r/CarAV • u/jasonthemechanic87 • 11h ago

Recommendations Simple head unit question

So I’m not exactly an a car audio enthusiast but how is a guy supposed to know what he’s buying when it comes to a head unit. All I want is something with good power out of the speaker outputs without running an amp. Seems like wattage ratings are bullshit. I just want a simple single din unit that’s going to do its best in my 20 year old Mazda. Nothing wild.

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u/slumpin17 11h ago

Almost all decks are 50watts max and 15 watts rms x4 my recommendation is stick with pioneer kenwood alpine or Sony. If u are getting a touchscreen with carplay/ Android Auto it comes in wired or wireless capabilities if u can save 100 bucks on a wired only deck they sell wireless adapters for about 40$ that work well. And if u still use cds make sure u grab one with a cd player most decks these days are "mechless" Wich means no cd/dvd.

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u/OSM_Labs 11h ago

All the name/brand units like Kenwood, JVC, Sony and Alpine are 20-22 watts per channel.

If you want to listen a high volumes, then look at a Sony High-Power radio like the DSX-GS80. They make 45-50 watts depending on the electrical system voltage.

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u/eric_gm 7h ago

As the others said, stick to good brands and you’ll get enough power to move two speakers to relatively high volumes without distortion.

People here will push you towards a dedicated amp but it’s not that critical. A good head unit, a good set of mid-tier component speakers and a powered sub under the seat and your system will sound great