Aftermarket radios manufactured by leading brands such as Alpine, Blaupunkt, Clarion, Kenwood, Panasonic, Pioneer and Sony offer superb sound quality and sound clarity when added even to the most basic speaker system. This will especially be evident at low volumes as the extra power will produce a more refined sound.

But should this be a decisive factor in your aftermarket radio buying decision?

If you just intend to have a modest setup and do not ever intend to play your music loud (Maybe you listen to jazz music only), then getting an aftermarket radio that cranks out lots of power is a good decision. Hopefully, it will give you all the power you need. If you also do not feel really comfortable with having too many units in your setup, go for this option.

However, if you are a hip hop fan or belong to any of those genres that love playing it really loud with all the vibes, then no matter how much power your aftermarket radio cranks up, you’ll still need a dedicated amplifier or amps to realize your music desires (Can you imagine powering your subs otherwise?)

Nothing can give better power than a dedicated amplifier. And it’s not all about volume. Plug a good amplifier between your wonderful radio and speakers and you’ll hear a huge difference.

The advantages of aftermarket radios don't stop at superior power output(In fact power is one of the least, as far as I am concerned). With aftermarket radios you have improved FM reception, far better design, greater security and easy expansion of your system if you wish to integrate other equipment such as CD, MP3 or MD changers and amplifiers, etc. Add to this the savings when buying additional (add-on) equipment and you will see the benefits.

Anyone who has every traveled a long distance with children in a vehicle knows the benefits of an auto DVD player. These handy devices can make a possible nightmare on the road into an enjoyable ride that can last for hours without a major meltdown from the backseat passengers. There are some great options in auto DVD players.

You might think that such a valuable piece of technology would cost a bundle but you can find an auto DVD player at a really reasonable price. I was thrilled to discover this very fact when I was shopping for a way to keep the kids entertained on long trips. I have twin toddlers and they can wreak havoc on a long trip.

Unfortunately, toddlers are not so thrilled about great landscapes. The twins were absolutely miserable during the entire drive and it was difficult to console them even when we made pit stops. Basically, without an auto DVD player to keep the little ones occupied, we had nothing but tears and screams drilling us from the back seats.

I learned about the difficulty of traveling with two toddlers on a long trip after a horrendous summer vacation. We had a long distance to cover but I really thought that the large family van would be spacious enough to house the four of us and I really believed that entertainment would be provided by the scenery.

By the time we reached the vacation destination all four of us were exhausted. Unfortunately, the first day was engulfed in the nasty travel experience. Even though we only spent six hours in the car, it felt like we had spent an entire week in there. The rest of the day was spent trying to unwind from the awful travel experience.