Hi im after some help coz driving w/o music is no fun. Just done a sterio system upgrade to my car using mid-high end sony xplod components ie 6x9s in the rear, xm4s amp, 6.5s in the doors new head unit and new wiring. My question is this: when i turn my car sterio on, It will run for about 20-30 secs before the sound stops, as in just cuts out, tho all the system is powered. any thoughts/ideas? cheers gareth

Congratulations on your new audio system. I will give you 4 scenarios: 1st. From your head unit, use the Fader to separate the front speakers from the back. (only front speakers playing) now using the balance separate the left from the right so only one speaker is playing. If the sound becomes more bass filled then you have a phasing problems which could cause cut out (protection) issues. Do the same for the back speakers, BOTTOM LINE: make sure that your connections from amplifier to speakers are all correctly connected where they should be.You will know that your speakers are correctly connected when the bass is richer while both speakers are playing as opposed to more bass when only one is playing. 2nd. Your head unit RCA output is of a certain voltage (V) [signal strength]. (1.2V, 2V, 4V, 5V) Lets say that your head unit has a 4V output, To match this up with your amplifier you must adjust the gain control on your amplifier to be at the 4V position. If your voltage output does not match your input voltage and the signal in result that is being sent is too high for the settings on the amplifier, you will over voltage your amplifier making it distort then heat up and most likely start cutting out to protect it self. this could also potentialy damage your speakers. 3rd. Check that the speaker cables are not shorting on metal anywhere, that includes the speaker terminals not touching the frame of the location that they have been installed. 4th. The cable size you are using is not adequate for the power needs of your amp. hope this helps. dreamsystems