r/Cartalk • u/ButtonOrdinary158 • 1d ago
General Tech Best Bluetooth FM Transmitter? Help me out please.
Been on the hunt for a good Bluetooth FM transmitter for a while now. I’ve used a couple in the past, but most of them were pretty disappointing. I had a Mpow one and it was just awful. The sound quality was crap, kept disconnecting, and the signal was weak.
My budget is around $30-$60. I’ve been eyeing Anker and Nulaxy transmitters—both seem to have solid reviews, but I’d love to hear from anyone who’s actually used them. I’m just tired of fiddling with these cheap ones that give me more headaches than they’re worth.
Let me know what you think—what’s been your experience?
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u/ClickKlockTickTock 1d ago
What phone do you have? If its an android, tunai firefly is the only bluetooth to aux adapter I've seen compatible with LDAC and makes music sound 100x better than any other adapter.
Anker sucks ass if you're an audiophile. Most folks think the fm transmitters are good quality. I'd research what your phones high quality codec is for bluetooth and then find a device that can actually use that codec. If you use the default bluetooth codec, there's a lot of quality loss that happens and can result in a muddy experience in lows and highs.
I went from mpow to anker to trying custom setups with ground cancelers and equalizers/amps. But it all still felt muddy because the source that it gets from bluetooth IS muddy and it either needs to be introduced clean, or fixed after the fact and I haven't heard any devices that do a good job of that.
If your cars usb port or cig adapter or whatever power source you're going to use to power the device, doesn't turn off on its own, I'd invest in a tiny usb switch or something so you don't fatigue the connectors and you don't have to worry about draining your battery.
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u/KingZarkon 1d ago
Anker sucks ass if you're an audiophile. Most folks think the fm transmitters are good quality.
Dude, they're looking at an FM transmitter. It won't matter that Anker has bad sound quality, going over FM will still be worse. And, no, FM transmitters of any brand are not good quality sound. The maximum frequency response is about 30 Hz to 15 KHz.
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u/ButtonOrdinary158 1d ago
I have an iphone 15 pro max. I will do some research into my phones codec. Never really thought about it before. Thanks!
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u/ThisIsMyCouchAccount 1d ago
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01HDO66NK
It works great with iPhone as well. Found it on another car sub.
Set it up once and it just autoconnects every single time. It's even tucked away in my console.
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u/frostycakes 1d ago
I have a 1Mii adapter that supports LDAC, and has a battery to boot. It's the only way I've been able to link one to the cassette aux adapter in my car without getting a F-F aux adapter as well. My partner has the older version that supports LDAC, aptX, and AAC, so it's not exclusive to them.
Thankfully LDAC support seems to be getting more common lately.
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u/frostycakes 1d ago
I've never found a particularly good one, whether aux fed or Bluetooth. I've made a point of ensuring I have either a cassette deck or aux port in my cars to get around that fact.
Idk if we just have an extra-crowded FM band in my area or what, but they always cut out and sound like shit. I'd seriously look at a new headunit if you don't have either of those things-- I've seen plenty of passable ones for sub-$100, plus you might get CarPlay/Android Auto support out of the upgrade.
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u/listerine411 1d ago
I found this one worked really well
Just have to experiment with the FM channels.
It's always going to be a compromise, but I had used other FM ones that were garbage but this one impressed me.
I no longer use it as my car has factory bluetooth/CarPlay.
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u/xdansnadx 1d ago
Save up a little more and upgrade your radio so you can connect via Bluetooth.
Changing a radio out is easier than you think
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u/KingZarkon 1d ago
Best is doing a lot of heavy lifting here. From what I've seen they pretty universally suck.
Is there any way you can use a Bluetooth to Aux adapter? Or that your head unit supports Carplay?
If Aux isn't an option and FM is the only way, look for one that physically plugs into your antenna wire instead of broadcasting over the air. It will provide you with better sound quality.
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u/Ponklemoose 10h ago
I suggest you do a little research, if you're lucky you radio supports an external CD changer, XM or something and someone in the aftermarket will sell you an adapter to put an aux cord there.
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u/BASE9000 1d ago
I use this one. It can both be a Bluetooth transmitter OR receiver and works via 3.5mm OR FM radio
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u/pt5 1d ago
The “good” ones aren’t exactly legal.
A cheap one from Temu or AliExpress will work better than a name-brand one from Amazon because the Chinese will just ignore the US device limits.
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u/AKADriver 1d ago
This is completely true. These stupid things frequently cut in when I'm listening to the radio and the car next to me has one. Clear FCC violation if it makes it even that far.
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u/phgeek1 1d ago
I had an anker in Alaska with only 2 radio stations in the area... I still got static through downtown and every time a taxi went by I would hear whatever music they had going. This was a town of 10K people so it wasn't that crowded, the fm transmitter things are just the worst option. Seriously look into adding aux and using a Bluetooth aux adapter if at all possible
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u/SherbertSea6803 10h ago
I was so unhappy using an FM modulator it motivated me to change my head unit. One of the best decisions of my entire life was upgrading that stereo and all my speakers.
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u/blind-madman 1d ago
I like xiaomi FM transmiter. It looks just like a charger, būt it is not!