Best Car Stereos

Twenty years ago, trying to find the best car stereos probably meant a trip to your local car audio shop. New car stereos were more of a mystery to the layman, car audio was the bastion of reclusive, mobile audiophiles, and you were unlikely the learn much from car stereo reviews in the media. The best car audio systems can be found bumping around town, but rushing up to ask the driver what the best head unit or car stereo receiver might not end well.

These days, the internet not only has the download on the best car audio systems, it probably has too much information. Touchscreen car head units are becoming more popular with the advent of Apple’s CarPlay. Bluetooth car stereos are also ubiquitous, linking your mobile device to your vehicle, no strings attached. With so much to choose from, you may feel lost in a sea of information; well, fear not, friend, we’ve compiled a list of the best car stereos for your listening pleasure! Let’s jump in and see if we’ve found the right solution for your needs!

The Best Car Stereo

ATOTO A6 Double Din Android Car Stereo (BEST CHOICE)

If you’re after the Swiss Army knife of double din car stereo goodness, the ATOTO A6 Double Din Android Car Stereo might be the move for your vehicle. This Bluetooth-enabled stereo is a multimedia, WiFi stereo with ports for an auxiliary cable, USB connection, and a MicroSD for mixed media playback.

This head unit runs on the Android Marshmallow operating system, which pairs nicely with an Android phone.

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Purchase

BOSS Audio Systems 616UAB Single Din Multimedia Car Stereo

BOSS may be a lesser-known car stereo brand, but they have figured out a way to pack in a lot of features into an affordable platform. The BOSS Audio Systems 616UAB Single Din Multimedia Car Stereo is a single din design and will fit almost all applications. The LCD features a bright reflection of what’s playing on your stereo. Built-in USB and auxiliary ports allow for the playback of your favorite media from any device that supports that connection.

If you have a larger vehicle and someone in the back seat needs control of the tunes, BOSS includes a wireless remote control to keep the party going, even if no one can agree on the background track.

Purchase

BOSS Audio Systems BV9358B Double Din Car Stereo

BOSS has another entry on our list with a big 6.2-inch LCD touchscreen monitor. Their BV9358B Double Din Car Stereo is a Bluetooth enabled system that can playback high fidelity video while delivering big sound throughout your car.

An included wireless remote allows anyone to control the audio or pause the DVD when someone needs a pit-stop.

Purchase

P.L.Z MP-800 Double Din Multimedia Car Stereo

P.L.Z offers one of the largest screen options on our list here with a full 7-inches of viewing pleasure. The P.L.Z MP-800 Double Din Multimedia Car Stereo features a double din touchscreen monitor. The Bluetooth system allows for a wireless connection so you can playback all your favorite tracks without a cable. However, a USB and auxiliary port featured prominently upfront if you want to go the old school route.

Rear-view cameras are supported with the P.L.Z system, and a multifunctional wireless remote control gives anyone access to the playlist.

Purchase

Pioneer Single Din Built-In Bluetooth MIXTRAX Car Stereo

An original in the car stereo game, Pioneer, makes the list with their MIXTRAX single DIN system. This Spotify and Pandora-capable stereo is ready to play a wide variety of audio sources. This stereo does not include a CD drive, so if you’re after a place to stick your old disks, this isn’t the stereo for you.

Each Pioneer Single Din Built-In Bluetooth MIXTRAX Car Stereo comes with a complimentary pair of earbuds in case you need to keep the noise in your car at a minimum.

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Purchase

JENSEN MPR210 Single Din 7 Character LCD Car Stereo

Jensen is another high-end audio provider that has been producing high-quality technology for years. The JENSEN MPR210 Single Din 7 Character LCD Car Stereo comes with several high-quality features. The push-to-talk feature is a quick and convenient way to summon Siri or Google Assist, putting the world’s internet at your beck and call.

If Jensen’s construction doesn’t live up to its name for any reason, they offer a 1-year warranty with this unit, just in case.

Purchase

Kenwood DMX4707S Touch Screen Digital Multimedia Car Stereo

Kenwood is known for their sound quality, but with the DMX4707, they are also pushing the limits on touch screen resolution and clarity. The Kenwood DMX4707S Touch Screen Digital Multimedia Car Stereo is a bright and clear 6.8-inch display of what’s happening either on your phone or whatever multimedia device you connect to the player.

The voice control function for the DMX4707 taps into your smartphone’s Siri or other responsive application for hands-free management.

