After considerable consternation, I decided to send my Volvo original radio out to Southern Electronics to have it rebuilt. AM was OK, but the FM was not. I have read the FAQs on how to do the work, but I was overwhelmed by other things. Southern Electronics in Richmond Virginia has done Volvo radio work for me before and the results have been satisfactory, if expensive. Their promotional presentation on their web site urge rebuilding of original radio's which they say are superior to the Best Buy aftermarket types. And besides, I wished to retain the "look" of the original. $200 was a lot, I felt but I paid it and received the radio back yesterday.

Meanwhile, I had temporarily installed another CR 814 in the car, which worked fine except the front left channel was too weak to hear. Front right and both rear were fine.

When I received the newly rebuilt radio back, I was concerned that the lack of left front channel on the temporary radio would be the same on the rebuilt and it was.

This radio (as distinguished from the later model 915) has a separate amp. I've never actually seen it, but I understand it resides somewhere under the driver's side dash. So, it occurs to me that the problem could be either the coincidence that both of my CR 814 radio's have similarly defective left front channels. And it is possible the technician at Southern Electronics repaired the faulty FM, but did not consider or check for clarity on all four channels.

Or, the problem resides in the amplifier. I just do not know enough about how the audio system operates, or the effect of the amplifier to understand whether this problem could be related to this other component, which I would then have to locate, remove and send off to Southern for another fee.

It does seem logical to consider the amplifier at the root of the problem because I can hear sound from the left speakers, door and dash, but it just not "amplified" enough.

Does anyone have an idea on this one?

BTW. The radio comes out of a '94 940 wagon.

Bob Franklin