Looking for the best cheap double din car stereo ? You’ve come to the right place.
One of the downsides of upgrading your car stereo system is the big money sink that goes into the head unit – if you really want to get a good one, you have to shell out some serious bucks. However, there really are great products in every price range.
If you’re a budget-minded shopper and don’t want to splurge on the most expensive double din stereo out there, you don’t need to feel left out. We’ve done the research so you don’t have to, and we’ve figured out a few models that make up the best cheap double din car stereo of 2016.With any luck, you’ll find something that meets your needs and fits within your budget.
If we missed a cheap double head unit you love, let us know in the comments!
Reviews of the 5 Best Cheap Double DIN Head Units
1. Pioneer FH-X820BS Review
This is one of the best selling double DIN stereo on the market. This thing is beautiful and budget-friendly. At around $120, it’s not outrageous – and if you’re on the lookout for a cheap double din head unit that doesn’t break that bank, the FH-X820BS could be a great buy. It’s one of the best double din stereo at this price point.
The FH-X820BS is a full-featured double DIN stereo that’s impressive in design and functionality. It features an LCD display with over 210,000 variable color choices and adjustable brightness levels. With that in mind, you can adjust its look to better match your car’s dashboard, your mood, or your style. Pioneer likes to brag about its patented, exclusive MIXTRAX feature, which basically turns your receiver’s display into a multi-color display that’s synchronized with your tunes. This translates to a club-like atmosphere and DJ-style audio transitions from track to track.
Additionally, it’s Bluetooth ready. Pair it with your smartphone and enjoy the convenience of hands-free calling and wireless music streaming. Freeing up your hands and letting you keep your eyes on the road. The FH-X820BS also supports “dual phone pairing” and “Guest Mode”. Dual Bluetooth feature allows two phones to automatically connect, make and receive calls and stream music from both phones when they’re within Bluetooth range. Guest mode on the other hand, is a great feature for a family vehicle with multiple drivers or a driver with multiple Bluetooth enabled devices because it allows users to pair and delete devices easily without a lengthy pairing or deletion process.
The FH-X820BS has an amazing sounding EQ plus a 3 way variable Loudness and a multi-level Bass Boost.It’s equipped with five-band EQ and seven preset curves so you can better finetune your music to match your musical taste. Furthermore, the three pairs of RCA preamp outputs on the backside let you build a rocking system with external amps and subwoofers.
The FH-X820BS is simple – it’s practically simplicity personified. The head unit design is bare-bones, but not to a fault; Its buttons, functions and menus are easy to navigate although a brightly lit day will wash out the readability – at least to some extent.All in all, this is a truly great cheap double din stereo for the price.All things considered.
Pioneer FH-X820BS Features
- CD receiver with AM/FM tuner
- Fits double-DIN (4″-tall) dash openings
- Built-in MOSFET amplifier (14 watts RMS CEA-2006/50 peak x 4 channels)
- Built-in Bluetooth with dual phone pairing for hands-free calling and audio streaming
- MIXTRAX & Variable color illumination
- Pandora control through iPhone and Android
- Remote control
- 5-band equalizer & 7 preset tone settings
- Siri Eyes Compatible
2. Kenwood DPX-501BT Review
The Kenwood DPX501BT double DIN stereo is going to be the cheapest pick of the lot by far. It gets the job done for around $112. It’s one of the best double DIN head units at this price point. The Kenwood DPX501BT is designed with ease of use in mind. Its audio controls are well designed and well laid out. It features Big buttons and a relatively oversized volume knob, ensuring easy access to all receiver functions.
The Kenwood DPX501BT is smartphone friendly. It’s Pandora® and iHeartRadio® compatible. It’s also Bluetooth ready, so you can pair it up with any Bluetooth device and enjoy hands-free calling and wireless audio streaming. If you’re an Iphone user, you’ll also get voice control over Siri.
Apart from AM/FM tuner, CD player, USB port and front aux input, the DPX501BT is also SiriusXM Ready. Simply add SiriusXM tuner to this double DIN stereo, and enjoy listening to commercial-free music, sports, exclusive talk and entertainment, and more !
The DPX501BT comes with 3-band equalizer and Eight EQ presets so you can adjust the sound in your vehicle to match your needs. It also comes with three sets of preamp outputs to expand your stereo sound system with a powerful amplifier or a powered subwoofer.
If I had to pick some criticisms for it, I’d have to say that the LCD display can be a bit hard to read during sunny or brightly lit days.It’s just too dim to see in daylight even when on its brightest setting. Additionally, the build quality and finish could be significantly better. With all that mind, we believe that the Kenwood DPX501BT is still a good deal for the price. It’s one of the best double DIN stereo that you can get for under $150.
