Well, Scott (the guy that does my installs) works at Circuit City, and i can tell you he is more knowledgeable than people i've talked to at smaller high end shops. I think it's like everything else... it depends on the person installing, not the chain or shop. I've read just as many bad stories on this BBS about small install shops not knowing what they hell they were doing as i have about chain stores, and it's silly to draw a conclusion about all chains based on a few stories of people not knowing what was up. If so i'd draw the same conclusion about small install shops. The best bet is to talk to other people who've had work done at a specific shop or by a specific person and get their take on it. I can say that i know for sure that Good Guys crimp their wires instead of soldering, and from what Scott has told me it's not standard either way at Circuit City, it pretty much depends on the Manager of the Road Shop (which is what Circuit City calls their install shops...they are actually seperate entities)...so there is that to look at. I'm sure if you ask specifically for them to solder and shrinkwrap, they'd do it, and if not walk out. Sooo...to summarize, it's been my experience that you can get a great install at a chain type store to save $, just get references and ask a ton of questions. You can usually tell with that gut feeling you get if they are trying to be slick and act like they know what they are talking about. If they don't know what a ground loop is or how to fix it, go elsewhere.


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