# Kudos to Shawnk for repairing/recapping my Soundstreams



## Old Skewl (May 30, 2011)

This is long overdue! I wanted to give a formal thanks to Shawnk for his clean quality soldering work & diagnosis of my MC300 & Reference 200. Also, thanks for his professionalism and good communication throughout the process. I highly recommend him if you need an OS amp repaired or recapped. The MC300 had a bad relay that would not allow channels 3 & 4 to play. While it was being repaired(and being over 20 years old) I figured it would be best to have it recapped so it should be good for a long time. My Reference 200 was acting funny on my power supply, so I sent it to have it looked over and ultimately recapped while it was there. Both amps work wonderfully and sound nice. I have not had enough time to play them back to back with some stock capped amps to give a comparison of their sound. When the weather breaks here in PA I will try to spend some time in the garage listening.

Here are a few pics of the finished work:






















































































































I hope the pics give you some good detail. I need a Macro lens for my camera, so I was having a hard time getting closeups! Hopefully Shwan will chime in and give some more detail on his work. Thanks again!


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## bigdwiz (Oct 7, 2010)

Shawn also did a fantastic job on my RF Power 650's...see the process and results here:

Restored Rockford Power 650 w/internal pics! - diyAudio


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## rockytophigh (Apr 16, 2008)

OS that is one clean MC300!!!

BigD....check your PM please.


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## vwguy383 (Dec 4, 2008)

Did he say that the caps were bad in anyway? I know they get old and can leak, but I have heard that if you have a good brand cap that they really shouldnt need to be replaced. Also did he replace them with the exact size caps? Or did he increase the size or use a higher rated temp ones? 

That MC300 is in very nice condition. Whenever you see them come up on ebay it always seems like they are scratched and beaten up. Same with MC500

Thanks
Justin


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## cajunner (Apr 13, 2007)

Perry didn't appreciate the jab at professional techs, leaving a less than pristine work surface...

and I don't blame him.

A guy makes "2 dollars an hour" doing restoration work, and then chides the people who churn out a living doing repair work, it's not apples to apples.


I understand, and I appreciate hard work and a love for what you do, but the machine comes and takes you away if you try to make a living on 2 bucks an hour day in and day out.

just an observation, I give them freely and charge very little for the service.


btw, the amps look great! 

is that some kind of paper between the circuit board and the heat sink, that's not part of the kapton film between the chassisink mounted transistors?


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## shawnk (Jan 11, 2010)

Hey thanks so much for the appreciation Tom! 

I'm happy that you're happy!






vwguy383 said:


> Did he say that the caps were bad in anyway? I know they get old and can leak, but I have heard that if you have a good brand cap that they really shouldnt need to be replaced. Also did he replace them with the exact size caps? Or did he increase the size or use a higher rated temp ones?


Hi Justin,


Yes you're correct in that a "quality" cap will stay within spec far longer than some others, but all electrolytics will degrade over time. Unfortunately that's the nature of the beast. I, as well as many others, will always suggest a cap replacelment if the amp is 20yrs old or more. High heat is also another consideration that should be accounted for. I've seen many amps which you could tell that they've been operating at very high temps throughout their lives, and the heat is brutal on the components... especially the electrolytic caps.

And yes, most of the time the caps are upgraded to higher quality, higher temp, and higher capacitance (for power supply filtering) as long as the new caps will physically fit.


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## shawnk (Jan 11, 2010)

cajunner said:


> Perry didn't appreciate the jab at professional techs, leaving a less than pristine work surface...
> 
> and I don't blame him.




Perry has a point, but I think he misunderstood what I was saying which unfortunately is all too common in this social media age  I remember saying that I "care more than a lot of techs" out there, and I still stick to my word. I didn't say "most techs" or even worse "all techs". But the fact of the matter is, even as a relatively newcomer to the repair scene, I've already seen and repaired a ton of amplifiers that have had "professional" techs already in them. Many times the work is shoddy and messy. Actually, Perry made a few comments about what he considers poor work and quite frankly those are the exact things I've seen done, many times even, by so called professionals. So I think my comment had some merit :blush:
Furthermore, most of my repair work are not full restorations like BigD's amp, but I can honestly say that even with the smallest of repairs I take the time to do neat orderly work with good communication at a bare minimum. So even though that 650 was an exception as far as the "quantity" of work done, I still treat "every" amp with the same care. I hope that clears things up.




cajunner said:


> is that some kind of paper between the circuit board and the heat sink, that's not part of the kapton film between the chassisink mounted transistors?



