How to choose a car radio

Choosing a radio for a car: 6 criteria

Do not pay attention to the technical characteristics of the unit. It’s better to listen to it before buying and compare it with other radios. For those who are going on a long journey in their car, they simply cannot do without a radio. The radio will easily lift your spirits with your favorite music; you can also listen to an audiobook or learn foreign languages. The presence of a car radio in your car is not only a pleasant benefit, but also an unnoticed passing of time while driving or in traffic jams. And that is why the driver needs to choose the right radio for his car. Which will not turn out to be of low quality or fake.

How to buy a radio

First, we need to choose where to buy our future gadget.

Buying a radio on the market

Some people shop at electronics markets, also known as radio markets. There are quite reasonable prices, including for used goods.

However, there are several reasons why you should avoid such purchases. The main reason is that there is a lot of illegal and stolen goods

goods, and this is already a crime.

Also in such places there is a high probability that you will not receive an “adequate” guarantee. Such places are infested with scammers (of course, not all are), so if you are a gambling person, then you can try to buy a radio on the market.

Buying a radio in a store

A good electronics store makes it easy to purchase goods. Here they will give you advice and tell you about all the features and functions of the product. You will also be able to immediately clearly see the product you are interested in.

Stores must provide a guarantee

and even (optional)
insurance
for the goods. All this action will take place in a pleasant environment.

However, we should not forget about markups on goods in electronics stores. Such markups are associated with rent of premises, staff salaries and many other factors, so this figure can range from 100% to 200%.

Buying a radio in an online store

Buying a radio in online stores is very convenient and, as a rule, the most profitable. When purchasing goods online, be sure that the markup is minimal and you are getting the best deal

purchase.

But!

It must be remembered that prices may differ significantly among virtual sellers. Therefore, you should carefully study and compare prices in various online stores.

The purchasing principle is as follows:

We choose a product.
We place an order.
We pick up the goods at the postal service or the office of the online store.
Payment is made by bank transfer or upon receipt.

The biggest and only drawback of such a purchase is that you do not see

clearly purchased product.

Head unit

In most modern foreign cars (especially economy class), an unpleasant problem is the standard radio (installed directly at the car factory). Taking into account modern requirements for multimedia systems, they are sometimes, to put it mildly, not functional enough.

Therefore, modern technologies are pushing electronic equipment manufacturers to create high-tech devices

and at the same time, suitable for specific cars (original connectors, standard places).

This direction is developing so rapidly that it is already being compared with the development of computer technology or mobile telephony.

Several times a year, new models of standard radios appear in the assortment of leading manufacturers. They have more

functionality, run on
new or improved
operating systems, and use
more powerful
processors.

All this affects the speed of programs, ease of use of the radio and increased functionality of the device.

Often manufacturers to attract customers

In addition to the standard set of options (GPS, DVD, USB, TV), their products add additional functions to the radio, such as 3G Internet, vehicle diagnostics, and intelligent parking systems.

For some European cars, a module is provided for connection to the host computer

radios. In this case, the car’s on-board computer perceives the standard radio as “native”, which allows the device to display parking sensor readings, climate control and other functions.

Android radios

Android is by far the most popular

operating system for mobile devices and this already applies to car radios.

The main advantage of devices running on Android is the huge number of all kinds of applications.

These applications are regularly updated with new developments that can turn your radio into a comprehensive entertainment center.

At the same time, such radios are distinguished by high sound quality, which true car audiophiles should not be indifferent to.

It is also an opportunity to seamlessly connect to a wireless WiFi network.

Although here, of course, it is not unimportant to always be in the coverage area.

The advantage of radio tape recorders on Android is the widespread

software, which means convenient navigation through the menu and reproduction of information in almost any format.

Now about the shortcomings that are often found on radios running Android:

Bluetooth often does not find the phone.
In order to display the necessary information on the screen, sometimes you need to try to click on it correctly.

The navigation system is often installed only with iGO software, which cannot be replaced with anything.
It is impossible to listen to music when the navigator is on.
The color rendition of the matrix and the viewing angle do not make it possible to clearly distinguish icons in bright sunshine.

USB support

CDs are used very rarely these days, as USB drives are much more convenient. It is recommended to choose a car radio with USB, since the drives themselves take up minimal space, but can hold a huge amount of information. Copying music tracks to such media takes a few minutes, while burning 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 large amount of music. In addition, if there is a USB output, you can connect other devices to the car radio, for example, a hard drive, player, smartphone, it all depends on what devices your radio supports.

