Portable DVD - Headphone X 2 - Boost Please

[NormanB]

Hi

Newbie here so please go gentle.

I have used the search and while I have found some adjacent topics (and learned something too!) nothing directly to my quest.

I have a portable DVD for use in the car, which has a single screen with integral speaker (weeny) and a headphone socket.

I am more than content with the single screen but the audio performance is pretty dire once the car is on the move, largely due to the road noise.

I bought an adaptor so I could give a set of headphones to each child but of course that is asking too much of the output from the player (or is it?)

My question is: How can I best improve the audio performance via headphones is there a gizzmo on the market that will do the bizz for not much money?

Thank you for your patience.

NormanB

[saggio]

NormandB,
if you have a cassette player in the car (yes, they are still around)
how about a cheap dummy cassete transducer, to pipe your sound trough the car speakers?
Or a radio-transmitter to you radio (they are used with MP3 players as well)

...of course the entire family will have to listen to the movie...

[NormanB]

Saggio

Thank you for replying.

The radio transmitter option sounds the best option for me ( I can always fade out the front speakers!) - I will research that.

Any clues or advice on radio transmitters for this purpose gratefully received.

VMT
NormanB

[AOD]

Yep, try this one.

Arkon Wireless Audio adaptor (http://www.expansys.com/product.asp?code=ARKCMSF121)

[NormanB]

Anthony

That was just the clue I needed.

I missed that particular one but ended up getting this model (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3051473606&category=14980) for £17!:grin:

It is a good solution for the price and provides quite excellent sound. I do not mind sacrificing the ability to listen to my music if it keeps the kids quiet with a movie!

Thanks again for the help.

NormanB

[NormanB]

Just to close the loop - finally.

These are great bits of kit to solve the problem, relatively cheaply.

However, there are practical drawbacks:

1. As you travel and move into different reception areas - interference may come into play. (you need to teach the kids how to select the dip switches for a clear frequency).

2. As driver you have to listen so best if you have rear speakers and fade out the front ones!

[Neville Street]

Old thread, but same query really. Getting sound to 3 kids in the back...

Has anybody any advice on linking more than one headset to an IR or RF headset?

Are there any good cheap ones with decent battery life for a long trip and a few movies (Cornwall to Scotland is on the cards!!)?

[NormanB]

Yeah

I soon got fed up listening to movies.

So my kids use the walkman/fm radio/wired headset each and it works absolutely fine. The eldest changes the dips as required on the transmitter when transisting an area where a radio station blasts through.

I am a cheapskate so never bothered investigating with the wireless option as they already had the portables (walkman size) but I suspect even buying new is cheaper than going the fully wireless route.

I see my linky above has died - this is the transmitter (http://www.auctionworks.com/storefrontprofiles/DeluxeSFItemDetail.aspx?sid=2004091513093400000000 55681755&sfid=41907&c=9530&i=10986517) I bought and use the batteries last absolutely ages.

NormanB

[Neville Street]

Great idea! I have a little radio that I use on my motorbike that would work with the sender. However even my most technically literate child is only 8 and I can see myself stopping every 10 miles because she's pressed the wrong button.

I just went on beststuff.co.uk and ordered an extra two way splitter and 3 cheap Koss headphones, total £30.96. I'll see if the machine can actually power three headsets (it did fine with two of the little in-ear jobs, but the kids hated them).

Cheers :)

[Neville Street]

The cheap and cheerful solution worked a treat on a recent 8 hour trip. No problem with the machine being able to power three headphones, they had volume to spare.

So quiet we had to keep checking we hadn't left them behind :)