The Best Double Dins for Your Cars in 2018

After 30 hours of gathering crowd-sourced information and speaking with users and friends, we think Jensen VX7022 2 DIN Multimedia Receiver deserves the top spot among the 27 double dins we reviewed. Jensen VX7022 has a GPS system which allows you to access directions and maps, a feature that only a few double dins have. We also loved its above average sound quality as well as their multiple connectivity options, which is very useful if you like to play music from your smartphone. [Read more]

Did you ever wishe you can sing-along with your whole gang while you’re stuck in traffic?

Jamming with your favorite tunes while you’re stuck in traffic or if you’re simply in a long, lonely trip can be an effective way to kill boredom.

This is exactly the reason why you need a reliable double din in your car.

What is a double din? What is the difference between a double din and a single din?

Double dins, or better known as a car stereo, is just a specific name of the stereo system located at the dashboard right beside the driver that measures about 7 inches wide and 2 inches tall.

There are a bunch of double dins out there, some of which are bad while some are good.

We’re sure you don’t want to end up buying a bad product so we’ve written a buyer’s guide to help you find the best product for your needs.

Also, given the number of double dins out there, we also have a review of some of the best products to lessen your confusion on which products to buy.

The Best Double Dins in 2018

What You Need to Know Before Buying A Double Din

With the advent of technology, stereo systems can now play music and movies from smartphones and sine may even have build-in GPS system. Double dins, simply come in many different forms and features.

Below are the 5 important factors you should know before buying a Double Din.

1. Radio

This is the most basic thing you need to look into in a car stereo. Make sure that the product you’re planning to buy has a very good reception, most especially if you are a big fan of the radio.

Also, you’ll also have to take note that some double dins cannot capture AM stations.

2. Sound Quality

Your car stereo is largely used for playing music so you obviously need to pick one that has an excellent sound quality. While it may be impossible to sound test various units if you’re buying them online, reading consumer opinions and review sites (such as ours) will be of great help to you in picking the best product for yourself.​

3.​ Connectivity Features

You may want to play and choose your own music, most likely from your smartphone. Our advice is for you to look into the available connectivity options you can choose from to connect your phone or any other device with your double din. Ideally, you’d want a double din that has a Bluetooth feature, USB 2.0, TF/Micro SD slot and in some units, an HDMI port. The more the options, the easier and the more convenient it is to play music and movies.​

4. Screen/User Interface

If you’re into playing video clips and movies, pick a car stereo unit that is capable of projecting videos. Otherwise, if you’re simply satisfied with the radio or your own music, any screen or user interface can do the job.​

5. GPS-capacity

Some double dins have GPS-capacity, others don’t. If you are constantly travelling in unfamiliar places and you’d need some directions, a double-din that has GPS capacity may be more fitting for your needs.

How We Assessed and Evaluated These Products

Some double dins have GPS-capacity, others don’t. If you are constantly travelling in unfamiliar places and you’d need some directions, a double-din that has GPS capacity may be more fitting for your needs.

To trim down this list of 27 products, we designed a particular criteria to individually rate the pros and cons of each product.

You may ask, how did we exactly came up with our criteria? What are our standards for determining whether a product is good or bad?

We looked into what informed buyers are looking for in a double din by reading through the opinions of previous customers posted in online forums and the comments section of online retail stores. Also, we visited reliable sites such as CNET.com and PEIMag.com to gain more information on what makes a double din good.

In the end, we found out that a good double din must have the following qualities: 1) the sound quality must be good; 2) the radio must have a good and clear coverage; 3) there should be enough options to easily connect a smartphone to the double din; 4) screen/user interface must be able to project videos; and lastly, it must have a GPS-capacity (especially for serious travelers).

Using these qualities, we then created a simple scoring system that rates the individual products based on the qualities we mentioned above. The more a product adheres to the qualities we listed above, the higher its score. In the end, only the top five products with the highest aggregate scores were featured in our list.

Our Top Picks

The first product in our review is Pioneer AVH-290BT. As you probably know, Pioneer double dins are among the most popular in the market today because of several reasons.

