Upgrading your car is the best experience ever. When it comes to multimedia receivers – the car stereo, as others know it – you are not only choosing one of your preferences but also weighing its features, model, and size among other things. Remember, your car receiver will be your best friend while you are behind your wheel as it is the car audio system’s bull’s eye.
Image of a car multimedia receiver from www.onlinecarparts.co.uk
Now before you are thrown off-kilter, this article will give you direction to help you secure your desired receiver. Check out some of the most salient points you need to consider to ease your purchasing process.
Playback Formats
Also called the head unit, car stereo receivers use audio sources to play audio files so the best thing to do would be to choose one that supports all kinds of playback formats before staking your claim. Do you still favour CD players or have you embraced the digital media? Modern technology has availed so many types of audio sources like Bluetooth, USB, AUX, and smartphones just to name a few, at your disposal.
Look out for the MP3, AAC, FLAC, and PCM for the audio, and MPEG1,2, MPEG-4, and H.264 for the video in the seller’s manual to know if the formats are supported. It ensures the audio source has good sound quality.
Smartphone Connectivity
The biggest flex for any car owner is having a car stereo that can connect and play music from their smartphones. However, not all devices have connectivity for all phones so test and make sure yours does before making a purchase. For a safer experience on the road, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone integration enable you to access your phone from the head unit. This feature allows you to choose the music you want, send texts and make calls – all the while driving with your eyes on the road.
Satellite and Local Radio
Who doesn’t like listening to the radio while driving? Whether you are on a road trip or just driving to work in the morning, what is the best source of staying up to date if not radio? Every radio has the feature of AM/FM, but upgrading your car receiver to a digital built-in HD radio will improve your experience of using the radio.
HD radio formats allow you to play music from digital subprograms and libraries like Spotify with great quality sound and options to download the songs for later.
Power Specifications
To drive your stereo, most car radios have internal amplifiers that output the audio to your car speakers. Check out the CTA-2006 specification from the manual. The amplifier power is rated in two ways: Peak power and RMS. Peak power is the maximum amount of power that your amplifier is capable of producing while RMS power is the amount of power that the amplifier will consistently produce with regular usage.
A high RMS power amplifier is the best solution since it will allow you to play at a loud radio volume without facing any distortion.
Car Interface and Control
It is crucial to look at the physical dimensions and interface of the receiver. Would you opt for a single DIN or rather a double-DIN receiver? What ultimately leads you to the right choice to make is if you desire GPS navigation and a DVD playback format. Since GPS and DVD would require a double-DIN, the model takes a larger part of the dashboard than a single DIN.
Are you thinking of getting a new multimedia receiver for your car? Stress no more. Consider the guide in this article towards your next best car stereo.
