It’s come up again. Just this last week I was sent an email asking me what I thought was the best DVD car stereo. It’s an interesting question, but what I’m not sure about is exactly how to answer it. My first impulse would be to just answer with what I thought was the best in my opinion without thinking about things like price, brand, functions, useability and so on.
The problem I have with doing that though, is that when people ask that question, what I think they are really asking is what car stereo should I get? And if I answered without any limitations I could give them what would most appeal to me, but maybe wouldn’t serve them in what they want from their stereo system.
And that’s another thing, are they thinking about getting a whole new system? Or just the head unit? Maybe they already have a pretty good unit, but are being let down by their speakers. Would upgrading the speakers produce the result they are after? A lot of systems could definitely benefit from better speakers, and it’s normally a cheaper and more effective route than going with a new head unit.
Or maybe they’ve already sorted the speakers and now want to get a better unit to go with their nice new speakers. Of course then you have to worry about compatability, if the unit and speakers don’t work well together, then you would’ve been better off without changing anything.
And what about connecting to your phone or ipod? In an ideal world this wouldn’t be a problem, but different systems do things differently and not always for the best. In this case it’s definitely a good idea to read around for some honest reviews. Click on the link to the right for amazon and you can see what real users are saying about the stereos, and what problems, if any, they came across.
A last thought. Always consider price when looking for an upgrade. The higher priced units will usually give better sound, but can you afford to pay that much? And will your speakers work well with it, or will they be underpowered and need to be upgraded as well? This will also cost if you want the best from the system. I wouldn’t get to hung up about getting “The Best”. Most mid-range systems now give great sound, along with functionality, connectivity and so on, and unless you’re going out for a competition machine you really don’t need to spends the highest prices for equipment. A simple system is quite often the best choice and will please all but the fusiest of users.