Kenwood DPX-501BT Features
- CD receiver with AM/FM tuner
- 13-digit variable-color display
- Built-in Bluetooth for hands-free calling and audio streaming
- Pandora and iHeartRadio compatibility
- 3-band parametric equalizer with 8 preset EQ curves
- Subwoofer level controls
- High and low-pass filter controls & Bass Boost and loudness controls
- Built-in MOSFET amplifier (22 watts RMS/50 peak x 4 channels)
- Inputs : front panel auxiliary and USB inputs
- Outputs : 6-channel preamp outputs
3. Pyle PLDN74BT Review
Pyle PLDN74BT is one of the cheapest double DIN stereos on the market that comes with a 7-Inch touch screen and packs in a decent feature set. It comes with built-in Bluetooth and microphone for hands-free calling and wireless music streaming.
We believe that the Pyle PLDN74BT is a great deal for the price. I mean less than $150? That’s a major bargain.
Here’s a rundown of pros and cons of Pyle PLDN74BT
Pros :
- Great Price for all the included options.
- Built-in mic
- Built-in Bluetooth for wireless music streaming and hands-free calling convenience.
- Rear-view camera for extra visibility.
- Excellent video quality on DVDs
- Very responsive touch screen
- Bright, anti-glare display.
- Car brand custom on startup screen.
Cons :
- It has only two backgrounds to choose from.
- Resolution could be higher
- No auto-dim at night.
- Cheap quality IR remote.
- Some users have reported that it Keeps terrible time (loses about a minute per day).
4. Pioneer AVH-270BT Review
Going back to the Pioneer school of double DIN stereos, this is one of their best double DIN stereos under $200 (AVH Series of double DIN receivers seems to be more popular and well-liked).
If you want something a little more futuristic and bold in look, the AVH270BT is that cool. It is a slightly more expensive, slightly more sophisticated head unit of all those we reviewed so far. It features a 6.2″ responsive touchscreen display with three selectable illumination colors and blue key color. It’s also Bluetooth ready, so once you’ve paired your phone to the receiver, you’ll be able to wirelessly stream music, podcasts and Internet radio stations.
Pioneer AVH270BT comes with all the typical audio sources including CD/DVD playback, an aux input, iPod® and iPhone® control via USB. Additionally, you can enjoy watching DVDs when the parking brake is engaged. It also features Dual-Zone capability which allows you to listen to your music collection in the front, while your passengers enjoy their favorite movies on the rear seat screens.
The Pioneer AVH270BT can make a huge difference in terms of sound quality. The AVH-270BT rocks out with a powerful MOSFET amplifier,and gives you a versatile 5-band equalizer to tame the acoustics in your vehicle and to fine-tune your music to better suit your musical tastes. If you’re looking for a little more punch and bass, connect an amp or powered sub to the two sets of preamp outputs and kick things up a notch.
Pioneer AVH-270BT Features
- DVD/CD receiver with internal amp (14 watts RMS CEA-2006/50 peak x 4 channels)
- 6.2″ touchscreen display
- Built-in Bluetooth for hands-free calling and audio streaming
- Fits double-DIN dash openings
- Remote control
- 5-band graphic equalizer with 7 preset EQ curves
- High- and low-pass filters
- inputs: rear A/V input, rear USB input, rear-view camera input
5. Kenwood DDX-372BT Review
This is what you can get if you’re willing to invest a bit of money. This is a double DIN head unit made by Kenwood, a company known well for their high-end products. Of course, the first thing you’ll notice is the design. This thing features a futuristic design and looks like a Lexus.
The Kenwood DDX372BT double DIN stereo is going to be the most expensive pick of the lot by far. If you have read some of our reviews of Kenwood DDX Series stereos, you will know why. You truly get a solid experience with these double DIN head units. The DDX372BT packs in even more features and entertainment options than most double DIN head units we reviewed so far, which account for a lot of the cost. At around $220, the price isn’t anything to sneeze at, but this is a very well-engineered double DIN head unit.
Kenwood DDX-372BT features a 6.2″ touchscreen with variable color button illumination, Bluetooth, back up camera hook-up, AM/FM, CD/DVD player, Pandora, etc. It also gives you voice control with compatible Siri-equipped iPhones. And despite all its features, the user interface is pretty intuitive and user-friendly. It’s just quick to jump into the menu to adjust audio settings, connect a new device, make a phone call, browse phone contacts or dial a number. And that’s one of the things they love the most about DDX series of double DIN head units. To put it plainly, there’s a lot to get distracted by on this head unit. So, bear in mind to keep your eyes on the road.
When it comes to sound quality, the DDX-372BT delivers fantastic music even with factory speakers. It has eight preset EQ settings (rock, powerful, jazz, clear, etc.), a user configurable EQ, as well as 5-band equalizer. That said, you can customize the sound to better match your taste.
Kenwood DDX-372BT Features
- CD/DVD receiver & AM/FM tuner
- 6.2″ touchscreen with variable color button illumination
- Fits double-DIN dash openings
- Built-in Bluetooth for hands-free calling and audio streaming
- 5-band equalizer with eight preset EQ settings
- Inputs : rear USB input, rear A/V input, rear aux input, rear-view camera input
- Outputs : rear A/V output, 6-channel preamp outputs