The yellow material between the heatsink and board is new Kapton tape.


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## shawnk (Jan 11, 2010)

Tom,

I'll definitely get some more pics up here for ya once I get some time to organize things


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## vwguy383 (Dec 4, 2008)

shawnk said:


> Hey thanks so much for the appreciation Tom!
> 
> I'm happy that you're happy!
> 
> ...


Did you upgrade these particular caps in the SS? What about risk/reward of damaging the board when changing a 20+ yr old cap? Still recommend? Some of the ref. Amps where known for the traces lifting.

Thanks
Justin


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## shawnk (Jan 11, 2010)

vwguy383 said:


> Did you upgrade these particular caps in the SS? What about risk/reward of damaging the board when changing a 20+ yr old cap? Still recommend? Some of the ref. Amps where known for the traces lifting.
> 
> Thanks
> Justin


Both of Tom's amps had virtually all of the electrolytic caps replaced. All of them of higher quality 

There's really no risk. Like so many other things, it's all about taking your time and not rushing. I've rarely had to repair bad/damaged vias, but I've never lifted trace that wasn't previously damaged


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## cajunner (Apr 13, 2007)

shawnk said:


> Perry has a point, but I think he misunderstood what I was saying which unfortunately is all too common in this social media age  I remember saying that I "care more than a lot of techs" out there, and I still stick to my word. I didn't say "most techs" or even worse "all techs". But the fact of the matter is, even as a relatively newcomer to the repair scene, I've already seen and repaired a ton of amplifiers that have had "professional" techs already in them. Many times the work is shoddy and messy. Actually, Perry made a few comments about what he considers poor work and quite frankly those are the exact things I've seen done, many times even, by so called professionals. So I think my comment had some merit :blush:
> Furthermore, most of my repair work are not full restorations like BigD's amp, but I can honestly say that even with the smallest of repairs I take the time to do neat orderly work with good communication at a bare minimum. So even though that 650 was an exception as far as the "quantity" of work done, I still treat "every" amp with the same care. I hope that clears things up.
> 
> 
> ...


I, unfortunately, did understand you and your perspective, but Perry is probably trying to keep the expectation from professional techs down to a mild roar, with regards to cleanliness and the difference between functional repairs vs. cosmetics.

You engage on a social level, that you are committed and follow through to cement that reputation as someone who cares about his work and reputation, but a professional tech that is doing it with a backlog of orders a week deep, can't concern himself with an extra half-hour of removing traces of old paste and soot.

Does the amp work, if yes, then it's good work, right?

I mean, that's the guideline that matters most to me. I understand your enthusiasm but it may be that doing this kind of work comes naturally to you, and another tech may find their niche in turning out repairs quickly and getting more soldering and testing done than cleaning and disassembling.

I think Perry was correct in that the inside of the amp is the tech's domain, and you want to put it's condition into the conversation, when a little soot or thermal paste being left behind is not going to matter, and taking an extra half hour or hour to do clean-up, is just tacking on to the bill.

I personally would rather have a clean amp but if it makes my repair costs go up from say, 75 bucks to 110 bucks on a 100W/ch amp, I'm getting away from cost-effectiveness, I'm backing into a new purchase instead of repairing at that point.

so that's where I'm coming from, not that I matter as a consumer, and potential client, but it's how I think professional techs see this compromise as well. They don't want to charge any higher than necessary because the customer is apt to replace than repair when too much time gets taken, and charged.


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## shawnk (Jan 11, 2010)

cajunner said:


> I, unfortunately, did understand you and your perspective, but Perry is probably trying to keep the expectation from professional techs down to a mild roar, with regards to cleanliness and the difference between functional repairs vs. cosmetics.
> 
> You engage on a social level, that you are committed and follow through to cement that reputation as someone who cares about his work and reputation, but a professional tech that is doing it with a backlog of orders a week deep, can't concern himself with an extra half-hour of removing traces of old paste and soot.


