(Also, the VW stock stereo has a really sweet automatic radio-setting feature: press the FM button until it says "AS" instead of "FM1" or "FM2", then press the mysterious "AS" button in the bottom right corner it will take a few seconds but automagically fill the AS1-5 presets with the top 5 most powerful stations wherever you are. I've thought about going the aftermarket stereo route in my GTI (similar to yours, a "Mk IV"), and on a previous VW ('98 Beetle) I actually did remove the stereo and put in an aftermarket unit from Crutchfield with an aux-in and the ability to play MP3 CDs and stuff, but the Mk IV GTI uses a double-DIN stereo and they tend to be fairly pricey and/or look stupid, or you end up with a single-DIN stereo and an odd blank plate in your dash. The CD changer adapters are a much more elegant long-term solution, but I don't know that they are going to sound any different. It will sound like crap if enabled, because the signal coming from your iPod / phone won't have Dolby applied. It's the little button with the Dolby logo on the stereo. Make sure you have Dolby NR turned off when using the cassette adapter, by the way. The quality out of even the worst cassette adapter is better than the best FM tuner I ever used, just FYI. I wouldn't spend too much money on a super-duper one, I'd just get two of some less expensive one and put the backup one in your glove compartment for when the first one inevitably fails in the middle of a long road trip. Most of them die because the cables get flexed too much and then one channel or the other starts cutting out. I think over the years I've used a Sony, a couple of Radio Shack house brand ones, and maybe a Marantz? They were all fine.
We quite like the idea of using our phone for the playlists we have, so we will need a Bluetooth connection to ensure we don’t miss calls or messages.Best answer: I've used a lot of cassette adapters (I have a VW GTI with a cassette) and have never noticed any quality difference between any of them. With all this talk of old technology, you may be reminiscing some other music playing equipment from your past? If so, check out our reviews of the Best Turntables under 500 dollars, the Best Turntables under 1000 dollars, the Best Turntables under 100 dollars, the Best Turntables under 300 dollars and the Best Record Player Stands currently available. Whatever you decide it will probably be better than taking a saw to your dashboard, I Remember When Likewise, a cheaper one will not just fall to pieces the first time you use it. If you decide to go for a more expensive adapter, you are likely to get a better quality, though it isn’t guaranteed.
It will probably be determined by what you decide to spend on it. Standards, durability, and reliability will vary.
There are some with Bluetooth connections to allow you connectivity with the outside world when your device is in use. Nevertheless, there are some that work quite well. They are all quite cheaply made, and you won’t get what might be termed a ‘high-end’ product. These adapters are basically just very basic ways of playing your music through an old cassette player. That would have solved the problem and the possibility of ruining such a classic car. What to do? Did he start chopping lumps out of his wood? Fortunately, he didn’t.īut at the time, we were not aware of these adapters. It was the real deal with ‘real’ leather seats and ‘real’ wood on the dashboard. It wasn’t too long ago that we had a friend who had an old Jaguar, a car that is, not a large cat. Quite cheaply made so might not be very durable.īest Cassette Adapter Buyers Guide Those Old Cassette Players.It does not apply to all their products, but this adapter again falls into this category. There are some that only play on one side of the speaker system, so it’s worth checking that out. Given that it also has a Bluetooth connection, it is a very affordable unit.Īs with the last adapter reviewed, the company do seem to have a bit of a problem with some devices. A good idea, so if you need to stay in touch, the connections are in place.Īrsvista always try to make a quality product at a decent price point, and this unit is no exception. This adapter does that and adds on a little bit of the modern idea by including its Bluetooth connection. The one great advantage of these adapters is that they allow you to use your old hardware, a cassette player, to hear today’s digital music.
A full charge takes about one and a half hours. There is no facility to direct charge while it is in use. To recharge the unit has to be taken out of the car. That is a decent amount of time and is likely to accommodate most car journeys before you need to recharge. It has a battery built-in that will give you up to eight hours of time for music or calls before it needs to be recharged.