Sitting behind the wheel of a car is much more pleasant if there is high-quality music, especially if the driver has to spend a lot of time doing this. Cassette recorders have long been replaced by more modern models, convenient and functional, so you always want to choose a good car radio, and not waste time searching for a suitable price and functionality.
We will help you figure out how to choose a car radio for a car with 1 or 2 din standard sizes and USB support, what parameters it should have, and what you should look at first of all when buying.
Content
Standard size
Modern models are divided into two main standard sizes:
- 1 DIN;
- 2 DIN.
Which car radio to choose depends on the needs of the car owner and his expectations (playing music and listening to radio stations, navigation, watching TV, broadcasting video and images, etc.). The difference between the two lies in size and functionality. A type 1 DIN car radio is the most ordinary radio that many car owners probably had to deal with. Such a model is notable for its small dimensions (as a rule, width, height, depth are 178x50x160 mm). It aims to meet the needs of most consumers, that is, the playback of music files. 1 DIN can be purchased at a relatively low cost.
The type can be determined visually by the dimensions of the radio - a 2 DIN type model is at least twice as large (on average 180x100x160 mm) in dimensions than 1 DIN. It can be equipped with both a touchscreen and an ordinary display, it has convenient control. In addition to audio playback, 2 DIN can also be used as a video player, GPS navigator, display to broadcast images from the rear camera. The cost of such models can be 3 times higher than the price of traditional turntables. When choosing a 2 DIN car radio, remember that it may not be suitable for your particular car model.
Many vehicles simply do not have the ability to install a 2 DIN turntable, especially older models. However, this is not at all a reason to deny yourself the pleasure of watching videos right in the car. There is a way out - you can buy a special 1 DIN type model with a pull-out display.
output power
Output Power is the maximum power rating of speakers that can be connected to the device. By the power of the car radio, you can determine how good the sound it will make. Most often, this parameter ranges from 20-50 W, there are models whose output power is 100 W. When choosing a powerful radio, the battery power consumption will also increase - take this into account when buying. Power of 50 watts is enough for good quality sound reproduction. When choosing a radio tape recorder for sound quality, be careful - many manufacturers deliberately specify too high parameters in order to attract the attention of buyers to their product. In fact, if the power is too high, the car radio can even get too hot or fail.
Number of channels
The number of channels corresponds to the number of speakers in the radio tape recorder that will reproduce sound (2 channels - two speakers, 4 channels - four speakers, etc.). Most models are equipped with 4 channels, since 4 speakers are usually found in a car. If you plan to improve the speaker system, then it is better to buy a car radio, in which there is a separate output for each additional device (front, rear, additional speakers, subwoofer).
Connecting the radio
The type of connection is of particular importance, it can be of two types:
- wired;
- using the ISO connector.
The wired connection of the turntable is considered obsolete and very rare. It is not so reliable and convenient, since during the connection process you have to fiddle with a lot of small wires. In addition, they can easily come loose, resulting in device malfunction. Sooner or later, you decide to replace the car radio, and then again you will have to perform the laborious connection procedure.
An ISO connector is another matter entirely. The process of connecting the player to the machine takes a matter of minutes. It consists in simple connection of connectors. In a radio with such a system, one connector is for electrical power, the other for speakers.
It should be noted that, as a rule, older car models are designed for wired connection. However, this does not mean at all that a connector player cannot be connected to them. To do this, it is enough to acquire a special ISO connector and mount it into the car system. At the same time, in the future, replacing the car radio will not cause difficulties.
Display and types
You can buy a radio tape recorder with one of three types of displays:
- monochrome;
- two-color;
- multicolor.
Monochrome and, in some cases, two-color displays are found in 1 DIN models, while 2 DINs are equipped with only multi-color displays. The monochrome version is considered the simplest and most affordable. On such a screen, you will see only one line on which you can see the main inscriptions and icons.