Purchase

Hikity Double Din Autoradio Car Stereo

The Hikity Double Din Autoradio Car Stereo has all the looks of a top-dollar head unit without the heavy price tag. This touch screen device allows the owner to quickly flip through apps ensuring the eyes leave the road as little as possible. An iOS and Android compatible software interface reflects the aesthetic of your smartphone for convenient and fast navigation.

The Hikity Autoradio is also backup camera compatible, so if you need a little assistance backing out of the drive, look no further.

Purchase

MINYE Double Din Car Stereo

The MINYE Double Din Car Stereo is a high-resolution option with intelligent integrations and a huge 7-inch screen for easy viewing. A USB or Bluetooth connection to your smartphone displays all of your phone’s apps and beneficial features right on your dashboard.

The MINYE Double Din Car Stereo is a backup camera compatible and includes the full kit to get your car backup camera ready.

Purchase

Konifo Double Din Multimedia Car Stereo

Konifo may not be a well-known brand in the car audio space, but they have put together some of the top features in an affordable package. This double DIN, 7-inch touchscreen multimedia player is Bluetooth enabled, supports mirroring of a backup camera, and allows for steering wheel control integration.

Konifo Double Din Multimedia Car Stereo system also offers a remote control designed to fit on your steering wheel if your steering system doesn’t have buttons installed. Clip it to your wheel and quickly and easily access all the controls to keep your tunes playing and your eyes on the road.

Purchase

Leadfan Double Din Touch Screen Car Stereo

Leadfan, the maker of this 7-inch touchscreen car audio receiver, wanted to ensure that they left no stone unturned when it comes to modern features. The Leadfan Double Din Touch Screen Car Stereo offers a mirror link for your smart device, so when you connect via Bluetooth or USB, there’s a mirror image of the device on our dashboard. Each unit ships with a backup camera and a reverse image preview on the screen to keep you safe.

Purchase

JENSEN CDR462 Double Din Multimedia Car Stereo

The final entry on our list comes from Jensen, a brand many have trusted for years for their listening pleasure. JENSEN CDR462 Double Din Multimedia Car Stereo head unit can play DVDs or MP4s loaded onto a disc across its large 6.2-inch high-resolution screen. The push-to-talk system integrates with Siri and Google Voice when you need assistance without taking your eyes off the camera.

Dual camera inputs allow for a forward and rear-facing external camera to keep an eye on what is going on around you at all times.

Purchase

Car Stereos Buying Guide & FAQ

Features to Look for in Car Stereos

Size – The first step in replacing the head unit in your car stereo is understanding the size of the unit you’ll need to buy. DIN is commonly used in referencing the size of your head unit; this acronym stands for Deutch Industry Normen, a German term for a 2 inch by 8 inch opening as standard. In the 1980s, Germans began utilizing this sizing for Audi’s, BMW’s, Mercedes’, and Volkswagens. The term took off and is now an industry-standard around the world.

Most vehicles utilize a standard DIN for the sizing of the stereo. This compact setup allows for plenty of power, a CD drive, and many other common features in-car stereo systems. You can go with a smaller stereo for most applications than the DIN allows, but it’s tough to go up in sizing.

Double DIN and one-and-a-half DIN are larger and more common in trucks, vans, and vehicles with larger dashboards. These units don’t necessarily have more power or features, but the extra space does make for a larger interface upfront. Most touchscreen head units that you can find on the market come in this size range.

If you really want to run a double-DIN unit but you only have a single DIN, some adaptors allow a screen to protrude out and up from your dashboard. This setup will give you more screen real estate and often integrates backup camera potential into the unit.

Connection Options – A wiring harness is the critical link between your shiny new in-dash car stereo and the labyrinth of electronics running through your vehicle. This connection is a requirement for all car head unit installation and is generally universal.

Power Output – Most car audio head units push power to four speakers. The power output is for car stereo head units doesn’t vary widely as it is drawing on the voltage used to keep the car running. Typically this is no more than about 14 volts, with a limit of about 20 watts per channel (speaker). When upgrading their car stereos, many people opt to install an amplifier that boosts the power bound to each speaker.

Phone Compatibility – With as common as smartphones are these days, it would be foolish to produce a stereo that isn’t compatible with most Apple and Android devices on the market. One of the earliest ways to connect a phone to a car stereo unit was to utilize the headphone jack, running an auxiliary through the dash and into the receiver itself. This option only allowed what was coming out of the phone’s audio to be broadcast across the car stereo. While a big step forward, this wasn’t a suitable long term approach for many reasons.

Eventually, car stereos integrated a USB 2.0 plug up front where the owner could utilize their standard phone charging cable to interface with the stereo. This opened up a few additional control options but made a bit of a cluttered mess on the dash. Many units still sell with a USB port up front in the rare case you happen to have a USB thumb drive to plug in and play MP3s off of.

