Do you want factory or aftermarket? Factory systems, in general, have improved in quality and now offer a lot of different audio-system choices. Some offer branded systems from Bose, Harman-Kardon, Infinity, and other aftermarket companies that are tailored to a vehicle’s interior.
Factory systems provide an integrated look too, with lighting and controls matching the rest of the dashboard. Knobs and dials are often bigger and easier to use, and many systems come with controls on the steering wheel. And they can be covered by your new-car warranty, which can make service easier if problems happen.
But expect to pay a high price for a high-end factory system. And many don’t allow you to easily upgrade with new features or technology, or to replace the radio with a more up-to-date one.
Almost always, you will get more features for your buck with an aftermarket system, and you may be able to equip your car with premium features that just weren’t available for the model you bought.
Aftermarket buying requires more effort to shop for the right system. You can take the time to find the individual components yourself and then take them to an installer, or talk with an installer for a complete system.
Before you buy, check your cars warranty to be sure that nothing you’re planning to do will void it.
For most people, the automaker radio that comes with your car will probably be fine. If you’re looking for the best audio quality or more features, compare what you get with an automaker’s optional premium system and what you can get with an aftermarket system. If they’re the same and the factory system isn’t that much more expensive, that’s probably the best way, given that it will save you installation problems, will probably be better fit for your vehicle, and will cost less in relation to the total price of the car.
But you might find that you will get a better system for the same or less money by going aftermarket.
Do you want Satellite or HD Radio? If you want great audio quality but don’t want to have a monthly subscription fee, you might want to try HD Radio. The digital signal makes AM sound closer to FM and FM sound more like a CD. You can also explore the diverse sub channels that radio stations are broadcasting. But you may want to wait before investing in HD-Radio equipment, especially as more and cheaper gear arrives and more stations add HD Radio capability.
Anyway, if you want a much better selection of music, news, sports, and other music than you can get through local stations, satellite radio is the way to go. It’s appealing if you travel out of your region a lot and don’t want to be limited to the local radio. Sirius and XM provide musical choices that are similar, but if you like sports or celebrity DJs, check out their channel choices closely before you sign up.
If you want to choose your music for the road but don’t want to carry around a lot of CDs, look for a system that has a USB port, hard drive, or iPod/MP3-player included. With a hard drive, you don’t have to worry about lugging around and plugging in a different device, and it can store and let you sort quickly through lots of data, whether audio or picture files. But the media stays with the car; you cannot take it with you unless you download it to another device. In addition, if you already have an MP3 player or iPod, adding a hard-drive music collection and setting up new playlists could take lots of time to load.
A device that lets you plug in an iPod or MP3 player would be a good choice if you already carry your player with you most of the time and don’t feel the need to recopy your music collection. If you buy a device or aftermarket adapter with a dock, you can charge the unit while you drive. And some aftermarket systems let you handle the device with radio/and or steering -wheel-mounted controls.
You can also make an existing system accept an iPod, but this would not have a good appearance.