so installing a car stereo is not rocket science. i know this. but:

after disconnecting, reconnecting, disconecting the new stereo a couple of times, i'm assured that my wiring is not the problem, with my fancy butt connectors and impeccable wiring aesthetic.The new stereo has power and pretty looking graphics, reads CDs fine, but there's no sound. after taking my doors apart to see if there was a short in one of the speakers, i realize that is not the problem either. So i'm really frustrated at this point becasue i'm not stupid, but for the life of me can't figure out what the problem is. So i head down to talk to the cute boys at Future Shop installations, toting my new stereo, my connections and fancy new interface to see if there's something i'm missing. These guys are so nice to me, (even though i don't pay them ever,) and they test all my bits and decide categorically that it's the actual stereo. Because even when stereos read things, and have power, they may not have functioning OUTPUT. AHHHHH.

of course i went to Korea, so it's been more than a month since xmas, and i can't return it. GAAAHHH. i'll have to ship it back to the company. BLAARRRGH