatchback of my Subaru -- a good 6'+ away) did not impair the signal quality. In the end, the iCarPlay offers an elegant and practical way to play my iPod in my car. It's priced a little high, but there's only one other device that comes close (the TransPod) and it's even more expensive and, to my mind, less useful. Still, for $70, you can easily add an aux jack to most stereos (except car factory stereos), and for a little more you could buy a low-end head unit with a built-in aux input. But, if you can't stand to take your dashboard apart, this will get the job done and do it with a minimum of fuss.
Rating:
Summary: A great product from Monster Cable.
Review: The Editorial Review and the "best FM adapter yet" review cover the bases well. The only conclusion I feel needs reinforcing is that this is a great solution for those who DO NOT have the option of directly plugging into their car system (the optimal solution). As a FM transmitter, this device is simple not capable of providing the sound quality of a "line in" digital feed, but WILL reproduce the sound quality of your best-reception FM station. This also means, however, that if you like your music at high volume levels as I do, a small amount of FM static may be amped up during the spaces between songs and other quiet moments. Also consider where you will put your iPod during driving. I have a convenient cup holder, and the cord length seems ample enough to reach just about any storage space in the driver/front passenger area of the car, but you may want to consider some sort of stand to protect and keep the iPod secure (I seem to remember seeing a cupholder stand for the iPod somewhere). ONE DESIGN NOTE: The top of 12V plug is slightly smaller than a silver dollar and approximately 1/4 inch thick, so if your 12V receptacle is in a cramped, recessed space, near a lip in the dash, or your dash slopes outward near the receptacle, you may run into problems getting the unit plugged in. Overall, this is a good solution and a good product that performs as advertised and is easy to use, with the quality you expect from Monster Cable.
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