The two-color displays look much nicer, but they are also slightly more expensive. A multi-color display offers more than three colors. They are of high quality, they are necessarily present in a car radio with a navigator, on such a screen you can even watch videos, images, and more.
The backlighting of the display and buttons is of practical and aesthetic importance. Without it, it would be very inconvenient for the car driver to use the player in the dark. It is important to pay attention to its color. It is desirable that the button illumination is in harmony with the display illumination. If you choose an inexpensive but good head unit of the middle price class, then in most cases the system offers to adjust the color mode of the backlight at your discretion.
USB support
CDs are very rarely used lately as USB drives are much more convenient. It is recommended to choose a car stereo with USB, since the drives themselves take up a minimum of space, but they can hold a huge amount of information. Copying music to such a medium takes several minutes, while writing files to a CD requires much more time and effort. Even the simplest flash drive with a capacity of 2-4 GB will be more than enough to record a lot of music. In addition, if there is a USB output, you can connect other devices to the car radio, for example, a hard drive, a player, a smartphone, it all depends on what devices your radio is supporting.
Additional functions
We tried to highlight those basic and additional functions that can help improve the use of the radio in a positive way.Maybe you won't find them in budget models, but when buying more expensive devices, you should consider their availability.
Bluetooth
The Bluetooth function is intended mainly to ensure that the driver does not need to be distracted while driving on the mobile phone, because it can be used to answer calls. Bluetooth also simplifies the process of transferring data between the phone and the player. This will avoid the presence of a large number of wires in the car. Thus, you can also play music from your smartphone or tablet.
TV tuner
The TV receiver can only be present in 2 DIN car radios or in 1 DIN versions with a pull-out display. If you have a tuner, you can watch TV channels directly in the car, and not download them to a USB flash drive. A very convenient feature especially for taxi drivers who spend a lot of time waiting for orders.
GPS
The presence of the GPS function in the radio turns it into a multimedia device with a navigator. Such models are distinguished by very large displays, the diagonal of which can reach 7 inches. Choosing a car radio with a navigator, you get a player with an additional function - a full-fledged navigation system (often on a popular mobile platform, for example, Android).
Radio
Since the radio function is present in all models, regardless of cost, it is worth giving preference to car radios with good radio reception, so that instead of pure sound you do not have to deal with "crackles" and other defects emanating from the speakers. Choose a radio tape recorder, a radio receiver that is active, not passive, that is, it has an amplifier that is powered by a battery.
Which company to choose a radio tape recorder
Understanding the question of which car radio to choose from, it is worth saying that it all depends on your personal attitude towards specific manufacturers. However, there are several companies that have established themselves as worthy suppliers of car radio tape recorders: Kenwood, Sony, Pioneer, JVC, Alpine. In many ways, there are only positive reviews about all these manufacturers, so we can confidently recommend them.
Rating of the best radio tape recorders
And in conclusion, our experts present to your attention a rating of the best radio tape recorders in terms of sound quality, reliability and price, choose only the best option for yourself, the quality price of which will satisfy you.
The best 1DIN car radios
Check out our rating of the best 1din car radios, which presents quite popular models today.
- Sony CDX-G1100UE
- Prology MDD-720
- Alpine CDE-180RR
- Pioneer DEH-150MP
- JVC KD-AV31
The best 2DIN car radios
We could not ignore the rating of the best 2 din car radios, which are also very popular among car drivers.
- Pioneer SPH-DA120
- Alpine IVE-W585BT
- JVC KW-V11EE
- KENWOOD DPX-3000U
- Prology MPC-65AW
Read also our rating of the best radio tape recorders in sound quality https://intop.techinfus.com/en/reitingi/avtomobilnaya-tehnika-reitingi/rejting-avtomagnitol-po-kachestvu-zvuka.html
Conclusion
Now you know enough useful information to independently choose a car radio in the car according to the parameters and not be mistaken. The market for these devices offers consumers a huge assortment of the simplest and most "advanced" models. The choice depends on many factors, but first of all you need to decide which functions you need and which ones you can save on.