You seem to be fixated on the cosmetics here. Although I do indeed find this somewhat important, it's not the entirety of my point.

As a "professional" I, as well as many, do indeed think that neat/clean work should be performed. It's analogous to the times of my old retail install days. My shop would always do clean/tidy wiring whenever we had a job. Now most of this wiring was never seen by the consumer (similar to your statement about the consumer never seeing the amp's internals right? ), but it was nice and neat nevertheless. Now our local big-box competitor on the other hand, was not quite so neat and tidy...not in the least lol, but none the less it was still a so called "professional" install. Neither one of us were any more busy than the next, and our installation prices were nearly identical. So why is it that our shop did a higher quality of work than the local competitor when all else is equal?....... Well, it's because we actually "cared" 






cajunner said:


> Does the amp work, if yes, then it's good work, right?


Bro, no offense but this is a terrible statement to make. (I'm assuming it's a statement and not really a question )

This is so far from the truth it makes me cringe lol. 

So no, just because the amp works after a repair does not in the least mean that the repair was done properly and will last, or is even working up to spec. 





cajunner said:


> I mean, that's the guideline that matters most to me. I understand your enthusiasm but it may be that doing this kind of work comes naturally to you, and another tech may find their niche in turning out repairs quickly and getting more soldering and testing done than cleaning and disassembling.


Well again, I still stand by my statement.... "I care more about quality work unlike many others"... where apparently many others care about quick turn over :worried:

So there's merit in my statement right?



cajunner said:


> I think Perry was correct in that the inside of the amp is the tech's domain, and you want to put it's condition into the conversation, when a little soot or thermal paste being left behind is not going to matter, and taking an extra half hour or hour to do clean-up, is just tacking on to the bill.


Sorry man, but you are very wrong here. Soot can, and does, often become cunductive over time. If not cleaned away, you're asking for shorts... not good! And yes, I have indeed seen where technicians have supposedly repaired amplifiers without cleaning out soot.... very bad!

BTW, this is all stuff I've learned from Perry's tutorial. So you need to be careful about placing his words...

Please go back into the DiYAudio thread and read post #9. These are just some of Perry's own ideas of shoddy/poor work, and are precisely some of the things that lead me to make the comment I did.



cajunner said:


> I personally would rather have a clean amp but if it makes my repair costs go up from say, 75 bucks to 110 bucks on a 100W/ch amp, I'm getting away from cost-effectiveness, I'm backing into a new purchase instead of repairing at that point.
> 
> so that's where I'm coming from, not that I matter as a consumer, and potential client, but it's how I think professional techs see this compromise as well. They don't want to charge any higher than necessary because the customer is apt to replace than repair when too much time gets taken, and charged.


Sure, to some extent I can see where some compromises need to be made. Hellthat's life. At the same time, there's also a minimum standard that needs to be met in order to call yourself a "professional" right!?


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## Old Skewl (May 30, 2011)

"D" thanks for the link to the thread on your 650. Interesting read! There definitely some valid points on both sides. 

I value Shawn's thoroughness and attention to detail. I prefer to have someone "who cares" repair my amp, as long as they are willing. IMO an amp that has been gone over thoroughly will last longer with fewer issues surfacing down the road.

Please post some more pics as you have time.


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## Old Skewl (May 30, 2011)

vwguy383 said:


> Did he say that the caps were bad in anyway? I know they get old and can leak, but I have heard that if you have a good brand cap that they really shouldnt need to be replaced. Also did he replace them with the exact size caps? Or did he increase the size or use a higher rated temp ones?
> 
> That MC300 is in very nice condition. Whenever you see them come up on ebay it always seems like they are scratched and beaten up. Same with MC500
> 
> ...


Caps all looked fine. But they are going to fail eventually or start losing their effectiveness. I just figured since I had the money wrapped up in shipping, it would be worthwhile to have it recapped. It should be good for another 20 years.

Thanks for the comments on the MC300. It does have a few gouges in the fins but they don't show in the pics. Overall it is in pretty good condition. I've been looking for one for a couple years. The moon and the stars aligned and I bought this one off fleabay. It arrived with channels 3&4 dead. The seller did a partial refund, which assisted in the repair Shawn did. In the end, it all worked out and I am happy!


