Best Double Din Head Unit

The Pioneer AVH-X2800BS In-Dash DVD Receiver is our best double din head unit in which the display is backlit and LED and comes with a touch screen that has WVGA resolution and measures 6.2 inches. It has a 13 band graphic equalizer to make your music sound richer and for the meticulous listener and has an audio streaming feature as well as a Bluetooth hands-free calling feature. This in-dashboard DVD receiver is also built for SiriusXM.

Top Pick: Pioneer AVH-X2800BS In-Dash DVD Receiver

Our step-up pick is the 31.5″ Pyle PLDNANDVR695 GPS Stereo Double Din and it has functionality that is tablet-style. Being great double din head unit that has a lot of features such as a DVR dash cam and a parking assist camera from the rear view backup, it comes with navigation and DVD features as well as hands-free calling . The Bluetooth capabilities are great – it comes with a USB and SD reader and supports up to 1080p resolution at full HD.

The budget pick is the Pioneer FH-X720BT 2-DIN CD Receiver which has a built-in Bluetooth functionality and comes with iOS integrated device controls. The interior of your vehicle can be smartly matched with its variable color illumination for a better personalized experience with this double din head unit and it also comes with Mixtrax and is a CD receiver.

A Little Background

A double DIN head unit is a necessity for music lovers and movie goers who own cars or vehicles and would like to have the ultimate entertainment system as well as a utility tablet-like interface to access all sorts of information while on the road. Most people purchase double DINs due to their ability to have GPS or global positioning system as well as to use them for surfing on the web even at the comfort of their car. In most cases, they often use double DINs for playing music or videos.

How We Picked

We picked the best double DIN head unit based on the following:
Is the double DIN head unit durable? Make sure it is sturdy enough and snugly fit for your car model.
What formats of media files can it play? Most will play CDs and DVDs as well as mp3 and USB files.
How is the price? Make sure that the value is worth for its features such as Bluetooth and others.
What do the reviews say about the double DIN head unit? The flaws should not be deal breakers.

Our Pick

Top Pick: Pioneer AVH-X2800BS In-Dash DVD Receiver
The Pioneer AVH-X2800BS In-Dash DVD Receiver is our best double DIN head unit in which the display is backlit and LED and comes with a touch screen that has WVGA resolution and measures 6.2 inches. The preamp voltage is 4 volts and the resistive touch screen has a display resolution of 800 x 480.

With this, the steering controls will still work even with the Pioneer double din head unit on as it has a 13 band graphic equalizer to make your music sound richer and for the meticulous listener. It also has an audio streaming feature, a very clean sound quality with almost no noise at all as well as a Bluetooth hands-free calling feature and this in-dashboard DVD receiver is also built for SiriusXM.
This double din head unit requires 1 lithium metal battery that is already included as it also includes a wireless remote for convenience. The memory card slot is for CD and DVD and the media that it can support and play are from Mp1 to Mp4 as well as AAC, WMA, AVI and WAV formats. This multimedia receiver also features AppRadio One and the installation is very simple and straightforward.
In fact, most users of the Pandora music service were overwhelmed as the interface is very friendly towards users. It is affordable for its value and for a lot of double DINs out there and it fits snugly for most vehicles depending on their sizes. It is very compatible with most iPhone models. It also has a port for a backup camera and has great Bluetooth functionality.

Furthermore, it even plays FLAC files, which are known as the highest quality of digital audio format possible and you get up to 2 methods to connect to most Android phones. In addition, you can even customize the EQ screen color to make it sleeker and more personalized.

All in all, it gives smooth DVD and CD playback. It is manufactured and distributed by Pioneer and has been highly ranked #3 in the Digital Media Receivers category of Amazon and ranked #8 in the Car Stereo Receivers category in Amazon. With a sleek black finish, this double DIN head unit weighs 3.7 lbs, has a shipping weight of 4.8 lbs and overall dimensions of 6 in x 7 in x 4 in.

