There are certain things you should look for when buying a car stereo these days. The most very basic options that should be accepted have gone up in recent months as technology has become cheaper and cheaper. Features once out of reach to the masses are now expected in even the most back head unit. So, what should you look for in a car stereo these days?
Radio Function - This goes without saying that a stereo should have radio and also a nice amount presets to go along with it. DAB is a bit of a forgotten relic these days when it comes to in car audio, there are still some tuners out the consumers that want one but you will be paying a lot for a feature that is unneeded. RDS, TA, PTY are all expected nowadays no matter what price the head unit is your looking at. A head unit without these features is a like a car without wheels, it won't happen.
CD - Nowadays CD goes with radio in the category of items expected from any car stereo. We have moved on a little from the 1980's when CD was the new thing, we now want MP3 CD's containing hundreds of songs. MP3 capabilities are a key feature to look for nowadays; if a car stereo does not have this feature then it really is a poor unit.
Connectivity - In this market connectivity is the most important and biggest selling feature. Whether the stereo can connect to an MP3 player, iPod or portable HDD is very important to today's end user. Digital Media is to the 21st century what T.V was to the 20th. In order to achieve total connectivity and integration you are going to be looking to spend upwards of 100, some products like the Beat 275 for example offer excellent value but do not offer the iPod which is a huge feature. 7/10 people have an iPod with 95% of that figure driving. This just shows the huge potential out there for iPod connectivity and why it is so important nowadays for products to support it.
Ports and Slots - The physical connection on a head unit are more important than how fancy the unit looks or what software it is programmed with. The bare minimum nowadays is to have at least 1 RCA Pre-out, and Aux in and a USB slot. All of these can be seen on items costing less than 50. You would also want to be looking for iPod docks, SD slots and CD changer ports. The more slots and ports on the head unit the more broad the connection options are, if you are looking to build a serious audio system you would need a few RCA Pre-outs, a dedicated sub-out, iPod dock, USB and CDC port in order to be able connect everything a pro audio install requires. For these kind of levels i would recommend looking at the 200+ products, the cheaper items like the Sony CDX can run basic audio but for real power you need to pay. In this market cheap car stereos do the business but can't really cut it when you try to build big powered systems.
Bluetooth - This could have been covered under connectivity but it is about the biggest feature available right now. Bluetooth is a huge business nowadays as more and more people are becoming conscious of the legal consequences of using mobile phones whilst driving. A good quality head unit will have this feature built in and will eliminate the need to have a separate Bluetooth kit saving you 's. Bluetooth is slowly filtering down the market and is now available for less than 100.
When it comes to car stereos the old saying of "you get what you pay for" is mostly true, there are the odd exception like the Beat 275 for example, but this is rare. In this market there is a stereo suited to everyone's needs so look at all options and you will find a unit with every feature you need at a price that suites.
Radio Function - This goes without saying that a stereo should have radio and also a nice amount presets to go along with it. DAB is a bit of a forgotten relic these days when it comes to in car audio, there are still some tuners out the consumers that want one but you will be paying a lot for a feature that is unneeded. RDS, TA, PTY are all expected nowadays no matter what price the head unit is your looking at. A head unit without these features is a like a car without wheels, it won't happen.
CD - Nowadays CD goes with radio in the category of items expected from any car stereo. We have moved on a little from the 1980's when CD was the new thing, we now want MP3 CD's containing hundreds of songs. MP3 capabilities are a key feature to look for nowadays; if a car stereo does not have this feature then it really is a poor unit.
Connectivity - In this market connectivity is the most important and biggest selling feature. Whether the stereo can connect to an MP3 player, iPod or portable HDD is very important to today's end user. Digital Media is to the 21st century what T.V was to the 20th. In order to achieve total connectivity and integration you are going to be looking to spend upwards of 100, some products like the Beat 275 for example offer excellent value but do not offer the iPod which is a huge feature. 7/10 people have an iPod with 95% of that figure driving. This just shows the huge potential out there for iPod connectivity and why it is so important nowadays for products to support it.
Ports and Slots - The physical connection on a head unit are more important than how fancy the unit looks or what software it is programmed with. The bare minimum nowadays is to have at least 1 RCA Pre-out, and Aux in and a USB slot. All of these can be seen on items costing less than 50. You would also want to be looking for iPod docks, SD slots and CD changer ports. The more slots and ports on the head unit the more broad the connection options are, if you are looking to build a serious audio system you would need a few RCA Pre-outs, a dedicated sub-out, iPod dock, USB and CDC port in order to be able connect everything a pro audio install requires. For these kind of levels i would recommend looking at the 200+ products, the cheaper items like the Sony CDX can run basic audio but for real power you need to pay. In this market cheap car stereos do the business but can't really cut it when you try to build big powered systems.
Bluetooth - This could have been covered under connectivity but it is about the biggest feature available right now. Bluetooth is a huge business nowadays as more and more people are becoming conscious of the legal consequences of using mobile phones whilst driving. A good quality head unit will have this feature built in and will eliminate the need to have a separate Bluetooth kit saving you 's. Bluetooth is slowly filtering down the market and is now available for less than 100.
When it comes to car stereos the old saying of "you get what you pay for" is mostly true, there are the odd exception like the Beat 275 for example, but this is rare. In this market there is a stereo suited to everyone's needs so look at all options and you will find a unit with every feature you need at a price that suites.
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