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## cajunner (Apr 13, 2007)

shawnk said:


> You seem to be fixated on the cosmetics here. Although I do indeed find this somewhat important, it's not the entirety of my point.
> 
> As a "professional" I, as well as many, do indeed think that neat/clean work should be performed. It's analogous to the times of my old retail install days. My shop would always do clean/tidy wiring whenever we had a job. Now most of this wiring was never seen by the consumer (similar to your statement about the consumer never seeing the amp's internals right? ), but it was nice and neat nevertheless. Now our local big-box competitor on the other hand, was not quite so neat and tidy...not in the least lol, but none the less it was still a so called "professional" install. Neither one of us were any more busy than the next, and our installation prices were nearly identical. So why is it that our shop did a higher quality of work than the local competitor when all else is equal?....... Well, it's because we actually "cared"
> 
> ...


not being privy to Perry's tutorial, I'm not aware of what he says is good or bad work.

I am saying that the amount of care you put into the job, is costing you money.

Just like when you did the retail install gig, if you spent time on your craft beyond what was safe and effective, you cost yourself income.


See, it's not that I care if you want to turn 2 bucks an hour as a living, it's that you expect other techs to come to your level.

That's not gonna happen as far as I can tell, right?


I mean you care, and you put in the time and the work that proves it.

But you can't say that a repair plus detailed cleaning, is going to perform better than a repair with just perfunctory clean-up that is based on a standard in the industry.

That's not how the electronics see it, they don't have a voice, they will perform how they do and that's it, smudges on the caps or fingerprints on the transistor housings, be damned.

I'd rather someone exhibit perfect soldering technique following time-honored practices, and do a quick clean off of leftover flux residues, while leaving some thermal paste in the areas where the transistors don't contact the sink, than someone who leaves globs of solder on top of the circuit traces and does a meticulous clean-up of the amp's interior.

I know, a rough estimation but that's what I mean by "if it works, it's good"

because I would rather someone spend time with the test tools first, than just swap out parts until the amp behaves somewhat stable. That's someone who might overlook the shine off the raw aluminum before closing the amp up, but will be sure to have tested the circuit several times instead of just hooking it up and saying good enough at the time he tags it with his repair tag.

If you want to make 2 bucks an hour doing quality work, that's great, man.


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## shawnk (Jan 11, 2010)

cajunner said:


> not being privy to Perry's tutorial, I'm not aware of what he says is good or bad work.


Yet you seem to feel the need to defend him for some unknown reason, and misquoting him to boot 



cajunner said:


> I am saying that the amount of care you put into the job, is costing you money.


Not sure why you think this? You are really assuming so much with all of this it's a bit silly.

As I said before, BigD's amp is certainly an exception. He's a good friend and he got the hook up for sure. But again, that doesn't mean that I treat any repair with any less care. Now of coarse that doesn't mean that I'm going to do a complete restoration when an amp perhaps needs only a new gain knob for instance, but there's no reason not to be tidy when replacing that one little knob 



cajunner said:


> Just like when you did the retail install gig, if you spent time on your craft beyond what was safe and effective, you cost yourself income.


I completely disagree. IMO, those who set the bar a little higher are the ones who actually have the best chances at longevity and receiving new clientele. Bing at Simplicity in Sound is a great example of this.






cajunner said:


> See, it's not that I care if you want to turn 2 bucks an hour as a living, it's that you expect other techs to come to your level.


This is not true. Again, you are "assuming" this, and it's just not right. 






cajunner said:


> I mean you care, and you put in the time and the work that proves it.
> 
> But you can't say that a repair plus detailed cleaning, is going to perform better than a repair with just perfunctory clean-up that is based on a standard in the industry.
> 
> That's not how the electronics see it, they don't have a voice, they will perform how they do and that's it, smudges on the caps or fingerprints on the transistor housings, be damned.


Well I never have said that so.....

All I said was that I care more than a lot of other techs out there.. It's the truth and quite frankly it is very much a blanket statement.

