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AL Tech AnyDrive Car MP3 FM Transmitter |
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Written by Mikhail Ivanenkov
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Wednesday, 13 June 2007 |
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Page 2 of 2
The left side of the player contains plugs for audio input, output, and 12V DC. The audio connectors can be used when connecting the player to a stereo or PC speakers directly (instead of using a lower quality FM transmission). Unfortunately you can't do that without an AC adapter which, once again, is nowhere to be seen. The backside contains a sticker denoting the various frequencies that can be set via the dip switches to the right. All of them should work, but other options are provided in the event that a stronger radio signal already occupies that frequency in that area. While there are 14 total options available, most of these frequencies are very close to one another so the overall range is pretty narrow.
Another thing to watch out for is the physical size of your USB device. Some of the larger/older USB drives can be wide and may have problems fitting in the limited area provided. When the unit is powered on, the controls reveal a red backlight and the data LED blinks blue. This is very helpful during nighttime use. For testing I put some MP3 files on my Kingston DataTraveler II drive and plugged it into the AnyDrive, which was then tested in my car (2001 Honda Civic) and another vehicle (1991 Oldsmobile Olds 88). In both cases it worked well. You can have other files on your drive as well; the AnyDrive basically searches your device for music files and plays them chronologically.
It didn't sound as good as listening to the same music off a CD due to the lower quality of FM transmissions. When I turned the volume way up some interference was noticeable and in general the reproduction was not of the same caliber, but this is to be expected. The broadcast range of the AnyDrive is extremely narrow. While playing music in my car, I tuned to the same station in another vehicle parked two spots down and all I got was static. That car's stereo was able to seek to the station, but the signal was just too weak to go beyond that. It would have been nice if the range was better so several cars in a small area could listen to the same music (for instance if you're going on a road trip .. or any trip with family/friends).
Pros
- Novel concept
- Great inexpensive way to listen to lots of digitized music
- Easy to install/operate
- Works well
Cons
- Limited functionality due to lack of an AC adapter
- Narrow USB insertion area which may require an extension cord for wider drives
- No LCD screen, limited buttons (missing shuffle and repeat)
- Quality is limited to FM
- Narrow frequency range
- Extremely narrow broadcast range
AL Tech's AnyDrive transmitter is a good transitional product between older audio disc based car stereos and newer MP3/hard drive models. If you have a large enough USB drive or a small hard drive that doesn't require an external power source (like Transcend's StoreJet), you'll easily have enough music to last any reasonable road trip. It's a bit of a niche product and it's certainly not flawless, but it works. If interested, you can get yours here.
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Last Updated ( Friday, 15 June 2007 )
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