The Best Way to Play an iPod in a Car
- Most new cars and aftermarket CD players now come with this option. It allows the user to hook their iPod directly into the player using an auxiliary audio cable, which has a 3.5 millimeter mini jack on each side. One end plugs into the iPod's headphone jack and the other into the auxiliary input on the CD player. Because it uses a separate channel--similar to how a VCR or DVD player works on the video channel on a TV--there is no interference in the sound, providing the user with the same sound quality they would get by using headphones or a docking system.
- For cars that have no auxiliary input, but have a cassette player, a cassette adapter is a reasonable replacement. One end of the adapter is a 3.5 millimeter mini jack that plugs into the iPod's headphone jack. The other looks like a cassette and is inserted into the deck just like a normal cassette would be. This is another interference-free way to listen to your iPod, but the sound quality will be similar to a cassette and won't be as clear as the auxiliary input.
- For cars that don't have either a cassette player or auxiliary input, a FM transmitter is the only remaining option. The transmitter works by utilizing an unused FM radio frequency. A 3.5 millimeter mini jack runs through an audio cable into an FM tuner. To use this option the user must find an unused frequency on their FM radio and tune the tuner to that same frequency. There are a few drawbacks to this method, however. The sound quality will only be as good as a FM station would be and there is a good chance of interference--either due to someone using the same frequency for their iPod or the reception from a radio station trying to come in on the frequency.
- Some people have employed the method of using their headphones while driving in the car. This method is not recommended as it is illegal in virtually every state and can hamper your ability to hear emergency vehicles and other traffic.
