Buy a head unit-a simple difficult choice

There are quite a lot of articles already written on the Internet about how to buy a head unit. But the majority is general information without the “grain of truth.” To replace the head unit does not become an insurmountable task, in this article we will try to explain in clear language all the nuances that need to be taken into account when buying a new head unit.

The advantages of regular tape recorders

The vast majority of regular tape recorders installed on a car by the manufacturer have rather limited functionality. Basically, their capabilities are limited to playing CDs and listening to the radio, the equalizer settings in such a tape recorder are quite scarce, and the sound quality, as a rule, leaves much to be desired. The desire or the need to install new devices such as GPS navigators, Bluetooth speakerphone, rear view camera, the driver is puzzled-where to install and connect all this? Purchasing all these devices separately is not the best idea. Additional equipment on the car dashboard simply spoils the interior and can distract the driver’s attention while driving. In addition, it is unsafe in the event of an emergency.

Exit-choose a full-time radio with the necessary functionality. Buy a head unit in Odessa, Kharkov and Kiev at 130.com.ua with delivery in Ukraine.

Modern head units plug-in-the-plug, often without any transitional frames or additional accessories, are installed instead of the factory, retaining the unique design of the car. Often, regular car stereos have such functionality as:

• built-in GPS navigation, Bluetooth;
• built-in or the ability to connect an external TV tuner;
• playback of most audio and video formats (including from CD/DVD/SD/USB media);
• support regular steering wheel control
• support for a regular onboard computer;
• Connect a rearview camera and parking sensors.

What is important to pay attention to when purchasing a head unit?

There are several significant points that need to be clarified in the process of ordering a regular car stereo.

Year and month of production of the car -an important feature, which primarily depends on the model head unit, suitable for your car. Sometimes manufacturers carry out restyling of one or another model, “refreshing” the car, and both the appearance and the electronics can change. For example, a car that was released at the beginning and at the end of the same year can be completely compatible with different tape recorders.

Real-life examples.

Regular car radios for Mazda 3 of 2007 of release (dorestaylingovy model), differ from radio tape recorders which are installed in model since 2008.

Regular recorders for the Hyundai Sonata until 2008 differ from the models of 2009 and 2010.

Mazda 3 2007	Mazda 3 New	Hyundai Sonata until 2008	Hyundai Sonata 2009

Market orientation and equipment are important features that also need to be considered. For example, in the case of the Honda Accord, different in-house radios are installed in European and American models. And for Nissan Teana, it is possible to install a head unit only for the Comfort package.

Also, some cars from the factory are equipped with Bose, Rockford Fosgate, JBL, Clarion audio systems, including a regular digital audio amplifier or a subwoofer. In this case, for correct operation, you will need to install an additional controller.

Almost all regular receivers have the ability to connect a rear view camera, and to some models and parking sensors. This greatly facilitates the process of parking and will protect the driver as much as possible in the case of reversing. When you turn on the reverse gear, the image from the rear view camera is automatically transferred to the screen of the standard car radio.

Don't want to drill the bumper under the camera? Now this is not necessary-for most modern cars you can pick up and buy a rear-view camera, which is often installed under the trunk handle or instead of the ceiling of the room backlight (the backlight is preserved). If there is no standard camera for your car, you can buy a camera in a license plate frame or a universal rear-view camera.

Some regular radio receivers, in particular, Phantom head units, can be connected to a vehicle’s pressure and temperature control system (TPMS). Sensors monitor tire pressure and temperature in real time, ensuring safety while driving, have the function of monitoring while driving, saving time and energy consumption. Information about the pressure and temperature of the four tires is displayed on the display of the head unit. In case of excess pressure or temperature, rapid or slow air leakage, the device will warn the driver with a visual alert and an audible signal. For example, the Phantom CA 2530 tire pressure monitoring system is connected to the Phantom DVM head units, and sensors transmit all the information to the head unit display via a radio channel at a frequency of 433.92 MHz. An interesting feature of these systems is that the sensors charge while the vehicle is moving!

Buying a head unit with GPS now is no problem at all-the vast majority of modern head units have this option already “on board”. You just have to make a choice of software (software) for GPS navigation . Common Navigation Software Available on the Market:

• "iGO";
• Navitel;
• Autosatellite.

The above navigation software is one of the most popular in Ukraine and Russia, it has multilingual interfaces (Russian, Ukrainian, English ...), and thanks to the fine detail of the maps, they won the trust of customers for quite some time. The choice of navigation software is purely a matter of taste for everyone, and here we will not advise anything.

Conclusion

So, all the essential points are covered-the choice is yours. We have a wide range of head units from well-known and new brands-Phantom, Kenwood, Synteco, PMS, FlyAudio, nTray, 7 TEC, ViewTech and others. You can choose and buy a radio tape recorder for Toyota, Mazda, Nissan, Volkswagen, Hyundai, Subaru, Ford, Mitsubishi, Honda, Opel, Skoda, KIA, Audi and other cars.

But what to do if there is no head unit for your car? In this case, we recommend to buy a 2DIN radio with the necessary functions. Perhaps a specific car will also need a remote control interface and a transition frame. There are now quite a lot of 2DIN car stereos on the market, which have the same functions as regular head units-GPS navigation, DVD/USB support, steering wheel control and more.

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