I still don't regret it since I've seen too much shoddy work from so called professionals. If I regret anything, it's that I made the statement within that particular thread where a couple people "assumed" that I was implying that the 650 restoration should be some sort of benchmark or something... not so



cajunner said:


> I'd rather someone exhibit perfect soldering technique following time-honored practices, and do a quick clean off of leftover flux residues, while leaving some thermal paste in the areas where the transistors don't contact the sink, than someone who leaves globs of solder on top of the circuit traces and does a meticulous clean-up of the amp's interior.



But you see, this is EXACTLY what I'm talking about when it comes to shoddy work. I agree with you here. (poor soldering, flux filled boards, using mismatched or inadequate components, not cleaning up soot, not fixing broken solder joint when you see it etc...) are precisely what I'm referring to regarding the techs who don't care. Stuff that I've seen too often unfortunately. 



cajunner said:


> But these things
> 
> I know, a rough estimation but that's what I mean by "if it works, it's good"
> because I would rather someone spend time with the test tools first, than just swap out parts until the amp behaves somewhat stable. That's someone who might overlook the shine off the raw aluminum before closing the amp up, but will be sure to have tested the circuit several times instead of just hooking it up and saying good enough at the time he tags it with his repair tag.


So I could sit here and "assume" that you're implying that I would rather make a repaired amp "shine" more than function properly, but we've discussed the downfalls of "assuming" so I wont' go there.... point made?



cajunner said:


> If you want to make 2 bucks an hour doing quality work, that's great, man.


Well if that's really the case then why the confrontation? I think you should send your next amp repair to me... hey good deal right??


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## shawnk (Jan 11, 2010)

Old Skewl said:


> "D" thanks for the link to the thread on your 650. Interesting read! There definitely some valid points on both sides.
> 
> I value Shawn's thoroughness and attention to detail. I prefer to have someone "who cares" repair my amp, as long as they are willing. IMO an amp that has been gone over thoroughly will last longer with fewer issues surfacing down the road.
> 
> Please post some more pics as you have time.


You got it bro! 

Sorry for the muck up on your thread. 

I'm working on the pics now


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## cajunner (Apr 13, 2007)

shawnk said:


> Yet you seem to feel the need to defend him for some unknown reason, and misquoting him to boot
> Not sure why you think this? You are really assuming so much with all of this it's a bit silly.
> As I said before, BigD's amp is certainly an exception. He's a good friend and he got the hook up for sure. But again, that doesn't mean that I treat any repair with any less care. Now of coarse that doesn't mean that I'm going to do a complete restoration when an amp perhaps needs only a new gain knob for instance, but there's no reason not to be tidy when replacing that one little knob
> I completely disagree. IMO, those who set the bar a little higher are the ones who actually have the best chances at longevity and receiving new clientele. Bing at Simplicity in Sound is a great example of this.
> ...



it's not a confrontation.

you made your post defending your views of work, and Perry made a post that differed from yours.

I made the distinction that people shouldn't expect BigDWiz's level of care, demonstrated by you in the 650 thread, from other techs.

the purpose, is because it serves only you to claim that other techs are doing inferior or indifferent work. I understand the marketing, but you can't throw other techs under the bus while pushing your brand, it's like you have a score to settle with your view of the repair work you've seen, and blanket statements about professionals is exactly why I felt prompted to respond.

I wasn't defending Perry, just agreeing with him that you were setting up an expectation of work detail, that isn't a standard of the industry. You yourself state how you gave the "hook up" and it's not even your standard, but when I said it, you think I'm confronting you.

You're enthusiastic, that's great.

It reminds me of the guy who is willing to sweep floors at the local brick and mortar, so he can lean in on the installer's work and learn enough to become an installer, his ultimate goal. That's how you're presenting yourself, your professionalism only extends as far as how you are willing to treat the rest of the people who do the work, day in and day out. If you have to hoist yourself on a petard to gain traction in this hobby, you're underestimating your base who would be pretty happy most times, to get a working amp back with a reasonable price. They aren't gonna care as much as you do if it's ready for photographing or is best left with the back cover left on.


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## shawnk (Jan 11, 2010)

Ok back to some pics!

