Twelve years have passed since Griffin released its first iTrip, a breakthrough FM transmitter that enabled iPods to send music wirelessly to car and home stereos. The original model, a glossy white housing that sat atop early iPods like a tube of Chapstick, effectively defined iPod accessories for an entire generation of early adopters. And it was fun, too: using an radio antenna and brilliant software, iTrip could flood an empty FM radio channel with iPod music, acting like a pocket-sized pirate radio station.
Everything changed when the FCC cracked down on FM transmitters, forcing reductions in broadcasting power that made iTrips (and numerous competitors) sound staticky, reducing their appeal. Around the same time, Apple and car companies transitioned to better-sounding solutions — Bluetooth and aux-in audio ports, respectively — leaving FM transmitters with fewer customers. But Griffin is rejuvenating the iTrip family with iTrip Bluetooth, aka iTrip Aux Bluetooth, which provides a different type of dead-simple wireless solution for cars. Priced at $50 but available online for $38, it has one purpose: to receive Bluetooth audio sent by your iPhone, iPad, or iPod, conveying it through an included 3.5mm audio cable to your car’s aux-in port…
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Although the iTrip name was originally synonymous with portable wireless broadcasting — use your iPod next to any home or car radio — iTrip Bluetooth is purely a car accessory. It requires a single car power outlet relatively close to the car’s 3.5mm auxiliary (aux) audio input port, as the packed-in audio cable is just over two feet long. An L-joint on one side of the cable provides strain relief.
The design and functionality are ultra-simple. Once iTrip Bluetooth is plugged in, a light on its face flashes blue until it’s paired with your iOS device — a painless one-time process — at which point the light goes solid. Re-pairing is so quick that either Bluetooth 3.0 or Bluetooth 4.0 is being used, though Griffin makes no mention of either standard on its web site, packaging, or documentation. Audio streaming is powerful, with only a little base-level noise in the signal, and iTrip Bluetooth offers proper left-right stereo separation, as well. Occasionally when switching tracks, I noticed a tiny repetition of previously-played audio, a hiccup I heard in a more pronounced way with JBL speakers and headphones a couple of years ago. It’s not a major problem here.
iTrip Bluetooth’s only big issue is its complete lack of phone call support: when calls come in, they interrupt your music and go to the handset rather than your car’s speakers. That’s because unlike the TaoTronics Bluetooth 4 Car Kit I reviewed last month, there’s no microphone or remote control unit. While this wouldn’t be a problem if iTrip Bluetooth was a lot cheaper than the TaoTronics option, it’s not — it’s actually more expensive. Griffin’s audio quality is a little better overall, particularly in the stereo separation department, so you can decide for yourself whether it’s worthy of the premium.
| Manufacturer: Griffin Technology |
MSRP / Sale Prices: $50 / $38 |
Compatibility: iPad, iPhone, iPod |
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I don’t get it. If you already have an auxiliary audio input port in your car radio, why would you go through the hassle and getting a bluetooth device that uses up power from the battery as well? While you can instead just use a 3.5mm audio cable and put one side in your phone and the other in your radio? That way you have the power available for when you need to charge your always in use mobile device. This is how I do it, and seems to be both cheaper and more practical to me..
Speaking just for myself here, I’m not disagreeing with the basic suggestion you’re making – 3.5mm is a cheaper and effective solution. However, some people are really focused on the number and length of wires running from car charging ports to their devices, and don’t want to run both audio and power cables to an iPhone that might be mounted on a dashboard or an air vent. (They also might not want to connect/disconnect two cables every time they get in/out of the car.) This solution can basically tuck away and handle audio needs wirelessly (with pretty clean audio) while another outlet handles power via wire as needed. It’s not for everyone, but for some people, it makes sense.
I can understand this notion completely, but as someone who drives at least two hours a day in my car (1 hour to work, and 1 hour back home at the end of the day) I know the hassle of my device being empty either before my trip back home or during. I use applications with GPS to either navigate me, or notify me about speed checks and traffic congestions on my way. These apps impact battey life, a lot. For this reason, the first thing I do when I get into my car, is plug my device in the power chord. Since battery life will not increase by using BlueTooth to send audio wirelessly, I can only see the need for a power supply getting stronger, and this iTrip uses up that power supply for itself.
Maybe if they’d implement some way to create a USB port on it, so you could charge your iPhone at the same time it would make more sense, but then it kind of negates the point of being “wireless” to your phone won’t it?
In terms of efficiency, I agree. Having a built-in USB port would have been a great idea (and frankly one that has been implemented by a lot of other companies). That said, every car I’ve owned for the past 10 or so years has had more than one power outlet in the front, typically one near the aux-in, one elsewhere.
