What FM MP3 Transmitter that plugs in the Lighter outlet works and fits best?

 

2003 called and wants their tech back

 

I bought this one, works great:

 

When playing songs on flash drive through the USB port can you advance or change songs? Thanks

 

Unlike the C6's and 7's as far as I know the usb doesn't work in the C5. I opted for this one from Amazon. The usb ports are for charging only and do not interface with your radio. The transmitter portion works great for me with sirrius..........

 

USB? what are you talking about.. there IS no USB in the c5.
If you have USB in your car, it was installed by a previous owner, and is just a charging port.

 

If you're intent on keeping your head unit, there are FAR better options than a fm transmitter.
First on the list is an interface from PAC audio -- They have a bunch of units that plug into the existing CD changer plug (located in the passenger footwell) of your headunit.
Dual Auxiliary Audio Input Interface for Select General Motors Vehicles - PAC (pac-audio.com)

they also sell an interface that has an AUX input. Those are by FAR better quality than any FM transmitter since they're hardwired into the head unit (obivously unless you're going to stream BT).

Second best bet is soldering an AUX input into your existing headunit. There are write ups on how to do this -- it's a trivial modification, takes maybe half an hour, but you do have to take the cover off the headunit.

 

Another option is iSimple BlueConnect. If you don't have aux available, this connects directly to the antenna cable and is all out of sight. Gives you bluetooth streaming and hands free phone while keeping your original head unit.

 

Layman’s terms? I think I’m curious, but not sure exactly the end goal here.

Are you discussing a smart phone transmitting music, phone calls, etc to the in dash audio?

 

an FM transmitter like the OP is discussing is a low-tech way of streaming your audio to a head unit that doesn't have blue tooth or an aux input.

IT works by transmitting on a typically unsued frequency .. say, 98.1 mHz or something. It interfaces iwth your phone either through a cable or a bloetooth connection and transmitts on that frequency.,. you tune your radio to that frequency and you get your streaming music.

There's a lot of issues with it thought. The biggest is fidelity-- FM sucks (which is why the industry went to HD FM -- or digital -- years ago). its frequency response is between 40hz-15khz, which means you're losing a chunk at the bottom and a chunk at the top end (especially if you're younger.. us older folks may already be unable to hear anything above 15 khz). To put this in context, even a vinyl 33rpm record can produce more range than FM.
Putting in a cassette adapter doesn't help, cassettes more or less have the same crappy response range as FM.

CDs are capable of reproducing the entire 20hz-20khz audible spectrum, and then some. There's some snarkiness with digital compression, but that's a point that doesn't need to be made.
Any corvette that had the CD head unit has a cable that connects to the back of the head unit and to the passenger footwell. IF you have an external cd changer, then a plug connects the changer to the plug in the footwell.
the PAC audio connector works by plugging into THAT plug, and interfacing with your phone over bluetooth/stereo conenction/etc. So on this point-- you connect your phone through one of those FM transmitters, you lose a chunk of audio reproduced at the bottom frequencies and at the top. Using a PAC or equivalent connector, you lose nothing (and it's literally plug and play).

The other major issue with FM transmitters is interference. It's a standard, analog frequency modulated signal ans is subject to interference just like any other signal. And years ago -- ealy 2000's, when these adapters were super popular, the FCC madnated a power reduction on them, so that they are incredibly susceptible to interference. MAy not be an issue if you live in an area that has no radio station at that frequencyt (and... may not be an issue anywhere today, since most radios are HD/digital).

Anyway, bottom line:
FM transmitter = cheap, crappy way of easily streaming music to your unmodified corvette headunit.
PAC or equivalent interface: slightly more expensive, just as easy way of delivering music to your unmodified corvette head unit at the same quality as from the phone.

 

I was confused as well. I was addressing the usb on the transmitter

 

@JMG2 OK, now I get it! Thanks for taking the time to thoroughly explain it, and simple enough for me to follow.

 

I use this one.
If you buy one, make sure you buy a "round" one like the above as some of the bigger ones that are more "square" shape either barely fit or won't fit due to the shape of the "bowl" around the lighter socket. I just wanted to answer my phone and listen through the speakers, didn't need a new head unit for that. You can also listen to music, and charge your phone etc. from the USB slot. Just take any USB thumb drive and you can stick it in the "music" slot and play from that or play it from your your phone etc. Tune your radio to some non-used freq, set the adapter to that freq and then pair to your phone, done.

For 14 bucks, meets my needs. A nice big head unit is wasted on me. My phone gives me NAV and internet etc. My exhaust is my music!

 

right.. the point is that the PAC adapter works with your head unit, and is hard wired into the stock CD external plug -- gives you much better response than an FM transmitter , and almost as easy to install, AND (likely -- phone dependent) controls next/prev track and pause/start from the head unit. The only downside is that it runs around $100.

 

Yeah, agree better sound quality coming into the stock head unit that way, but I honestly have been using the CD player only for music. I bought the FM transmitter mostly for the USB charging access and to answer the phone and hear it in the speakers, not really for music. I have an entire collection (Pre-iTunes !) of good music that I am enjoying all over again! I told my girlfriend the last time we were in the car, "it's a trip! I'm listening to CD's and I turned the car on with a Key!" it's like time travel

 

Not sure, But when I'm streaming Pandora, or Spotify, when I click the next button it skips to the next song, so I dont see why not it wouldn't do that to a thumb drive. It also works well for when a phone call comes in. Definitely worth the $20

 

If that's the case the whole car needs to be returned.