So as Tom had stated before, one of the output relays needed replacing. Since this amp is quite old now, unfortunately finding a drop in replacement is next to impossible. After a bit of resarch, I found one (brand new... probably old stock) that was nearly identical to the original. It is manufactured by the same company as the original and thankfully has the same pin configuration.... awesome! Now the only downside is that it is a 6 Volt relay vs the stock 12V. After a few calculations, I concluded that the drive circuit has enough current capability to allow for a voltage divider network and the new relay works like a champ 

The old/bad relay:








Here's the new relay with the voltage divider:


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## shawnk (Jan 11, 2010)

cajunner said:


> it's not a confrontation.
> 
> you made your post defending your views of work, and Perry made a post that differed from yours.
> 
> ...



Ok, well even though you are still misunderstood thanks for feeling obligated to share your opinion :thumbsup:


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## cajunner (Apr 13, 2007)

shawnk said:


> Ok, well even though you are still misunderstood thanks for feeling obligated to share your opinion :thumbsup:


1.) I understand myself quite well. If you don't understand me, it's not for my lack of trying.

2.) Your welcome. I don't feel obligated to share my opinion, though. I do it out of a sense of purpose that is not based on your reputation or good standing. So, sorry for exciting your defense mechanism, it wasn't an attack on your work or you as a person, just a rebuttal to your own posted opinion and thoughts on the relative quality of repairs being done by professionals today, in comparison.

:thumbsup:


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## shawnk (Jan 11, 2010)

cajunner said:


> 1.) I understand myself quite well. If you don't understand me, it's not for my lack of trying.


And I as well



cajunner said:


> 2.) Your welcome. I don't feel obligated to share my opinion, though. I do it out of a sense of purpose that is not based on your reputation or good standing. So, sorry for exciting your defense mechanism, it wasn't an attack on your work or you as a person, just a rebuttal to your own posted opinion and thoughts on the relative quality of repairs being done by professionals today, in comparison.
> 
> :thumbsup:


Coolbeans


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## knever3 (Mar 9, 2009)

Awesome work again Shawnk!


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## ou812 (Oct 25, 2008)

Shawnk....Really nice work. I might be contacting you in the future.


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## shawnk (Jan 11, 2010)

Thanks guys!


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## mfenske (Feb 7, 2006)

I don't know about you guys but I just have such a sweet spot for those old school Soundstream Reference boards. When I was getting in to car audio I wanted one of those so bad. I still keep the 1994/5 brochure just to look at the circuit board on it. Nice work!


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## bigdwiz (Oct 7, 2010)

I really don't understand why certain people feel the need to "crap" on a good thread about ShawnK? It has happened here and on other forums as well and none of it has been justified. Shawn, feel no need to justify your comments, just keep doing what you do. I get this kind of meaningless flack all the time, but I expect that in YouTube comments...but don't expect it here.

If you don't know Shawn well, then you can't understand the kind of person he is...he's a perfectionist and it shows in not only his installs, but his amp repairs as well. 

Great job on the Soundstream's man!


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## cajunner (Apr 13, 2007)

I'm pretty sure I'm the only crapper in this thread, haha...

so bigd, I'll answer your question.

when Shawn makes a claim about his repair excellence, but does it at the expense of the other techs in the industry doing the work, I don't see that as actually serving Shawn well in the long run.

you see this kind of thing in life, people are excited about having a pedestal where they can promote their services or goods, and without realizing it, they are shooting themselves in the foot when they put others down. It's a destructive self-promotion that I am responding to, and if it can be corrected, Shawn will fare better in the future, with his future clientele.


When someone uses posturing and defensive tactics in responding to others questioning their words, people will often overlook their work, which I'm sure Shawn would prefer people pay more attention towards, since his work is meticulous and beyond reproach.

maybe I could make it more clear than that?

you should be able to get the gist, the problem wasn't the work quality, it was the claims of superiority over other techs that got him the nod.


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## bigdwiz (Oct 7, 2010)

He's not claiming superiority...just saying he takes the time to do the "extras" some techs don't do. Shawn is one of the most humble people you'd ever meet and he was simply pointing out the way "some" (not all) techs do shoddy work and he's had to spend time cleaning this up several times.

