Electronics : Belkin Mobile Cassette Adapter

Rating: - Functional, yet uninspiring.
To it's credit, the belkin does exactly what it says on the box. It plays well and does the job it's intended for, but there are drawbacks that I gave it a three out of five for:

1. The packaging - It's amazing the amount of plugging the box does for the iPod. It makes you sit and wonder if your Creative Zen or iRiver will actually be supported.
2. Distortion - When played at loud volumes, it can distort the music quite badly, so moderation is the key.
3. Aesthetics - A white cassette. Kudos to the art department there...

Go for this if you are strapped, but if you can afford the Sony one, stay away from this.

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Rating: - Cheap and cheerful!
The Belkin cassette adapter does exactly what it says on the tin. I use it in my car with my Creative Zen Touch 40GB. On reading other reviews it becomes apparent that you do need to switch the volume of your mp3/cd player to about 80% or you will suffer from distortion. However you can then use your car stereo volume dial to increase the volume.
The adapter does suffer from one problem (hence only 3 stars) in that it is particularly noisy, in that the cogs and dials inside it seem to grind away making a small amount of noise. However for 8 pounds delivered you can't hold this against the adapter. You will struggle to find a device for 8 pounds that doesn’t. Belkin offer a lifetime guarantee, so really this is a risk free purchase.

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Rating: - Does it really work?
As a life long hater of all things Belkin, I bought this thinking (1) it's most popular Amazon product in the category, and (2) there are positive recommendations. For me, it basically does not work. The sound is so distorted that you cannot listen to it. I tried a friend’s cassette thing from Germany and his worked fine, so it's not my cassette player. My advice is to try and get a quality product from a high street retailer or another country. Amazon don't seem to carry a decent casette adpater. Rememeber, never click if you see the word 'belkin'.

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Rating: - Find a balance in volume
I bought this to go with my ipod mini which broke. So i then used it for my Ipod 20gb, which broke. Now i use it for my Creative Zen. It works well as long as the balance between volumes is right. I have to have the volume on the mp3 player just lower than half, and the stereo volume a bit louder than normal. If its any different it sounds crackly and not as good quality.
However, since being in a different car alot, i bought an aux lead from Currys for £10 because it has a socket for a lead unlike my car (which is why i use the tape). If your vehicle does have a socket i would reccommend the lead, but if not the tape is good enough for its purpose - just find the volume balance before you give up on it!

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Rating: - Excellent product
I was going to buy a cheaper adaptor but the really negative reviews put me off.
Bein a fan of Belkin's products I had high expectations of the adaptor, despite it's reasonable price, and I wasn't disappointed. It's great!
The sound quality is good and the adaptor doesn't rattle like I was worried it might.
Having all of my music accessible in the car is great, now I just need to find a way to make my i-pod battery last longer so I'm not constantly recharging it now I can use it wherever I go!