# so who fixes amps?



## pdxlawyer (Jan 5, 2011)

Sorry if this is in the wrong area. Who does? What are you chargin?


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## Hammer68 (Mar 7, 2011)

pdxlawyer said:


> Sorry if this is in the wrong area. Who does? What are you chargin?


I am also looking for someone that repair amps. I have a 700W soundstream amp that is in need of repair.


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## strakele (Mar 2, 2009)

Me three. Got a Kenwood digital amp with a channel that crackles.


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## sirvent_95 (Feb 14, 2011)

I believe ace956 on this forum is still fixing amps. You can also scan the forums to find him using his name Wade Stewart. I would try to fix for you but I try to only fix my own. That way if I don't succeed then I'm not wasting your time. Actually if you sent me an old 700W Soundstream,...i might not sent it back!


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## boogeyman (Jul 1, 2008)

Perry babin over at DIY Audio is VERY VERY good. I would contact him also


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## SB3BabyHuey (Jan 27, 2009)

How would someone get ahold of Perry babin


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## JAX (Jun 2, 2006)

I know someone who can as well.


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## win1 (Sep 27, 2008)

So does anyone know how to get in contact with Perry Babin?????


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## boogeyman (Jul 1, 2008)

Perry Babin has his Email on Basic Car Audio and Electronics.


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## [email protected] (Jun 12, 2008)

Perry is great, Zed is pretty good, DB-R I believe will fix them, I am not sure if Ace on here is just repairing old soundstream amps or if he is doing other ones also. Perry's rates are the best I have found, he is very knowledgeable.

Jax is Cecil still doing repairs or is he not because of his eye thing? Last I knew he needed to slow down due to his eye, poor guy.


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## JAX (Jun 2, 2006)

BeatsDownLow said:


> Perry is great, Zed is pretty good, DB-R I believe will fix them, I am not sure if Ace on here is just repairing old soundstream amps or if he is doing other ones also. Perry's rates are the best I have found, he is very knowledgeable.
> 
> Jax is Cecil still doing repairs or is he not because of his eye thing? Last I knew he needed to slow down due to his eye, poor guy.



I dont know. I had to give up on him cause it took him so long and I needed things done faster.

my guy is supper fast. He usually has my stuff fixed within a day unless he has to order parts.

and he is good. few of us here use him regularly. I cant say how his price is compared to others cause I havnt used many others but I am willing to bet he has save me money every time. 

I know someone on another thread said they were cheapest in USA but I am willing to bet my guy is as cheap or cheaper. 

I have forwarded many people to him. havnt heard a bad thing yet.


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## LAEGER525R (Jan 31, 2010)

JAX said:


> I know someone who can as well.


Can he fix old school SoundStream? I have a 10.2 that needs some help.


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## TrickyRicky (Apr 5, 2009)

Perry just helped me fix my amplifier. Repair cost would of being atleast 150.00, actual cost for parts .29 cents and about 30 minutes of work.


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## JAX (Jun 2, 2006)

LAEGER525R said:


> Can he fix old school SoundStream? I have a 10.2 that needs some help.


he can as long as its intact or he has schematic.  only time he ever has a problem is when parts are gone or destroyed beyond identification. you dont want to guess on values.

if you want his contact info let me know.


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## LAEGER525R (Jan 31, 2010)

JAX said:


> he can as long as its intact or he has schematic. only time he ever has a problem is when parts are gone or destroyed beyond identification. you dont want to guess on values.
> 
> if you want his contact info let me know.


I have opened it up & it looks good. I dont see or smell anything thats burnt. When I put power to it the clipping light just stays on? Please PM me the info,thanks.


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## ashunte23 (Jun 18, 2007)

Please PM me the info also!


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## Kane (Mar 3, 2009)

I could use his help as well, i have an old crossfire 602 that makes noises through the rca jacks.


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## BigGeorge (Sep 25, 2010)

I think if you go on the Sundown website there is a link to a site-place that repairs all amps. You can even buy repaired Sundowns if you like for cheap.


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## jayare2007mag (Mar 24, 2011)

BigGeorge said:


> I think if you go on the Sundown website there is a link to a site-place that repairs all amps. You can even buy repaired Sundowns if you like for cheap.


i didnt see anything on there i just looked unless u can give me a link that would be greatly appreciated


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## BigGeorge (Sep 25, 2010)

dB-r Electronics


This is the link. You may have to copy and paste it. Let me know if they can hook you up. I think you may have to click on dealers tab to find them on the sundown site.


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## sakazekillaz (Feb 3, 2011)

JAX said:


> I know someone who can as well.


Can he fix Phoenix Gold MPS-2500?
Only getting sound from one channel.