Flaws but Not Dealbrakers

The only known con for the Pioneer AVH-X2800BS In-Dash DVD Receiver is the fact that it might give off a little noise when on standby and not playing anything, but this is not too much of a deal breaker to those who are not very meticulous with sound. It also does not have GPS but that’s another story and price range altogether.

Step-up Pick

Pyle PLDNANDVR695 GPS Stereo Double Din
The Pyle PLDNANDVR695 GPS Stereo Double Din has functionality that is tablet-style and is our step-up pick. This is a great double din head unit that has a lot of features such as a DVR dash cam and a parking assist camera from the rear view backup as it runs on an Android OS computer that is built-in.
It supports up to 1080p resolution at full HD and has the ability to stream via Wi-Fi and wireless. It also supports 3G WI-Fi internet and is able to generate a Wi-Fi HotSpot and it also comes with navigation and DVD features as well as hands-free calling. With Bluetooth capabilities that are great, it comes with a USB and SD reader and in addition, the touch screen display measures 7 inches.
This has the standard double DIN features like USB, memory card readers, CD and DVD player as well as a GPS navigation, making it highly-priced, compared to our first featured product where you can conveniently download apps for this double DIN head unit and surf the internet. It supports AirPlay and has a smart device mirror link feature and has up to 3 USB port connectors as well as a Wi-Fi antenna.
This unit also includes a subwoofer output as it comes with a wiring harness, power harness and mounting brackets and other extensions. The backup cam and dash cam both function very well and the GPS navigation makes use of the iGo navigation software to keep your traveling hassle-free.
With the PLDNANDVR695, you can even use Google Maps if you have Wi-Fi on board such as a pocket Wi-Fi. And also, because it is an Android OS, you can even download tons of apps from the Google Play store or surf the web as you wish, making it feel as if you are using and browsing on a tablet on a double DIN head unit.
All in all, you get a great interface, especially when it comes to using Google Maps for navigation. Other than the wiring, it is a very easy to install double din heat unit so it is hassle-free, It is most like playing with a tablet device on your car stereo and in addition, it has a built-in device storage capacity of 16 GB.
The double din PLDNANDVR695 head unit has an LCD display type. It weighs 8.8 lbs and has a shipping weight of 8.8 lbs. With overall dimensions of 10 in x 7 in x 12 in, it is under a 1 year limited warranty. It is manufactured and distributed by Pyle.

Budget Pick

Pioneer FH-X720BT 2-DIN CD Receiver
Having a built-in Bluetooth functionality, the Pioneer FH-X720BT 2-DIN CD Receiver is our budget pick which comes with iOS integrated device controls and the display type is DVD and the media playback supported is also DVD.
With this head unit, the interior of your vehicle can be smartly matched with its variable color illumination for a better personalized experience with this double din head unit and for the expansion type, it has a built-in Bluetooth, a built-in mp3 dock as well as an optional satellite radio as it also comes with Mixtrax and is a CD receiver.
The LCD display has an LED backlight that accepts 13 plus 4 character and is a multi-line and multi-segmented display and it includes a lithium metal battery to power it up and to save energy as well as it comes with a wireless remote. The item weight is 9.3 lbs and the preamp voltage is 6 volts. In addition, there is a USB port on the front as well as an AUX input.
The sound retriever is advanced and high quality and it keeps maintenance to a minimum due to its anti-dust design. It comes with a MOSFET 50 watts x 4 amplifiers and has a 5-band graphical equalizer to fine-tune your sounds. It has two sets of RCA preouts at 2 volts each for the purpose of system expansion. The graphic EQ also has a subwoofer control aside from its low-pass and high-pass filter settings and the graphical visibility and accessibility is improved because it is now 35% larger than the previous models.
You can adjust to various colors such as green, red, blue, pink, violet and others as it has a great hands-free calling ability with great clarity. With awesome radio capability that views the track information and the station details, it is very easy to use remote control. The AUX and USB ports are very functional and the unit is very affordable, very receptive and compatible with Pandora and Mixtrax. It is also applicable for USB direct control via iOS.
The App Mode lets you control what you are playing via any compatible mobile device such as an iPhone or iPod touch as it also has adjustable dim levels for day and night driving convenience. It has overall dimensions of 7 in x 7 in x 7 in. It only weighs 3 lbs with a shipping weight of 3.4 lbs. Being made in Albania, its 1 year warranty which covers the parts and it is currently ranking at #4 in the Car Stereo Receivers category of Amazon.

