Double Din Stereos are more desirable than the smaller single din as you will more than likely have a bigger display. This means the stereo will have more features, look better and add additional value to the car.

The best double din stereo is the Touchscreen Pioneer AVH4200NEX System with a motorized display, built-in Bluetooth and many other features.

Most aftermarket double din stereos have a elegant LED display with large buttons to control the system. OEM double din units that are not found in premium cars usually have no large display dull looking and buttons scattered everywhere.

Best Double Din Stereo For Sound Quality

Double Din Stereo	Type	Our Rating
Pioneer AVH4200NEX	Premium	4.9
Alpine ILX-107	Premium	4.9
Sony XAV-AX100	Premium	4.8
Pioneer AVH-290BT	Mid Range	4.7
Corehan Android	Mid Range	4.8
Kenwood DDX773BH	Mid Range	4.6
Jensen VX7020	Mid Range	4.6
BOSS Audio BV9362BI	Budget	4.7

Top rated aftermarket double din head units have features such as Bluetooth, USB, AUX, SD, DVD, WiFi, Touch Screen, Reversing Camera, Navigation and more. The latest double din systems are becoming mini computers located within your cars cockpit.

For car enthusiasts looking at improving their audio setup, an upgraded stereo is a requirement in order for the additional outputs. With many factory stereos, it can be very difficult to install additional speakers such as a subwoofer.

9 times out of 10 you will be listening to music in your car, which means you will be interacting with a stereo system. For this reason alone, its important that you find exactly what you want. Below is a list of the best double din stereos that include features such as navigation, reversing cameras and much more.

Pioneer AVH4200NEX 2-DIN Head Unit

The Pioneer brand are market leaders in the double din stereo category with head units available for a range of budgets. The AVH4200NEX is a high end double din stereo that includes an internal amplifier with 14 watts RMS and 50 watts x 4 channels.

For those car owners wanting Bluetooth hands-free calling without the hassle of using speakerphones, this stereo is what you want. It has Bluetooth built-in that can be used for both hands free calling that support two phones and audio streaming.

Other features include a DVD/CD receiver, NEX (network entertainment experience) that allows you connect to cloud based services via your smartphone and much more. This double din stereo also works with SiriusXM Sxv300 that will allow you to listen into traffic, weather and sports updates. A roundup of the features include:

• 7 Inch Motorized Display
• Siri Eyes Free
• Network Entertainment Experience
• Built-in iPhone Support
• Built-in Bluetooth for Hands Free & Audio Streaming
• 14 Watts RMS & 50 x 4 channels
• Spotify and AppRadio Compatibility
• DVD/CD Receiver

The only drawback that may put people off the AVH4200NEX is that it doesn’t have navigation. However, the majority of people these days stick to a smartphone application such as Waze for their navigation needs, which is much better than any pre-installed navigation.

Overall, the Pioneer AVH4200NEX is the best double din stereo for entertainment with excellent Bluetooth connectivity and features such as NEX. Pioneer is an audio brand you can rely on for build quality and plenty of documentation for peace of mind.

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Alpine ILX-107 In-Dash Double Din

Alpine are a premium audio brand and the ILX-107 is the most expensive double din stereo within this article. It is not just overpriced, the features and build quality is excellent and unlike many of the alternatives, it does have navigation with Apple Maps.

The Alpine ILX-107 double din unit is very much targeted towards the Apple products such as iPhones. Software included such as Apple CarPlay can run over wireless and is very easy to use once you start getting used to it.

Other features of the Alpine ILX-107 include:

• 50 Watts x 4 Channels with 3 Pre-Outs
• Apple CarPlay and TuneIt App
• 9 Band Parametric EQ and MediaXpander
• iDatalink in order to keep factory buttons/controls
• Steering wheel and reverse camera ready
• Apple Maps Satellite Navigation

Excluding the expensive price, as a premium double din stereo, it is a great all rounder with both the looks and features. It is one of the first double din stereos that support wireless CarPlay and it is the best double din stereo for iPhone users.

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Sony XAV-AX100 Media Receiver

Sony is one of the biggest brands in the world and their audio technology is highly reputable for being state of the art. In terms of car stereos, Sony wouldn’t be the first “go to” unit you would pick but the XAV-AX100 is highly popular and provides excellent compatibility with both Android and Apple smartphones.

