AudiaX FM Transmitter review

16 August 2004 19:00 GMT / By Stuart Miles

The AudiaX is a Wireless Audio FM transmitter that allows you to transmit an audio signal from any device with a headphones jack to a radio and more importantly its speakers.

You are basically setting up a pirate radio station, something which we are sure is still illegal in this country according to the broadcasting act, but on the more practical side for you and me, rather than becoming Christian Slater in Pump up the Volume, it means you can take your portable MP3 or CD player and tune your radio in your car, living room or anywhere else you care to have a radio, into the signal. What this means is you can then listen to all those MP3 or CD tracks in the car without having to cope with lots of cables, dodgy looking cassette tapes with wires coming out of them or investing in a dedicated MP3 player for the car.

Set up was easy. There are no instructions to master, and its simply a case of setting your broadcasting signal. This is done by an up and down switch and rather annoyingly the down switch also doubles up as a off switch, hold the switch down by mistake and the unit turns off. An LCD display gives you the frequency you've tuned into and then all that is left is to tune your radio into the same frequency to pick up the signal.

Power is provided by an AAA battery and will last on average around 8 hours on one battery.

We tested the unit on a number of radios and got mixed results from all of them. The secret seems to be to set the volume low on the player and find a signal on the radio that isn't already taken by a professional radio station.

Sound quality depended on a number of factors. We found the best results were portable players rather than your finely tuned home cinema surround sound set up.

Verdict

Apple iPod users have always had the iTrip, but for the rest of us until now the options have been non-existent. As an option to get your music from your non Apple MP3 player or CD Walkman around the house or car without having to revert to those old cassette tapes with wires sticking out of them this is great stuff.

Kindly loaned to us by http://www.merconnet.com/

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Review Recap

Made by: Digiana
Price as reviewed: £20
The good: Works with any device with a headphones jack, small, easy to set up
The bad: Varying results depending on your radio receiving the signal
Quick verdict: A great way to get your MP3 songs to a radio and more importantly its speakers.
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