Best GPS Enabled Double DIN Head Unit

Pyle PLDNB78i Headunit Receiver 7-Inch Stereo
The Pyle PLDNB78i Headunit Receiver 7-Inch Stereo is manufactured and distributed by Pyle. It is highly compatible with all devices that are capable of Bluetooth, such as tablets, mp3 players, smartphones and others.
With an easy touch screen operation and control, its digital display measures 7 inches at high resolution HD. The GPS navigation system is integrated and very useful and it also has an efficient text to speech feature as well as a helpful turn-by-turn voice prompt while driving. The Bluetooth feature also allows you to stream music wirelessly and with hand-free calling that is superb due to its built-in microphone, the screen has a motorized fold-down design.
The connectors are rear AUX / RCA for input and output and the unit’s Bluetooth functionality works well for iPhone, Android and even Blackberry for various units. Its resolution in pixels is 800 x 480 and the wide screen TFT has an LCD display and the aspect ratio of the double DIN head unit is 16:9 high definition which also supports Bluetooth A2DP.
In addition, you can even connect the backup camera to allow you to see what’s behind your vehicle and there is an EQ control to customize your sound. It is very easy to install and can fit snugly depending on the vehicle you own and this double DIN head unit is also a standard CD and DVD player.
It plays high quality stereo radio and ranks #11 in the In-Dash Navigation category of Amazon. It has overall dimensions of 10 in x 7 in x 10 in , weighs 6.3 lbs and has a shipping weight of 6.3 lbs.

Best Double DIN Head Unit with a Detachable Front Panel

SOUND STORM DD889B Double-DIN 7-inch Touchscreen
Manufactured and distributed by Sound Storm Laboratories, the SOUND STORM DD889B Double-DIN 7-inch Touchscreen has a touch screen digital TFT monitor that measures 7 inches. It has a motorized touch screen feature and includes a DVD player as well as a media receiver.
With a high Bluetooth compatibility and capability, it includes a wireless remote. The front panel is designed to be detachable and there are output options for the front and sub pre amps as well as the video as it runs on up to 85 watts x 4. The built-in EQ has presets such as bass, treble, balance and fader.
This unit comes with an RDS tuner and is also available in 7 inch monitor only as well as a 6.2 inch Bluetooth enabled double DIN head unit. It has slots for AUX, SD cards, USB, AV, and a rear camera and you can easily play any audio or music from your mp3 player or smartphone.
Being highly compatible with Pandora and Spotify via wireless control, it is built so that it can pick up both US and European tuner frequencies as it has 4 channels for hooking up to 4 speakers for better and richer amplified sounds.
This is an AM/FM receiver that is able to play CD-R/RW audio and video, DVD-R/RW video as well as WMA and MP3 formats. It comes with a memory card port for SD cards and supports A2DP audio streaming. It requires a 12 volt battery and weighs 5.2 lbs with a shipping weight of 5.2 lbs.
With overall dimensions of 9 in x 10 in x 6 in, the SOUND STORM DD889B has hands-free calling feature, audio streaming via Bluetooth and comes with a 3 year warranty.

