well, turns out the HU was defective. A little troubleshooting with Crutchfield, and a new one is on it's way. Turns out the the voltage coming off the HU for the subwoofer pre-out was not high enough. Brownie points for Crutchfield since I purchased the HU scratch and dent, I figured I would only get a credit for the same amount, but they are sending a new HU of the same model, the Alpine 9827. I would say that even though they are not the ceapest always, the customer service is commendable. Maybe I should hold off the compliments until I get the new HU hooked up and working though.