1 din or 2 din radio?

If you visit a car audio store and say that you want to purchase a car radio, the seller will definitely

You will be asked: “Which radio do you need - 1 din or 2 din?” What do these abbreviations mean?

Din (Deutsches Institut für Normung)

translated from German as the German Standardization Institute. This standard was originally developed for German head units, and in 1984 it became an international standard.

The standard determines the size of the installation hole for a 1-DIN radio - 180x50 mm, 2 DIN - 180x100 mm. The planting depth does not have a standard, but, as a rule, it is 160 mm.

1din radios are made from 2

inch screens to
retractable 7
inch screens, with a variety of functions.
2din radios are usually made with 7-
inch screens, also with various functions and the ability to adjust the screen angle.
In the modern world, manufacturers have learned to equip 1din and 2din radios with completely different functions, but this does not mean that people use them all.
The most essential things that a car enthusiast needs:

High quality sound.
Reproduction of all media formats.
Reception of most radio stations.
Reading as many information media as possible (flash cards, SD cards and others).
Bluetooth.
GPS navigator system.
Connecting to video cameras on the car.
Convenient control of the car radio.
Modern, stylish design that matches the car interior.
Reasonable price.

Standard size

Modern models are divided into two main 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 videos and images, etc.). The difference between them lies in size and functionality. A type 1 DIN car radio is the most common radio that many car owners have probably had to deal with. This model is characterized by its small dimensions (as a rule, the width, height, and depth are 178x50x160 mm). It is aimed at meeting the needs of most consumers, that is, playing music files. 1 DIN can be purchased at a relatively low cost.

The type can be determined visually by the size of the radio - a model of type 2 DIN is at least twice as large (on average 180x100x160 mm) in size as 1 DIN. It can be equipped with either a touch screen or a regular display and has convenient controls. In addition to audio playback, 2 DIN can also be used as a video player, GPS navigator, display for broadcasting images from the rear camera. The cost of such models can be 3 times higher than the price of traditional players. When choosing a 2 DIN car radio, remember that it may not be suitable for your particular car model.

Many cars simply do not have the ability to install a 2 DIN player, 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 solution - you can buy a special 1 DIN type model with a retractable display.

Replacing the radio

If you decide to replace your old car radio with a new one yourself, we suggest using our practical advice.

Make sure you can handle it

If you have a car higher than economy class, then with a high probability

You have a premium audio system. Take a closer look at the radio or door panel to see if there is any logo there (for example, JBL, BOSE, Infinity, Harmon, etc.). It may also mean that your car has a premium audio system.

In this case, we strongly recommend

Don’t skimp and contact a specialist to replace your car radio.

Buy a radio

Be sure to make sure when purchasing that the future car radio will fit in size. This can be clarified with the seller and by studying the characteristics of the electronic device.

Buy extra wires

You should purchase a wiring harness and a car radio installation kit. For some brands of European cars, old Nissans (1995 - 1996 model years) and GM brands, you will need to buy an antenna adapter.

Which car radio to choose: appearance

It’s all entirely up to you.
Everyone has their own tastes, so imposing someone else’s on you would be very stupid. We can only give some very general advice. First, try to choose a radio with the front panel that is most convenient for you. All commonly used buttons and toggle switches should be labeled with intuitive symbols. Pay attention to the backlight , its color and brightness. A backlight that is not bright enough will be useless at night, and a backlight that is too bright will only be annoying.

It is worth noting that there is a kind of anti-theft protection built into many car radios - the ability to remove the front panel and take it with you. It will not be easy for a thief to understand what kind of radio tape recorder is in front of him and what its cost is when this radio tape recorder does not have a front panel, and it has now become quite difficult to remove the radio tape recorder from the socket. Quite a useful option, wouldn’t you agree?

Every experienced motorist knows that the consequences of engine overheating can be very dire.
See here photos of the fastest cars in the world.

Some radios have a small LCD color screen , while other models boast a full-fledged retractable monitor on which you can watch movies without any problems. Of course, this is a privilege only for expensive models, but a very interesting privilege. I also note that such radios are usually equipped with a TV tuner , which makes it possible to receive a television signal.

