I've always been a big fan of Pioneer car stereos. I love the control they give you over the sound, with parametric EQ and the usual sound pre-sets and genres. Even their bass boost/loudness give you the choice of what frequency to boost and how much. You really can tailor your sound to the type of speakers you have or will get. They have emphasis settings for front and rear speakers and allow you to even send certain frequencies to the front or back. Much more control than just a fader.
I am a little disappointed that they have reduced the number of buttons on the face, over the years (like all mfgrs, probably). Probably more menus to navigate in the interests of reducing costs. Too bad.
I've never had a Pioneer unit fail on me in about 30 years of using them.
I dont know much about HD radio, I listen to sat radio almost exclusively.