# Soundstream Amplifier Repair



## ace956

SOUNDSTREAM REPAIRS:
Hello, my name is Wade Stewart. I am the engineer that designed and manufactured all Soundstream amplifiers and crossovers from 1981 through 1997. all REFERENCE and CLASS A’S. I am semi-retired now and am intrested in repairing all 'old skool' products. I will answer any questions you might have about those products, like I saw a posting where the gentleman wanted to know if there was any real difference between the REF500S and the REF700S. Yes, the 500s had 5 pairs of transistors per channel and the 700s had 7 pairs of transistors per channel. Like I was saying if you have any Soundstream amps you want fixed just contact me. I have 3 flat rates depending on the power of the model.

Contact me at: [email protected]


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## tinctorus

What about other brands of amps??? cause I have an Xtant 2140c that took a dump on me awhile back, I THINK it is just a bad power supply but dont know 100%

Or is there a way you could tell me how to check and what to check for to make sure that it is indeed the power supply??


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## lucas569

you sir are a legend! 

how about some background on the design goals of the amps for the given time??? were they truly overrated and what are your thoughts now on the direction SS has gone?


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## ace956

tinctorus said:


> What about other brands of amps??? cause I have an Xtant 2140c that took a dump on me awhile back, I THINK it is just a bad power supply but dont know 100%
> 
> Or is there a way you could tell me how to check and what to check for to make sure that it is indeed the power supply??


Hello Digg,
I have never worked on an XTANTamplifier, but most car audio amplifier design is pretty similar. If you wish to pay for the shipping I will give it a try. I have repaired several brands of amps before. I was wondering how much power and number of channels does this amp have?


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## sqhhr

I have a d,artagnan that's had a bad noise in the number 2 channel since new. I bought it as new old stock. The noise seems to be ground related, but is gradually getting worse and bleeding over to other channels. I'd like to get repaired for a back up. Pm with how much and I'll get back to you.


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## tinctorus

It is a 2 channel amp

70 x 2 @ 4 ohms
140 x 2 @ 2 ohms


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## chinaonnitrous1

I have an old PA series Eclipse amplifier that just wont power on. 

Actually I have 2.

Both suffering.


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## ace956

sqhhr said:


> I have a d,artagnan that's had a bad noise in the number 2 channel since new. I bought it as new old stock. The noise seems to be ground related, but is gradually getting worse and bleeding over to other channels. I'd like to get repaired for a back up. Pm with how much and I'll get back to you.


SQHHR,
I did not design that amp, it was designed by another engineer after Soundstream took over there own manufacturing. I am going to talk with people I knew at Soundstream to get some info about it. Chances are I can repair your amp. I am guessing you have some sort of filtering problem, but I just won't knw until I look at it. My flat rate for an amp of that powr is $110.00, that includes return freight.


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## ampaholic

WoW am I glad to come across this thread and it is an honor to chat with you sir, and thank you for your involvement here.

I am putting together a SQ system with a Ref 604 driving 4 Boston component satellites (4ohm per chan)and a Ref 200S driving 4 JBL eights (2ohm per chan).

They are both happy and purring right now but life happens.

Apparently you designed those two - what are your thought on them - if I might ask?

Do you think the S and/or SX References are "lesser" amps than those without a suffix?


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## ace956

ampaholic said:


> WoW am I glad to come across this thread and it is an honor to chat with you sir, and thank you for your involvement here.
> 
> I am putting together a SQ system with a Ref 604 driving 4 Boston component satellites (4ohm per chan)and a Ref 200S driving 4 JBL eights (2ohm per chan).
> 
> They are both happy and purring right now but life happens.
> 
> Apparently you designed those two - what are your thought on them - if I might ask?
> 
> Do you think the S and/or SX References are "lesser" amps than those without a suffix?


Ampaholic
Thank you and I’m glad to chat with you too. It sounds like you have a great system. As far as the suffix S or whatever I am sorry to have to tell you those were marketing decisions and had nothing to do with the quality of the product. I designed the amplifiers sequentially with new ideas and technology introduced as I came up with them. I can say that as time went on new features and ideologies were added to the amplifiers. They never existed until I actually thought of them. My goal was to always introduce products of the highest quality,
And the most musical sounding that I could. I used Darlington pair transistors with both the driver and output in the same case, I found the physical contact between the two gave the product a more tube like warmer sound. If you ever have any problems or want to know anything else, I’ll be here.


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## ptannjr

Good to know. I get people from time to time that still want to repair these amps. I have to ask, what was up with the continum. That big amp seemed to fail all the time. Same with the Ref604. When i worked at safari Audio back in 1996 it seemed i would have 4 amps on the shelf and i would have to go through all 4 to get one that would work. I will say when they worked i loved em.


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## bkjay

HI Wade. not sure the year they came out but did you design the first Rubicon's,if yes how do they stack up to the ref. amps. Thanks


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## ace956

ptannjr said:


> Good to know. I get people from time to time that still want to repair these amps. I have to ask, what was up with the continum. That big amp seemed to fail all the time. Same with the Ref604. When i worked at safari Audio back in 1996 it seemed i would have 4 amps on the shelf and i would have to go through all 4 to get one that would work. I will say when they worked i loved em.


PTANNJR,
Yes I am here if anybody needs any information or repair work. As far as the CONTINUUM and the 604 I usually got direct feedback from Soundstreams repair department. they would produce sheets monthly showing repairs by model and any reacurring problems. If we noticed any re-accuring problems I would ake a few of them to the lab and go through them focussing on the problem at hand. Those amps never turned up as problimatic. There may be some wierd grounding problem with them and other people installed them differently. Thanks for the info. Its a little late to help you now. LOL


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## ace956

lucas569 said:


> you sir are a legend!
> 
> how about some background on the design goals of the amps for the given time??? were they truly overrated and what are your thoughts now on the direction SS has gone?


Lucas596,
I’m not quite sure I’m a legend, but thanks anyway. I don’t know how much detail you want about the history, but here’s how it goes. In 1981 I owned Stewart Electronics and I designed and manufactured Professional Audio Equipment. In fact in 1994 we won a TEC award from the Audio Engineering Society for one of our power amplifiers, an award only given a few time in the history of the AES. 
I was approached by Soundstream to manufacture there amplifiers, originally designed by Nelson Pass. After those initial amps I started designing all of their amps and crossovers. All of the amplifiers used Darlington pairs as output transistors, driver and output transistors in the same case. They are physically connected together, this makes the amplifiers sound much warmer. Years earlier I designed a line of guitar amps using Darlington’s and guitarists were constantly mistaking them for tube amps because of there warmth. The next series of REFERENCE and CLASS A’s we added the Thermal Roll Back and a few other new features but they still only drove 4 & 2 ohms. 
Then I noticed that other companies were offering hi-voltage and hi-current models. So I designed the next rev’s with a hi-power / hi-current switch. This allowed them to drive 4/2 ohms in hi-voltage and 2/1 ohms in hi-current. I realized at that time that Car Audio guy’s needed to drive lots of subs that’s when I started designing amp that would, and actually did, drive loads as low as1/8th ohm per channel, ¼ ohm bridged. Basically I designed the amplifier section to withstand all that the power supply could deliver, that way the supply would sag but the amp wouldn’t blow, and YES every amplifier that left my factory met power specs and then some. Products built after 1997 I’m not sure about.
As far as the amps not designed or built by me from 1998 on, I thought it was the kiss of death for Soundstream. All new amps would only drive 4 & 2 ohms. Making them just a me-too product in a market full of me-too products. Actually I recently approached the new Soundstream company with ideas about resurrecting some of the older designs and introducing new technology, but they don’t seem to be interested. Maybe some other company may be interested in my ideas. 
I hope this is enough info, if there is anything else you want to know just ask. I’ll be here.


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## ace956

bkjay,
The rubicon amps were the first amps not designed by me. I have never actually tested or listened to one of them. The biggest difference between them and the reference series I quess would be the fact that they would only drive 4 or 2 ohms and the reference at the time would drive down to 1/8th ohm. They still used Darlington's like the reference series which was a good thing, but they were a different model transistor.
Sorry, but that's all I know about any other differences. Anything else you want to know just let me know
Wade


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## bkjay

ace956 said:


> bkjay,
> The rubicon amps were the first amps not designed by me. I have never actually tested or listened to one of them. The biggest difference between them and the reference series I quess would be the fact that they would only drive 4 or 2 ohms and the reference at the time would drive down to 1/8th ohm. They still used Darlington's like the reference series which was a good thing, but they were a different model transistor.
> Sorry, but that's all I know about any other differences. Anything else you want to know just let me know
> Wade


Thanks for your input. That sucks I guess I got the first of the me too amps lol!.They can do 1 ohm mono and 2 ohm stereo from what the specs say, but for how long is another thing lol! I get your point though. Thanks for your Time.


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## bkjay

Actually I recently approached the new Soundstream company with ideas about resurrecting some of the older designs and introducing new technology, but they don’t seem to be interested 

Crazy question, could you take a old amp and bring it back to life with new technology? I now the price to do this might not make sense but you never no.If you can get a one of a kind amp made by the master that would be cool as hell!


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## dave_damage

I have a Rubicon 1002 that has been in 1ohm Stereo every day since I got it in 1998. I prefer the Rubicons to the Reference amps. in today's market, who needs a High current amp? and one that goes down to 1/8ohm? To Wade, I take it your meeting with Don did not go over well?


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## bkjay

Yea back in the day I had my rube. 702 running at 1 and a half ohm's for one summer, got too hot for liking. I was running two w6's,to tell the truth it sounded better when I ran it at 6 ohms.


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## thayerjc

Wade I have a reference 1000sx and havn't used it in a few years but If I remember right I could only get it to run in full pass and ended up using an external crossover in order to get it to push my woofers. Is that something you could fix?


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## ace956

bkjay said:


> Thanks for your input. That sucks I guess I got the first of the me too amps lol!.They can do 1 ohm mono and 2 ohm stereo from what the specs say, but for how long is another thing lol! I get your point though. Thanks for your Time.


bkjay,
I am not exactly sure about the loads that the rubicon could run I was told bby people that worked there that they would only drive 4 & 2 ohms. Well I am sorry but I just checked online and it saya that the Rubicon CLASS A 5.2 & 10.2 could drive 1/2 ohm bridged. I will have to talk to the people I ot the info from. Once again I'm sorry.


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## bkjay

NO problem at all. No need to apologize.


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## ampaholic

Hey Wade (and others) - I am soooo stoked  cause I just scored a USA 305 - a modest 5 channel with and American flag design silk-screened onto the board!

Does anyone have any info about these amps - I have a pdf of the owners manual - but some inside scoop would be cool.

I would really dig ideas about how to mount with a plexi bottom to show off that board.:laugh:


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## lucas569

well it sure is nice to have ya on board! This place is has alot of very passionate and smart members! 

Alot of us still cling tight to the "old skool" hardware too! Stick around i know youll enjoy your stay here....


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## ace956

ampaholic said:


> Hey Wade (and others) - I am soooo stoked  cause I just scored a USA 305 - a modest 5 channel with and American flag design silk-screened onto the board!
> 
> Does anyone have any info about these amps - I have a pdf of the owners manual - but some inside scoop would be cool.
> 
> I would really dig ideas about how to mount with a plexi bottom to show off that board.:laugh:


ampaholic, All I can tell you about the USA305 is they were very reliable, they were basicall the same design as the reference amps just not quite as beefy. I think I may have access to a schematic for the amp. If there is anything specific yould like to know just ask.


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## Silver & Black

ace956 said:


> SOUNDSTREAM REPAIRS:
> Hello, my name is Wade Stewart. I am the engineer that designed and manufactured all Soundstream amplifiers and crossovers from 1981 through 1997. all REFERENCE and CLASS A’S. I am semi-retired now and am intrested in repairing all 'old skool' products. I will answer any questions you might have about those products, like I saw a posting where the gentleman wanted to know if there was any real difference between the REF500S and the REF700S. Yes, the 500s had 5 pairs of transistors per channel and the 700s had 7 pairs of transistors per channel. Like I was saying if you have any Soundstream amps you want fixed just contact me. I have 3 flat rates depending on the power of the model.
> 
> Contact me at: [email protected]


Do you fix JL audio amps. I have a 500/1 that turns on but once you turn up the volume it cuts off and on.


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## wes007parks

i have a refrence 705s and the first channel has or seems to me has dc current going out the speaker outputs(the speaker midbass stuck out and stayed there) so this a major fix?anyway i left email and pm with my contact info thanx.


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## ace956

dave_damage said:


> I have a Rubicon 1002 that has been in 1ohm Stereo every day since I got it in 1998. I prefer the Rubicons to the Reference amps. in today's market, who needs a High current amp? and one that goes down to 1/8ohm? To Wade, I take it your meeting with Don did not go over well?


dave damage, the soundstream reference series were likew Class H amplifiers in reverse. they operated at hp mode until loaded, then they were capable of putting out max power at any load 1 ohm or below. atahis was done to be able to drive more speakers. Typical each driver you add you get an increase of 3dB. Los of drivers meant more SPL.


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## Notloudenuf

Did you design the DaVinci?

How did they decide to build some over the top gold plated piece of art to go in a car?

Do you have any insight into the original Human Reign amps?

Thanks for being up here. I hope you don't mind my interrogation.


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## ampaholic

ampaholic said:


> I would really dig ideas about how to mount with a plexi bottom to show off that board.:laugh:


An installer friend of mine was talking about some old skool Phoenix Gold amps that were designed (?) so they could be installed upside down with a plexi "bottom" on top.

Would this be a bad idea with the USA305 ?


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## turbo5upra

Notloudenuf said:


> Did you design the DaVinci?
> 
> How did they decide to build some over the top gold plated piece of art to go in a car?
> 
> Do you have any insight into the original Human Reign amps?
> 
> Thanks for being up here. I hope you don't mind my interrogation.


Davinci was in the rubicon days.... just before sellout. 

I have a continuum that could use some freshing up before I sell it if the current person who is showing interest does not want it. Pm me a price if you could/would.


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## dapert

I just happened to be searching for a way to get a few classic reference series amps fixed and come across this topic. Does it get any better than being able to send them in to the creator?


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## ace956

dapert said:


> I just happened to be searching for a way to get a few classic reference series amps fixed and come across this topic. Does it get any better than being able to send them in to the creator?


notloudenuf, yes there is something better, bringing my prodogy back to life. LOL What models do you need fixed.


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## lucas569

crap wish you were around a few months ago when i had a ref 300 and another 4ch ss to get repaired  

what was up with the ref 500? that amp was a beast! i ran 4x 10" jl audio subs and it never broke a sweat!