Double DIN Head Unit that has a Backup Camera

EinCar Double Din Universal In Dash
The EinCar Double Din Universal In Dash is manufactured and distributed by EinCar. Having double Din universal features such as DVD player, it has a GPS navigation system that is built-in and supports AM and FM stereo radio.
It also has support for 1080p resolutions and has a steering wheel control function. You can even store contacts with a phonebook as it has a night view backup camera and is able to support USB devices, SD cards and has Bluetooth functionality. The OS is able to support various languages other than English such as Russian, Italian and others.
The GPS processor is an ARM 11 as it has a 4 GB map card for its GPS pre-loaded map while the Bluetooth and microphone are built-in and enables hands-free. It is compatible with most devices that have Bluetooth. It has a multifunction set of features such as phonebook and AUX input control as well as a steering wheel control.
With a high quality LCD viewer that plays your video directly, it is compatible with RDS, JPEG, MP4, AVI, MP3, WAV, DVD, VCD, CD-R, CD, and other formats and has a slot for an SD card where you can play your favorite media. There is a free rear camera with a night view LED and runs on Windows CE 8.0 that runs on 800 MHz processor.
The frequency range of the AM radio is from 522 MHz to 1710 MHz while the FM has a range of 65 MHz to 108 MHz and in addition, the EQ mode has a variety of presets such as classic, pop, rock, jazz and standard. It comes with a subwoofer in which the amp runs at 45 watts x 4 and it comes with a user’s manual, a USB cable, a remote control, a rear camera, a mounting bracket, a cable set and the GPS antenna.
It weighs 6.8 lbs, has a shipping weight of 6.8 lbs, has dimensions of 10 in x 6 in x 9 in and is made in the USA. Ranking at #12 in the In-Dash Navigation category of Amazon, its warranty covers parts.

Best Motorized Display Double DIN Head Unit

Pioneer AVH-X5700BHS 7″ Double-DIN DVD Receiver
The Pioneer AVH-X5700BHS 7″ Double-DIN DVD Receiver has a motorized display and comes with Siri Eyes Free feature as it is also Bluetooth enabled which measures 7 inches.
Manufactured and distributed by Pioneer, the power output at RMS is 14 watts x 4 and for the peak, it is at 50 watts x 4 and the amplifier complies with the CEA-2006. The LCD screen has an aspect ratio of 16:9 and a resolution of 800 pixels by 480 pixels and comes with a brightness control, dimmer setting and customization controls for color and display. It also has a last angle memory and the coating of the screen makes it anti-glare. The illumination effects are powered by its Mixtrax App and the shortcuts for the home screen can be easily customized.
It comes with an easy to operate remote control and supports the following formats: Mp4, AAC, WMA, MP3, CD and CD-R/RW, DVD and DVD-R/RW. The AM and FM tuner comes with presets – 18 for the FM and 6 for the AM and the HD radio has multicasting and Artist Experience. It is easily compatible with Pandora for creating stations and comes with a graphic equalizer that is highly customizable with 13 bands which has a time alignment.
The unit comes with a rear USB input and a 3.5 mm rear AUX input and video output is composite as well as A/V input. It has a D/A converter that is 24-bit and is ready for iPod and iPhone due to its lightning cable compatibility. The level of the subwoofer is adjustable and displays the ID3 tags on mp3 files such as the title, album and artist info.
The Bluetooth technology supports A2DP audio streaming, has an AVRCP remote control at 1.5 and has a 1.6 hands-free profile. It has dimensions of 11 in x 9 in x 6 in, weighs 5.4 lbs, shipping weight of 5.4 lbs and comes with an external microphone that allows clearer hands-free phone conversations. It is compatible with almost any Bluetooth enabled phone or device.

Double DIN Head Unit with App Direct Feature

Alpine CDE-W265BT Double DIN Bluetooth In-Dash
The Alpine CDE-W265BT Double DIN Bluetooth In-Dash is manufactured and distributed by Alpine Shop. It can load CDs and mp3 / wma data CDs as it comes with a MOSFET amplifier that runs on 18 watts and complies with CEA-2006 with an RMS of 50 watts peak x 4 channels. The CD receiver comes with a built-in AM and FM tuner and gives great support for any iPhone and iPod device.
With built-in Bluetooth functions to support all Bluetooth-compatible devices, it has a variable color illumination as well as a two-line display. It comes with App Direct mode function as it weighs 5.5 lbs with dimensions of 9 in x 10 in x 10 in and it comes with a preamp output that has 6 channels at 4 volts. There is a USB input in the front and it also displays the titles for RDS. With a very useful 9-band audio equalizer, the higher RMS wattage output makes the sound clearer.
With various customization options make your vehicle very personalized, the high quality microphone feels like you are talking with a real phone close to your cheeks. The integration with Pandora is top notch and it is not too bright even at night time so it does not blind the driver.