It's his prerogative to take the time to do the repairs the way he wants to do them. Why does this bother some people so much? Making other techs look bad? It's up to them if they want to do a repair as quickly as possible...but why Shawn is getting persecuted for doing these repairs so cleanly and carefully is a total mystery to me.

Please, for the sake of this thread and it's original intent....let it go


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## shawnk (Jan 11, 2010)

bigdwiz said:


> I really don't understand why certain people feel the need to "crap" on a good thread about ShawnK? It has happened here and on other forums as well and none of it has been justified. Shawn, feel no need to justify your comments, just keep doing what you do. I get this kind of meaningless flack all the time, but I expect that in YouTube comments...but don't expect it here.
> 
> If you don't know Shawn well, then you can't understand the kind of person he is...he's a perfectionist and it shows in not only his installs, but his amp repairs as well.
> 
> Great job on the Soundstream's man!


Thanks buddy.

It's all good though. I know you know how it goes sometimes.

Forums are great and all, but as a relative newcomer (comparatively speaking) I've realized just how easy it is how statements and views can either be taken out of context, misinterpreted, or just simply misunderstood. The benefits do out way the detriments for sure so I guess we just take the good with the bad 

One thing I'll say though:

Nobody's perfect right? And if for some reason you seem to forget, don't worry, it won't take long until someone feels obligated to surely set you straight


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## cajunner (Apr 13, 2007)

bigdwiz said:


> He's not claiming superiority...just saying he takes the time to do the "extras" some techs don't do. Shawn is one of the most humble people you'd ever meet and he was simply pointing out the way "some" (not all) techs do shoddy work and he's had to spend time cleaning this up several times.
> 
> It's his prerogative to take the time to do the repairs the way he wants to do them. Why does this bother some people so much? Making other techs look bad? It's up to them if they want to do a repair as quickly as possible...but why Shawn is getting persecuted for doing these repairs so cleanly and carefully is a total mystery to me.
> 
> Please, for the sake of this thread and it's original intent....let it go


I'm not bothered by the time he takes to do the job the way he wants to do it, I'm bothered that any time someone gets their amp back from a tech and it doesn't look like these photos, the person will assume their tech is doing inferior work. Because that's the expectation being set up, here.

I'm not persecuting anyone, either.

Perry said it first, I'm just trying to help here, believe it or not.


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## shawnk (Jan 11, 2010)

cajunner said:


> I'm not persecuting anyone, either.


Well yeah you kinda were bro :worried:






cajunner said:


> I'm not bothered by the time he takes to do the job the way he wants to do it, I'm bothered that any time someone gets their amp back from a tech and it doesn't look like these photos, the person will assume their tech is doing inferior work. Because that's the expectation being set up, here.
> 
> Perry said it first, I'm just trying to help here, believe it or not.


Well then... should I be concerned or proud that in the short time that I've been doing repair work I personally have had "so" much influence on the market that I have set the standard? (yes I'm being facetious )


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## cajunner (Apr 13, 2007)

shawnk said:


> Well yeah you kinda were bro :worried:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


how about this:

I'll try to have a lighter hand, if you try to have a thicker skin?

I mean, I'm not being that disagreeable, here.


and you should be proud that Perry took time to make a comment.

he'll help anyone and everyone, and he tried to help you, though I think you have some difficulty seeing his criticism as constructive. Since it merited a response, and all...


a disturbance in the force, is worth a little consternation if it brings about balance...


:thumbsup:


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## shawnk (Jan 11, 2010)

cajunner said:


> how about this:
> 
> I'll try to have a lighter hand, if you try to have a thicker skin?
> 
> ...



I don't need you change your ways... that's your perogative

And I can promise you that my "skin" is plenty thick 

I, and looks like BigD as well, are just calling it like it is.



Perry has helped me, and certainly on more than one occasion (he still does for that matter)

I explained myself within that thread and all was kosher. He understood and let it go.

It's funny, you seem to have much more of an issue with this than he does


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## cajunner (Apr 13, 2007)

shawnk said:


> I don't need you change your ways... that's your perogative
> 
> And I can promise you that my "skin" is plenty thick
> 
> ...