The screen is 6.4 inches with responsive touch controls to use functions from the navigation, music playlists, phone calls and much more. It is also the only double din with a rotary dial, which is a very nice touch.

In terms of the specification of the Sony XAV-AX100, it includes:

• 55 x 4 Channels and Dynamic Reality Amplifier
• 6.4 Inch Display
• Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• Rear Reverse Camera Ready
• 10 Band Equalizer
• Dynamic Stage Organizer
• Bluetooth Hands-Free

The operating system is very simple and it is the best double din unit for smartphone compatibility with all the different modes. You will be paying a slight premium for the Sony brand but it is worth paying the extra.

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Pioneer AVH-290BT Double Din

With a stylish 6.2 inch LED display, the Pioneer AVH-290BT is a fully touch screen head unit with many features. The design of this particular double din stereo is in accordance to those of premium car manufacturer cars but at a tenth of the price. The stealthy sleek design is not intrusive to the cars cockpit and will compliment the majority of cars.

This is a budget Pioneer double din stereo system but the specification is still very big for such a cheap unit:

• 6.2 Inch LED Touch Screen
• 45 watt x 4 channels
• Bluetooth connectivity for Hands Free Calls and Audio Streaming
• Built in Equalizer with 5 bands
• Camera input for reversing camera
• 50 watt x 4 channels
• Siri Eyes Free
• Spotify and AppRadio compatibility
• CD, USB, AUX

The Pioneer AVH-290BT does not have satellite navigation, however using your phone and linking to the audio of this stereo is a small price to pay. Overall it is the best cheap Pioneer double din stereo for those wanting to stick with the popular brand.

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Corehan Android Double Din Stereo

The Corehan Android operated double din radio has a large 6.95 inch LCD display. The sleek design of this stereo is very similar to a tablet, which will look great in the majority of cars. The specification of the Corehan is as followed:

• Quad Core 1.6 GHz CPU
• Android 7 Nougat Operating System
• 16GB Ram
• Support 3G Dongle, WiFi and WiFi Hotspots
• Airplay for iPhone
• USB Connect for Android devices
• 1080P Video Playing and compatibility for reversing camera
• GPS Navigation
• Support Bluetooth Connectivity for Phone Calls

If you are very technical, you are able to program this double din radio to custom functions. Although, this head unit already has a wide array of functionality including a Bluetooth OBD Connection, which can reduce the need of an OBD2 Scanner.

The Corehan double din radio is able to provide support for a reversing camera and multi-functioning steering wheel buttons. If you like to watch videos within your car, this large double din unit is excellent. The 1080P LCD display with dual USB support makes watching movies in the car more enjoyable.

Overall, this Coreham unit is the best android double din stereo you can buy every feature you can expect to see already installed on the unit.

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Kenwood DDX773BH 6.95 HD

The Kenwood DDX773BH is one of the nicest looking double din stereos on the market today. The large screen with limited edges not only looks great but it is also touch screen with a sharp display. The DDX773BH by Kenwood also offers the following features:

• DVD/CD Receiver (can also play movies via USB)
• Built in iPod/iPhone Control as well as Android USB support
• Bluetooth for music streaming and hands free calls with dual phone connection
• Built in equalizer with a huge 13 different bands
• USB, A/V Inputs and 6 channel outputs for subwoofers and amplifiers

As reversing cameras are becoming more popular, the need for double din head units to support them are required. This Kenwood stereo will automatically adjust the display to the reversing camera when the reverse gear is selected.

Kenwood (who are owned by JVC) are known for providing high quality audio. The 6 channel outputs are surplus the amount needed for install a large audio upgrade with a mix of subwoofers, amplifiers and additional speakers.

The Kenwood ticks every box in terms of what a double din radio should offer. The only thing missing is GPS Sat Nav, but the ability to mirror your smartphone to the device and play the audio through the stereo is perfect.

