Great results from the Upgrade Company
Comments
-
honestaquarian wrote: »Outside of the audio world I have had the same argument that I'm having with yous guys about whether or not someone who is not and audio or video phile thinks it's worth the money to pay for example $500 dollars for an Oppo Digital Blu-ray player when they can get an Insignia player from Best Buy "that does the same thing" for like $79.99
But when you have that argument you can say "Well Oppo uses parts X & Y which are better than parts A & B in the insignia".... Same with capacitors, you can says its been proven that they lose their electric values over time and need to be replaced to bring the numbers back up....... Or with crossovers, you are adding in more expensive parts manufactured to higher specifications, etc...
All I see is that he wrapped the cables in some sort of black tape, looks like he seperated some of the runs and added some glue here and there....
"....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963) -
@EndersShadow
SERIOUSLY???
Have you EVER tried to use that kind of argument with a non audiophile????
ESPECIALLY someone who is telling you that they can get the same thing from a cheap discount POS that they can get from something that costs a lot more.
REALLY???
ANYWAY you apparetnly didn't see my point above.
It's YOUR money and YOUR equipment
Do what YOU want to do.
You cannot hear the HUGE difference in sound quality that the upgrades made to MY system and NO AMOUNT of wording will make it clear in your head if I try to do another review.
To me it was worth every penny.
Would I do it again?
I PLAN TO when I get my finances straightened out.
If you don't think that it's worth it then FINE.
Again as I have said previously I do not work for the Upgrade Company.
I am just a VERY HAPPY customer.
Just like the comparison I have made over and over again with the vr3 mods,a LOT of people out there in the world cannot see how or why anyone would pay more than the 20 year old speakers cost when they were new just to upgrade PART of the speaker.
Would I use the vr3 mods if I could afford them?
YES
Whether or not I can see what he does is a moot point to me if I can hear the difference.
You are doing the exact same thing that all of the other naysayers have done on the web over the years. you have not tried one of his upgrades and are trying to justify not doing it because he doesn't detail what he does.
I GET THAT
You have not said ONE THING to me that I didn't read elsewhere on the WWW for YEARS prior to my taking the plunge. The ONLY difference here is that I have pics of an actual upgrade posted here (*and may have voided my warranty by doing it*)
Oh and BTW my warranty from Onkyo is unaffected by the upgrades.
If you do not want to take the plunge then don't do it.
I did a year ago and you cannot convince me that it wasn't worth it,because you did not hear the H U G E difference that it made in my system and no amount of words typed with will make up for actually hearing the before and after.
-
Outside of the audio world I have had the same argument that I'm having with yous guys about whether or not someone who is not and audio or video phile thinks it's worth the money to pay for example $500 dollars for an Oppo Digital Blu-ray player when they can get an Insignia player from Best Buy "that does the same thing" for like $79.99
Does this argument look familiar anyone?????
That's really reaching.
Bottom line, there's no justification for the price he is charging and his craftsmanship is laughable. Sorry, but it's time to call a spade, a spade.
Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
honestaquarian wrote: »@Nightfall
Again as I said above I saw all of that stuff and a lot more when I was doing my research on the Upgrade Company for TWO YEARS before I decided to take the plunge.
The same thing kept coming back to me over and over and over.NOT A SINGLE ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE WAS ACTUALLY AN UPGRADE COMPANY CUSTOMER!!!!
I don't know about you,but that kind of shot a HUGE HOLE in their arguments for me as I have seen this kind of naysaying nonsense many times before about many things.
Look at how many people try to say that Jesus wasn't real
Look at how many people try to say that God isn't real
Okay this is not in the same league here,but my point is that sometimes ya just gotta take a leap of faith.
I did because my instincts told me to do so. I have learned to listen to them,because they have never,ever,ever led me wrong.
Boy am I glad I listened to them for once
The Upgrade Company's website suggests trying a less expensive upgrade like a CD player or Blu-ray player first to kind of get your feet wet. Then if you are satisfied you can dive a bit deeper. I went ahead and dove in because I was VERY unhappy with the sound of my Onkyo and just could not live with it any longer.
I have no intention of using their return policy EVER.
I have seen and heard that Oppo Blu-ray player tube mod all over the Capitol Audio Fest this past summer.As a matter of fact I will post some pics of some of the systems I found it in. They are on my phone.
I cannot really say much about the sound as it was all on some unfamiliar systems,usually with unfamiliar program material. OR they were playing records when I walked in.
Okay this post disappeared last night when I hit send only to reappear this morning twice.
Strange
Anyway As I said above I will post some pics of the Oppo that I saw in some systems at the hi-fi show. -
Okay yous guys are just beginning to repeat each other and play follow the leader now.Last night no one was saying the work was sloppy.Now because one person said it,everyone is repeating it.