The multi-cable problems really started when Apple switched from Dock Connectors to Lightning. It used to be easy to connect a single wire to iPods and iPhones for charging and audio output, but Lightning added some new engineering/component challenges to that, creating double-wire solutions and workarounds like this (one wire, wireless audio). Perhaps the iPhone 7 will make things better…
Well, I guess my car is so old that it doesn’t :-P It doesn’t even have it’s own auxiliary port either, that one came with the Pioneer radio I installed myself aftermarket. I also have only one power port, in the form of a cigarette lighter between the two front seats. I do have an adapter I can put in that gives me the ability to charge up to three USB devices, but I’ve never had the need for that. The way I remember during the past few years, almost anyone I know who is not driving a car that is younger than, say, 5 years, has these same issues. I think it’s not very common to have more than one of these power plugs in a car, but that’s just N=1 here..
The double wires never really bothered me, they pretty much come from and go to the same place, so I yank them out together if need be. And how would you think the iPhone 7 will make things better? Do you think they will switch it over to USB-C, like they introduced on that new shiny MacBook? I’ll be upgrading to it nonetheless, but it would be a pain to buy three new cables, again, since I’ve already had that issue upgrading from an iPhone 4s to a 5s two years ago..
I don’t have two cables, I only have one:
iPhone -> Lightning cable -> car power adapter w/ aux output -> aux port on car.
It charges the phone and sends full-quality audio out the Lightning port to the car stereo, and volume is entirely controlled by the car stereo – no balancing the headphone output and the stereo volume. One cable going to the iPhone in total, charges and handles audio. Easy.
tomorrowville, could you by any chance post a link to the adapter you’re using? This might sound like something I’d be wanting to try, in light of what Jeremy and I just talked about!
Marco – I will, once I get back out to the car. I can’t remember what it is – I want to say it’s either a Belkin or a Griffin, but I can’t recall. It’s an older one – I’ve used it since my 4S I think. It actually has a dock connector, but I’ve got the Lightning adapter on it and it works fine.
It has an aux output to the car, and a two-position volume switch to set the level going out.
OK, so, if you have a car, with an Auxiliary input, why spend $50 or $38 to connect your phone to this iTrip to play music when you can just get a cable, plug into your headphone jack on your phone and then into the Aux input in your car. Plus this takes up the car power outlet so it prevent you from keeping your phone charged. To me, just a waste of money.
I don’t even have an AUX input. I’m still rocking my 2004 and I’ve been utilizing a tape adapter that permanently lives in my tape deck. Wire that into my headphone jack and I’ve got the best “possible” audio. Not sure I want to drop hundreds on a new head unit. Of course, music isn’t really that important to me. I usually drive to silence.
i actually own this and i love it! I hated having a aux wire drag from my radio to my phone, this adds bluetooth through aux which is great but yeah the only downfall is it doesn’t do phone calls :( other then that its very small and compact and you can hide the aux wire going from the power outlet to the aux plug. very easy one time set up, turn pandora or whatever music you have on and there you go wireless music transmit with great clean clear crisp quality thumping sound! i would say it s must buy if you hate dragging wires.
The iTrip is just for music. Griffin has another called the BlueTrip that has a built-in mic for hands-free calling. My experience with it wasn’t spectacular for calls, though.
http://www.amazon.com/Griffin-Technology-BlueTrip-iPhone-Smartphones/dp/B004KPLS7K
So this has been out 5 years now, and actually was discontinued about 2 or so years ago, it looks like they may be bringing it back as it’s now back on Griffin’s site. I tested about 6 different models and this one is absolutely the hands down best one by a 100 miles. it works with multiple phones without repairing each time (most don’t), it’s reliable, no drop out and works every time you get in the car.
My car already has hands free BT phone, but can’t stream audio so this filled my situation perfectly.
Glad to see this is back in production.
For those complaining about why not use the aux port if you already have one…
Why use 2 cables to connect your phone to your car? One 3.5mm aux cable + one charging cable, makes for clutter and an unsightly mess, especially if you use a dash/windshield mount.
My car does BT phone calls but won’t do music. Luckily, I can still play and charge my phone thru one cable.
As for power outlets, lots of cars have more than one, and they make splitters, some with USB ports.
They still make them? I thought Griffin stopped making them. I still have one in my car that I bought at the apple store about 4 years ago. Much more convenient to get in the car and continue listening to my Podcasts without plugging in the aux cable. Especially since in my care its in the center console and I cannot have access to the phone when its in there.
Oh and by the way, you can get a Chinese version that does the same thing for like $5
The Aux cords I got kept breaking/wouldn’t fit in my protective cases… Now that I have a lifeproof case, direct aux not as practical.
So I got the homespot bluetooth reciever and stuck it in the glovebox. I’ve been jamming out wirelessly for about 2 years now and I enjoy it very much!
I don’t even have an AUX input. I’m still rocking my 2004 and I’ve been utilizing a tape adapter that permanently lives in my tape deck. Wire that into my headphone jack and I’ve got the best “possible” audio. Not sure I want to drop hundreds on a new head unit. Of course, music isn’t really that important to me. I usually drive to silence.