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## ace956

lucas596, i'm glad you like my stuff. my two main goals in design were sound quality and dependability. instead of designing the amp first then designing the rest of the amplifier. I design the power supply first with in limits. then I design the amplifier section to withstand everything the power supply can deliver and then some. anyway i'm sorry i wasn't araound earlier but in the future i'll be here.


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## chad

ace956 said:


> Lucas596,
> I’m not quite sure I’m a legend, but thanks anyway. I don’t know how much detail you want about the history, but here’s how it goes. In 1981 I owned Stewart Electronics and I designed and manufactured Professional Audio Equipment. In fact in 1994 we won a TEC award from the Audio Engineering Society for one of our power amplifiers, an award only given a few time in the history of the AES.


I have racks upon racks of World's at work.


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## ace956

thayerjc said:


> Wade I have a reference 1000sx and havn't used it in a few years but If I remember right I could only get it to run in full pass and ended up using an external crossover in order to get it to push my woofers. Is that something you could fix?


thayerjc, That was a great amp, one of the last I designed for soundstream, it was designed to drive any load from 0 to infinity. LOL. Iam sure I can fix your problem but how much would it be worth to you? I charge a fee of $150.00 to repair any amp from 501 wats or more. The %150.00 includes return freight.


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## ace956

lucas569, so you have stewart world series amps where you work. First question is where do you work and how have they performed for you? also what is your job i'm kinda interested in what you do.


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## ace956

turbo5upra said:


> Davinci was in the rubicon days.... just before sellout.
> 
> I have a continuum that could use some freshing up before I sell it if the current person who is showing interest does not want it. Pm me a price if you could/would.


turbo5upra, I designed the davinci as well as the continuum for that other person that posted to your question. Actually the davinci was so complicated and versatile that I thought of it as a work of art. So when designing the front panel I decided it just had to be Gold. yeah i remember working on that one, we couldnt think of anything else to put on it, LOL.


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## ace956

ampaholic, i have an idea about the plastic cover. you will need to make a u shaped cover that covers the bottom then folds down at the ends and screw it to the heat sink where the screws that held the cover on were. make to L shaped metal brackets with two holes where the heat sink screws are and two holes on the short piece of the brackets. now you are going to mount the lexi cover and the mounting brackets to the heat sink. get longer screws put them first thru the cover then thru the brackets to hold both to the heat sink. the L bracket should be made with a space 1 1/2" from the top of the heat sink to the surface of the mounting brackets. I know this sounds a little complicated but it's actually pretty simple. if you don't understand anything or have any questions you can message me here or contact me directly at: [email protected]. if i get some time i will try to make a sketch of it buyt im not sure how i can send it except by email.


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## ace956

turbo5upra said:


> Davinci was in the rubicon days.... just before sellout.
> 
> I have a continuum that could use some freshing up before I sell it if the current person who is showing interest does not want it. Pm me a price if you could/would.


turbo5upra, I have been digging arund and found out that the first rubicons were copies of amps i designed for soundstream just before they took over there own design and manufacturing.


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## chad

ace956 said:


> lucas569, so you have stewart world series amps where you work. First question is where do you work and how have they performed for you? also what is your job I'm kinda interested in what you do.


Nope but I do 

I work at the University Of Illinois School of Music. I'm the electronics engineer on staff, I perform all the repairs on our AV equipment, install and design our AV builds and am in charge of 9 recording studios spread over 6 buildings within our facility. I have also been known to carry a hammer, dolly, and do building ops as I know all the dark corners  If you ever find your self in Central Illinois, especially when school is not in session look me up, I'll give you the nickel tour for 2 cents.

The Dealer was C.V. Lloyde Music Center.

They have performed well, we use them in our multichannel rooms for our experimental music program. I have 12 spread across 3 studios, 6 in one of our auditoriums and another 10 in portable racks.

We purchased then because at that time they were the only fanless game in town that made decent power, ambient noise is VERY important to the person who was specing them.

We have only seen one failure over the years and I must say, when they go, they go in a spectacular manner  Although repair/replacement was fast and trouble free.


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## Notloudenuf

ace956 said:


> I designed the davinci as well as the continuum for that other person that posted to your question. Actually the davinci was so complicated and versatile that I thought of it as a work of art. So when designing the front panel I decided it just had to be Gold. yeah i remember working on that one, we couldnt think of anything else to put on it, LOL.


That is some amp. Did Soundstream approach you to build this type of amp or was this a "pet" project? 

I don't understand how something like this piece comes along. Did they see a need in the market for a piece like this? Was it more of a statement piece (i.e. the Phoenix Gold $299,000 amp)?


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## Silver & Black

Silver & Black said:


> Do you fix JL audio amps. I have a 500/1 that turns on but once you turn up the volume it cuts off and on.


Still wondering?


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## chad

Silver & Black said:


> Still wondering?


Although I'm not trying to take money from the man... But you are aware of JL's flat rate repair policy correct?


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## ace956

chad, you must have world 1.2's. Thats pretty cool talking to a car audio guy and finding out he is into pro audio too.


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## wes007parks

pm me your shipping and paypal info,also whats the normal turnaround time? a few weeks?


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## chad

ace956 said:


> chad, you must have world 1.2's. Thats pretty cool talking to a car audio guy and finding out he is into pro audio too.


1.2's and 600's.

Pro audio is into me, really fell into it after school and drown  I was doing extensive live sound work before settling down and working for the man. 

I always knew there was some relation between stewart and soundstream, it's great to put that puzzle piece on the table.


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## ace956

Dnotloudenuf, 
as per your quest, no I didn't design the human reign. sorry if it's good maybe i would have wanted to, LOL


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## ace956

chad
i am replying to what i think was your question. i don't know anymore, im getting so many messages with people that have more than one name. oh well if it was your question, no i don't know about jl's flat rate. is this the same jl that sell speakers? who is the man your not trying to take money from??!!! if you can make this any more confusing i got to see that!


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## chad

ace956 said:


> chad
> i am replying to what i think was your question. i don't know anymore, im getting so many messages with people that have more than one name. oh well if it was your question, no i don't know about jl's flat rate. is this the same jl that sell speakers? who is the man your not trying to take money from??!!! if you can make this any more confusing i got to see that!


Someone was asking you if you repaired JL amps, at which point I asked them if they knew about JL's flat rate repair policy but commented that I did not want to remove money from your hands in the process. 

KNOWING full well that the title of the thread is SOUNDSTREAM amplifier repair


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## bkjay

Hey Wade off topic. Can you explain the use of capacitors in amp designs. Some amps have tons of them and some have only a few. Mainly I'm talking output and P/S caps. Also voltage and temp. specs. how important are they.
Thanks 
Jay.


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## ace956

chad,
thanks for the loyalty and thanks for clearing that up for me, i was geting sort of confused. LOL .


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## Silver & Black

ace956 said:


> chad
> i am replying to what i think was your question. i don't know anymore, im getting so many messages with people that have more than one name. oh well if it was your question, no i don't know about jl's flat rate. is this the same jl that sell speakers? who is the man your not trying to take money from??!!! if you can make this any more confusing i got to see that!


Chad,

I didn't know about their flat rate. I visited their website and they recommended me taking the amp to a authorized shop which in turn will send it out to them (JL Audio) to get fixed. When all was said and done I ended up spending about 360.00 to fix an amp that I can buy brand new for around 400. Oh and yes I know I got ripped off and am dealing with the shop right now since the amp itself was still not fixed when I got it back.

And I do know that the subject says Soundstream Repair but he did note that he may know how to fix other amps. So my question is would you be able to fix a JL 500/1 and if you could how much. Thanks.


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## chad

PM msmith here, he can direct you thru the right channels so you don't have to deal with the middleman.


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## ace956

Silver & Black said:


> Chad,
> 
> I didn't know about their flat rate. I visited their website and they recommended me taking the amp to a authorized shop which in turn will send it out to them (JL Audio) to get fixed. When all was said and done I ended up spending about 360.00 to fix an amp that I can buy brand new for around 400. Oh and yes I know I got ripped off and am dealing with the shop right now since the amp itself was still not fixed when I got it back.
> 
> And I do know that the subject says Soundstream Repair but he did note that he may know how to fix other amps. So my question is would you be able to fix a JL 500/1 and if you could how much. Thanks.


chad,
i'm sorry to hear about your problem with your amp. $360.00, i cant even imagine what they could do to an amp for $360.00. my flat rate for what i'm guessing is a 500 watt amplifier is $130.00 and that includes return freight. i have never fixed a jl amp before but i'm sure i can do it. if you want to try me just send the amp with a check for $130.00 I wont deposit the check until the amp is ready to ship back to you. if you decide to send it just let me know here or by email to: [email protected]. my address is 8513 elm ave, orangevale, ca. 95662


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## Johnny Caspar

I love this fourm for so many different reasons.

Just pulled out my Ref 405 out of the closet and it looks great.
I think I will have it bench tested at speakerlab and see if its ok, seems funny I almost want it to have a problem now, lol.

Soundstream Reference 405

Dear Sir, ( Wade )
Whats the best case set up for getting the most out of the sub outlet of this amp?
One 4ohm DVC sub in a 2 ohm load or ??????????

Im trying to stick to one 10" or 12" inch sub in a smaller box and it would be very helpful to know how many watts this amp can produce in all its different configurations. 

Every person I ask says something different so I am pretty confused.

Thanks in advance for your insight.





JC


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## turbo5upra

It's 405.... your almost sure to have issues  great amps, I just think I've seen 2 that haven't had issues.



Johnny Caspar said:


> I love this fourm for so many different reasons.
> 
> Just pulled out my Ref 405 out of the closet and it looks great.
> I think I will have it bench tested at speakerlab and see if its ok, seems funny I almost want it to have a problem now, lol.
> 
> Soundstream Reference 405
> 
> Dear Sir, ( Wade )
> Whats the best case set up for getting the most out of the sub outlet of this amp?
> One 4ohm DVC sub in a 2 ohm load or ??????????
> 
> Im trying to stick to one 10" or 12" inch sub in a smaller box and it would be very helpful to know how many watts this amp can produce in all its different configurations.
> 
> Every person I ask says something different so I am pretty confused.
> 
> Thanks in advance for your insight.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> JC


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## ace956

turbo5upra said:


> It's 405.... your almost sure to have issues  great amps, I just think I've seen 2 that haven't had issues.


Johnny Caspar.
Actually I like the thought of my amps working forever never needing any repairs. as far as getting the most power out of the sub amp. It will put out 200 watts @ 2 ohms and 240 watts @ 1 or 1/2 ohm, negligable. as far as the box for the speakers there is a design that Bose used in there professional sound cannons but they also use a version of it in there home stereo known as the acoustic labyrinth. I’m not guarantee how well it will work. I have wanted to try it myself but never got around to it.
Get a tube about the same diameter as the driver you are using. The longer the tube you can fit in your vehicle the better. Make a cut 1/3rd of the length of the tube, mount the driver between the two pieces of tube 1/3rd on one end and 2/3rds on the other, that’s it. This design cancels the phase shift between front and back of driver putting the two outputs in sync. If you decide to try this I would appreciate contacting me and let me know how it worked out.


----------



## chinaonnitrous1

Mr Ace...

You are somewhat local to me, as I'm in San Francisco so if you would have time and wouldn't mind taking a stab at servicing a different brand amplifier, I'd like to send you something...as shipping won't be much for us.

I have 2 dead Eclipse amplifiers, both from the same issue, that they will not power on. One is significantly larger than the other, so I'd like to start with the small one first.


















I belive the smaller one I have is a 2x150. Could you take a stab at it?


----------



## vwguy383

Wasn't the S/SX versions just a dumbed down version of the original Ref. series? Thats what I had heard, because there were a lot of people who didn't know how to configure all of the switches on the back. So then they would blow them. From what I know the S/SX versions had less switches and more automatic switching inside the amp from high power to high current. Is that right Mr. wade? That is what I was told by one of your former employees.:laugh:

Thanks
Justind


----------



## jmerick

Wade,

You should create a new amp company! I know this board would support you. I actually work for the powder coating company that coated and screened all your amplifiers. I still have 2 ref 604 amps that you gave me back around 96-97.


----------



## vwguy383

How do you silkscreen on such a narrow area? I took screen printing in high school and did T-shrits and stickers. but that stuff was all flat. I have got a rubicon 555 that needs the silkscreening done and wonder how it was done.

Thanks
Justind


P.S. Start you own company agian and I know people will buy.


----------



## Maglite

Wade,

I used to run a Reference 500 and two 300's back in 95 when I competed. fantastic amps.

My DD has had a Granite 180.6 for the past 16 years.

interested in what you think of the new reference amps?


----------



## electrafixion

Hi Wade,

I'm sure glad you posted here. I'm a long time old school Soundsteam fan. Ironically I've been in the process of selling off my collection of vintage car audio amps. Just last night I was trying to decide if I should keep my favorites of all time: two D100II's and one D200II. Were these amplifiers your work or that of Mr. Pass? 

Given the age of these units, would it make sense to replace the capacitors in these units? 

Thanks in advance,

Trevor


----------



## monkeyboy

Wade, I have a Reference 1000s that I bought a while back. I am using it to power the midbasses in my truck. The left channel pops in and out, and the volume drops, but only when I am running it with the Balance Line Transmitter. If I run RCA's directly to my amp, and flip the switch to unbalanced, it goes away. The problem is either in the BLT, or the balanced section of the amp. Can you fix an issue like that?

I'd much rather send it into you than someone else...

Also, on a related note, I have the above amp, a Class A Picasso, and a Class A 10.0 all running Balanced. Anything you have come up in later years that you can modify to make them sound better? (Not that they need it) 

Thanks.


----------



## ace956

monkeyboy,
Sounds like you have a great system. my flat rate for an amplifier of that power is typically $150.00, that includes all parts and return shipping. If what you say is true I might be able to do it for $100.00. I won;t know until I see the amp and driver. You can contact me directly @ [email protected]. or we can communicate here.


----------



## 94cobra

Wade, I am glad you posted here so I can get some real answers and a solid repair for my REF 405. I have been having issues with it and was wondering if it is worth being repaired. The sub channel seems to have gone out resulting in a meltdown of my subs. I had this issue before with another REF 405 years ago while it was under warranty. That = 4 subs lost to these amps. Is there a solid fix or upgrade for this problem? Was it a design flaw with this amp? I also have some issues with the switches. I beleive they are not staying in place so it crackles and pops through the speakers. I believe the left rear channel has been modified because of this. I really like this amp other then its few quirks. Please let me know what can be done. Thanks Tristan.


