Multimedia Headunit, anong brand ito (with PICTURES) pls help

[drich_enriquez]

Hi,

Kamusta? I'm planning to buy car stereo na may CD/DVD (may pagka oldschool ako at naka tago pa yun mga CDs and DVDs ko), bluetooth, USB and AUX jack. Pioneer is a good choice pero mahal eh, I'm looking for multimedia stereo na mura. I'll post pictures ng stereo na gusto ko.

Ask ko lang kung anong brand ng Headunit na ito? At kung okay ba ito? Thank you and looking forward to hear your comments.

[Menganicoy]

Hi,

Kamusta? I'm planning to buy car stereo na may CD/DVD (may pagka oldschool ako at naka tago pa yun mga CDs and DVDs ko), bluetooth, USB and AUX jack. Pioneer is a good choice pero mahal eh, I'm looking for multimedia stereo na mura. I'll post pictures ng stereo na gusto ko.

Ask ko lang kung anong brand ng Headunit na ito? At kung okay ba ito? Thank you and looking forward to hear your comments.

Looks like a generic China-made 2-din.

[dr. d]

Hi,

Kamusta? I'm planning to buy car stereo na may CD/DVD (may pagka oldschool ako at naka tago pa yun mga CDs and DVDs ko), bluetooth, USB and AUX jack. Pioneer is a good choice pero mahal eh, I'm looking for multimedia stereo na mura. I'll post pictures ng stereo na gusto ko.

Ask ko lang kung anong brand ng Headunit na ito? At kung okay ba ito? Thank you and looking forward to hear your comments.

yup. looks generic chine.
and the manufacturer do not seem proud of it, either, as their company name don't seem to be prominently displayed on the front face, hence the "no name" brand.
that, to me, says something about what to expect from it.

we once installed a similar no-name brand that wasn't even on the cheaper side.
"nevair again!"
we learned our lesson. "sub-par function in a number of its phases."
save up for the name brand, po. it is worth the effort, in my view. and you will probably get less headaches from it in the future.

personally, i am an AM/FM fan. you never know when you might need AM radio in the future. them's my source of the latest news on traffic, rain and floods and such. and FM is for free music. if AM is important to you, ask if your choice has AM radio. sometimes kasi, these no-name brands have AM only on the cardboard box and nowhere else.
i also have ancient CDs that i play from time to time. heh heh.

and i like a physical mechanical switch, even if only for on and off.

lastly, try out the unit in all its phases, before having them install it onto your car. decent shops have this try-out corner, where your unit-to-be is actually wired and powered up, and you can try it in all its functions.

good luck, po.

[oj88]

Just rip your old CDs and DVDs and put them in a USB flash drive or HDD. Most 2DIN HUs with a USB port should be able to read them.

Shuffling physical optical media is something that can be more appealing in home stereos and entertainment centers, for nostalgia. Handling them will just be too cumbersome when you're also driving.

Further, no-name HUs might only have a flimsy optical drive. It might work when new but would either stop reading discs or stop loading them as they age.

[dr. d]

Further, no-name HUs might only have a flimsy optical drive. It might work when new but would either stop reading discs or stop loading them as they age.

actually, it is getting to be more and more difficult to find CD drives... in computers, in laptops, and in radios.

[oj88]

actually, it is getting to be more and more difficult to find CD drives... in computers, in laptops, and in radios.

There are still optical drives for computers.... floppy disk drives, even. Albeit, with a USB interface.

On car radios, pretty much having a USB port and/or Apple CarPlay/Android Auto replaced the need for an optical drive.

[Motortrend]

yup. looks generic chine.
and the manufacturer do not seem proud of it, either, as their company name don't seem to be prominently displayed on the front face, hence the "no name" brand.
that, to me, says something about what to expect from it.

we once installed a similar no-name brand that wasn't even on the cheaper side.
"nevair again!"
we learned our lesson. "sub-par function in a number of its phases."
save up for the name brand, po. it is worth the effort, in my view. and you will probably get less headaches from it in the future.

personally, i am an AM/FM fan. you never know when you might need AM radio in the future. them's my source of the latest news on traffic, rain and floods and such. and FM is for free music. if AM is important to you, ask if your choice has AM radio. sometimes kasi, these no-name brands have AM only on the cardboard box and nowhere else.
i also have ancient CDs that i play from time to time. heh heh.

and i like a physical mechanical switch, even if only for on and off.

lastly, try out the unit in all its phases, before having them install it onto your car. decent shops have this try-out corner, where your unit-to-be is actually wired and powered up, and you can try it in all its functions.

good luck, po.

There is something soothing when you pop in a CD and it starts to whirr.