You have made your points over and over and over and over and over (*and over*)
Repeating yourselves (*and each other*) isn't going to achieve anything here.
Some of you don't think it's worth it.
Fine
How many times to you have to keep beating that dead horse???
Move on
-
Man I would love to own a Modwright Oppo 105, too rich for my blood though.afterburnt wrote: »They didn't speak a word of English, they were from South Carolina.
Village Idiot of Club Polk -
honestaquarian wrote: »Okay yous guys are just beginning to repeat each other and play follow the leader now.Last night no one was saying the work was sloppy.Now because one person said it,everyone is repeating it.
You have made your points over and over and over and over and over (*and over*)
I was trying to be nice last night.Repeating yourselves (*and each other*) isn't going to achieve anything here.
I disagree, hopefully it will prevent someone else from becoming a victim.Move on
Doing so.
Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
@f1nut
So you are saying I am a victim???? -
@la2vegas
Can't the exact same thing be said about anyone who decides to upgrade anything in their systems? When I say upgrade I am also referring to changing out components.
If any of the naysayers even bothered to go the the Upgrade Company's website,they would see the return policy for those who are not satisfied.
NO ONE has used it once they got the upgraded equipment home.
If you read what I posted about my experience with them,you will see why I am so happy with what I did. Don't just look at what the naysayers say as they have ZERO experience with this company.
They talk and talk and talk,but in the end they have never even tried doing business with the Upgrade Company and then form these really strong opinions about something that technically they are not qualified to talk about (*again because they haven't actually purchased an upgrade*)
It's kind of like men trying to explain to women what it is like to carry a baby for 9 months and then give birth.
Completely ridiculous,but as you can see above it doesn't stop anyone from typing away!!! -
After reading the owners posts strewn about the internet, I have honest doubts that he would honor the money back guarantee.afterburnt wrote: »They didn't speak a word of English, they were from South Carolina.
Village Idiot of Club Polk -
I should clarify, I meant the owner of The Upgrade Companies posts. Not the owners (customers) of his mods.afterburnt wrote: »They didn't speak a word of English, they were from South Carolina.
Village Idiot of Club Polk -
Yes, you are a victim of a rip off, IMO.
Return policy? Just how do you think he's going to remove the blue stuff? How is he going to remove the "plates" he glued onto the chips? Which, by the way, can be a very bad idea as it prevents heat dissipation. How is he going to unwrap the EMI tape, which is pretty sticky stuff? Do you really believe he's going to post on his site that people have demanded their money back?
You say Onkyo is going to honor their warranty after what he did. Do you have that in writing from them?Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
@Nightfall
Read my posts about my experience again.
If you really and truly believe that then please explain why he did what he did with me???
People keep ignoring what I have said about my VERY REAL experience and focusing on some very ethereal negatives which they hav read elsewhere that they cannot prove.
I am a living,breathing example of a very positive experience and you have DIRECT ACCESS to me!!
You CANNOT accesss ANY of those people whom have posted all of these negatives.
You can also contact David Schulte himself. I already informed him of what is going on here on the Polk Forum.
WARNING: DO NOT expect him to eplain any of what he does or what he has said in the past on various places on the web.
Been there and tried that to no avail.
Like I said in my previous posts he knows what he is talking about and doesn't feel like he needs to defend himself.
I do not and cannot defend him on that front!!
All I can say is again please read what I posted about my experience -
I have posted time and time again, and I will do it one last time.
I am happy that you are happy with your upgrades.
I believe you when you say that you enjoy the improvements.afterburnt wrote: »They didn't speak a word of English, they were from South Carolina.
Village Idiot of Club Polk -
@F1nut
It's clear to me that you are just trying to get the last word and are now resorting to antagonization.
What evidence do YOU have that I've been ripped off hmmm???
Have you heard my sytem before the upgrades?
Have you heard it since the upgrades?
NO
-
@f1nut you really need to stop getting in your feelings about stuff and taking it personally. It will destroy your cedibility in the same way thet you are trying to destroy David Schultes credibility.
-
Btw if there is such a bunch of rip offs going on then check with the Better Business Bureau.
I did before I took the plunge -
Leap of faith: owning an average piece of admittedly poorly engineered mass electronics that no one can fix and still throwing wads of cash at it with someone that berates and abuses you in the process.
HT Optoma HD25 LV on 80" DIY Screen, Anthem MRX 300 Receiver, Pioneer Elite BDP 51FD Polk CS350LS, Polk SDA1C, Polk FX300, Polk RT55, Dual EBS Adire Shiva 320watt tuned to 17hz, ICs-DIY Twisted Prs, Speaker-Raymond Cable
2 Channel Thorens TD 318 Grado ZF1, SACD/CD Marantz 8260, Soundstream/Krell DAC1, Audio Mirror PP1, Odyssey Stratos, ADS L-1290, ICs-DIY Twisted , Speaker-Raymond Cable -
[quotehonestaquarian wrote: »@F1nut
It's clear to me that you are just trying to get the last word and are now resorting to antagonization.