----------



## ace956

bkjay,
As far as capacitors in car amps there may be other schools of thought, but in my opinion there all wrong. LOL The biggest problem is getting the current into the amp. If you can't get the current in you can't get the power out. The amp typically draws 100 Amps in to put out about 750 watts. This might get kind of complicated. The internal resistance of a cable from the battery terminal at hi current will actually lower the voltage at the amp input. That's why they put big caps on the power input to the amp. The bigger the cap and the closer to the amp the more current you can get in.


The problem with big caps is they have a hi series resistance which increases the amount of time it takes the current in and out of the cap. The bigger the cap the higher the series resistance. At Soundstream we came up with the idea of the cap bank. A small cap has lower equivilent series resistance (ESR) put 20 small caps in parrelel and the ESR is 1/20th of a single cap. THE ultimate would be maybe 100 small caps in parralel.

The switching supplies in most car amps produce a hi-frequncy square wave. a supply switching at 100KHz will produce almst pure DC. The filtering feeding the amplifiers only needs to filter for a time period equaling .0000000005 of a second. so filtering for the secondary is less critical.

as far as voltage and temperature, the caps need to be rated in voltage so they are always higher than the voltage across them. 16 volts is usually adequate for most mobile applications. The temperature should be rated higher than the highest temperature for them to be expected to operate in. A typical thermal temperature of many caps is 85 degrees C, this is the equivalent to 185 degrees Fahrenheit.


----------



## ace956

94cobra said:


> Wade, I am glad you posted here so I can get some real answers and a solid repair for my REF 405. I have been having issues with it and was wondering if it is worth being repaired. The sub channel seems to have gone out resulting in a meltdown of my subs. I had this issue before with another REF 405 years ago while it was under warranty. That = 4 subs lost to these amps. Is there a solid fix or upgrade for this problem? Was it a design flaw with this amp? I also have some issues with the switches. I beleive they are not staying in place so it crackles and pops through the speakers. I believe the left rear channel has been modified because of this. I really like this amp other then its few quirks. Please let me know what can be done. Thanks Tristan.


94cobra,
As far as the 405 we never really had a problem with sub amp that i'm aware of. the sub amp has 6 pairs of output devices rated at 8 Amps each, that's 48 Amps. 240 watts @ 1/5 ohm equals 21 Amps total current. even with a large phase shift of 30 degrees presented by a complcated passive crossover. the transistors are good for 24 Amps.

the switches are probaly just dirty just go to your local fry's or radio shack and get some spray contact cleaner, spray the switches then flip them back and forth several times. those amps were built 15, 20 years ago. i didn't think they would still be popular. oh well next time i'll use sealed switches.

i was wondering what load you were running the subs at?
as far as what i can do, i can pretty much do anything you need, maybe even change the switches. my flat rate for this amp is $130, that includes my time, all parts and return freight.

here is my info:
WADE STEWART
STEWART ELECTRONICS CORPORATION

8513 ELM AVE
ORANGEVALE, CA.
95662
916-988-0406
email: [email protected]
web site: fatpro.com
alternet email: [email protected]
DBA: FATPRO TECHNOLOGIES

MAKE CHECKS PAYABLE TO:
WADE STEWART


----------



## bkjay

ace956 said:


> bkjay,
> As far as capacitors in car amps there may be other schools of thought, but in my opinion there all wrong. LOL The biggest problem is getting the current into the amp. If you can't get the current in you can't get the power out. The amp typically draws 100 Amps in to put out about 750 watts. This might get kind of complicated. The internal resistance of a cable from the battery terminal at hi current will actually lower the voltage at the amp input. That's why they put big caps on the power input to the amp. The bigger the cap and the closer to the amp the more current you can get in.
> 
> 
> The problem with big caps is they have a hi series resistance which increases the amount of time it takes the current in and out of the cap. The bigger the cap the higher the series resistance. At Soundstream we came up with the idea of the cap bank. A small cap has lower equivilent series resistance (ESR) put 20 small caps in parrelel and the ESR is 1/20th of a single cap. THE ultimate would be maybe 100 small caps in parralel.
> 
> The switching supplies in most car amps produce a hi-frequncy square wave. a supply switching at 100KHz will produce almst pure DC. The filtering feeding the amplifiers only needs to filter for a time period equaling .0000000005 of a second. so filtering for the secondary is less critical.
> 
> as far as voltage and temperature, the caps need to be rated in voltage so they are always higher than the voltage across them. 16 volts is usually adequate for most mobile applications. The temperature should be raed higher than the highest temperature for them to be expected to operate in. Atypical thermal temperature of many caps is 85 degrees C, this is the equivalent to 185 degrees Fahrenheit.


Thank you Thank you Thank you. I had to read that three times but i got it!


----------



## roxj01

are there any mods that can be done to the reference 405 to squeeze more power out of it?


----------



## ace956

electrafixion said:


> Hi Wade,
> 
> I'm sure glad you posted here. I'm a long time old school Soundsteam fan. Ironically I've been in the process of selling off my collection of vintage car audio amps. Just last night I was trying to decide if I should keep my favorites of all time: two D100II's and one D200II. Were these amplifiers your work or that of Mr. Pass?
> 
> Given the age of these units, would it make sense to replace the capacitors in these units?
> 
> Thanks in advance,
> 
> Trevor


electrofixion
the 100ll and 200ll were kind of a crossover nelson designed the original 100 and 200 but they had some minor liability problems. i took his basic design and modified them to improve the performance and reliability. My old company where the amps were desgned and built was Stewart Electronics. in 1994 i had a pro audio amp that won a TEC award, one of only given for a power amp in it's history, at the anual audio engineering society (AES) meeting. i was just trying to give you some back ground on who i am to be messin with nelsons designs.


----------



## ace956

roxj01 said:


> are there any mods that can be done to the reference 405 to squeeze more power out of it?


roxj01,
rox i am sorry to have to tell you that theres not much that can be done about increasing the power. the best you can do is run the fronts at 2 ohms and the sub amp at1/2 ohm.


----------



## ace956

Johnny Caspar said:


> I love this fourm for so many different reasons.
> 
> Just pulled out my Ref 405 out of the closet and it looks great.
> I think I will have it bench tested at speakerlab and see if its ok, seems funny I almost want it to have a problem now, lol.
> 
> Soundstream Reference 405
> 
> Dear Sir, ( Wade )
> Whats the best case set up for getting the most out of the sub outlet of this amp?
> One 4ohm DVC sub in a 2 ohm load or ??????????
> 
> Im trying to stick to one 10" or 12" inch sub in a smaller box and it would be very helpful to know how many watts this amp can produce in all its different configurations.
> 
> Every person I ask says something different so I am pretty confused.
> 
> Thanks in advance for your insight.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> JC


johnny
you can get the most poer out of the 405 sub amp by running at 1/2 ohm. it is rated at 240 watts @ 1/2 ohm. it will put out 200 watts at 1 ohm.

thanks


----------



## ace956

Maglite said:


> Wade,
> 
> I used to run a Reference 500 and two 300's back in 95 when I competed. fantastic amps.
> 
> My DD has had a Granite 180.6 for the past 16 years.
> 
> interested in what you think of the new reference amps?


maglite
I am sorry but i have not seen or tested the new reference line from the new soundstream. reports on the other amps they have built have not been great, but who knows.

thanks


----------



## ace956

Maglite said:


> Wade,
> 
> I used to run a Reference 500 and two 300's back in 95 when I competed. fantastic amps.
> 
> My DD has had a Granite 180.6 for the past 16 years.
> 
> interested in what you think of the new reference amps?


maglite
i offered to design product for the new soundstream but they said they didn't need anything now but they would let me know when. LOL


----------



## ace956

vwguy383 said:


> How do you silkscreen on such a narrow area? I took screen printing in high school and did T-shrits and stickers. but that stuff was all flat. I have got a rubicon 555 that needs the silkscreening done and wonder how it was done.
> 
> Thanks
> Justind
> 
> 
> P.S. Start you own company agian and I know people will buy.


vw,
as far as screenprinting in smal places it may have been pad printed. they roll a hard spongelike material against the stencil then roll it on the screened surface. there are other ways but this is one of the most popular.

thanks


----------



## ace956

vwguy383 said:


> How do you silkscreen on such a narrow area? I took screen printing in high school and did T-shrits and stickers. but that stuff was all flat. I have got a rubicon 555 that needs the silkscreening done and wonder how it was done.
> 
> Thanks
> Justind
> 
> 
> P.S. Start you own company agian and I know people will buy.


vwguy
I would love to start a new company with some updated versions of my old amps and some radical new tech nology i have had for some time but it takes investors. I started a new pro audio company back in 2007, we were doing great but then had our funding pulled in december of 2008. you know anybody that might be interested let know or them know or whatever. anyway thanks.


----------



## ace956

turbo5upra said:


> It's 405.... your almost sure to have issues  great amps, I just think I've seen 2 that haven't had issues.


turbo5upra, i'm not sure weather i answered the question about the 405, but the way to get the most from the sub channel is to run it at 1 or 1/2 ohm. it will put out about 240 watts in either of those loads.
rock on.


----------



## ace956

roxj01 said:


> are there any mods that can be done to the reference 405 to squeeze more power out of it?


rox, actually you can get the most out of the sub amp by running it at 1 or 1/2 ohm.


----------



## ace956

bkjay said:


> Thank you Thank you Thank you. I had to read that three times but i got it!


jay, 
i really can't tell what the caps your talking about without seeing the amp. most likely the cap is either a dc blocking cap that keeps dc from going directly into the input and can also be used to affect the low frequency roll off of the input or it could be a bypass cap keeping hi frequency noise from going into the input or from components on the same layout trace.

ace


----------



## ampaholic

Hi Wade

under the "the only dumb questions - are unasked ones" mantra:

first: when you service an amp - do you send it back with a new "birth certificate" (bench test report)?

Second: do you take PayPal?

Third: how long is your backlog, turnaround, waiting list (whatever you might call it)?

I finally got the evil:evil:eBay seller to refund my money on the damaged USA305 so it won't be coming you way (not sure if that's good news or bad news)

But - I still have a USA100 that needs love


----------



## ace956

ampaholic said:


> Hi Wade
> 
> under the "the only dumb questions - are unasked ones" mantra:
> 
> first: when you service an amp - do you send it back with a new "birth certificate" (bench test report)?
> 
> Second: do you take PayPal?
> 
> Third: how long is your backlog, turnaround, waiting list (whatever you might call it)?
> 
> I finally got the evil:evil:eBay seller to refund my money on the damaged USA305 so it won't be coming you way (not sure if that's good news or bad news)
> 
> But - I still have a USA100 that needs love


ampaholic,
I got your message and here are my official answers.

first: I have not given a "birth certificate" before but i will now. i will try to make a document to put the info on. if you or anyone outthere has any suggestions on what the form should look like or info that should be on it, any suggestions will be apreciated.

second: yes i do take paypal under the name wade stewart or stewart electronics.

third: my turnaround is typicaly one to two weeks.

the cheapest way to ship is IS post office "priority mail" if it fits in there standard boxes you can ship it anywhere in the us with "proof of delivery", that's 75 cents more for about $15.00 total.

sorry you lost that amp but then you did get your money back. although you could have kept it and used it as a great paperweight, what a conversation piece.

ROCK ON, ace


----------



## ampaholic

ace956 said:


> ampaholic,
> I got your message and here are my official answers.
> 
> first: I have not given a "birth certificate" before but i will now. i will try to make a document to put the info on. if you or anyone outthere has any suggestions on what the form should look like or info that should be on it, any suggestions will be apreciated.
> 
> -snip-
> ROCK ON, ace


Here is one MTX uses - they call it a Dyno slip  If you have a "logo" for Stewart Electronics - I'm pretty good with PhotoShop and I'd be glad to help you develop your "Birth Cert" / "Dynoslip" whatever you want to call it.


----------



## ace956

ampaholic said:


> Here is one MTX uses - they call it a Dyno slip  If you have a "logo" for Stewart Electronics - I'm pretty good with PhotoShop and I'd be glad to help you develop your "Birth Cert" / "Dynoslip" whatever you want to call it.


ampaholic,
I got your message, i understand your thinking. 
How about if i call it Wade Stewart Labs or Ace Labs, something like that.
oh yeah, i'm kinda new here, how did you send that attachment?


----------



## ace956

tinctorus said:


> What about other brands of amps??? cause I have an Xtant 2140c that took a dump on me awhile back, I THINK it is just a bad power supply but dont know 100%
> 
> Or is there a way you could tell me how to check and what to check for to make sure that it is indeed the power supply??


tinctorus,
If there is a coil between the supply and the amps just unsolder the two leads on one end of the coil, then turn on the amp. if it is an amp problem the supply will work, if not then it's a supply problem. yes, you can pay thru paypal. if you decide you want to send it us post office priority mail is the cheapest.

thanks


----------



## mayhem

I'm eyeballing an older Memphis Belle with "issues". Should I purchase it, is it something you would work on?

Link to the amp, seller has listed suspected issues:

Memphis Belle 6 chanel amp 900 watts total power chrome - eBay (item 270590206056 end time Jun-13-10 18:59:53 PDT)

Thanks for your time.


----------



## ace956

mayhem said:


> I'm eyeballing an older Memphis Belle with "issues". Should I purchase it, is it something you would work on?
> 
> Link to the amp, seller has listed suspected issues:
> 
> Memphis Belle 6 chanel amp 900 watts total power chrome - eBay (item 270590206056 end time Jun-13-10 18:59:53 PDT)
> 
> Thanks for your time.


mayhem,
Looks like a nice amp but i really don't know anything about that amp, sorry i don't really think i can help you.


----------



## rexroadj

Pm me if you have an idea of how many investers/$ to get something off the ground as well as a rough business plan. I cant say that I would be willing to jump in with both feet or be able to back with a ton of money but I have started a few companys from the ground up and done ok with them. It would be really cool to try and get my feet wet in a field that I have a high addiction to.


----------



## djtsmith007

ace956 said:


> mayhem,
> Looks like a nice amp but i really don't know anything about that amp, sorry i don't really think i can help you.


Wade, i sent my ref 705 off to you yesterday


----------



## turbo5upra

wade... I have a rubicon 805 that acts a bit fishy.... it will power up some times and work great. other times the red light will come on and it will have no output. then after a bit it will have output and work fine.

I sent it to someone else and of course it worked fine. Got the amp back and installed it, It took a few weeks but the issue came back.

How would you go about finding the issue? I'd send it in but don't want the same thing to happen to you that did to the last guy.


----------



## nirschl

As the owner of a pretty good size SS Reference and Rubicon collection, I am glad to hear that you are out there. It is hard to let them go even thought they are not currently in use. 