[dr. d]

There are still optical drives for computers.... floppy disk drives, even. Albeit, with a USB interface.

yes there are. but unlike in yesteryears when they took pride in these, nowadays, usually, one has to ask for it.
in the spirit of pricing, a number of establishments do not include them up front anymore.
when i purchased a ready-built desktop a few months ago, they showed me a number of their readymade models, none of which had a cd drive.
"we can put one in, if you wish, at extra cost."

[dr. d]

There is something soothing when you pop in a CD and it starts to whirr.

and there is something disheartening, when a minute after you pop one in, the display says, "no CD". yikes! peke pala! heh heh.

[Dr.Kamiya]

There was a time when I went buying all kinds of cheap electronics too (early days of Lazada and Shopee).

Not saying there is absolutely zero hidden treasure out there, but the experience reaffirmed two pieces of old wisdom: "You get what you pay for" and "Buy once, cry once".

[oj88]

yes there are. but unlike in yesteryears when they took pride in these, nowadays, usually, one has to ask for it.
in the spirit of pricing, a number of establishments do not include them up front anymore.
when i purchased a ready-built desktop a few months ago, they showed me a number of their readymade models, none of which had a cd drive.
"we can put one in, if you wish, at extra cost."

Been there, done that. Had our first computer in the mid-80's. Built my own in the late 90's when I started working.

First CD-ROM drive we ever bought was a SoundBlaster Multimedia Kit (Sound card - SB Pro, 2x speed CD-ROM drive, stereo speakers, and a few games).... cost me and my brother over P4k at the pre-renovated Virra Mall.

Optical media had been gradually phased out since Steve Jobs decided to drop it over a decade ago. Alam mo naman, sunud-sunuran karamihan ng tech companies kay Apple. I guess he saw the writing on the wall. They also did that with floppy drives earlier.

We still have hundreds of CDs and DVDs at home na naka-tambak nalang. I also still have my Philips DVD player on my home theatre stack, just in case. I also have at least a couple of external USB CD/DVD burner drives. Haven't used them in years. If I need to boot an ISO file, like when doing bare metal OS installs, I use a USB drive that can emulate an optical disk drive (ODD), like the Zalman ZM-VE350.

BTT: The last CD-capable car radio I had was the stock radio in my 2015 Innova. The aftermarket 2DIN that replaced it supported playback from CD, DVD, SD card, USB flash drive, USB HDD, and Apple iPod, among others.... and that 2DIN was made in 2008-2009.

[Menganicoy]

yup. looks generic chine.
and the manufacturer do not seem proud of it, either, as their company name don't seem to be prominently displayed on the front face, hence the "no name" brand.
that, to me, says something about what to expect from it.

we once installed a similar no-name brand that wasn't even on the cheaper side.
"nevair again!"
we learned our lesson. "sub-par function in a number of its phases."
save up for the name brand, po. it is worth the effort, in my view. and you will probably get less headaches from it in the future.

personally, i am an AM/FM fan. you never know when you might need AM radio in the future. them's my source of the latest news on traffic, rain and floods and such. and FM is for free music. if AM is important to you, ask if your choice has AM radio. sometimes kasi, these no-name brands have AM only on the cardboard box and nowhere else.
i also have ancient CDs that i play from time to time. heh heh.

and i like a physical mechanical switch, even if only for on and off.

lastly, try out the unit in all its phases, before having them install it onto your car. decent shops have this try-out corner, where your unit-to-be is actually wired and powered up, and you can try it in all its functions.

good luck, po.

Same here. That's why I went for the Global Android head unit. It's got an AM/FM band on the radio app. And it only cost me 8k flat with free installation and reverse camera.

[Josephkmill]

Hi,

Kamusta? I'm planning to buy car stereo na may CD/DVD (may pagka oldschool ako at naka tago pa yun mga CDs and DVDs ko), bluetooth, USB and AUX jack. Pioneer is a good choice pero mahal eh, I'm looking for multimedia stereo na mura. I'll post pictures ng stereo na gusto ko.

Ask ko lang kung anong brand ng Headunit na ito? At kung okay ba ito? Thank you and looking forward to hear your comments.

Here's the reply in English:

Hi,

How are you? Your plan sounds exciting, especially with the old-school vibe of CDs and DVDs!

For your requirements, there are quite a few options available, especially if you're looking for a more budget-friendly multimedia stereo.

Regarding the brand of the head unit you're asking about, the brand name is usually printed on the front panel or at the back of the unit. If you can share a picture, it’ll be easier for us to identify it and give feedback on its quality.

For affordable but reliable options, you can check out brands like Sony, JVC, Kenwood, or even newer ones like AVT and Nakamichi. On platforms like Lazada or Shopee, you can also find multimedia head units with all-in-one features such as CD/DVD players, Bluetooth, USB, and AUX at a lower price compared to Pioneer, but they’re still functional and worth considering.

Just make sure the head unit is compatible with your car and fits the dashboard slot (single DIN or double DIN).