Q: You guys did a review on the Kensington LiquidAUX about a year ago. I was wondering if you can use the auxiliary input function of the LiquidAUX without plugging the car charger portion into the cigarette lighter?
– Matthew
A: It is possible to use the LiquidAUX without connecting it to a power source, however you may find that the volume level output is considerably lower than you would expect.
It seems that this accessory provides a built-in amplifier which required external power. Whether or not this is a problem will depend largely on your stereo system.
In fact, this creates an additional problem in vehicles that do not apply power to the cigarette lighter port when the engine is not running, as you may see the same results when the car is powered on in a “radio-only” or “accessory” mode. The lack of power to the cigarette lighter port means that the LiquidAUX will not amplify the volume level coming out of it when the car itself is off.
