Review: Griffin iTrip peripheral

The iTrip may have been around for a while but, until the end of last year, using it in the UK was illegal. This tiny transmitter connects to the docking socket of an iPod and broadcasts the content stored on it via FM radio to a nearby radio. It sits flush with a fifth generation iPod and a dedicated Nano version is also available.

It’s most obvious use is for in-car entertainment but its sale in this country was banned due to the risk of interference with other FM broadcast frequencies. That all changed on 8 December last year, which means that for £35 you can liberate your iPod playlists from the confines of your headphones just them to set up your own in-car ‘radio station’.

To say the iTrip is straightforward to use would be an understatement. It draws power directly from the iPod it’s connected to so there’s no need to charge it up before use or worry about batteries. This does mean a 20 per cent drain on iPod battery life, though.

Getting it going is just as simple; connect the iTrip to the iPod, select a track and tune your FM radio into the frequency displayed on the iTrip’s screen. This is set to 88.1MHz by default but can be changed to any frequency throughout the FM band (88.1-107.9MHz).

To change the frequency, use the control dial on the right hand side of the device. Pressing this dial backlights the screen and it’s also used to switch between LX (stereo) and DX (mono) transmissions. If you’re not bothered about listening to the content of an iPod in stereo - pod casts and audio books, for example - it’s worth switching to DX mode, which produces a stronger signal, allowing for a greater distance between radio and iTrip.

Once tuned in, the volume of the transmission can only be controlled via the radio. Audio quality is as you’d expect from an FM transmission. It won’t match the clarity enjoyed through a good pair of headphones or a DAB broadcast and can be quite crackly with a background hiss.

Range is more of an issue. When we tested the iTrip, signal quality deteriorated significantly when the iPod with connected iTrip were more than a metre away from the radio. That’s considerably less than the claimed 10 to 30ft. Signal quality was clearest with the transmitting iPod located directly in front of the receiver - moving it more than 30 to 50cm to either side resulted in the signal deteriorating too much to listen to.

In all, a nifty little gadget but the mediocre sound quality and short range could leave it with limited appeal

Also consider
Logitech Wireless Music System
Turn your Ipod into a remote for your stereo system

Gear4 Blueye
A three-in-one hands-free mic and FM radio that is compatible with most iPods

Saitek iFreedom Bluetooth speakers
Excellent sound but poor connectivity

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