Car Stereos: no sound, infinity logo, infinity system

Question
Im installing an aftermarket stereo and i conected all the wires and double checked them to make sure everything was in place. The stereo is basically new and there is no sound coming out but it will turn on. would you know whats wrong? i have a 2001 mitsubishi eclipse

Answer
Hi Miguel,

Your Eclipse may be equipped with an Infinity sound system, in which case there will be a factory amplifier located under the passenger seat.  If you have the Infinity system, there are no speaker wires at the factory radio location; you'd either need to use a special harness to integrate the stock amplifier with the after-market head unit, or you'd need to bypass the factory amplifier so that all the speakers are connected directly to the head unit's outputs.  If you're keeping the stock speakers, then I'd recommend integrating the amplifier rather than bypassing it.

If you have the Infinity system, you should see the Infinity logo on the speaker grills or factory radio.  Another sign is a center dash speaker located above the radio display; this is only found in the Infinity-equipped vehicles.  

If you don't have the Infinity system, the problem might be a defective speaker or shorted speaker wire.  A problem with one speaker can cause the new head unit's internal amplifier to shut down, so you don't hear sound on any speaker.  

Hope this helps!

Brian