Rob answered my email the very next day, and now my empeg is winging its way
around the world to be fixed up (thanks Rob). Actually, it may have even landed in
England by now.

The only problem is, it's too quiet in my car now (well, apart from the
engine noise that is).

Actually, that raises another point. I basically got the install guy
to install the amp, run the wiring etc, and then when I got it home
I applied all the "sound quality" patches suggested by empeg. Initially
I had quite loud digital noise (audible whilst actually driving, if the
music was quiet). With every patch (grounding straps, power filter,
insulating tape around empeg rcas, amp gain adjustment) the noise was
reduced by between 5-15dB, I reckon. Now, I can just hear the noise if the
engine is off, there is no external audible noise, and I stick my ear
right up against the speaker. It's a pretty similar volume to the music
output when the volume is at its minimum non-zero level. I may even
increase my amp gain again, it's that quiet.

After applying all these patches, I was listening fairly critically to the sound quality for
a while. I kept on thinking that every little rattle and squeak in the
car was a failure in the latest "patch" I had applied. I'm over it now, though.

Anyway (he says, finally getting to the point) if there are people out there
with true hifi systems in their cars (my speakers are anything but), how do you
treat your vehicle for all that ambient noise? Do you just live with the
background noise, and crank the volume up?

Richard.