Today, we’ll explore what makes it so appealing among consumers.

Pioneer AVH-290BT is an all-around multimedia car stereo that serves to provide some light entertainment while you are driving. The display is made up of 6.2" WVGA touch panel with LED backlight. We found the images to be clear and sharp, a trait we mostly attribute to the LED backlight.

Besides that, the users interface is both intuitive, easy to use, and very responsive. Not to mention that you can set-up the double din relatively easy. If you’re an old-fashioned folk having difficulty with modern technology, you won’t have to worry because you’ll be able to get by with the simplicity of this double din.

When it comes to the radio, we were happy to find out that the music quality turned out to be quite good. Furthermore, there are up to 18 FM and 6 AM radio channels you can select from.

Now let’s talk about the built-in Bluetooth. In case you are wondering what it’s for, the Bluetooth allows you to dial, accept or reject calls directly in the car stereo’s screen without the need to reach for your phone. We all know millions have died from looking at one’s phone while driving so this may be a lifesaver to you.

In addition, Pioneer AVH-290BT is also equipped with a Multimedia DVD receiver, Back-Up Camera input as well as a USB direct control for iPod/iPhone.

Speaking on the downside, we found some connectivity issue with the Bluetooth after a weeks of usage. However, we don’t think it’s a deal breaker if the function is not entirely what you are getting this product for.

The next double din we are going to review is a somewhat old-fashioned car accessory but what it offers might actually surprise you.

So here’s the deal: it does not display vivid and colored images, it cannot play video clips and the interface contains only a series of letters and numbers. It looks like something that you’d see in a car in the 90’s.

You might be wondering why we are even covering this double din. Well, that’s because it has mostly what you need in a double din.

The product we are speaking of is the Kenwood DPX500BT Double DIN. It is made by a car electronics, radio communication systems and audio equipment specialist company named Kenwood.

The double din can perform most of the essential functions you need such as radio streaming and music playing. Also, you’ll get to enjoy a built-in Bluetooth hands-free functionality, pretty much similar to that of the Pioneer AVH-290BT.

The product packs with a wireless remote control that lets you easily control the volume levels, switch to different music library and select your favourite songs with the numeric access keys.

Furthermore, if you prefer to play music from a flash drive, you can simply insert it in the stereo’s USB port and it’ll automatically play the songs. We tried a few music in our testing and the quality turned out to be reasonably okay despite their unsophisticated-looking screen panel. Indeed, one cannot judge a double din by its cover.

One good point about the panel is that it is very intuitive, primarily because of the big buttons and clear labelling. You will find yourself navigating the interface without breaking a sweat. Speaking of customization, there are 20-preset colours you can choose to match this double din’s display to the colour of your car’s interior.

If you’re an Apple user, Kenwood DPX500BT’s has a good news for you. Users of iPhone and iPod can easily use USB connectivity to connect your Apple device to this stereo, making it a breeze to search for playlist, artist, album, song, genres or composer.

On another note, there are a few downsides you need to take note of. For starters, the Bluetooth can disconnects quite frequently in the middle of a call, which can be extremely irritating. Also, you’ll notice that the charging rate using its USB port is extremely slow. However, given what it already offers, this double din is still a great product in spite of these minor glitches.​

You want to get a double din for your car, preferably the type that has a GPS-system. However, your budget is extremely limited.

You may think the idea that there exists an affordable double din with a GPS-system is wishful thinking. It isn’t.

It is true that most GPS-enabled double dins are expensive. Moreover, finding a cheap yet GPS-enabled double din will be a hard thing to do. The good news is that we’ve found a budget-friendly car stereo that also has a reliable GPS – the Power Acoustik PDN 626B Double Din.

Although it is cheap, the GPS feature of this product is still surprisingly reliable. You can find maps or receive directions, pretty much how most GPS systems work in other double dins. On the downside, you may experience some instances where the GPS signal goes out or is weak. Nevertheless, still in most cases, it works just fine.

