Josua Furagganan
CarAudio.com Newbie
Hey guys,
We ran into something interesting in the shop this week and thought it was worth sharing — especially for anyone upgrading audio in newer GM trucks.
A longtime customer brought in his 2025 Silverado along with his old Memphis amp he originally bought from us about 7 years ago. Everything wired up clean and sounded great… until he stopped at a red light.
As soon as the truck’s Start/Stop system shut the engine off, the amp powered down.
We swapped the hi-low, changed the turn-on source — still no luck. When the truck restarted, voltage dropped to around 10.5 volts and the amp cut out again.
We even called a couple of manufacturer tech lines, and they all said the same thing — older amps weren’t built for today’s Start/Stop or “smart alternator” systems. They suggested adding a capacitor or an inline battery to buffer voltage dips, but the customer decided to upgrade instead.
Once we swapped in a newer amp rated to play safely down to 9 volts, the problem completely disappeared. This actully the first time this has happened to us so it seems as if most newer amps will support the voltage drop, so if you have an older amp just be aware of this!
But if your amp ever shuts off at stoplights in a newer GM, Ford, or RAM, it’s not your wiring — it’s your voltage management system messing with your gear.
We actually wrote a full breakdown of what happened (with voltage readings, photos, and what tech support said) in our latest blog post:
Read the full story here:
breakersstereoandperformance.com
We ran into something interesting in the shop this week and thought it was worth sharing — especially for anyone upgrading audio in newer GM trucks.
A longtime customer brought in his 2025 Silverado along with his old Memphis amp he originally bought from us about 7 years ago. Everything wired up clean and sounded great… until he stopped at a red light.
As soon as the truck’s Start/Stop system shut the engine off, the amp powered down.
We swapped the hi-low, changed the turn-on source — still no luck. When the truck restarted, voltage dropped to around 10.5 volts and the amp cut out again.
We even called a couple of manufacturer tech lines, and they all said the same thing — older amps weren’t built for today’s Start/Stop or “smart alternator” systems. They suggested adding a capacitor or an inline battery to buffer voltage dips, but the customer decided to upgrade instead.
Once we swapped in a newer amp rated to play safely down to 9 volts, the problem completely disappeared. This actully the first time this has happened to us so it seems as if most newer amps will support the voltage drop, so if you have an older amp just be aware of this!
But if your amp ever shuts off at stoplights in a newer GM, Ford, or RAM, it’s not your wiring — it’s your voltage management system messing with your gear.
We actually wrote a full breakdown of what happened (with voltage readings, photos, and what tech support said) in our latest blog post:
Read the full story here:
When Start/Stop Technology Meets Car Audio: Our 2025 Silverado Amp Mystery
See how Breakers Stereo fixed a Newer silverado amp cutting out with Start/Stop. Learn why voltage drops kill amps + how to fix it for good.
breakersstereoandperformance.com
