Weird Earstream hifi amplifier from Poland - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Hydrawerk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 22, 2016, 09:08:50 pm
content: These hifi amplifiersare made in Poland. Their internal construction is very strange. Like it was made by a 15 years old punker or so.Look down on the web.http://highfidelity.pl/@main-320&lang=enhttp://audiovoodoo.org/dopieszczony-zarowno-pod-wzgledem-budowy-jak-i-dzwieku/http://highfidelity.pl/@main-415&lang=enThe company is called Earstream.They have a web, that is today closed.www.earstream.euYou can use an archived version.http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:b--dcpN_7oIJ:earstream.eu/+&cd=1&hl=cs&ct=clnk&gl=cz

author: Hydrawerk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 22, 2016, 09:23:35 pm
content: Some photos.Please note that crap SMD soldering.

author: Hydrawerk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 22, 2016, 09:27:50 pm
content: next

author: Hydrawerk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 22, 2016, 09:32:14 pm
content: more pics

author: Cyberdragon
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 22, 2016, 09:39:18 pm
content: What the hell?! This is the most elaberate and stupidest "white van scam" I've ever seen. He has a whole website, but he's also an incredibly stupid try-hard. If he was going to "white van scam" people, why would he put picures of the terrible wiring inside?! That's basically saying "buy my steaming pile of dog shit".I hope he gets convicted for fraud and selling dangerous electrical products.EDIT:it got even worse...

author: Hydrawerk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 22, 2016, 09:43:00 pm
content: That company was launched in 2012 or so and I think that he uses a good 230V AC transformer so you cannot be killed. Everything else is shit, of course.The web was introduced in 2012 probably.https://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.earstream.euhttps://web.archive.org/web/20121109060809/http://earstream.eu/page/54/Sonic+Pearl+standard/l

author: tatus1969
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 22, 2016, 09:45:49 pm
content: except for that beautiful case, my 13yr old son could have done that. rectifier and filter caps (did they save the 2 additional diodes for full bridge???), linear regulators, more caps, and an opamp based analog stage. all tied together with solder and tape

author: Hydrawerk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 22, 2016, 09:46:03 pm
content: https://web.archive.org/web/20131118040759/http://earstream.eu/page/54/Sonic+Pearl+standard/l/enQuote

author: Rbastler
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 22, 2016, 09:47:31 pm
content: He even scraped of the numbers on some parts

author: Cyberdragon
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 22, 2016, 09:56:51 pm
content: "Years of engineering" Bet you not only did he not put any good work into it, he probably also stole the circuit from somewhere else. No way he designed this, his electronics skills look like they came from instructables.com. He soldered wires to the pins of the ICs then soldered those into the sockets, which doesn't even make sense. Given that he likely stole the circuit (or used a generic one from the internet) it might actually sound fine...untill his cold solder joints fail.

author: tatus1969
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 22, 2016, 10:07:56 pm
content: well... the way he cobbled everything together, there's a good chance that every copy of this device actually soundsdifferent. he should have sold them as a:unique headphone amp, made from individually selected and hand crafted components.

author: bitslice
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 22, 2016, 10:14:37 pm
content: He's massively increased his production costs for the sake of not using a PCB?I get that these people like to recreate the tag board construction values of old tube designs, but I bet if the whole lot were soldered properly onto a 4 layer PCB, then it would sound exactly the same and he'd have something to show off.

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 22, 2016, 10:21:09 pm
content: Quote

author: StillTrying
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 23, 2016, 02:08:55 am
content: Was he wearing that black rectangle thing over his eyes when he soldered it up.It looks like there was only ever just that one built to me.http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews2/earstream/2.htmlhttp://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/earstream/4.htmlhttps://mniec.wordpress.com/2013/11/09/polish-wanna-be-high-end-cmoy-headphone-amplifier

author: Hydrawerk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 23, 2016, 06:24:18 pm
content: Their webpage should be online now.http://earstream.eu/index/index/l/enBut it does not work in my Google Chrome, no idea why.

author: Cyberdragon
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 23, 2016, 07:06:48 pm
content: Report their facebook page as fraud. (Enough reports should hopefully get them taken down)Now we must deploy the big guns, or should I say, big capacitors.If anyone can find a cheap one of these on ebay (if they are out there), send it to either Dave (just for a stabbing rant) or Photonicinduction to blow it up.It would make some of us feel better to see this thing destroyed.

author: janoc
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 23, 2016, 08:43:18 pm
content: Quote from: Cyberdragon on August 22, 2016, 09:56:51 pmAren't those originally SMD parts? It seems to me that he soldered that into the sockets as a kind of "breakout" so that he can use SMD chips on a veroboard the whole mess is constructed on. But why he didn't just use DIP versions of those things I don't know, especially since those are most likely just regular opamps.

author: StillTrying
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 23, 2016, 09:47:34 pm
content: Quote from: Cyberdragon on August 23, 2016, 07:06:48 pmI can only find 2 possible ads, It might be the same one amp that they're/he's trying to get rid of.http://electronics.forumsee.com/a/m/s/p12-37988-0530195--for-sale-sonic-pearl-headphone-amp-pre-amp-great-hd800-match-shipping-included.html