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Jensen VX7020 Bluetooth and GPS

The Jensen VX7020 is a US made double din radio that is very popular across America and Canada. Although the display of the Jensen stereo is slightly smaller than the others, it provides more user friendly buttons on the left of the head unit. The VX8020 features the following:

• Bluetooth connectivity for hands free calling and audio streaming
• 160 watt via 40 watt x 4 channels
• Adjustable User Interface colors and backgrounds
• CD, AUX, USB and SD Card inputs
• 6VRMS RCA line output
• Support for multi functional steering wheels
• Built In Sat Nav

The Jensen VX7020 is a top double din head unit as an all rounder. There is not a lot that it cannot do and to increase your confidence of buying this head unit, Jensen offer a years warranty. Compared to premium double din head units with similar features, this VX7020 model provides excellent value for money.

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BOSS Audio BV9362BI

The car audio brand BOSS Audio targets the budget stereo category but that does not mean the head unit lacks features, this BV9362B1 model has:

• 80 watt x 4 channels with built-in equalizer
• Plays DVD, CD, USB, SD, AUX and Smartphones
• Bluetooth hands free calling and music streaming
• Video, Front, Rear and Sub Pre Amp Outputs
• 3 years warranty

The 6.2 inch touch screen monitor is fairly responsive and the user interface is fairly intuitive with clear call to action buttons. Unlike the single din unit by Boss, this model supports rear camera view which is automatic as well as support the buttons on your steering wheel.

With the Boss BV9362B1 double din radio, you are able to add up to 3 amps for additional front, rear and subwoofers channels.

As far as cheap double din head units go, it is one of the better examples and it will certainly give your vehicle a modern touch.

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Double Din Stereo Buying Guide

Upgrading your double din stereo is an easy yet effective way of increasing the value of your car. Not only that, it will completely modernize an older car that uses an older style double din unit. For example below is a 1999 double din head unit, which was top of its range back in the day.

However, comparing it to the latest models of today, there are far too many buttons and the screen is too small. That is not to mention the lack of features from smartphone compatibility and more.

Smartphone Compatibility

For the latest batch of double din stereos as shown above, having smartphone connectivity is a must. From Apple CarPlay to Android Auto, they both allow you to mirror the screen, use navigation from the smartphone and so much more.

The two main reasons car owners want this functionality is for hands-free calling and audio streaming.

Output Channels

Most OEM stereos will not have many output channels, which can make upgrading your audio system fairly difficult. Anything from powerful car subwoofers that require a specific channel for additional watts to multiple channels for your 6.5 inch car door speakers that could be on every door.

Reversing Camera Input

With the large screen that double din head units have, viewing video footage from a DVD to a camera for reversing is highly desirable. Not every stereo has this functionality but some (such as the Kenwood) automatically switches when its sense the car is backing up.

Operating System

The Android operating system is a highly desirable operating system to use for double din stereos. The reasons for the popularity is because Android has an excellent UI, familiar to a lot of people and allows tech enthusiasts to modify certain areas and download new applications.

Many include their own software, which is just as good but you will probably need a few days to get to grips with things.

Installation

There are so many people that will butcher their cars fascia in order to remove their stereos. Anything from using knives down the side of the unit to rules, this is a big mistake as its so easy to cause damage.

Your best buying a set of cheap radio removal keys that are universal (come in a large pack) that you can reuse over and over again.

Price

The average price for a double din stereo is around $250 but there are two ends to the scale. On the budget side of things, you can get excellent packages with all the features you would want. However, the length to which they will run smoothly could be debatable and loading speeds could begin to increase.

As any audio enthusiasts would tell you, audio is an expensive game to get into. Double din stereos can easily run into the thousands and that is not before you start adding speakers and subwoofers.

Using an iPad or Android Tablet as a Double Din Radio

With the latest batch of cars, the radio and GPS are starting to look more like a tablet as opposed to a radio. However, what about using a tablet such as an iPad as a double din radio? An iPad will do almost anything that the majority of the double din head units can do with the correct applications installed.

If you would rather listen to your own music via your downloaded files or Spotify, this approach is perfect. You could too also listen to the radio by linking the iPad to a 3G network and using a mobile app for the radio stations. The best way of getting around this without having to take out a new contract is to set your smartphone as its own personal router, which you can use your tablet to connect to for internet.

If you are a follower of Might Car Mods, you may have seen their excellent install of an iPad into a cars dash (shown below). If you are a keen DIY’er and have a spare tablet, its definitely something you should consider.

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