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## JAX (Jun 2, 2006)

sakazekillaz said:


> Can he fix Phoenix Gold MPS-2500?
> Only getting sound from one channel.



yep. pm me if you want contact info.


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## jrs1006 (Sep 19, 2010)

There is a wholeseller clos to my house in San Jose that repairs the.


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## Kane (Mar 3, 2009)

I got a hold of crossfire and they will fix my amp for 90.00 I think if i remember right it is a flat fee and will go through it for you. 

I doubt they mess with other brand amps though.


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## gnesterenko (Mar 17, 2011)

Any of the aforementioned names of repair guys do work on JL HD Amps? I know the RIPS makes them hard to work with, and thats after the fact that its a digital amp... My 750/1 went into perma-protect mode a few days ago and I R Sad...


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## envisionelec (Dec 14, 2005)

gnesterenko said:


> Any of the aforementioned names of repair guys do work on JL HD Amps? I know the RIPS makes them hard to work with, and thats after the fact that its a digital amp... My 750/1 went into perma-protect mode a few days ago and I R Sad...


What makes them hard to work with is their magical ability to turn to charcoal under an normal overload condition that leads to failure.

Other than that - there's nothing hard about them in capable hands.


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## gnesterenko (Mar 17, 2011)

envisionelec said:


> under an normal overload condition that leads to failure.


Could you elaborate what you mean by this?


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## envisionelec (Dec 14, 2005)

gnesterenko said:


> Could you elaborate what you mean by this?


They have a number of failure modes caused by poor design. The failures of the power supply transistors cause their drivers to burn so badly they cook the circuit board substrate into conductive carbon.

The output inductors/capacitors break off at the PCB because nobody bothered to secure them.

Water can seep into the preamp section because of the placement of the speaker terminals. Corrodes the works - more charcoal.


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## JAX (Jun 2, 2006)

envisionelec said:


> They have a number of failure modes caused by poor design. The failures of the power supply transistors cause their drivers to burn so badly they cook the circuit board substrate into conductive carbon.
> 
> The output inductors/capacitors break off at the PCB because nobody bothered to secure them.
> 
> Water can seep into the preamp section because of the placement of the speaker terminals. Corrodes the works - more charcoal.



This is the expensive JL HD line that does all this? wow.


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## gnesterenko (Mar 17, 2011)

envisionelec said:


> They have a number of failure modes caused by poor design. The failures of the power supply transistors cause their drivers to burn so badly they cook the circuit board substrate into conductive carbon.
> 
> The output inductors/capacitors break off at the PCB because nobody bothered to secure them.
> 
> Water can seep into the preamp section because of the placement of the speaker terminals. Corrodes the works - more charcoal.



Boy oh boy, you are not making me optimistic... I'll have to crack that bad boy open and look for charcoal I suppose. Worst part is - no serial sticker. There is a serial number inside that I had to get to to see if it was subject to the 750/1 recall or not (it wasn't), but either way, I don't even know if JL will take it for their out-of-warranty flat rate repair service... /sigh... never again ebay, never again. Not with this kind of stuff. Speakers? Sure. Maybe even subs. Never amps.

I guess I should start some minor trouble-shooting myself to make sure its not my wiring or anything - see if anything is obviously burned on the inside. I never really pushed it in the week that it worked - under 1/3 gain always - but one day started cutting in and out on my way home. I pull over and in front of my very eyes, went in and out of protection a few times before finally settling in permanent protect mode. Unplugged sub and RCAs - still there, so def internal...

Posting from work, so need this disclaimer:
"The views expressed here are mine and do not reflect the official opinion of my employer or the organization through which the Internet was accessed."


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## envisionelec (Dec 14, 2005)

JAX said:


> This is the expensive JL HD line that does all this? wow.



The Slash series. 500 and 1000/1

I guess I didn't notice the HD in the title. I don't know about those, in particular - too new for me to have seen one.


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## JAX (Jun 2, 2006)

envisionelec said:


> The Slash series. 500 and 1000/1
> 
> I guess I didn't notice the HD in the title. I don't know about those, in particular - too new for me to have seen one.



ok. I see a lot of non-working 500/1000 amps all the time.


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## computerjlt (Nov 29, 2010)

i feeex them.

fixed a memphis st-1500, phoenix xs4600, a kicker kx200.2 and 650.4, memphis pr400, jl 300/something etc etc.

if you're in tx and need something fixed lmk!!


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## envisionelec (Dec 14, 2005)

computerjlt said:


> i feeex them.
> 
> fixed a memphis st-1500, phoenix xs4600, a kicker kx200.2 and 650.4, memphis pr400, jl 300/something etc etc.
> 
> if you're in tx and need something fixed lmk!!