I made one mildly critical comment, and you blew it out of proportion.

I was surprised at how big a response you felt was appropriate, honestly.

even now, after it's been said and done.

it may have been kosher for Perry, or he may not care if you heed his advice as he has many irons in the fire on the internet.

One thing you have to recognize as a public person selling a service is that criticism is going to come your way and your ability to handle it, the way you go about, is going to help or hurt.

You can't let every little thing that some anonymous person on the internet has to say, rile you up like that.

Anyway, I tire of this needless needling. If my points have been in error, I apologize for the inconvenience of my thoughts.


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## shawnk (Jan 11, 2010)

No worries. I forgive you.


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## cajunner (Apr 13, 2007)

I tire easily nowadays, it's nothing that needs forgiving.


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## envisionelec (Dec 14, 2005)

I haven't been around here lately, but I wanted to chime in a little.

I repaired car amplifiers for 20 years. I am absolutely sick of it and stopped all together. I just don't have the patience to spend 20 hours on one amplifier and making $120. I can do that in about three hours at work. Getting parts is another huge turn-off. It's not 1996 anymore...

Regarding capacitor replacement: The standard radial cans are destined for failure at any time. Caps with epoxy-sealed bungs are almost never a failure, but you don't find them in most car amplifiers. Snap-in capacitors in older amps almost never fail unless the amp was abused.

ShawnK you're doing a great job. I'm happy to see you've made the most of Perry's tutorial. Your skills seem to be top notch. The best response is to say as little as possible; don't even defend your point. Just state a couple facts and disappear for a week. They'll get the hint eventually.


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## RNBRAD (Oct 30, 2012)

Some people just take the time to go the extra mile. Once business picks up then you start charging for that extra mile. That's business and it's a good time to use Shawn as he is working harder than many to make his mark in the industry. My amps are coming on 20 y/o and without a doubt I know where they will be going for a refresh. Nice work Shawn!!


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## shawnk (Jan 11, 2010)

envisionelec said:


> ShawnK you're doing a great job. I'm happy to see you've made the most of Perry's tutorial. Your skills seem to be top notch. The best response is to say as little as possible; don't even defend your point. Just state a couple facts and disappear for a week. They'll get the hint eventually.



Aaron right? Hey thanks for the compliment! I appreciate it. Especially coming from an industry professional. 

I can certainly understand how you would be burnt out from repair work after so long. I think that can happen with just about any field. I was an installer for roughly 12 years or so and I can definitely say that I was getting tired of that as well.

Yeah, I really don't think I would have even known how to get started with all of this if it wasn't for Perry's tutorial. He's really done just an amazing job with it. I can't fathom how much time it must taken to create it :surprised:



RNBRAD said:


> Some people just take the time to go the extra mile. Once business picks up then you start charging for that extra mile. That's business and it's a good time to use Shawn as he is working harder than many to make his mark in the industry. My amps are coming on 20 y/o and without a doubt I know where they will be going for a refresh. Nice work Shawn!!


Hey thanks to you as well! 

The fam and I are right in the middle of making a big move, but it will be all done with in just a couple of weeks. We're purchasing a home in South Carolina and I'll be setting up shop for installs and repair work for sure. So keep in touch!


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## mikelycka (Apr 4, 2008)

shawn is a great guy just wish I had the cash when you tried to sell your orions


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## vwdave (Jun 12, 2013)

Damn how did I miss this thread.

I personally like both people,involved in this discussion so Ill leave it at one comment, after talking to ShawnK on the phone a while ago, and reading lots of his threads, he motivated me to take pride in my work and spend the little bit of extra time to make it perfect.

Can it be done with less effort? Yes. 

But when I fix up amps I don't do it as a professional, I do it for myself and as a hobby, so maybe my perspective is different. 

I do repair electronics for a living, but it's medical equipment, and you can't cut corners (or perform time saving techniques) as if there's even a 1% chance that it could fail and injury a patient then I would not only get fired but I'd get sued. So I am used to being held,to a very high standard.

Sorry if I reignited a burned out fire. I see nothing wrong the awesome techs out there saving time as long as it doesn't hurt the quality of the repair or reliability of the amp. It's just not the way I do repairs.


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