Cheers


----------



## envisionelec

rexroadj said:


> Pm me if you have an idea of how many investers/$ to get something off the ground as well as a rough business plan. I cant say that I would be willing to jump in with both feet or be able to back with a ton of money but I have started a few companys from the ground up and done ok with them. It would be really cool to try and get my feet wet in a field that I have a high addiction to.



What type of businesses have you started?


----------



## rexroadj

envisionelec said:


> What type of businesses have you started?


Mostly home (building and maintenance for new homes as well as extreme historic) related businesses but several different in that regards. None in the audio arena. I am not sure if its something I really want to get into due to the market. It seems about as risky as the food business at this point. I have started looking into a distillery and been focusing my time there. Its been a long time hobby and lets face it.....when the economy starts sinking people start drinking more  (well that and armed robbery)


----------



## envisionelec

rexroadj said:


> Mostly home (building and maintenance for new homes as well as extreme historic) related businesses but several different in that regards. None in the audio arena. I am not sure if its something I really want to get into due to the market. It seems about as risky as the food business at this point. I have started looking into a distillery and been focusing my time there. Its been a long time hobby and lets face it.....when the economy starts sinking people start drinking more  (well that and armed robbery)


Ain't that the truth!

I find that many people get into the food business with zero food-prep experience: Nice restaurant - terrible service. You need the passion - if food is your passion (and you have a good accountant), the rest will follow. I look across the massive "Towne Centre" parking lot almost every night during the worst parts of the recession and see the high end restaurants teeming with folks bustling to get seated. They're spending the money - and the restaurant _must deliver_. And they do. 

I'm capitalizing on little projects ($40-75K) a couple times a year for two or three years to plant the seed and show the banks what I'd _rather_ be doing. In essence, I'd be a part time contract design firm and a full time car audio amplifier manufacturer (*not an importer!!)*. That's the game plan - it keeps my best engineers happy and the dollars rolling in. Additionally, I'm in the heart of a large government contract area with contacts towards those ends...if the needs arise. I guess you could say I've got it made...except I'm still working for someone else. Patience...that's what I keep telling myself. 

There are folks I keep in contact with outside this forum. We're like a little co-op of talent that just keeps going round robin until someone decides to take the plunge. I will take that plunge...but timing must be right. We're not there yet. I'm thinking mid 2012, we'll have our boots on the ground, kicking up some fresh ideas for the industry. 

Now, if you know someone that is just an _eager beaver_ to invest in a design firm - well, I can send you some paperwork. But, I have a feeling that is a pipe dream of an order of magnitude greater than my wildest ones.


----------



## rexroadj

I actually went to school for culinary arts (well one of my stops anyway) Johnson & Wales. I had plans to start my own restaraunt straight out of school. I was young and working severe hours trying to learn as much as possible outside of school. I burnt both ends of the candle and watched a lot of people in the business loose everything they cared about around them and they didnt even have time to know it.....I knew that was not for me. It was a lot of fun but I put it behind me. 
I will say this.....the more you can do that doesnt involve banks the better off you'll be and the faster you will get it done! Banks are useless, especially now. If you can find private investors you will be MUCH better off. That was (maybe still is) my better ability....I was always able to find a way to use someone elses $ to fund something, never touch my own $ and find a way to make everyone some $ at the same time, still cheaper then going through a bank. Its easy to do if you have the marketing mind for it. I think that type of venue (car audio) will be a little more difficult due to the economy and already HUGE options that are out there. It will be very unlikely to find a niche that can be capitalized on right now, of course someone has to so why not you? 
Good luck, its fun and stressful. I love when things are great I can look in the mirror and know why. You also have to know that when its really really bad its the same person in that mirror and you have to be able to swallow that as well. When its good....ITS GREAT! When its bad.....ITS REAL BAD!


----------



## envisionelec

Right - it would seem that banks are not the way to go, and I would have agreed until I had a conversation with a "*C*ertain *H*elpful somebod*Y*" who helped sway me away from strictly investor-driven funding given the fate of a famous "precision" brand demise.

If the right opportunity came along, I'd grab it. No sense in waiting unnecessarily...

I've actually owned my business since 2001 and have been in some sort of electronics-related business since 1991 (I was still in high school). I'd consider car audio amplifiers a niche product, anyway - they're just not as popular anymore and that's reflected in the market's direction. It's not just the economy, OEMs are building better audio systems into their cars. 

So the answer, in my opinion, is to offer something totally unique - but certainly not niche - to the industry. The idea I've held for almost a decade has yet to be implemented by any manufacturer and is a good fit for the aftermarket. And it's not one product, but a multiplicity of products all designed to work together - or separately. In short, it's probably one of the most technologically advanced and integrated products designed as a natural fit with today's audio systems.

Boy, that last paragraph sounded kind of "sales-y" Sorry about that... :blush:


----------



## ace956

thayerjc said:


> Wade I have a reference 1000sx and havn't used it in a few years but If I remember right I could only get it to run in full pass and ended up using an external crossover in order to get it to push my woofers. Is that something you could fix?


thayerjc,
Hello, I can fix anything wrong with your 1000sx. My minimum would be $75.00 including return freight. The maximum for that amp is $150.00. If your interested contact me. You know it's odd but I never received anything about your message from DIYMA, HMMMM! anyway just look up ace956 to contact me.

thanks, ace956


----------



## ace956

rexroadj said:


> I actually went to school for culinary arts (well one of my stops anyway) Johnson & Wales. I had plans to start my own restaraunt straight out of school. I was young and working severe hours trying to learn as much as possible outside of school. I burnt both ends of the candle and watched a lot of people in the business loose everything they cared about around them and they didnt even have time to know it.....I knew that was not for me. It was a lot of fun but I put it behind me.
> I will say this.....the more you can do that doesnt involve banks the better off you'll be and the faster you will get it done! Banks are useless, especially now. If you can find private investors you will be MUCH better off. That was (maybe still is) my better ability....I was always able to find a way to use someone elses $ to fund something, never touch my own $ and find a way to make everyone some $ at the same time, still cheaper then going through a bank. Its easy to do if you have the marketing mind for it. I think that type of venue (car audio) will be a little more difficult due to the economy and already HUGE options that are out there. It will be very unlikely to find a niche that can be capitalized on right now, of course someone has to so why not you?
> Good luck, its fun and stressful. I love when things are great I can look in the mirror and know why. You also have to know that when its really really bad its the same person in that mirror and you have to be able to swallow that as well. When its good....ITS GREAT! When its bad.....ITS REAL BAD!


rexroadj,
Hi rexroad, i never heard back from you. if it was my slant on class D i'm sorry i would be willing to use it if the need is there. i would love to hear from you again and have more dialog about doing something. if the quotes i gave you were too high let me know.
thanks ace956


----------



## ace956

cajunner said:


> anyone know why Wade isn't in this thread more often?
> 
> I know I can search his member status and see if he's been around the forum at all, but it seems to me that a continued presence would make it easier for him to find work.


cajunner, 
I'm here now and then. actually, for some reason i'm not getting messages posted on DIYMA i had to search under different names to find this thread. i used to have threads on several forums and i was told that i can only run my thread on one forum and they just stuck me in one forum. i have been looking under that forum and then i found this thread under a different forum. what do you think i should do to make more of an impact. i could start telling more about the amps i designed but i'm afraid i would sound too preachey, i'm not sure that's even a word but i think you know what i'm saying. i would love to get some feedback from you, i need all the help i can get to get the word out there and i will answer any questions people have about there old school soundstream amps.

thanks, ace956


----------



## EricP72

hey ace, i have an old reference 414s, it's doa of course, i dont think u designed this amp, but would be able to repair it? and I'm seriously considering the ss dtr4.500 and one of the sub amps from that serious, do you have any opinion on them?


----------



## Bampity

ace956, Mr.Stewart,

Its great to see you post here. I'm much too young about amplifiers and designs but I do know that when I was dreaming of amplifiers(and driving) Soundstream Class A's, References 1000's and the Da Vinci(of course) are what I dreamt of.

I myself am very new to this forum and just now attempting to fulfill my dreams of owning the amps I now know you designed. Its incredible that you've made yourself accessible to me and us... well the world really.

I want to say thank you.
Thank you Mr. Stewart for the opportunity and pleasure of your presence and knowledge. I was just browsing around and to see this thread is a total stoner bill and ted "no way" moment. lol
Thanks again... no ****.


----------



## dapert

well as long as we know about his site we can always find him when we need our old school amps repaired


----------



## ampaholic

I just got back the three SoundStreams I sent to Wade for repair. I am very excited to install the USA100, MC245 and the REF405 as they sound super on the bench.

Wade did a ingenious thing and converted them to the SoundStream Class A system - I guess these run as a pure Class A at lower power settings for sound quality and then switche to AB as the demands increase.

Anyway - Thanks Wade they sound fab.


----------



## bkjay

Please give us a update on your results!


----------



## qikazel

Wade, I am a huge fan of your work!! Here is a pic of my homage to your designs!










I have a D100II ( the one on the right) that blows the fuse everytime power is put to it. I have switched the amps ack and forth and the other one works on the right, o I know it isn't a power supply or ground issue. Is there anything I can do to remedy it or do I need to send it out?


----------



## born into this

What role did ya play with the Davinci amp, if any??? I had one and it was thee best single amp system I ever heard. It took a while to get it dialed in, but it was, OMG did it sound good. I regret ever sellin that amp. Only problem I ever had was lights blew a few times. Damn, why did I sell that beauty???


----------



## born into this

qikazel said:


> Wade, I am a huge fan of your work!! Here is a pic of my homage to your designs!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I have a D100II ( the one on the right) that blows the fuse everytime power is put to it. I have switched the amps ack and forth and the other one works on the right, o I know it isn't a power supply or ground issue. Is there anything I can do to remedy it or do I need to send it out?


Niceeeeeeeeeee! Old schoolin!


----------



## a383z

Glad i found this post i have some soundstreams that need a refresh..Been in storage for a while.


----------



## KrackerG

..._this is my first post_...
Im a HUGE old skool SS fan! i still have several sets of SPL speakers (SPL55, SPL69) that I bought awhile back, and i just have them stored away. *Hoarding*. I also have several Rubicon amps (502, 302) stored away and used to have 2 SS12R "Velvet Hammers" subs running off a reference 1000...i miss that system! Anyways, all my equipment works well, no issues here....

it's so good to see you here, Wade!!


----------



## rockytophigh

Let me start by saying "Yes Wade, you are a legend". You probably have no idea how many people are involved in this hobby/industry today because they came across your amplifiers. Just look back through this thread and notice the reverence many of the members have for you, simply as a result of your work. Having you post on this board is akin to having Jimmy Hendrix start posting on a Learning to Play Guitar forum.

As a teenager in the mid '80s, I heard the first "systems" in my area. I thought it was the coolest thing ever. I went to the local audio stores, debated with friends on what was best...even before I had a car! I read a magazine article on the Soundstream MC500 where the author almost married the amp. I immediately went to working 3 jobs for 1980s minimum wage to save up for my sonic dream. I'll never forget the day I heard my first system in my car powered by YOUR amplifier. I've still never heard better in my opinion. Most of my friends ran Phoenix Gold amps....I'll never forget my buddy's PG amps cutting out on Spring Break in Florida but my Soundstream kept going sounding as pure as day 1. It worked until the day it was stolen from me.

From the bottom of my heart.....thank you for your designs. I have a Davinci, MC300, D100ii and as of today, another MC500. It should make you feel good to know that I paid $500 for a beat up MC500 this morning, decades after it left your factory. 

The MC300 is in pretty good shape but I really need help getting the heat sinks refinished in the original SS blue on all 3 amps. Did you guys do the finishing? Where can we get our amps refinished so we can show them off in today's installs?


----------



## JAX

Ah, so you got that mc500 that was on ebay? I have tried lots of amps but I still keep wanting to pick up a couple ref 500 or a 500 and 1000. I love old pg stuff too but I have always liked the refs better. I sent you a message this morning. I think I am going to do this. Pick up a 4 channel ref and. 2 channel. Your stuff was just that good. This old fart has been looking at amps for 26yrs and these are still top notch. I am glad there are lots of people that have no idea on the greatness.


----------



## rockytophigh

JAX said:


> Ah, so you got that mc500 that was on ebay? I have tried lots of amps but I still keep wanting to pick up a couple ref 500 or a 500 and 1000. I love old pg stuff too but I have always liked the refs better. I sent you a message this morning. I think I am going to do this. Pick up a 4 channel ref and. 2 channel. Your stuff was just that good. This old fart has been looking at amps for 26yrs and these are still top notch. I am glad there are lots of people that have no idea on the greatness.


I did indeed! this old fart owns yet another amp......


----------



## ride2wheels

This has to be one of my favorite threads. I am a huge fan of soundstream amps.


----------



## honkytonkwillie

Wade - what can you tell us about the MC245? That was my first SS and it's been running strong for almost 19 years now.

It was a great amp for many reasons, but I was really impressed with the staggered asymetrical crossover. Nobody else at the time had considered such a setup to take care of such a common problem.

Also, I'm even more fond of the much older SF90 amp. Did you play a role in the design or development of that one too?


----------



## brad0069

Hi, I have a continuum that needs to be freshened up. How much would it be to repair it?
Also what is the true power output of this awesome amp? Thanks for your time


----------



## c_nitty

I have a Ref 300 amp installed it plays but there is a problem with the gain and the left rca jack.When the gain is moved clock-wise it cuts out.If you move the left rca jack that does not have the nut and washer the speakers pops and goes out I want to keep the amp but need to have it fixed.


----------



## kcobello

Hey Wade
I sent you a Email about my MC-300 being repaired. Man I loved Soundstream in the day. Glad I found this thread! Loved my Class A 50's, D-200 and my MC-300! Still have the 50's and the 300! to be used again


----------



## vspec1

Has anyone heard from Wade? I sent him an email about a week ago....Thanks


----------



## turbo5upra

Wade is moving in a few weeks.... I called him and haven't gotten a reply back yet after I spoke to him....


----------



## Aaron'z 2.5RS/WRX

Good luck, sent him a message well over a month ago and haven't herd anything... I see now it's not just me...


----------



## Cdub

I sent him a message 2 weeks ago and haven't heard back.


----------



## Bampity

Sent him an email about a month ago... no reply. 

YouTube - nope.avi


----------



## KP

Last time I talked to him he had stopped taking in amps because he was too far behind. Did not say anything about moving. He is 2 months late with mine.

Looking else where for future repairs.


----------



## zherron33

i have a soundstream 4 channel 240 watt amp that blow fuses when it turns on. what can i do. Do you think you could fix it. And if so, how much would it cost...kinda on a budget.