You've fixed six amplifiers? 

Wow.


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## ATOMICTECH62 (Jan 24, 2009)

Iv'e been repairing them for 20+ years.Iv'e done thousands.


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## envisionelec (Dec 14, 2005)

ATOMICTECH62 said:


> Iv'e been repairing them for 20+ years.Iv'e done thousands.


That's a few more dozen more than me. 

I started in 1992 with a Pyramid amp at age 14, then did it professionally for 7 years, then slowed way down when I 'quit' car audio to start a family. I recently added them up and came up with some 1600 repairs. That blew me away...

I resumed a couple months ago - it's like riding a bicycle. I'm focusing on the older amps (1980's to mid 1990's) that need the most TLC that others just don't - or can't - do. My customers are more important to me than the almighty dollar, so getting paid to fix 'em is always a pleasure. 

Incidentally, I _just bought_ that BCAE DVD to see what Perry had to say on the topic. It's interesting - I figured out much of the same stuff without any schematics or other guidance. The DVD was a welcome addition to my library. I don't recommend it to just anybody, though - the information provided will _not_ arm the average Joe Smith with the information to _correctly_ repair an amplifier. That takes a lot of years of experience.


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## spooney (Nov 5, 2010)

Perry Babin is simply the best and is always willing to help you out with any questions you might have. I've learned much of what I know about amp repair from him.


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## Darth SQ (Sep 17, 2010)

spooney said:


> Perry Babin is simply the best and is always willing to help you out with any questions you might have. I've learned much of what I know about amp repair from him.


He's in Louisiana right?
I have heard the very same thing.

BTW, if anyone was thinking about using dbr, they should read this DIYMA thread:

http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum...ons/113368-warning-db-r-customer-service.html

Best thread read in months.

Bret
PPI-ART COLLECTOR


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## truckerfte (Jul 30, 2010)

Arty, as fun as talking smack about that guy is, I assume he is paying to have that lil section over on caco. Not quite sure how "management" would respond to someone "attacking" a revenue stream. 

Sent from my SPH-D700 using Tapatalk


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## Darth SQ (Sep 17, 2010)

truckerfte said:


> Arty, as fun as talking smack about that guy is, I assume he is paying to have that lil section over on caco. Not quite sure how "management" would respond to someone "attacking" a revenue stream.
> 
> Sent from my SPH-D700 using Tapatalk


Sad, but true.

Bret
PPI-ART COLLECTOR


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## sandfleee (Jun 22, 2008)

JAX said:


> I dont know. I had to give up on him cause it took him so long and I needed things done faster.
> 
> my guy is supper fast. He usually has my stuff fixed within a day unless he has to order parts.
> 
> ...



The display jack on my MS-8 (like many others have experienced) came completely disconnected from the PCB board. 

I was considering repairing it myself, but would feel more comfortable if I found someone more experienced (whos realitively fast). 

Do you think your guy would be interested? Would you PM me his contact info? Thanks in advance.


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## JAX (Jun 2, 2006)

sandfleee said:


> The display jack on my MS-8 (like many others have experienced) came completely disconnected from the PCB board.
> 
> I was considering repairing it myself, but would feel more comfortable if I found someone more experienced (whos realitively fast).
> 
> Do you think your guy would be interested? Would you PM me his contact info? Thanks in advance.


I am pretty sure he can, matter of fact he said something recently about the ms8 being a pos...but he is like that. he is very picky. but he also knows these things much better than most of us. 

I will get that info for you.


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## computerjlt (Nov 29, 2010)

envisionelec said:


> You've fixed six amplifiers?
> 
> Wow.


i'm just getting started. fixed 2 more since this post

everyone's gotta start somewhere. i'm not trying to do this professionally just as a hobby. when i stumble across a better amp than one i have i'll sell mine and fix the new one and run it lol


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## envisionelec (Dec 14, 2005)

computerjlt said:


> i'm just getting started. fixed 2 more since this post
> 
> everyone's gotta start somewhere. i'm not trying to do this professionally just as a hobby. when i stumble across a better amp than one i have i'll sell mine and fix the new one and run it lol


I was being a bit facetious that day. Good job! If you're any good, you'll actually enjoy it.


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## computerjlt (Nov 29, 2010)

envisionelec said:


> I was being a bit facetious that day. Good job! If you're any good, you'll actually enjoy it.


yea I enjoy it. learning new concepts and conquering problems lol 
I'm the type that likes to learn things from the ground up so instead of replacing burnt parts i try to understand what all the parts in a system do and how they interact


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