Dude, it is very likley that the amp has a poor connection to chassis ground...... and that is the first thing I would check given your symptoms.......
bad ground = voltage drop = hard clipping even at low volume
I took your advice and I went ahead and checked the ground. I disconnected the ground and sanded the entire area down with a belt sander. I then drilled a new hole and grounded the amp again. I started up the car and I started turning the gain. I was able to move the gain another half circle and the clip meter still never came on. It was much louder but I started to smell a strange odor so I turned it off. It appears this solved the problem I was having but I the odor I was smelling was coming from my speaker(I think, it might of been the amp). So, what would cause this odor to occur. The clip meter never came on so I don't think I was sending too much power to them( or was I?).