Double DIN Head Unit that has Siri Eyes Free

Pioneer AVH-X1700S DVD Receiver 6.2″ Display
The Pioneer AVH-X1700S DVD Receiver 6.2″ Display supports Android music via MPT USB. The graphic equalizer has 13 bands for mixing your music well as it is compatible and ready for Mirror Link. The audio network mode is at 3-way at low, medium and high.
It greatly supports Pandora music service and also has a SiriusXM feature as it comes with Siri Eyes Free. This DVD receiver measures 6.2 inches and is manufactured and distributed by Pioneer. The receiver has multiple functions such as tune scan, start and iTunes tagging. You don’t need additional cables or translators to enjoy its satellite radio and the expansion calls for an optional mp3 cable.
The memory card slot is open for mp3, CD-R and DVD-R as it can support various formats such as DVD, CD, AM/FM, WAV, Mp3, JPEG, WMA, USB and AAC. The resolution of the display is 800 x 480 and uses a TFT LCD screen for displaying media and this double DIN head unit runs on a 4 volt preamp.
Being made in Thailand, it has dimensions of 10 in x 11 in x 6 in, weighs 4.5 lbs and a shipping weight of 4.9 lbs overall.

Best Double DIN Head Unit with Night Vision Camera

New Pioneer 6.2″ 2DIN Touchscreen AM/FM
The New Pioneer 6.2″ 2DIN Touchscreen AM/FM is manufactured and distributed by Pioneer with a back-up camera that attaches to the license plate. It is a Bluetooth-enabled double DIN head unit and there are 2 sets of 2 volts preamp outputs.
The amplifier complies with CEA-2006 and the touch screen LCD measures 6.2 inches. It has AM/FM capabilities and accepts DVDs, CDs, WMA and Mp3 files and comes with a night vision camera and a waterproof camera.
The super clear audio streaming and hassle-free hands-free talking similar to over the phone conversations powered by its powerful Bluetooth technology as it has an equalized with 5 bands and an adjustable subwoofer level. The resolution is at 800 x 480 at a 16:9 aspect ratio and the RMS power is at 14 watts x 4 with a peak power of 50W x 4.
The coating of the screen keeps it from glaring and there are settings for the dimmer, brightness control and color as well as the display. It is open for a 3.5 mm rear AUX input as well as a rear USB input and able to handle composite video output and a composite A/V 1 to 3.5 mm input. It can display CD text information as well as ID3 tags from mp3 to show the title, artist and album of the currently playing song or library songs.
The super low wide angle illumination makes it comfortable to use even at bright daylight as the camera is colored black. The Bluetooth works on most Bluetooth-enabled devices. It weighs 6 lbs, has shipping weight of 6.0 lbs and dimensions of 12 in x 12 in x 8.8 in.

The Competition

Double DIN head units for car stereos that did not make it to our list are not as functional and feature-packed as the ones we have listed here and they are a bit too overpriced.

Other Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What exactly is a double DIN head unit and what is it used for?
A: It is useful for car stereos and comes with a multitude of features such as mp3 player, CD player, DVD player, radio, Bluetooth functionality and GPS navigation. The DIN is a standard of measurement that works in most cars so it is well-recommended to measure your car first before purchasing a double DIN head unit.

Q: How are double DIN head units better than single DIN units?
A: According to Stack Exchange , the size and features make the double din better than the single. However, single dins are slightly cheaper than double dins.

Wrapping It Up

As a whole, the Pioneer AVH-X2800BS In-Dash DVD Receiver is our best double din head unit in terms of functionality, variety, flexibility, usefulness, features, price and sleekness.