When choosing a car radio according to its parameters, it is also necessary to mention the radio receiver . The frequency range it can accept should be from 80 to 110 megahertz. Also check the additional functions of the receiver: auto search, the ability to remember channels.

The RDS function has recently appeared in modern receivers. What is this? With its help, you can receive additional information sent by radio stations: exchange rates, the name of the track currently playing, time, weather forecast, brief news and much more.

One of the rare options is an equalizer . The thing is quite interesting and useful if you are a music lover and have a desire to delve into the sound settings. If you just want to listen to music and don’t want to overpay for something you won’t use, forget about it. The factory sound settings are quite good, and manufacturers also give you the opportunity to choose between preset equalizer settings made during production.

Many people ask the question: “how to dispose of a car without documents?” And we give the answer!
Do you need a vehicle registration form? Try to find it here.

Finally, we should talk about the cost of car radios and their manufacturers . The average price for a good device from a fairly well-known manufacturer starts from one hundred twenty to one hundred thirty dollars. Show respect for yourself, do not buy something unknown, produced by a Chinese master on the edge of a rice field. Music should bring pleasure, and not cause irritation with wheezing and a complete lack of low frequencies.

So, no matter what advice we give you, the choice still remains with the buyer.

We also recommend that you familiarize yourself with the features of choosing products for cars...

How to remove the radio

Buy the necessary tools

For some European cars and some Ford brands, you will need special tools to remove the old radio. This purchase can be made at most auto parts stores.

Disconnect the terminal

Necessarily!

The negative terminal of the battery must be disconnected.

Remove the radio

Following the instructions in the installation tool kit, remove the old radio.

Remember!

Dashboard parts are very expensive, so be extremely careful not to scratch or break them when removing the radio.

Important!

You should carefully review the steps to disassemble the dashboard before you begin. After all, during disassembly, hidden screws may be installed, which, if removed incorrectly, will damage the panel. Online forums or other information publications can come to the rescue with this.

Connecting the radio

Check the wires

You need to make sure that the purchased wires fit the input of the old car radio. If the test result is positive, then you can proceed with the connection.

The wires that are in the new radio and car wires must have the same standard colors.

Next, strip the ends of the wires (only those identical to the car wires) by about 1 cm.

Combine the same colors.

Standard wire color distribution:

+Red - ignition 12W.
+Yellow - 12W battery.
-Black – Grounding.
+Blue – Power.
+ Blue/white - Remote activation.
Orange – Dimmer.
Orange/White – Dimmer.
Orange/Black – Dimmer.
+White - Front left positive.
-White/Black - Front Left Negative.
+Gray - Front right positive.
-Grey/Black - Front Right Negative.
+Green - Rear left positive.
-Green/black - Rear left negative.
+Purple - Rear right positive.
-Purple/Black - Rear Right Negative.

You may not need all the wires. In this case, it is necessary to isolate them (for example, with electrical tape), preventing them from touching other parts.

Be careful

with dimmer wire (power regulator).
If the new dimmer wire does not match the analogue on the car (for example, if the new wire is red and the old car wire is red/white), then do not connect them.
Otherwise, you may damage the car's dimmer circuit.

Install the radio frame

Place the frame into the panel and bend the hinges so that they fit securely into the slots. Correctly insert the radio into the frame. Make sure it is locked.

Install all wires

Additional functions

We tried to highlight those basic and additional functions that can help improve the use of the radio in a positive way. You may not find them in budget models, but when purchasing more expensive devices, you should take their presence into account.

Bluetooth

The Bluetooth function is intended mainly to prevent the driver from being distracted by a mobile phone while driving, because it can be used to answer calls. Bluetooth also simplifies the process of transferring data between your phone and the player. This will avoid having a large number of wires inside 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 varieties with a retractable display. If you have a tuner, you can watch TV channels right in the car, rather than downloading them to a 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. When 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 clear sound you do not have to deal with “crackling” and other defects coming from the speakers. Choose a radio receiver that is active and not passive, that is, it has an amplifier powered by a battery.

Chinese radios

We often hear bad reviews about Chinese radio manufacturers. Let's try to figure out if this is really true?

In China, manufacturers are divided into two types:

those that make very low quality products for the poor and those that are quite careful about the quality of their products.

In addition, as a trap, second manufacturers offer many additional options for minimal money.

The main problem is that there are many manufacturing companies

and it seems difficult to know in advance the quality of each product.