Now, let’s talk about the sound quality and the music player. We generally find this product’s sound quality as satisfactory, although not as good as other high-end products. As a music player, you can easily play your favorite tunes in this double din by simply connecting your smartphone to this product using Bluetooth or a USB cord. So far everything’s just typical but given the price, it’s unreasonable to expect anything extraordinary from it.

When it comes to the screen, you’ll find it responsive and clear enough. We’ve tried playing a few HD movies in it and so far, the video display is decent. If you also happen to take a look at the home screen, you will notice that the icons are extra large so you can conveniently push the buttons, most especially if you have large hands.

Over all, as a budget-friendly double din, we find it useful and entertaining enough. Given its price, we think it’s a great value considering the features it offers.

Completing our list is the E-WOR Double Din, a car stereo we recommend for those who are in an extremely tight budget.

This product does not have a GPS feature but it is a decent entertainment add-on in your car.

We’ll start this review by discussing the department where this product is strongest at - entertainment. As a device for entertainment, we were impressed by the 7-inch, 1080p touch screen of this double din. It is certainly more than what we expected with its price. With this screen, you can enjoy watching HD movies.

On the other hand, playing music is also made more accessible by this double din. The greatest issue when it comes to double dins is how capable they are in playing music from smartphones, flash drives or memory cards. Luckily, you can easily play your music from your smartphone, memory card or your flash drive because this product is also equipped with a lot of connectivity options which you can use to connect your device - USB 2.0 port. SD/TF card slot and Bluetooth.

The only thing we did not like with this device as a music player is it’s absence of a song search option. This means that, if you would like to play a specific song, you’ll have to click next non-stop until you locate the song that you intend to play. A search option would have made things faster and easier.

Also another valuable feature worth discussing it it’s ability to make hands-free calls. You can make quality, audible calls without holding your phone in your hands while driving. As long as you connect your phone and the double din via Bluetooth, the connection is usually reliable. However, sometimes, there may be interruptions in the signal of the voice calls, but this is something common in most double dins.

Also another valuable feature worth discussing it it’s ability to make hands-free calls. You can make quality, audible calls without holding your phone in your hands while driving. As long as you connect your phone and the double din via Bluetooth, the connection is usually reliable. However, sometimes, there may be interruptions in the signal of the voice calls, but this is something common in most double dins.

Finally, the radio. Reception is pretty nice and it can play up to 18 FM stations but no AM stations.

For those who are looking for a basic and functional double din that has ample entertainment features, this product will make the cut. With this double din, you can play music, stream the radio and watch videos. It’s that simple.

Our Recommendations:

Editor's Pick: Jensen VX7022 2 DIN Multimedia Receiver

Topping off our list of double dins is the Jensen VX7022 2 DIN Multimedia Receiver. This product has a considerable edge over other units when it comes to the over-all connectivity features, sound quality and the GPS-capacity it offers. If you are into modern technology, you’ll be able to choose a bunch of options to connect your smartphone or any other gadget to this car stereo. Most especially, we were impressed with the addition of HDMI connectivity, which allows you to replicate your phone’s screen directly into this product’s touch screen. Most importantly, the GPS-capacity, an option which you would rarely find in other models, adds extra practicality to the value of this product by letting you have access to directions and maps in instances where you’re not familiar to the place you’re navigating.

Runners Up: Pioneer AVH-290BT Multimedia DVD Receiver & E-WOR Double Din Stereo

Just a notch away from the top spot is the Pioneer AVH-290BT Multimedia DVD Receiver. As an entertainment system, we certainly find this product a competitive one. You’ll enjoy its above average sound quality. There’s also a roster of connectivity options you can choose from to connect your smartphone to play music or movies. The radio also works just fine as you can choose over 18 FM and 6 AM stations. However, the apparent absence of GPS-capacity is certainly something you’d wish it had.

Our last spot for the honourable mentions goes to the E-WOR Double Din Stereo. This product is our best pick in our list for those who are looking for low-end car stereos. It does not have a GPS but you can certainly make full use of its connectivity features and its decent sound quality. You can connect almost any device with this double din via Bluetooth, USB 2.0, TF card slot and among other means. For a low budget, you can access the basic amenities that a reliable car stereo offers in the market.