Do I pay for the Brand or quality whe I buy a stereo from a well-knonwn brand ?

In car audio, the well known brands are more expensive for a reason... they are worth it. It's not like a cheap cotton t-shirt with a hilfinger tag on it, it is built by a reputable company and competitively priced. I have seen alot of junk in my years as an installer, and I have actually installed alot of no name cd players that wouldn't even power up. Do yourself a favor and don't buy the off brands, stick with a brand you know.

Depends on what you want and how long you want it to last. Bigger brands like Sony usually have better warranties available and a more reliable system. You get what you pay for. I paid $300 for a Sony 3 years ago, and I have never had a problem with it, plus it came with 2 years replacement warranty.

In my experience while there may not be a huge difference in the sound, the Chinese stuff doesn't have the quality of the name-brand car audio. The control layout tends to be poorly designed and difficult to use, the display is harder to read, the radio tuners often perform very poorly, and they're more difficult to install in many vehicles. Owner's manuals and install manuals aren't very detailed and are sometimes poorly translated, and customer support is non-existent.

even though brands like Sony and Panasonic are cheap brands, there still better then some POS like Pyle, or Rampage. if i were you i'd step it up to a Pioneer Premier, or a Kenwood Excelon. in the long run, you'll be hella glad you did. good luck

In my opinion you pay for both the brand and quality? Depending on the label on the package. As far products from china being inferior, the truth of the matter is that alot of companies are using manufacturing plants in china because it is cheaper. Ex. Pioneer made in china designed in Japan. Planet Audio made in china designed in the US. Arc Audio made in china designed in the US. Alpine made in china designed in Japan/US. There is high quality and low products within this industry and sometimes you get what you pay for other times you don't it all depends on the quality of the product (not necessarily the label on it). As far as paying for brand, I can list a few who you really pay for the brand and not the product. Alpine Kicker JL Audio MTX Pioneer Many will argue my list but the fact is all companies are out to make a profit and if you want to make the most of your money you produce your products in china. A few companies that I know of that do not make there products in China. Bravox Audio (brazil) Genesis (UK) US AMPS (US) RE AUDIO (US) Beyma (Spain) Kenwood (speakers brazil) Nakamichi (japan) Good Luck