----------



## KP

Wade,

Any update on my amp? Check was cashed soon after you received the amp. What is the ETA?

If you cannot send it out this week, Monday 5/16/11 send it to:

Stephen Mantz

Zed Audio Corporation

743 Cochran Street,

Suite D

Simi Valley

CA 93065 

Ph # (805) 526-5315


----------



## aeon

AcuraTLSQ said:


> Wade,
> 
> Any update on my amp? Check was cashed soon after you received the amp. What is the ETA?
> 
> If you cannot send it out this week, Monday 5/16/11 send it to:
> 
> Stephen Mantz
> 
> Zed Audio Corporation
> 
> 743 Cochran Street,
> 
> Suite D
> 
> Simi Valley
> 
> CA 93065
> 
> Ph # (805) 526-5315


You sure you want it sent to Stephen? Last time I sent an amp there to have fixed, I never received it back.


----------



## KP

Why not? What are the details?


----------



## envisionelec

Hmmm, it's not like these amplifiers are rocket-science. Even getting parts is a no-brainer for the most part.

Is fixing old-school car amplifiers a sustainable business? If so, I could quit my job today and give it a go.  

I have a big driveway that the UPS man can just back up to...


----------



## rommelrommel

There are a few horror stories of Zed repairs floating around. Lots of happy people too although to be fair.


----------



## envisionelec

Yeah, any business is going to have its share of disappointed customers, but none should really ever say they were ripped off or scammed (not that I know anything).

Anyway, I'm not here to troll this thread - just wondering aloud...


----------



## rommelrommel

If you did good work I think you could get a name pretty quick. I'm not sure how profitable it would be although. There are a lot of people into the old PG, SS, PPI, LP, etc stuff that is all deteriorating and needs new caps and such. I have some oldschool Blades and I'm worried that someday they could stop working and not be repairable because of the propriatary parts. 

Fixing new stuff, I dunno. A lot of it is so cheap (or gets SO damaged) that they probably aren't worth fixing very often.


----------



## envisionelec

rommelrommel said:


> If you did good work I think you could get a name pretty quick. I'm not sure how profitable it would be although. There are a lot of people into the old PG, SS, PPI, LP, etc stuff that is all deteriorating and needs new caps and such. I have some oldschool Blades and I'm worried that someday they could stop working and not be repairable because of the propriatary parts.
> 
> Fixing new stuff, I dunno. A lot of it is so cheap (or gets SO damaged) that they probably aren't worth fixing very often.


They're not THAT proprietary - the "sanded off" ICs are fairly easy to figure out: they're often comparators, CMOS gates, opamps and the like. In other words - repairable.

A Blade amp is a BASH amplifier for car audio. The analogous would be the Klipsch Promedia computer speakers. Standard Class A/B outputs with a "tracking" power supply. 

The new stuff with 200V rails is something else. I just don't think I want to mess with a ticking time bomb like that.


----------



## djtsmith007

Had my SS Ref 705 repaired by wade back in September, has worked flawlessly. Except im having some issues with the sub channel cutting off at lower volumes.


----------



## Aaron'z 2.5RS/WRX

envisionelec said:


> Hmmm, it's not like these amplifiers are rocket-science. Even getting parts is a no-brainer for the most part.
> 
> Is fixing old-school car amplifiers a sustainable business? If so, I could quit my job today and give it a go.
> 
> I have a big driveway that the UPS man can just back up to...



I'd recommend ya... Seems like whatever logistic issues you had back when seem to be over... 

I've got something that could use a freshening and "upgrade"


----------



## KP

Anyone live close to Wade? I see some of his 'friends' on here are from Cali. Need my amp back. Given up on the $$ sent with it. Just want the amp. I will gladly Paypal shipping $$ to anyone that can stop by a pick up my amp.

Kirk


----------



## djtsmith007

AcuraTLSQ said:


> Anyone live close to Wade? I see some of his 'friends' on here are from Cali. Need my amp back. Given up on the $$ sent with it. Just want the amp. I will gladly Paypal shipping $$ to anyone that can stop by a pick up my amp.
> 
> Kirk


What.....

You know people, he may have (hate to say it) kicked the bucket. Ive spoken to him on the phone handful of times, he's a pretty old ( no offense if he is reading). I would have to guess mid 70's. 

And seeing that no one, including me, have been able to get a hold of him in the past 6 months we may be out of luck. 

Now if anyone else needs some Soundstream amp repair, i just saved mine 2 weeks ago. Did some new RF choke's, had to find and wind some myself. Anyway if anyone is interested, drop me a line.


----------



## bkjay

AcuraTLSQ said:


> Anyone live close to Wade? I see some of his 'friends' on here are from Cali. Need my amp back. Given up on the $$ sent with it. Just want the amp. I will gladly Paypal shipping $$ to anyone that can stop by a pick up my amp.
> 
> Kirk


Man sorry to here you got screwed,I am a Wade fan but WTF is going on!


----------



## Bampity

Yeah man, sorry about your amp. 
When I first saw this thread, I was so hopeful about future dealings with Wade.
I felt like anything I could pick up, I could just send to the pro and have it easily dealt with.
I know that old school Soundstreams aren't exactly rocket science but it would be awesome to have them looked over by one of the original engineers.
I picked up a 10.0 nearly on a whim, weary of its condition, thinking I can just send it to this guy and have anything taken care of.
I was lucky I found a guy that was interested in taking on my old xtant eventhough he'd been out of that game for nearly a decade. I can quote him saying, "some things you don't see every day and its a pleasure to do it again."
If there was another option I would definitely go there. I mean its kind of hard to find a guy that says he knows them that well and can make them work better than they ever did.


----------



## 9mmmac

Ditto. At the risk of slander/perjury, he's had almost my entire SS setup for "tuneup". A REF 644, REF 700 and my very own Unicorn: a balanced XO. 

SINCE GDMF'N JANUARY!

(See my post in WTB. The amps are not hard to find. But the damn crossover? I'd sell a kidney to have it back.) I'm holding on to my precious REF 500.

I could have walked them from Virginia to Cali, learned electronic theory and fixed them myself, plus walked them back by now. That includes swimming across the Mississippi. Twice.


Please, somebody just shoot me... :rifle:


----------



## yotamonster

When I first started reading this thread I was all but now at the end im pretty


----------



## Bampity

yotamonster said:


> When I first started reading this thread I was all but now at the end im pretty


Yep. That's what happened with this one.



> 9mmmac


Man, tell me about the balanced xo. I was going to get one on egay but I didn't know its specifics at the time.


----------



## KP

He was still kicking two weeks ago when I talked to the lady that on occasion answers the phone. Said she was his room mate, he was on the east coast. I asked her to find my amp, call me back with a Paypal address and I would send HER $$ to cover shipping it back. She also mentioned that her husband was a tech and might be taking over his repair business. Told her I already had someone else, sorry. She seemed concerned as I gathered Wade is also her employer. She had no idea he had posted on a forum to repair amps. Also mentioned there was a 'ton' of boxes laying around.

There are more folks just not speaking up.


----------



## KP

Seems that is an older resume. Still has SS as present employment. Other info says he left there in 1997. Doing the backwards math he is in his early 60's. Graduated high school in the late 60's. I did bring back an old thread where some of his friends posted on this time last year on DIY. If a mod approves my post and it goes up, it should help get some resolution. 

From his past I can only assume there have been circumstances beyond his control to cause these delays. 

DIY thread: Old school soundstream designer repairing? - Page 2 - diyAudio

Fingers crossed a mod approves my post.


----------



## 9mmmac

Bampity said:


> Yep. That's what happened with this one.
> 
> 
> Man, tell me about the balanced xo. I was going to get one on egay but I didn't know its specifics at the time.


If you ever find one one, either snatch it up or shoot me a high priority email/text or whatever.

First, you need the BLT units to convert RCA into higher voltage and 6 pin connectors. The current running through them powers the entire signal chain, but the amps themselves still need the blue wire hookup (???).

2 or 3 way staggered crossover; 12 db high, 24 db sub slope.

Clipping led's like the amps have.

Subsonic filter.

Other stuff; that's just a quick look through my original owner's manual.

It was roughly 8" x 5" x .75"

Great for Soundstream, not sure about compatability with Zapco.

Because of the propriatary connectors and wiring scheme, it won't work for anybody else.


----------



## KP

Good news. Per Wades business partner(ex?) he is still alive and kicking. His mother did recently pass. Anyways, I walked her thru the MFG, model, and description of my amp and she found it. It had not been taken out of the bubble wrap. She is sending it back to me. (fingers crossed)

I asked her to send me her e-mail addy and I would link her to these threads. She can explain what is going on as all I know is what she told me third hand. I have not talked to Wade.


----------



## bkjay

Great! Can't wait for updates.


----------



## djtsmith007

AcuraTLSQ said:


> Good news. Per Wades business partner(ex?) he is still alive and kicking. His mother did recently pass. Anyways, I walked her thru the MFG, model, and description of my amp and she found it. It had not been taken out of the bubble wrap. She is sending it back to me. (fingers crossed)
> 
> I asked her to send me her e-mail addy and I would link her to these threads. Seh can explain what is going on as all I know is what she told me third hand. I have not talked to Wade.


At least your are getting your amp back  That is great news, and even better Wade is still alive. Hope everything gets better for all


----------



## KP

I would call to arrange to have your items sent back.


----------



## 9mmmac

Who do we call? Inquiring minds are dying to know! PM me if you feel this info is still "close hold", I've got about $1000.00 of stuff...somewhere....


----------



## KP

916-988-0406 is the business # I have been calling. It is registered to Wade Stewart and a Belmont Engineering. It is also the # on his FatPro business. All also have the same address.


----------



## 9mmmac

Bah. I have that same number, no joy for me. I will keep trying though. Thanks for the tiny bit of hope.


----------



## vwguy383

I just can't believe that he would do something like this. I doubt he did it to gather a bunch of amps and then run off. That would look really bad for a company that he wants to start up.

Good luck guys.

Justind


----------



## KP

Received my amp back today!

Anyone else doing repairs??

PS In this case you will get better results with a good attitude. The lady answering the phone has nothing to do with this as far as I know.


----------



## 9mmmac

YAY! Every time I call, NOBODY answers. I do leave lots of NICE (seriously) messages though. Did your amp actually get fixed? Do you have any info that can help shed some light on this situation?


----------



## djtsmith007

AcuraTLSQ said:


> Received my amp back today!
> 
> Anyone else doing repairs??
> 
> PS In this case you will get better results with a good attitude. The lady answering the phone has nothing to do with this as far as I know.


Ive done repairs on my ref 705, got a associates degree in electronics and currently finishing my bachelors in electrical engineering. 

PM me if anyone is interested


----------



## Matt K

Ugh...he's had my 705 for over a year, and the last time I spoke with him (prior to the move) he told me that it was now unrepairable & he'd replace it once he could afford to...today I hooked up a D'artagnan he repaired for me, took it from the box & installed it, and it powers down at any volume over a normal level (no loud music or bass heavy jams!)...AND my Continuum lost channels 3 & 4...ARG!!! Can anyone direct me to someone who can fix my Continuum & D'artagnan?


----------



## KP

9mmmac said:


> YAY! Every time I call, NOBODY answers. I do leave lots of NICE (seriously) messages though. Did your amp actually get fixed? Do you have any info that can help shed some light on this situation?[/QUOTE
> 
> My amp was not even removed from the bubble wrap. Which is a good thing in this case. At least I did not get a 1/2 empty board back. One side still works!
> 
> I see people are still waiting?? From what I was told there is no waiting. Hes done. Get your stuff back.
> 
> PS-Make sure you are considering the time zone changes from you to them. What is it four hours? I always had better luck after lunch.


----------



## bkjay

This is sad, so dude just walked away? What a mess!


----------



## bkjay

AcuraTLSQ said:


> 9mmmac said:
> 
> 
> 
> YAY! Every time I call, NOBODY answers. I do leave lots of NICE (seriously) messages though. Did your amp actually get fixed? Do you have any info that can help shed some light on this situation?[/QUOTE
> 
> My amp was not even removed from the bubble wrap. Which is a good thing in this case. At least I did not get a 1/2 empty board back. One side still works!
> 
> I see people are still waiting?? From what I was told there is no waiting. Hes done. Get your stuff back.
> 
> PS-Make sure you are considering the time zone changes from you to them. What is it four hours? I always had better luck after lunch.
> 
> 
> 
> Man you are taking this much better than I would.
Click to expand...


----------



## 9mmmac

I'm still waiting; acuraTSLQ got his stuff back. My... unicorn... has run away...


----------



## KP

I must have made an impression with the lady that answers the phone. She called me to make sure I got it today. She must like the southern drawl.................


----------



## TrickyRicky

Good thing I didnt send him my 700sx. I was about to when this thread started, but I quickly notice he didnt respond to PMs or eMails. When I PMed or emailed him several times and never got back, I knew I was going to avoid that type of business.


----------



## vwguy383

I still can not get over how someone like that could come here and do that. Especially someone of his history. His name is mud now. 

Good luck with the returns
Justind


----------



## iroller

I just found out about this and talked with them today, not sure if my amp was fixed or not. The lady was very nice and said she would get back to me, she's trying to fix the problem. I paid 300 to fix my Davinci, last I talked with Wade he said he was making repairs.


----------



## KP

The lady just called me for a link to this thread. Sent it to her. Perhaps she will shed some light on all this.


----------



## envisionelec

iroller said:


> I just found out about this and talked with them today, not sure if my amp was fixed or not. The lady was very nice and said she would get back to me, she's trying to fix the problem. I paid 300 to fix my Davinci, last I talked with Wade he said he was making repairs.


Three hundred dollars! 

Did it catch fire?


----------



## chad

envisionelec said:


> Three hundred dollars!
> 
> Did it catch fire?


----------



## Old Skewl

Wow! What a mess. I know I was excited to find his posts. Who better to fix an Old Soundstream. Amazing that no one has had contact with him in months.


----------



## iroller

$300 was for a bunch of stuff, started at 200 then it needed the transformer and new lights, and tried to get the airbass thing working. Maybe he needed to fund his trip??


----------



## 9mmmac

*NEWS FLASH: UNICORN RETURNED!*

But oh my God... the horror... the butchery... Josef Mengele himself would shed a tear.

NOTICE: I had "good" luck getting my stuff returned. I was persistent, curteous and had detailed documentation. Failure of any of these three things may invalidate your return process.

BACKGROUND: I contaced Wade in January of this year. Yes, January. I had a 644 that needed some work, a 700 that MIGHT need work and a Soundstream Balanced XO that I threw in, along with a BLT 4 to make sure he had the entire system to test; end to end. My reasonining for that was when I commit to the build, I only have a few days. Any equipment malfunction would hose the entire timeline.

