What Should I Look For in a Headunit?

[EmpiricalApe]

I want to know what to look for in an aftermarket head unit as far as sound quality. What specs should I be looking at to determine if one HU will sound better than another. I have a 2002 Saturn L200 with a BOSS BV755B headunit and honestly it's done everything I've needed but I feel like I could definitely be getting better SQ out of a different HU. Any information is greatly appreciated, Thanks.

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[audiobaun 5,000+ posts]

Mainly Features that you would like to be honest. Quality with excellent reviews of real people usage would be another. adding an amplifier will also help clean the signals going to the speakers and help with lowering distortion as well. Kenwood/JVC make decent HUs for the money. Alpine is another good unit being produced, and Sony is making a nice comeback. Im not a fan of Pioneer any longer. There are even some nice old used units to be found on Ebay even, like Eclipse of which I prefer

 

[2023 LTZ]

If you’re going to use additional speakers like subs you’ll want to consider the number its outputs. The voltage of these outputs is a good indicator of its ability to deliver quality sound. 4 or 5 volt is above par. This seemingly small difference is big.
Adding a 4 ch amp will increase power to speakers. Many features are available. Shop around. As previously stated all those mainstream brands have good models. You get what you pay for is mostly true. A $99 boss will not be as good as a $999 alpine. The features, technology and warranties will vary widely. It’s overwhelming to determine what features you’ll appreciate most so shop, decide what appeals to you and go w that. Lots of choices, buy from a reputable seller to avoid headaches.
Amazon sells stuff that doesn’t exist in some manufacturers product lines. Meaning online sellers make available counterfeit products and bait and switch is common too.
“Oh, $100 cheaper?” Used, defective, missing parts, no box, many reasons to buy from legitimate sellers which are also on Amazon. The big ones price match each other so it really doesn’t matter as long as you’re a conscientious shopper.

 

[HardofWhoring]

Yeah preamp output voltage. 4v or 5v is a stronger signal. Some amps can't do 5v input so verify that if that's what you have.

The number of outputs if you plan on adding multiple amps.

USB inputs on the front or rear. CDs have been old tech for 20 years. Copy the music to digital, and keep em safe so they don't get damaged, and use a flash drive for your music. Makes copying and modifying your library pretty simple. Fronts plug right in, right there. Rear mounts let you run a wire and hide it if you want.

If you plan on NAV, expect to pay $1K. If no nav, then you can get everything else you need for $100 - $200.

Some head units are about 11w per channel, and some head units can do 50w per channel. Depending on your speakers, or system plans, that might power a set or even two sets of speakers, keep you from needing to buy an amp, and pays for itself right there.

Face design is something you should be aware of. Those that are entirely push button, or have a screen that needs to be touched, look sleek, but they are dam near impossible to use with gloves on, (if you work with em, wear em in the winter, or even drive with em on).

Anything that is half way decent should have a 13 band eq. Depending on your system, (amps and speaker placement), you might need time alignment. Some have a remote which makes it easier to use from outside the vehicle or if you want to give the backseat easy control of it. Most seem to have a color adjusting face which makes it easier to pick the right color if you have colorblindness, want to match something, or maybe sunglasses are hard to see one color).

My last couple have been kenwood excelons. (3) 5v output, one big easy button you turn and push for menu controls, front facing USB.

 

[HardofWhoring]

If you’re going to use additional speakers like subs you’ll want to consider the number its outputs. The voltage of these outputs is a good indicator of its ability to deliver quality sound. 4 or 5 volt is above par. This seemingly small difference is big.
Adding a 4 ch amp will increase power to speakers. Many features are available. Shop around. As previously stated all those mainstream brands have good models. You get what you pay for is mostly true. A $99 boss will not be as good as a $999 alpine. The features, technology and warranties will vary widely. It’s overwhelming to determine what features you’ll appreciate most so shop, decide what appeals to you and go w that. Lots of choices, buy from a reputable seller to avoid headaches.
Amazon sells stuff that doesn’t exist in some manufacturers product lines. Meaning online sellers make available counterfeit products and bait and switch is common too.
“Oh, $100 cheaper?” Used, defective, missing parts, no box, many reasons to buy from legitimate sellers which are also on Amazon. The big ones price match each other so it really doesn’t matter as long as you’re a conscientious shopper.

I've bought dremel cutting wheels from the Dremel store, and they were counterfeit. The label colors were just a hair off, and the discs were a hair thinner the real ones. I don't even buy stuff off there anymore unless I know I can at least return it if it's suspicious.

 

[2023 LTZ]

In this Amazon side note, I’ve been banned from reviewing for 3 yrs now allegedly mentioning bypassing Amazon and going directly to actual retailers. I’ve inquired several times and received generic responses similar to “the algorithm chose words” or “it’s not my fault and not to worry”.
They’re competitive in some ways but mainly household items or convenience items. Prior to being banished I had the status of 1000+ likes of some kind or found helpful so I certainly wasn’t bad mouthing products or the giant itself.
Over it.
eBay is known in the impala forums as having exclusively counterfeit spark plugs. I changed 90k plugs for new ones in boxes and after 8k the shop diagnosed a bad plug. $300.

Buyer beware.
Most often sonic electronics, Crutchfield, best buy or the other somewhat obscure retailers mentioned in these forums are the actual best places to buy. Customer service, help w questions on installing or features is nice to have, the algorithm will not help you.