Maxell CD-330 CD-to-Cassette Audio Adapter

I use this adaptor to connect either a 5th gen iPod or iAudio U2 to my wife's BMW 5-series. The 528i has a cassette in the front and CD changer in the trunk. The soud quality from this Maxell is as good as it gets for tape adaptors. It will never be as good as using a dedicated line-out on the source plater to line-in RCA jacks on a good headunit (which I do in my car). However, those cars without any line-in connections on the amp/headunit, the next best thing is a tape adaptor. I've tried a few tape adaptors and this one has some of the lowest signal noise and virtually no mechanical clicking. It also boasts a high signal-to-noise ratio when compared to other models out there. It is also compatable with cassette players with a picky auto-switch feature.

Those of you with this unit (or any tape adaptor) and an MP3 player; I HIGHLY suggest you invest in a dedicated line-out adaptor (through the dock connector on recent iPods). This will give you much better sound quality than going through the headphone jack. It will also alleviate the need to volume match the output on the mp3 player to that of the volume level on the car system.

A word to the wise: As for the "An electronics fan" user who posted his awful review of this adaptor...ignore that review. I highly doubt any real electronics fan would keep blown speakers in his/her car. I also have trouble taking audio quality advice from someone who clearly doesn't care or understand proper audio staging/imaging, bass reproduction, EQ setup or the quality of his speakers. The fact that his speakers buzz with this tape unit shows the person a)needs new speakers, b)is outputting via a poor CD/MP3 player, c)isn't volume matching the signal or using a dedicated line-out, d)knows very little about audio.

I did a lot of investigating before buying this product. I ended up buying it mainly because it was the only one with decent reviews that I could find in stores. However, I am not disappointed at all. The sound isn't quite CD quality but it's pretty darn good and definitely better than a regular tape. I don't have an FM adapter but from what I read, the cassette adapters have a much better sound.

The other big bonus is that it doesn't matter which way the larger opening is on your tape deck because this adapter has a latch you can open on the bottom to change the cord over to the other side if needed. Warning, some brand name adapters will only work in tape players facing a certain direction! Every once in a while I have to put the tape in twice for it to work right; otherwise I haven't had any other problems with this and it gives my mp3 player a great sound! Another tip: if you don't have an equalizer on your car stereo or mp3 player, what you can do is adjust the volume on the player and your stereo to balance the bass and treble (for me, if I have the mp3 player sound lower and the car stereo louder, I'll have more treble...and a little more static, too).

As an aside, I doubt the product itself was the problem for the person with the bad car speakers who reviewed this product negatively.

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Once I got into the mp3 thing, I needed to find a way to play this stuff in my car. The Radio Crap cassette adapter ($20) failed miserably, as in my car (BMW) the auto-reverse mechanism would kick in, I would get a "tape error" message, and the unit would shut down.

This adapter has a simple one way gearing that fools this mechanism rather than spinning freely. I have no problems with the sound quality, and it's half the price of the Radio Crap. I wish I had known about this before heading over to the Shack.

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I purchased this adapter primarily due to the feature that allows you to adjust the position of the line cable. The top portion of the adapter can be removed, allowing access to the cable which can adjusted to protrude in a way that does not bite on the cassette slot. Once you find the best position, replace the top portion to lock the cable in place.

I use this device at least two hours a day, nearly every day of the week. After about 6 months (~280 hours), the device started to activate the cassette deck's auto-reverse. A shot of silicone spray put an end to that until about 3 months later where it started to stop and eject after several seconds. I suspect the plastic becomes worn and sticks.

Seems like a normal amount of time for the device to last, I guess. Best of the one's I've used, comparable quality to Sony adapter but adjustable cable is very useful.

Sound quality is what you'd expect for a product of this type. Suitable gain and imaging.

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I got this because I thought my Sony cassette-to-3.5mm adapter was broken--turns out it was my mp3 player that I had attached to it that was malfunctioning.

So once I replaced that, I figured I'd go ahead and keep using this Maxell adapter. Bad idea. Even with my ipod at max volume, I had to have my car stereo volume at about half (twice as high as it is for the radio or my old sony one), and when everything is turned up that high, the quality is just bad.

Also, I like to leave my ipod plugged in in the car now and then, especially on long road trips. But this? The audio cable is very poorly shielded and charging it and listening to it at the same time is a no-go--unless you happen to enjoy that incessant buzzing sound.

So I've been using my old Sony one and it all works just fine--and I suggest you save yourself the time and hassle and do the same.

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