Now, Bluetooth and wired connections offer the user nearly full control of their mobile device directly from the stereo head unit. In 2014, consumer tech giant Apple released CarPlay, which attempts to mimic the interface of their mobile phones on the dashboard of enabled vehicles. This allows for specific apps to be installed that help the end-user pilot their vehicle around without the distraction of unfamiliar interfaces, allowing people to keep their eyes on the road.

Android has also come along with their own version of software integration. These are now both widely available, especially in head units in the double DIN territory, given that they have additional screen real estate to play with.

Anti-Theft – One of the most common items stolen from vehicles is the head unit of the stereo. This easily-removable piece of electronics can be flipped for a quick buck at a local pawn shop, so sorting out some sort of anti-theft element might be a good idea. Many stereo head units are designed to appear as if they have been removed or aren’t the quality one might want to rip off. Some car stereos on the higher end of the price spectrum will retract their face into the device’s interior, giving the impression that there is nothing left to remove. Others take on a façade that gives off the little impression that the unit will be of much value.

CD/DVD Player – CDs and DVDs are a technology from a previous era when data had to be stored on a physical device. Still, these days audiophiles and those who over-invested in the technology still like to put them to use.

Do not assume that if you are buying a modern in-dash stereo unit that will play your CDs or DVDs, many companies have begun to exclude these features as people migrate to smartphone connections. If you truly want to utilize that big disk collection, there are still plenty of great options on the market, but keep a close eye on the details; it would be a shame to buy one, install the unit, and realize there’s nowhere to stick your beloved disks.

Audio Quality – Fidelity baby! For some, it’s everything; for others, they just don’t care. To be fair, most people are unable to really parse out the quality of sound coming from their car stereo. But, if you find yourself somewhat picky in this regard, then there are a few things you might want to keep in mind.

The first thing to consider is your connection to your media. Bluetooth and direct USB will provide the highest fidelity, far higher than playing off a CD. Distortion and echoing can be a real issue if your connection is maintained through an auxiliary cable. So opt for USB or a direct Bluetooth sync.

Given that your head unit can really only push about 20 watts of power to each speaker, choosing a head unit with an amplifier and equalizer built-in will make a big difference. The equalizer will allow you or an audio engineer to fine-tune the frequencies emanating from your device to the interior of your vehicle.

User-Friendly Interface – When piloting your car down the freeway at breakneck speeds, the most important thing is to keep an eye on the road. To do so, you’re going to need a stereo head unit that is really user friendly, intuitive, and can almost be manipulated without looking at it. So, when reviewing the units on this list, pay close attention to the buttons and the dials’ arrangement. Do you think you can use this easily on the road? These are important things to consider when looking for something that not only sounds great but also keeps you safe.

Car Stereo FAQ

What is a car stereo?

A car stereo is an electronic device that connects to your vehicle’s sound system to play music. These devices come in many different sizes and have a wide variety of quality based on brand and what the consumer is willing to pay. Most modern car stereos offer several different media configurations. Gone are the days where the only playing media is a compact disk or tape. You can now link your smartphone to your stereo head unit and play music from streaming devices, podcasts, and many other audio options.

What is the best brand car stereo?

Alpine and Kenwood have played a large role in the car stereo business since the inception of the category. These two brands are always a good choice regardless of the price point. However, these days there’s an endless number of manufactured options with similar build quality as these top brands will cost you much less. The top brands do offer support, warranties, and other benefits that the other aftermarket companies may not offer.

Will any car stereo fit my car?

Not all car stereos are the same! While many car stereo installers can modify DIN requirements, you need to make sure that the in-dash unit you are buying is compatible with your car.

Do all car stereos have the same connectors?

All car stereos make their connection to the vehicle with a wiring harness. This rat nest of a cable configuration is a way to route the confluence of wires into the various speakers, amplifiers, and other elements of your car that your car stereo interfaces with. If your car has a backup camera, side-mirror cameras, sensors, and all of the rest of the integrations that are commonly integrated into a new vehicle, your stereo will require a wiring harness capable of interfacing with all of these cables.

How much does it cost to install a car stereo in your car?

The price of car stereo installation can vary widely, but if you bought a new head unit, the wiring harness, and the dash adapter, assume you’re going to spend $50 to a few hundred dollars depending on the price point of your vehicle.

Sources:

1. Car Audio For Dummies Cheat Sheet – Dummies
2. Everything You Need To Know To Build A Car Stereo System! – Audio Drive
3. The Basics: Understanding Car Audio Systems, Part 1 – Edmunds