I had used both amps in my Probe, and in my truck. Got rid of the truck when gas hit $4.00 and was still increasing. I stored everything carefully, but the storage Gremlins got to it and made some problems- mostly in the 644. #1 being the loss of at least 1 potentiometer knob to adjust gains or something. I remember finding it, but I didn't know what it was at the time. It's somewhere "safe" because it looked "important". #2 was an issue with one of the RCA jacks. Stupid Monster Cable plugs were too tight and I pulled the shield right off. Now, those of you in the know may notice the better quality jacks on some Soundstream models- they have a nut to help hold the outer shield in place and make sure it won't come off. Wade assured me he could make that modification, as well as replace the pot shaft. 

Well, it obviously never happened- completely.

If you're reading this thread, you know about Ms. Debbie. I don't really know the situation out there. She didn't say and I didn't ask. But she did say there are "lots" of amps still at that house. I got mine back by sending a letter to the house. I told my story, and asked for help. MOST IMPORTANTLY, I LISTED THE MODEL NUMBER AND THE SERIAL NUMBERS OF MY EQUIPMENT. You should have the same info for your stuff as well- for insurance purposes, as well as info to the police if you get robbed. I included two phone numbers, as well as an e-mail address. We played phone tag a bit, but I did talk to her live once or twice. And, as you can see, she did keep her promise to send my stuff back. I did inquire about paperwork and referenced my first letter to Wade which I included in the box. She said there is NO paperwork to be found for anything. LOL- I got the same damn box back I sent my stuff in- styrofoam peanuts and all. 

So... I can't say I'm a fan of Mr. Stewart at all anymore. I have included some photos to show the lack of skill apparent in his repairs. Now, I will say that after some careful inspection, I'm not sure this is my board. Yes, it's my serial number, but this board shows some damage I never noticed, suspected or had reason to believe existed. In this condition, I'm not even going to try to bench test it myself. I have switches melted, transistors with leg damage, chokes that have crappy soldering, a broken hold-down screw, and other minor melt damage to plastic surfaces, and all-around ****ty repair technique. Here are just some pics:

EXHIBIT 1: Melted switches. HTF does this happen? Also, note the jumper wires. I have no clue...
http://i1132.photobucket.com/albums/m574/dtgotts/644 jacked up/IMAG0171.jpg

EXHIBIT 2: Broken hold-down bolt. No excuse for this.
http://i1132.photobucket.com/albums/m574/dtgotts/644 jacked up/IMAG0177.jpg

EXHIBIT 3: Damage to transistors. This looks fatal; amp should go into protect, if it even powers up, but I dunno...
http://i1132.photobucket.com/albums/m574/dtgotts/644 jacked up/IMAG0199.jpg

EXHIBIT 4: Notice the melt damage. It's in a lot of places.
http://i1132.photobucket.com/albums/m574/dtgotts/644 jacked up/IMAG0168-1.jpg

EXHIBIT 5: More GP mayhem
http://i1132.photobucket.com/albums/m574/dtgotts/644 jacked up/IMAG0197.jpg

It also came back to me missing a fuse, and a TON of debris in the chassis. Only 1 case/cover screw, and 0 hold-down screws holding the circuit board to the heatsink. That's like a dozen or so missing. I'm going to talk to Soundstream, as well as my original choice repair company tomorrow. Sadly, I'm considering chucking my entire SS collection of 644, 700, 500 and the crossover setup and going with MB Quart Q series amps and MiniDSP. If anybody wants to talk business, PM me. I believe my terms are generous. 

Mad props to Ms. Debbie for helping me, as well as at least one other person in this thread. She's aware of this forum and this thread, but it's her call to stick her neck out and invite a firestorm of complaints or requests. Once again, my solid documentation helped me help her get one more loose end wrapped up. Now I'm not sure what to do with it. The amps I'm not to worried about, there's TONS of good ones out there, and I know my backup choices. The real kicker here is the Balanced XO. How may of you have ever even seen one? Used one? Still have it? Do you have TWO gold BLT 4's and an asston of cables? The uniqueness of this piece kinda makes it special to me, but I'm not above ditching it for a MiniDSP as above. 

Well, ladies and gents, it's very late and I have to work tomorrow. I'll open the 700 and take a look; hopefuly there will be no surprises. Open to comments and questions:gossip:


----------



## TrickyRicky

Holy crap thats some bad soldering skills. I repaired my 700sx (perry gave me the schematics) and I did a better soldering job and I sure as hell didnt melt anything or burnt anything.

It seems he wasn't who he said he was and if anything he said was true, I would feel sorry for Soundstream. There really is no excuse for melting all those parts/components.


----------



## envisionelec

*Re: NEWS FLASH: UNICORN RETURNED!*



9mmmac said:


> But oh my God... the horror... the butchery... Josef Mengele himself would shed a tear.
> 
> It also came back to me missing a fuse, and a TON of debris in the chassis. Only 1 case/cover screw, and 0 hold-down screws holding the circuit board to the heatsink. That's like a dozen or so missing. I'm going to talk to Soundstream, as well as my original choice repair company tomorrow. Sadly, I'm considering chucking my entire SS collection of 644, 700, 500 and the crossover setup and going with MB Quart Q series amps and MiniDSP. If anybody wants to talk business, PM me. I believe my terms are generous.
> 
> 
> Well, ladies and gents, it's very late and I have to work tomorrow. I'll open the 700 and take a look; hopefuly there will be no surprises. Open to comments and questions:gossip:


No surprise. Engineers aren't technicians. I happen to be both, but I started as a tech. And I've successfully and _*properly*_ repaired over 1000 car amplifiers.

I'd do this full time, because I could - but I'd need help with shipping/receiving. I'm in the Dayton Ohio area - anyone interested?


----------



## Kerpal

Why did I ever decide to sell my Reference 300 and 500. I wish I had kept them and had them repaired, some of the best sounding amps I have ever heard. 

I'm sorry to hear that it's still hard to find a qualified tech to fix them though. I'd be livid if I spent a bunch of money to repair those amps only to have them come back messed up.


----------



## Old Skewl

*Re: NEWS FLASH: UNICORN RETURNED!*

Hopefully he never made it to your other amps. That 644 is a mess now!



9mmmac said:


> But oh my God... the horror... the butchery... Josef Mengele himself would shed a tear.
> 
> NOTICE: I had "good" luck getting my stuff returned. I was persistent, curteous and had detailed documentation. Failure of any of these three things may invalidate your return process.
> 
> BACKGROUND: I contaced Wade in January of this year. Yes, January. I had a 644 that needed some work, a 700 that MIGHT need work and a Soundstream Balanced XO that I threw in, along with a BLT 4 to make sure he had the entire system to test; end to end. My reasonining for that was when I commit to the build, I only have a few days. Any equipment malfunction would hose the entire timeline.
> 
> I had used both amps in my Probe, and in my truck. Got rid of the truck when gas hit $4.00 and was still increasing. I stored everything carefully, but the storage Gremlins got to it and made some problems- mostly in the 644. #1 being the loss of at least 1 potentiometer knob to adjust gains or something. I remember finding it, but I didn't know what it was at the time. It's somewhere "safe" because it looked "important". #2 was an issue with one of the RCA jacks. Stupid Monster Cable plugs were too tight and I pulled the shield right off. Now, those of you in the know may notice the better quality jacks on some Soundstream models- they have a nut to help hold the outer shield in place and make sure it won't come off. Wade assured me he could make that modification, as well as replace the pot shaft.
> 
> Well, it obviously never happened- completely.
> 
> If you're reading this thread, you know about Ms. Debbie. I don't really know the situation out there. She didn't say and I didn't ask. But she did say there are "lots" of amps still at that house. I got mine back by sending a letter to the house. I told my story, and asked for help. MOST IMPORTANTLY, I LISTED THE MODEL NUMBER AND THE SERIAL NUMBERS OF MY EQUIPMENT. You should have the same info for your stuff as well- for insurance purposes, as well as info to the police if you get robbed. I included two phone numbers, as well as an e-mail address. We played phone tag a bit, but I did talk to her live once or twice. And, as you can see, she did keep her promise to send my stuff back. I did inquire about paperwork and referenced my first letter to Wade which I included in the box. She said there is NO paperwork to be found for anything. LOL- I got the same damn box back I sent my stuff in- styrofoam peanuts and all.
> 
> So... I can't say I'm a fan of Mr. Stewart at all anymore. I have included some photos to show the lack of skill apparent in his repairs. Now, I will say that after some careful inspection, I'm not sure this is my board. Yes, it's my serial number, but this board shows some damage I never noticed, suspected or had reason to believe existed. In this condition, I'm not even going to try to bench test it myself. I have switches melted, transistors with leg damage, chokes that have crappy soldering, a broken hold-down screw, and other minor melt damage to plastic surfaces, and all-around ****ty repair technique. Here are just some pics:
> 
> EXHIBIT 1: Melted switches. HTF does this happen? Also, note the jumper wires. I have no clue...
> http://i1132.photobucket.com/albums/m574/dtgotts/644 jacked up/IMAG0171.jpg
> 
> EXHIBIT 2: Broken hold-down bolt. No excuse for this.
> http://i1132.photobucket.com/albums/m574/dtgotts/644 jacked up/IMAG0177.jpg
> 
> EXHIBIT 3: Damage to transistors. This looks fatal; amp should go into protect, if it even powers up, but I dunno...
> http://i1132.photobucket.com/albums/m574/dtgotts/644 jacked up/IMAG0199.jpg
> 
> EXHIBIT 4: Notice the melt damage. It's in a lot of places.
> http://i1132.photobucket.com/albums/m574/dtgotts/644 jacked up/IMAG0168-1.jpg
> 
> EXHIBIT 5: More GP mayhem
> http://i1132.photobucket.com/albums/m574/dtgotts/644 jacked up/IMAG0197.jpg
> 
> It also came back to me missing a fuse, and a TON of debris in the chassis. Only 1 case/cover screw, and 0 hold-down screws holding the circuit board to the heatsink. That's like a dozen or so missing. I'm going to talk to Soundstream, as well as my original choice repair company tomorrow. Sadly, I'm considering chucking my entire SS collection of 644, 700, 500 and the crossover setup and going with MB Quart Q series amps and MiniDSP. If anybody wants to talk business, PM me. I believe my terms are generous.
> 
> Mad props to Ms. Debbie for helping me, as well as at least one other person in this thread. She's aware of this forum and this thread, but it's her call to stick her neck out and invite a firestorm of complaints or requests. Once again, my solid documentation helped me help her get one more loose end wrapped up. Now I'm not sure what to do with it. The amps I'm not to worried about, there's TONS of good ones out there, and I know my backup choices. The real kicker here is the Balanced XO. How may of you have ever even seen one? Used one? Still have it? Do you have TWO gold BLT 4's and an asston of cables? The uniqueness of this piece kinda makes it special to me, but I'm not above ditching it for a MiniDSP as above.
> 
> Well, ladies and gents, it's very late and I have to work tomorrow. I'll open the 700 and take a look; hopefuly there will be no surprises. Open to comments and questions:gossip:


----------



## bkjay

WTF!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I feel for you man. What the hell is the story with Wade! This is 100% BS. Maybe file a claim with the Better business bureau? Just saying people need to know about this.


----------



## 9mmmac

TrickyRicky said:


> Holy crap thats some bad soldering skills. I repaired my 700sx (perry gave me the schematics) and I did a better soldering job and I sure as hell didnt melt anything or burnt anything.
> 
> It seems he wasn't who he said he was and if anything he said was true, I would feel sorry for Soundstream. There really is no excuse for melting all those parts/components.


Ya. It's like Freddy Kruger went in there and murdered it with a piece of hot rebar. That's why I'm kind of wondering if it really IS my board. The case probably is; it has the requested modifications on it. Oh well...:mean:


----------



## TrickyRicky

9mmmac said:


> Ya. It's like Freddy Kruger went in there and murdered it with a piece of hot rebar. That's why I'm kind of wondering if it really IS my board. The case probably is; it has the requested modifications on it. Oh well...:mean:


And those would be??


----------



## 9mmmac

*Re: NEWS FLASH: UNICORN RETURNED!*



envisionelec said:


> No surprise. Engineers aren't technicians. I happen to be both, but I started as a tech. And I've successfully and _*properly*_ repaired over 1000 car amplifiers.
> 
> I'd do this full time, because I could - but I'd need help with shipping/receiving. I'm in the Dayton Ohio area - anyone interested?


So... coming from somebody who has a technical background... is this worth economical repair? I KNOW my amp was NOT in this condition when I sent it, and the Captain (Morgan, that is) is helping me with my feelings of despair, but how does all this damage happen?

I'm kinda leaning towards a hack repair job that Wade got left holding the bag for, and somehow I got wrong guts in the right case, but it still doesn't work real well. 

Anyway, does all this point to some catostrophic abuse and meltdown scenario? I'm thinking of the transistors with damaged legs, as well as the coils with heat damage to the solder connections...


----------



## 9mmmac

TrickyRicky said:


> And those would be??


I wanted better RCA connectors put on. I know it's moot when I was/is/might be using the DIN connectors, but I did plug and unplug RCA's a couple of times. I was mad when the shield came off, but it didn't seem to make a noise or SQ issue when I just stuck it back on. 

But it bothered me nontheless. I guess I'm just wierd like that. Wade rogered up for the modification, and we did have some dialog about geting some worthy units in his hands.


----------



## 9mmmac

bkjay said:


> WTF!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I feel for you man. What the hell is the story with Wade! This is 100% BS. Maybe file a claim with the Better business bureau? Just saying people need to know about this.


I think Wade is LONG gone out of this forum. A BBB claim would be moot. AFAIK, he's not doing this... hobby anymore.


----------



## JAX

wow. what a shame. if you want to try to fix them my guy can and wouldnt do this to them. 

all I can say is it looks like maybe I got drunk and tried myself . ouch.


----------



## TrickyRicky

Its f'ed up when you come to this forum talking about all the years and expirience and claims about being with SoundStream and then do this to the poor guys amp. Like I said, if he is who he claims to be how the hell can he have done all that damage.


----------



## 9mmmac

I don't know. All I can think of is that the nutty professor got some things mixed up, and I got the short end of the stick. Ms. Debbie is also left with a big mess, and from what she's told me, there's little evidence of any organization, and ol' boy just went AWOL one day, presumably to a job in New Jersey.


----------



## TrickyRicky

Anyone in NJ, lol, jk.


