The “best” stereo receiver for your car isn’t necessarily the loudest or most expensive. Rather, it’s the one that best allows you to control your in-drive experience. For that reason, you may want to start the selection process by determining what you want your new receiver to do.
Do you want to play CDs, stream music wirelessly, or connect and control your phone, tablet or music player? Is satellite or HD Radio important to you? Do you want GPS capability? You could also consider rear-camera connectivity or the ability to play DVDs for your passengers.
Be sure to determine the dimensions of the dashboard opening where your new receiver will reside. If the opening is too large, installation adapters can be added to provide a snug fit. You’ll also want to identify your power needs. You want enough power to maximize your speakers, but not so much as to cause distortion. While peak power wattage is often listed, you’ll want to focus on the average power output during normal use, sometimes noted as RMS.
