Tom Tom iPod Connect Cable and Audio Cable Reviews

• Poor Audio Quality & Limited Navigation

  
  By A2CPLKRV3BX1JK on 2007-01-29
  I love my TomTom 510. I love my iPod. So I thought, "Hey, a match made in heaven!" Not so much. The audio quality is quite poor - reduced volume, static, and frequent popping sounds. Furthermore, the iPod controls on the TomTom are very limited. For example, I often shuffle an artist or genre, but you can not do that on the TomTom. Also, I listen to a lot of podcasts, but there is no podcast option on the main iPod menu on the TomTom, only audiobooks. And, when you connect the iPod to the TomTom, the iPod locks up so you can only control the iPod via the TomTom. I would not recommend this product at all.
  
  

• Works as claimed, just about

  
  By A36VKFU9UNK3D on 2007-11-23
  Now I'm going to sit on the fence a little bit here. I bought a TomTom GO 910 a few months ago and bought the iPod cable at the same time. I also wanted to use the TomTom as a hands free kit for my phone, via Bluetooth.
  
  Issue number one is cables! If you're using all of this then you will have four cables trailing over your car dashboard: TomTom power, external mic, iPod cable, cable to car stereo aux input. You can reduce this cable count by one if you have a car stereo that supports Bluetooth (I don't so have not tried this).
  
  I paid to have all of my cables routed behind the car dashboard. They come out in a neat little cluster by the corner of my windscreen. The iPod connector comes out in the glove compartment (the cable is plenty long enough).
  
  So, functionality:
  
  No iPod charging! This is a pretty serious omission, especially for long journeys.
  
  The on-screen iPod controls are OK, but not excellent. Relatively responsive, but clunky compared to the iPod itself (not entirely surprising).
  
  There is no support for compilations, so the artist list contains artists who only feature on a compilation album. This is a bit annoying, but not the end of the world.
  
  No support for album art.
  
  It takes a few seconds to transfer the song list to the TomTom. I have about 4000 songs on my iPod, transfer takes 2-3 seconds.
  
  Annoyingly the TomTom volume control changes the volume of the directions voice and the iPod. It would be better to have two volume controls, or to just have the iPod audio level fixed.
  
  When the TomTom has something to say, the iPod is paused. This is useful, but it would be nicer if there was an option to just lower the iPod volume.
  
  And quality:
  
  There is definitely noise on the line. It's not noticeable when driving and listening to music, but when stopped in traffic listening to an audio book you can hear the noise.
  
  There are some bugs in the system. Occasionally the TomTom loses contact with the iPod and I have to unplug/replug it. Also sometimes after I've been playing music the TomTom will go silent (no more talking) until I power off/on.
  
  
  Overall I'm happy with the product as it means I can listen to anything from my iPod when I'm driving, and cost less than getting a new car stereo with iPod support, but it could certainly do with some improvements.
  
  

• TomTom iPod Connect Cable and Audio Cable

  
  By A3VYR5ABB5S1IE on 2007-03-09
  This was a useless purchase -- the sound is filtered through the TomTom and not through the speakers of a vehicle as expected; why would anyone run their iPod through the TomTom when the sound is barely audible. In addition, it is hit or miss whether the iPod's music is in fact filtered through the TomTom.
  
  

• Poor sound, no charge

  
  By A15YI1YGAEHU4L on 2007-04-11
  I bought the Tomtom GO710 purely for the handsfree functionality (which is pretty bad) and the iPod control. I viewed the navigation part as a bonus. An iPod control box from Pioneer and a bluetooth handsfree solution from Sony Ericsson would have cost me about half not including installation. Things were looking good until I plugged in the iPod. It sounds like an old turntable with a dusty record. I thought there had to be something wrong so I contacted Tomtom. They said it had to be my windshield mount. They sent me a new one. No help there. Then they wanted it sent in for service. I did. It took 5 weeks. No help there either. I am thinking it is a software fault in the operating system, or the CPU in the unit is just not up to the job. Now for the second big let down. It doesn't charge the iPod!!!!! So in winter, if you forget to bring your iPod in from the car, it'll be out of juice in a very short time.
  
  

• Easy solution to shoddy sound quality

  
  By A3EUGZ3SHF3LQM on 2008-01-29
  Hey guys I was thinking about buying this for my TomTom but heard of the poor sound quality which was a huge deal to me. I normally plug my iPod in through the auxilary port of my car but that will be taken up by my nav system now.
  
  What did I do? I went to radio shack and got an audio splitter for about $10. This allows me to plug both the iPod and TomTom into a single port with no interference. The only downside is no controlling iPod with the TomTom but I'm used to that anyway.
  
  
• Great idea, poor sound quality.
  By A1L0BAIILUQT5R on 2007-04-04
  I bought this product a couple days after getting my TomTom 510. Great idea and I like it for the most part, but I experience the same problem with popping and crackling noises. The connection to my iPod is fine and it plays through the speakers fine, but the quality is a shame. I don't know if a software update by TomTom will fix this or if it's a hardware issue, but I hope it gets resolved. I love the unit and the iPod and phone features too much for this sound issue to ruin it. I'm hoping they come out with an update to address the missing podcast menu at the same time fixing the sound issue. Right now not really worth it, but could be with a fix from TomTom.
  
  
• Great Add-On
  By A1I0ED1AHJ3Y97 on 2007-12-27
  I am not sure why so many other people had issues with this device. If you use it correctly and are using a tomtom 720 or higher there is no background noise and it even works with my iphone. I am glad I do not have to touch my phone while driving ever again.
  
  
• Ipod connection cable for GPS
  By A2N98HR4XM80FM on 2007-06-01
  Have used this product several times now and it works great. No real instructions needed as it is very easy to use.
  
  
• Completely worthless
  By A3AGIBSUJ7L3UU on 2007-08-29
  This is a useless addition to your TomTom. I also bought an FM Transmitter along with this cable so I could listen to my iPod on my car speakers. This cable DOES NOT WORK! As soon as the iPod is connected to the regular mount, the Bluetooth functionality stops working. You can make and receive calls, but you can't hear anything! Totally breaks Bluetooth once it's connected. When connected to the FM Transmitter, it's even worse. Instead of outputting sound to the FM channel, it outputs it back to the internal TomTom speakers. I bought my TomTom Go 510 because I wanted both a GPS and a way to listen to my iPod on my car speakers. After wasting 2 months with TomTom customer support, I was told the following:
  
  "I've tested your scenario with your device and with our in-house devices. It appears to simply be a limitation of the TomTom product. Unfortunately, I do not have a fix for you.
  
  I've notified product management of the issue, however, there probably won't be a fix for the 510/910 models, as they are no longer being manufactured. Any fix would most likely be implemented with future products only."
  
  And after mentioning the fact that their product page for the FM Transmitter explicitly states it will work for the 510, I received the following response:
  
  "That is, perhaps, a misnomer. I will forward this information on to our Product Management team for research. However, it simply doesn't function the way it was stated on the website."
  
  DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY ON THIS ITEM!!!!
  
  
• Nice Product
  By ABXANRX4GPYRZ on 2007-12-14
  I bought this cable to use with my brand new TomTom 720 and it works great with my iPod video 30GB. The on screen touch controls are very convenient and accessible and I can easily control my iPod safely while driving. Very handy. I love TomTom !
  
  

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