----------



## 9mmmac

*REF 700 pics- not so bad...*

Well, to add some more mystery, I'll post up the pics of my 700, which I also sent in for a "checkup". I DID get some feedback from Wade on this one. It was making somewhat less than rated power, so he checked things over and found some "leaky transistors" ; I think that's what he said. 

After opening the case, I can see evidence of a repair. It looks decent to me. Can anybody judge; like put a 1-10 rating on it? I haven't bench tested it myself yet. Maybe I'll do something this weekend with it...

Anyway, these pics seem to show a bit more skill. I've also included some pics that DON'T show any damaged or heat stressed areas. This amp came back fully intact, with all screws and proper fusing. 

EXHIBIT 1: No damage to pot housings or plastic terminal blocks.









EXHIBIT 2: These chokes look fine. Notice there's no discoloration around the solder joints.









EXHIBIT 3: Replacement of some transistors. This was the only place I saw any repair work done.









I guess I'm thankful this one wasn't ruined as well.


----------



## TrickyRicky

It was a leaky capacitor. Its on the first picture where you can see the blue capacitor. And the transistors look like they were solder pretty darn good. I wonder why he did all that damage to the other guys amp? Maybe he was high or drunk when he was working on it.


----------



## 9mmmac

I just don't know. I know he had a functioning board sent to his house, because that's what I sent him. As a note, the REF644 has 2, 30A fuses standard. What I got back had 1, 40A fuse. Like I said: I think somebody sent that zombie POS in for Wade to try to fix, and somehow he got it mixed up with my chassis as he was doing the RCA jack mod. Ms. Debbie just scooped up what fit together; not her fault.


----------



## bkjay

Maybe he had a hack helper like Zed did when he had problems with his fist run of the leviathan.


----------



## bkjay

Did Wade and this Lady live together or was this a office you was calling?


----------



## TrickyRicky

bkjay said:


> Maybe he had a hack helper like Zed did when he had problems with his fist run of the leviathan.


Man I saw those repairs and they were bad. Might have fix the problem they had but come on, they could of make them look pretty by adding those parts below the board where you cant see the repairs (since it has a big freaking plexi cover). Yeah it would of taken longer removing the board but something that pretty should remain pretty not all hacked up and look like a 10year old done it.


----------



## djtsmith007

Glad you got the amp back, and that ss 700 looked very nice internally.


----------



## 9mmmac

bkjay said:


> Did Wade and this Lady live together or was this a office you was calling?


I dunno the deelio. I got the impression it was his house, and he was doing this in a spare room or something. Ms. Debbie might be renting out another room maybe. Guess he just bailed and left her with the property and a bunch of Soundstream stuff.


----------



## azvrt

My guess is the 'repairs' on that 644 were done by someone else than the one who did the 700. Also, people who've had their amps previously repaired by Wade were very pleased.

Probably an entirely other board. You'll never know what truly happened unless you can get to reach Wade somehow.
What a mess.

You can replace the molten switches by new ones. They are still available, amongst nearly all original parts. PM me if you want the email address of the seller.
But before contacting the seller you'd just need to find someone who is willing to work on that 644s.
And beware, there are more repair guys out there that never return your stuff for different reasons. Try to find someone who can be trusted, like Perry Babin.


----------



## Zoltarp

Well this is very disapointing, I just read the first page of this post and decided to signup to talk to this guy. I have an Continiuum that needs repair and was thinking this would be awesome to have the guy who designed it look at it for me :/ Well with that said has anyone ever delt with these guys? www. amprepaircenter. com I just talked to them on the phone and they answered atleast


----------



## azvrt

I recommend Perry Babin of Basic Car Audio Electronics


----------



## Zoltarp

Well it appears that Amplifier Repair Center ARC out of Ohio is a bad choice, I did a little digging and found alot of mad people. So my question is this, who is a good person/shop to send my amp to?


----------



## azvrt

I still recommend Perry Babin from Basic Car Audio Electronics
He has been doing for a very, very long time, and has his own website and amplifier repair tutorial. He also has lots of experience with old Soundstream amps.
He is also very active on Diyaudio.com


----------



## Zoltarp

Thank you for the recommendation. I just sent him an e-mail, I hope he will work on it for me.

This is the second try at replying to you, I hope it works  It appears me trying to include you message in my reply was the problem for my membership level


----------



## TrickyRicky

azvrt said:


> I still recommend Perry Babin from Basic Car Audio Electronics
> He has been doing for a very, very long time, and has his own website and amplifier repair tutorial. He also has lots of experience with old Soundstream amps.
> He is also very active on Diyaudio.com


He helped me with two of my amps. His tutorial is amazing and very detailed (plus he keeps updating it every other month or so). Responds to emails within a day and sometimes when he's replying to emails he'll email you that very same minute. He has helped probably over a thousand peeps over there at diyaudio.com. 

Plus if he does have time to do a repair he is very very reasonable (unlike others), he charges you exactly what the parts cost (which is pennies to a few dollars) and maybe an hour or so of labor.


----------



## azvrt

TrickyRicky said:


> He helped me with two of my amps. His tutorial is amazing and very detailed (plus he keeps updating it every other month or so). Responds to emails within a day and sometimes when he's replying to emails he'll email you that very same minute. He has helped probably over a thousand peeps over there at diyaudio.com.
> 
> Plus if he does have time to do a repair he is very very reasonable (unlike others), he charges you exactly what the parts cost (which is pennies to a few dollars) and maybe an hour or so of labor.


I agree on everything but the one hour labor. One cannot repair a Soundstream within an hour. Disassembling, applying new thermal compound on the output devices, removing small metal fragments from the polyimide and re-assembling takes at least an hour already. Then you need to find the problem and resolve it. Finding it usually takes some time, though a competent person like Perry will probably find it pretty fast.

He does reply fast to emails which is very pleasant.


----------



## TrickyRicky

azvrt said:


> I agree on everything but the one hour labor. One cannot repair a Soundstream within an hour. Disassembling, applying new thermal compound on the output devices, removing small metal fragments from the polyimide and re-assembling takes at least an hour already. Then you need to find the problem and resolve it. Finding it usually takes some time, though a competent person like Perry will probably find it pretty fast.
> 
> He does reply fast to emails which is very pleasant.


I agree with you on the Soundstream taking so long. When I worked on mine I had to remove countless amount of screws that hold down the board, then all the screws on the terminals, the fuse, cleaning the dried up thermal compound is a biach. Then putting everything back together just to relize you forgot to replace that one resistor, lol:laugh:.


----------



## azvrt

Removing all the screws that bolt down the board to the heatsink and putting them back in indeed takes some time. Try a 10.0 or 10.2, they have the most.

But it also means the board is really bolted down firmly, which is pleasing to me.

On Rubicon amplifiers, one does not need to remove the gold screws.
The worst amplifiers to assemble and disassemble are the larger s / sx amplifiers (including Ref Picasso and 10.0), due to the LEDs on top.


----------



## bkjay

9mmmac said:


> I dunno the deelio. I got the impression it was his house, and he was doing this in a spare room or something. Ms. Debbie might be renting out another room maybe. Guess he just bailed and left her with the property and a bunch of Soundstream stuff.


Thanks for the reply. It just seemed like a odd situation.


----------



## 9mmmac

Yes, it is an odd situation, but the lady of the house told me SHE STILL HAS STUFF THERE! 

>>>IF YOU EVER SENT STUFF TO WADE, AND IT HASN'T SOME BACK, YOU NEED TO CONTACT HER, SHE WILL TRY TO MATCH THINGS UP AND GET THEM BACK TO YOU<<<

Now, I doubt she'll ever have a 75% off "fire sale", but I do think she wants the stuff out of the house, and and truly wants to return it to it's rightful owners.

The only caveat is that you MUST be able to prove ownership- a serial number would be best, but a proven string of emails from Wade might also be sufficient.

Using my stuff as an example, you may or may not get the right thing back, it may or may not be repaired. But a possible something coming back is better that the certain nothing you've got now- if you're in this boat.

Others have given possible examples of alternative repair sites; I can't vouch for any of them ATM.


----------



## azvrt

Thanks for helping out all victims, I appreciate it.


----------



## envisionelec

azvrt said:


> One cannot repair a Soundstream within an hour.


Absolutely. I did/do it all the time. But you have to be good to do it correctly.


----------



## envisionelec

azvrt said:


> I still recommend Perry Babin from Basic Car Audio Electronics
> He has been doing for a very, very long time, and has his own website and amplifier repair tutorial. He also has lots of experience with old Soundstream amps.
> He is also very active on Diyaudio.com


There are more that can be trusted than Perry. Would you like some references?


----------



## [email protected]

envisionelec said:


> Absolutely. I did/do it all the time. But you have to be good to do it correctly.


I do not think he knows what he is talking about :laugh:


----------



## azvrt

envisionelec said:


> There are more that can be trusted than Perry. Would you like some references?


Of course I did not mean to say that Perry is the only repair guy on Earth that can be trusted. I was just recommending him. If someone knows some other great repair guys, please name them. Always interesting to have that kind of information.


----------



## TrickyRicky

azvrt said:


> Of course I did not mean to say that Perry is the only repair guy on Earth that can be trusted. I was just recommending him. If someone knows some other great repair guys, please name them. Always interesting to have that kind of information.


Envision repairs. Dont have any expirience with him but he has said in other threads he repairs and makes his own amps.


----------



## envisionelec

azvrt said:


> Of course I did not mean to say that Perry is the only repair guy on Earth that can be trusted. I was just recommending him. If someone knows some other great repair guys, please name them. Always interesting to have that kind of information.


I have specialized in car amplifier repair since 1994. I did it professionally from 1995-2002. Adds up to over 1000 repairs. I am careful during the repair. I don't pull traces/pads, cut components from the top, solder from the top or cut corners in any way. I don't hire any work out.

I don't work on any of the Korean/Chinese Class D amplifiers. I know how - I just don't want to. 

I have been quietly working on members' amplifiers for the past several weeks. I work a full time day job that I really enjoy, so rushing a repair job just to get more money isn't going to happen. 

Thanks for letting me explain.

Aaron


----------



## truckerfte

ya know, i have a handful of os orions that need work.....


----------



## iroller

Is there any repair shops in Minnesota ??


----------



## envisionelec

truckerfte said:


> ya know, i have a handful of os orions that need work.....


I don't want to be the guy that solicits in threads. If you want to chat, PM me. 

Thanks.


----------



## truckerfte

Lol, was only being semi-serious. Kinna figured you would feel that way about it. 

......wouldn't hurt for ya to watch that inbox in a few weeks though....lol

Sent from my SPH-D700 using Tapatalk


----------



## iroller

Thanks I'll talk went I get my amp back.


----------



## 9mmmac

Talk to who? Amp back from where?


----------



## iroller

Just got my amp back from Wade's old place in CA, Debbie his old partner is trying to get stuff back to where the stuff belongs. She's in a tough spot but she's helping, most people wouldn't. Thanks Debbie


----------



## 9mmmac

True dat. I'd expect all that stuff to just be dumped on Craigslist willy-nilly, but she's trying to do the right thing. 

*ONCE AGAIN: IF YOU'VE SENT STUFF IN TO WADE, YOU MUST CONTACT MS. DEBBIE TO MAKE ARRANGEMENTS FOR IT'S RETURN. PLEASE PROVIDE AMPLIFYING (ha ha!) INFO AND DESCRIBE YOUR DEVICES.*


----------



## bkjay

iroller said:


> Just got my amp back from Wade's old place in CA, Debbie his old partner is trying to get stuff back to where the stuff belongs. She's in a tough spot but she's helping, most people wouldn't. Thanks Debbie


Did it ever get repaired? 
Thanks Miss Debbie!:thumbsup:


----------



## iroller

It's had work done on it, there were multi things wrong so I don't no if they were all completed.


----------



## GlasSman

azvrt said:


> Removing all the screws that bolt down the board to the heatsink and putting them back in indeed takes some time. Try a 10.0 or 10.2, they have the most.
> 
> But it also means the board is really bolted down firmly, which is pleasing to me.
> 
> On Rubicon amplifiers, one does not need to remove the gold screws.
> The worst amplifiers to assemble and disassemble are the larger s / sx amplifiers (including Ref Picasso and 10.0), due to the LEDs on top.



Yes they can break if they get stuck in the hole.....or at least give some resistance.


----------



## GlasSman

9mmmac said:


> I dunno the deelio. I got the impression it was his house, and he was doing this in a spare room or something. Ms. Debbie might be renting out another room maybe. Guess he just bailed and left her with the property and a bunch of Soundstream stuff.


I believe this is the scenario.

I was communicating with him via email back in maybe June 2010 after he joined this board and I did get the impression that he was doing the work out of his home.

At the time I was on the fence over sending him a few of my amps just because I have so many SS amps that do work and I didn't see myself having a system in any vehicle for at least a year or so.

I hope everythings ok with Wade. He really is a great amp designer in the same class as Bob Carver or Robert Zeff.


----------



## chevykidd808

*Da Vinci was smoking like Bob Marley*

Anyone run into problems with a Da Vinci smoking, then not working? I read on google that this was a familiar problem, but I could not find an explanation or answer to whether it would be repairable. Any help is greatly appreciated.


----------



## alachua

Hard to say if it is repairable without opening it up and seeing what caused the smoke. It could be something small or it could have burned a hole through the board. I see you are in HI, which makes taking it to a tech a bit harder. Really would would want someone fairly skilled to work on it, since it is such a pricey and rare amp.


----------



## rockytophigh

*Re: Da Vinci was smoking like Bob Marley*



chevykidd808 said:


> Anyone run into problems with a Da Vinci smoking, then not working? I read on google that this was a familiar problem, but I could not find an explanation or answer to whether it would be repairable. Any help is greatly appreciated.


Ran one for years & never had a problem. I haven't heard of the Davinci amps smoking either....just the reference s & sx amps. Good luck my friend.


----------



## chevykidd808

After quite a bit of searching, you seem more qualified than most. Best of luck with your new business.


----------



## envisionelec

chevykidd808 said:


> After quite a bit of searching, you seem more qualified than most. Best of luck with your new business.


I think you meant to respond to one of my posts...at least that's my assumption given your PM to me. 

This is Wade Stewart's thread on SS amp repair. But, we don't know what happened to him.  

Has anyone heard from Wade recently?


----------



## sdiesel

Is there anyone that will work on my Ss ref 500s? Or where can I get parts? The right gain does not work.


----------



## rockytophigh

envisionelec said:


> I think you meant to respond to one of my posts...at least that's my assumption given your PM to me.
> 
> This is Wade Stewart's thread on SS amp repair. But, we don't know what happened to him.
> 
> Has anyone heard from Wade recently?


