Another f**king stereo question, need a stereo EXPERT Options

[ninefourteener]

Last night I had Best Buy install some stereo equipment in my car. All of it was 100% new, and unopened, so it's highly unlikely anything was defective.

Already installed is a VERY nice Pioneer 8500 CD player

Installed a JVC 500 watt 4-channel amp. Not overly expensive, but not junk either.

Installed 4 brand new Pioneer 6.5 inch 3-way speakers in the factory holes.

In addition to my passenger door not opening from the inside, there are several other problems:

1) I can turn the volume about as loud as it was without an amp.... whether I use the volume on the amp or the stereo. Once I go above that, the stereo "shuts off" when bass hits, or.......

2) Occasionally, I'll get this rediculously loud "squelching" sound that won't go away until I turn the car off.

3) I spend $80 on a Rockford Fosgate insulated Amp wiring kit, but I still have alternator whine.

I have an appointment today to get their best technician (15 years experience) to "re-do" the entire thing... but I'd like to have a basic knowledge of what "could" be wrong. Basically, I'd like to know some good questions to ask, or solutions to recommend.

Please don't respond if you're just "guessing". If you're very familar with how this stuff works, I'd really appreciate any help you can provide. I'm not doing any work, but I don't want to just look stupid not knowing what to ask, and accepting whatever they tell me. Thanks.

Matt

[Eric_Shea]

The stereo shutting off is an ohmage issue. My Guess: They have wired your speakers in "Parallel" and have brought the ohmage down below the minimum your amp wants to see. If that's the case have them rewire them in "Series" or get an "additional" amp. Mr. Stereo Guru should be able to take an ohmage reading at the speaker cables where they attach to the amp. Make sure it matches your amplifiers specs.

The lower the ohmage the harder the amp works and the more power it puts out. The more power, the more heat it produces. Almost every modern amplifier (home or car) has an automatic protection circuit that will shut the amp down when it recognizes a heat or ohmage problem. These same amps will idle all day at a lower volume but once you get to the higher levels the amp will shut down. Basically; the amp is protecting itself.

The "squelch" sound is probably what they call "White Noise" which is basically all frequencies playing at once. This can be caused by a cable short from your "source" device (radio/CD whatever) or it can be a defective FET or op-amp in your power supply. If you've overheated the amp enough with improper ohmage then you may have damaged the output section of your power supply (the JVC). Based upong the fact that it goes away when you shut off the car then I would suspect the later.

It's a good chane the JVC was defective out of the box.