When was the last time you bought a CD? Despite a recent uptick in physical media sales, it’s clear that streaming audio is the norm. Even the cheapest city cars come with Bluetooth as standard as car manufacturers embrace streaming as the dominant form of audio on the move.
RELATED: The best hands-free Bluetooth devices for your car
This poses an issue for owners of cars fitted with a CD player. While it’s straightforward to adapt a cassette player to play streamed music, it’s impossible to adapt a CD player to do the same thing. That leaves you either to replace the stereo unit at the cost of a couple of hundred quid or utilise the AUX port to play your tunes.
We’re trying the latter option, testing this tiny gadget from Anker that plugs into a car’s AUX port and will allow you to stream music using the power of Bluetooth. If it’s any good, it could be the best affordable way to future-proof a car.
What’s good?
It’s an incredibly simple design which makes it easy to use. A small black box fitted with three buttons (on/off and volume controls) and a port to connect the AUX adapter. There’s a choice of two AUX connectors, a short metal one and a longer wire. It’s simple to set up and connects to a mobile phone as any other Bluetooth device would.
Sound quality will be mostly dependent on the speakers installed in the car, but the use of Bluetooth 5.0 ensures that any music coming from your phone will be as smooth and clear as possible. This sound quality is also true for hands-free phone calls.
If you have a modern smartphone you may also be aware that AUX connectivity is being phased out, the old headphone jack is now consigned to the past. This gadget allows a user to continue using the AUX port in a car without having to buy an extra expensive cable for your phone and sacrifice your phone’s charging port.
The Bluetooth options don’t end with a car either, an older household speaker system can be modernised to accept Bluetooth tech too with this device. It can also pair with two separate devices at once, ideal for long road trips with children or simply sharing the car with others.
What’s bad?
The main issue with the nifty gadget is that it will only work if your car is fitted with an AUX cable. If not, this device won’t work and you’ll have to rely on an FM transmitter, something that’ll offer worse sound quality and won’t be as smooth to use.
Charging the device can be a bit of a pain too. While it boasts an impressive 12-hour battery life, it does require a USB port to charge it, a slightly tedious chore as it leaves a long wire scattered across the centre console.
Verdict
If your car lacks Bluetooth connectivity but features an AUX cable, this is a must-have gadget, even if it’s just for making legal hands-free phone calls while driving. Not only is it wireless and non-intrusive, but the sound quality is smooth and it’s an affordable upgrade. It’s by no means a one-stop solution to keeping an older car stereo up to date but will add Bluetooth connectivity for a very reasonable price.
Anker Soundsync
Price: £24.99 | VIEW OFFER
Pros:
Small and easy to use
Allows for legal hands-free phone calls
Good sound quality
Cons:
You’ll still need an AUX cable for it to work
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