On his Facebook his girlfriend? has posted to him a few times. It appears he's well and good.


----------



## Got-Four-Eights

OMG.. what a story! What the hell happend to this guy??? He just said screw it and gave up? Seems like there is a deeper story we will never know. I feel so bad for you guys who got screwed over. Good luck getting your stuff back.


----------



## Matt K

Anyone have any word on him? He never got my 705 back to me...in 2 years...


----------



## azvrt

Sorry to hear that. Hope you get it back, though if it´s been 2 years I seriously doubt it.


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## JAX

pretty bad way to go out.


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## urdrvideo

I know this is old news but does anyone have the contact info to get in touch with whoever was handling this nightmare from Wade Stewart????

I sent him a Reference Class A 10.0 and a Rubicon 604 a few years ago and the dude is a total ghost... all the numbers are turned off, and well I just want my amps back...

I trusted this dude, a "legend" in the industry... I have been inside the industry for 16 years, and I never expected this... I heard once it was bad news to meet you childhood idols... I guess this is why.

Thanks in advance


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## Aaron'z 2.5RS/WRX

I believe he past away.. 

Sent from an other planet (Tapatalk)


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## thehatedguy

He is on linkedin. Works at bogen communications.


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## azvrt

Finally someone found him. He should be confronted for taking off after having accepted responsibility for amplifiers sent in by customers.


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## Notloudenuf

wade stewart | LinkedIn


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## rexroadj

Man, this turned into a monumental cluster F$*k!

A few years back, Wade and I were discussing the development of a new company (amplifiers/electronics to start). I dont think, based on his accolades, we can knock his engineering prowess.....However, his extreme lack of marketing, financial understanding/reality, and business comprehension were as bright as the day is long. WHOA! Lets just say there were more red flags then China pretty quick into things! What took place from there on out was of no real surprise to me! Just sorry to hear about all the collateral damage  (you guys)


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## thehatedguy

Did you guys look real hard? All I did was type his name and amplifiers into Yahoo and started looking at the results...it was the second result.


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## Aaron'z 2.5RS/WRX

My info is old... I don't frequent like I used to..


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## fruit loops

old school Soundstream amps.
Looks like he has resurfaced..Good luck


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## cajunner

berry interesting..


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## JAX

he hasnt been in contact with anyone that is missing amps ? or did everyone get their amps back?


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## Old Skewl

Interesting Wade popped up on ca.com and not back here. His verbage is weird though, asking people what they are into?!?!?


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## devin7000

I emailed Wade back in 2012 inquiring about my Soundstream needing repair. I never sent it because I saw what had happened to people here shortly after emailing him. He just responded back to me 4/30/14 offering to fix it for $75.00. He gave the same address as before, and said he now intends to spend his free time fixing Soundstreams again. Not sure what to think....


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## vulgamore89

He's got some super weird verbage going on in ca.com. Almost sounds like an unintelligent computer is trying to talk or something. Definitely seems shady


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## envisionelec

devin7000 said:


> I emailed Wade back in 2012 inquiring about my Soundstream needing repair. I never sent it because I saw what had happened to people here shortly after emailing him. He just responded back to me 4/30/14 offering to fix it for $75.00. He gave the same address as before, and said he now intends to spend his free time fixing Soundstreams again. Not sure what to think....


*Do not*. He does not do good work. His repairs are quite awful, because he designed them - he did not repair them...think about it.

I repaired many of the amps that were first sent to him with varying degrees of repair success. 

I am no longer doing any kinds of repair, so don't ask.   :surprised:


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## Notloudenuf

> Hello smithee419,
> Here is the final draft of my explanation on what happened when I was doing soundstream amp repairs in 2011.
> 
> Hello everyone,
> I am known on DIYMA as ace956. I have a long story about what happened to my Soundstream repair business and explain my mysterious disappearance. It’s so incredible I’m afraid no one will believe it. But here goes.
> In 2007 I started a new pro audio company called FATPRO Technologies. I had a partner that worked with me who owned 20% of the company. He was an employee of mine at Stewart Electronics where all the Old School Soundstream car amps, Soundstream home audio and Stewart Electronics pro Audio products were designed and built. He was an engineer doing schematics and board layout at Stewart. While at Fatpro he developed cancer and he was unemployed. By the way Kelly is also my wives name. He and his wife, the infamous ‘DEBBIE’ moved in with my wife and I. Fatpro did well in 2008 but at the end of 2008 the bank cut our funding. In 2009 Fatpro was limping along.
> In 2010 I started doing Soundstream repairs. In early 2011 I switched my web hosting and emails to Goddady. In April of 2011 I was contacted by an audio company to work for them. I took the job but I had to be there in two weeks. I tried to finish any amplifiers I had before we left but I couldn’t finish all of them. My wife and I moved to New Jersey where my old computer crapped out. It would work for a few minutes and then shutdown. I got a new computer but somehow the backup hard drive had gotten completely erased. I said you’re not going to believe this. Kelly and Debbie were still living in my house rent free. They tried to help solve some of the problems, and for that I thank them.
> When I got out there godaddy wasn’t able to get my email or web site files from web.com. Here I am in New Jersey, Totally stressing out, My computer doesn’t work, I lost my backup files, most of the information on who sent repairs is not on DIYMA, they were emails sent directly to me and I can’t access my email accounts or feedback from fatpro.com. I never cashed any checks until a repair was shipped to the customer. I don’t know who was cashing those checks. I eventually had Godaddy start new email accounts for me in the end of 2011 but I lost all old emails..
> The end result of all of this is it’s my fault. I screwed up and I’m very sorry. If anyone has any questions or had any problems I hope they will contact me and I will make things right. I always tried to do everything in my life the right way. Ever since I was a child I lived by the golden rule. “Always do unto others as you would have them do unto you”
> In my defense is I repaired over 30 amps and gave free help and information to people on DIYMA and other sites. There were only 6 people who complained on DIYMA, most of them got there equipment back. I did have trouble with one amp from 9mmmac. I replaced the input jacks with a jack that mounted outside. I kept finding problems with the amp and had to disassemble it over and over. Eventually the solder pads on the pc board became compromised. I should have used jacks that mounted from the inside, oh well live and learn.
> You want to hear the real kicker. After 19 years my partner / ex girlfriend at Stewart Electronics where I was doing about 20 million dollars a year and talking with Jensen and Electrovoice about building there amplifiers. Trying to take over the company, my partner sued me claiming I was trying to destroy Stewart which would make her holdings worthless,. The judge kicked me out of Stewart and assigned a trustee to run the company. She and I fought it out in court and lost everything. Oh well, live and learn again.
> 
> Thank you,
> Wade Stewart


IF any of this is true it seems like it would be easy to verify. Seeing as how there is this thing called the INTERNET where any and all information is posted to.
Here are some lawsuits that involve Wade Stewart, Stewart Electronics Corp et.al.

Farrand, Cooper & Bruiniers, A Professional Corp. v. Stewart, Wade A. An Individual Et Al :: Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco :: Case No. CGC 97 143649, Judge Ralph J. Flageollet presiding

The last one is from 2000.


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## Illinest

I received an email from him as well. I explained that I was not in a position to pay to have my amp repaired. He did forward schematics afterwards, so that was cool of him.


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## bkjay

please keep us posted.


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## JAX

wth????


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## envisionelec

My source is not Jamie from J&R. In fact, I had never heard of this person until I was researching another company all together.


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## envisionelec

*The Truth Comes Out...*

The person I have been in contact with has requested that this post is deleted.


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## JAX

Did you post this up at that " other" site where the Soundstream thread is?

This is very surprising stuff.


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## envisionelec

Deleted.


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## Old Skewl

Interesting!


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## bkjay

Man what a let down. Makes me love my Rubi's even more. Thank you for the info.
If you are self taught Just own it, no need to scam people.


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## JAX

so where are these guys who actually did the reference amps ? 

i love the reference amps and still do. its just weird to have this cloud over them now.


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## kappa546

Whoa that's crazy.


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## envisionelec

The person I have been in contact with has requested that this post is deleted.


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## Old Skewl

Probably explains why the S & SX series Reference amps were so problematic. Would be nice if someone else could verify this engineer's side of things. 

Lucky me - My Reference 705 signed by Wade Stewart.


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## bkjay

Thanks Envisionelec. This is some great info. I always wondered who designed the Rudicons and how they stacked up against the original Ref. amps. Before I knew better I beat the crap out of my 702 Rubi. running at 1.5 ohms mono for a summer and she's still in my car now. BTW it's only rated for 2 ohm mono.


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## cajunner

well, since the Van Gogh series was designed by Karl Cummings, I have sidestepped the SoundStream engineer's credit shuffle and have controversy free amplifiers!


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## Darth SQ

Subscribed.


Bret
PPI-ART COLLECTOR


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## bkjay

That was odd. Thanks for all the info. I wish he could have stuck around longer. Would be fun to sit down and have beer with him and hear some more audio history.


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## envisionelec

Yeah, sorry about that. It just was a bit overt on my part to post everything. It looks different from another perspective.

I'm sure he would like to talk more about the industry. He's a very conversational individual. Maybe start a new thread and I'll point him in that direction.


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## OLD TIMER

Well Wade says that Dennis was a draftsman at SoundStream and if he had a EE degree it wasn't while he worked for SoundStream where he meet his wife Sally....


Seems old Dennis is a disgruntled employee of the company.

And by the way I have all of SoundStream's schematics in hand and NOT one of them has troutsqueezers name on them.


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## JAX

OLD TIMER said:


> Well Wade says that Dennis was a draftsman at SoundStream and if he had a EE degree it wasn't while he worked for SoundStream where he meet his wife Sally....
> 
> 
> Seems old Dennis is a disgruntled employee of the company.
> 
> And by the way I have all of SoundStream's schematics in hand and NOT one of them has troutsqueezers name on them.



first post on here eh??? 

at this point we dont really know the real truth or who is not telling the truth.


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## envisionelec

No, we don't seem to know the truth; because, it seems, the truth is difficult to know at this point.

I took some information and erroneously connected it to cast Wade in the worst light. For that, I sincerely apologize. My intent was to protect people from a scammer. The reality is that I failed to be a decent human being and limit what I suspected to the grey matter between my ears.


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## JAX

envisionelec said:


> No, we don't seem to know the truth; because, it seems, the truth is difficult to know at this point.
> 
> I took some information and erroneously connected it to cast Wade in the worst light. For that, I sincerely apologize. My intent was to protect people from a scammer. The reality is that I failed to be a decent human being and limit what I suspected to the grey matter between my ears.



well i think due to the issues with the amps that were sent to wade to be fixed and the weird circumstances after it wasnt hard to imagine that there was some issue. 

plus the strange replies on the other forum while not even coming here to discuss..


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## vwguy383

JAX said:


> well i think due to the issues with the amps that were sent to wade to be fixed and the weird circumstances after it wasnt hard to imagine that there was some issue.
> 
> plus the strange replies on the other forum while not even coming here to discuss..


Yes, and to make things right. He admitted on the forum that he made a mistake and wished he could make things right..... Well why dont you make things right and come back here with your tail between your legs and make it right with the people you F'd. Instead he goes to the other forum and tries to drum up more business? 

Thanks
Justin


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## bkjay

envisionelec said:


> No, we don't seem to know the truth; because, it seems, the truth is difficult to know at this point.
> 
> I took some information and erroneously connected it to cast Wade in the worst light. For that, I sincerely apologize. My intent was to protect people from a scammer. The reality is that I failed to be a decent human being and limit what I suspected to the grey matter between my ears.


From a guy that was a legend(Wade) to someone that had a hard time fixing one of his own amps. Then just leaving people hanging with no way to get there stuff back. I would have connected the same dots. So don't beat your self up man. P.S. You can make it all better if you recap my Rubi's


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## envisionelec

bkjay said:


> From a guy that was a legend(Wade) to someone that had a hard time fixing one of his own amps. Then just leaving people hanging with no way to get there stuff back. I would have connected the same dots. So don't beat your self up man. P.S. You can make it all better if you recap my Rubi's


I'm tapped out this year trying to get my house ready for market. Once I move into a bigger space, I might reconsider amp repair. I still have a soft spot for Soundstream.


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## OLD TIMER

JAX said:


> first post on here eh???
> 
> at this point we dont really know the real truth or who is not telling the truth.




You know me JAX and I know you old friend, and I have never done you wrong. Its just been a while.....And I do have SS documents in hand and they do have designers names on them. A common practice when you actually design something is to put your name on the bottom of the page along with rev number, and product design number and a date.....

Plus Wade has gotten a complete apology from Dennis in an email as of a little while ago. Seems he remembers needing a job and Wade gave him one.

So now its all about Arron the bullshitter who stirs up **** and does not have his facts straight and has added only fire to already bad situation that was NONE of his business in the first place.... 

Arron I thought you promised to leave the good people of this forum alone and not bother them anymore with your bad attitude and ranker. I recall you huffing and puffing and threatening to leave this forum. So why can't you even do that right????

This IS and was NONE of your business....And to compound all of this you took some information and* misrepresented* to the good people of this forum to stir ****. Now for the life of me and everyone on this forum, what in the hell are you doing? And why? 

*Misrepresented* is the word Dennis used in his email to Wade a little while ago, so don't think I am making this **** up like Arron does....

I can't speak for Wade or Dennis in this matter any longer since they have talked and apologies have been spoken between them. I can only try to get some real facts on the table for the good people of this forum so they know the truth and not some stitched together BS from some fool in Ohio.....Grow up Arron, and please stop using this forum and it's good people for your own personal gain....................


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## truckerfte

All ******** aside, some folks sent amps, and they either got lost, or repaied poorly. 

Above all, that is what needs to be fixed.


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## envisionelec

Wade you can't make a shadow account. You aren't fooling me speaking in third person. Reported.


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## JAX

vwguy383 said:


> Yes, and to make things right. He admitted on the forum that he made a mistake and wished he could make things right..... Well why dont you make things right and come back here with your tail between your legs and make it right with the people you F'd. Instead he goes to the other forum and tries to drum up more business?
> 
> Thanks
> Justin


I agree, he did go over there and represent himself in order to make sales and ignore what happened here. I thinl I even called him on that..


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## thehatedguy

The IP address does go back to a city/area in the 209 area code...same area code as Stewart Amplifiers.

But that is a big area, so it could be a coincidence...or fake IP.


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## Darth SQ

Update-We are trying to get the last of these lost amps back to their original owners. 
I've started a thread to begin that process so if you are still missing your amp that was sent to Wade for repairs, click the link below and respond. 
Good luck to all of you.

http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum...ream-amps-back-owners-thread.html#post2134777


Bret
PPI-ART COLLECTOR


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