Absolutely not.What evidence do YOU have that I've been ripped off hmmm???
Your pictures.Have you heard my sytem before the upgrades?
Have you heard it since the upgrades?
NO
I never said I doubted your experience. In fact, I said that in principle the RF/EMI shielding is not a bad idea, it's just the way he went about it and the money charged.
Feel free to have the last word as I'm done trying to get you to see the light. I only hope that others will.
Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
Dennis Gardner wrote: »Leap of faith: owning an average piece of admittedly poorly engineered mass electronics that no one can fix and still throwing wads of cash at it with someone that berates and abuses you in the process.
Exactly. Thanks but no thanks.SDA SRS 2.3TL's
Silk Audio MS-90-BT integrated tube amp
Yaqin MS-20L integrated tube amp
SDA 2B TL's -
See what light?
That some electronic stuff was expensive?
WOW BIG SHOCK THERE
The same thing can be said about MANY THINGS in the world of audio and video.
Whether or not a price is justifed is a VERY personal value judgement.
Please explain why a lot of high end audio cables cost so darn much!!
(*and feel free to tell that to some non audiophiles who believe it's all snake oil*)
I get customers at my store all the time trying to get me to understand there being no justification for the price of some of the products and services that we sell. Then quite literally THE NEXT PERSON I talk to says THE EXACT OPPOSITE. Those two individuals never actually see each other in a lot of cases and so they never talk to each other about their experiences and opinons about these things. So they never believe me when I tell them that not everyone shares their assessment of whatever it is we are talking about.
People have a natural tendency to think that because this is what I think,this is what I want,this is the way that I do things,this is what works for me.Everyone else on the planet is (*OR SHOULD BE*
) like me!
@F1nut you will NEVER convince me that I made a mistake
Why?
Because again you didn't go through what I went through with this system before and after the upgrades as detailed in my previous posts (*and what I put in those posts believe it or not was a condensed version*)
There are PLENTY of people out there who aren't audiophiles who would also say that a lot of people here were ripped off when we spent the large amounts of money that we spent on our systems.
I know because I've had those arguments with non-audiophiles.
Some of them for example are driving Mercedes or BMW's and say that they can see what they paid for.
Then there are those who do not believe that there is any benefit to driving a Mercedes or BMW and think that purchasing one is a waste of money.Many of those same people have never actually driven one.
If you have done this for a living like you once told me in another thread (*where you misunderstood something that I said that had nothing to do with you and took it personally*) then you too have had these arguments with people.
They never go anywhere,butcha cain't tell THAT to someone who truly believes that whatever it is that someone spent a lot of money on isn't worth the money that they spent!!
For everyone who is following this thread I encourage you to go to the Upgrade Company's website and also contact David Schulte.
Feel free to PM me here about my experiences with him good and bad(*most of which I posted here in this thread*)
You can decide for yourselves if you think this is a worthwhile investment.
Just do not make the mistake of trying to judge something that you yourself have never actually tried.
To do so is at best illegitimate.
https://upgradecompany.com/ -
michaeljhsda2 wrote: »Dennis Gardner wrote: »Leap of faith: owning an average piece of admittedly poorly engineered mass electronics that no one can fix and still throwing wads of cash at it with someone that berates and abuses you in the process.
Exactly. Thanks but no thanks.
@michaeljhsda2, @Dennis Gardner
Gentlemen please explain to me the very positive experience that I had with him as detailed in my posts at the beginning of this thread.
(*did you actually read them btw??*)
Why did he a year later after the fact wish me a happy birthday on Linkedin.com?
Doesn't look to me like he was berating or abusing me.
Also If you looked at the Upgrade Company's website,most of twhat they upgrade is high end gear. I would hardly call gear like Mcintosh or Esoteric "poorly engineered mass electronics".
-
self deleted before its done for mePost edited by nooshinjohn onThe Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD
“When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson -
What does THAT mean?
-
That "upgrade" looks like a hack job, with a bunch of rolls of hockey tape. I would never pay someone to do that.2 channel:
Bryston 4B3, Bryston BDA3, Cary SLP05, Shanling CDT1000SE with parts conneXion level 2 mods, Nottingham analogue ace space 294, soundsmith Carmen MKii, Zu DL103 MKii, Ortofon MC 20 MKii, Dynavector XX2 MKii, Rogue Audio Ares, Core power technologies balanced power conditioner, Akiko Corelli power conditioner with Akiko Audio HQ power cable, Nordost heimdall 2, Frey 2, interconnects, speaker and power cables, Focal Electra 1028 BE 2, Auralic Aries Femto, Black diamond racing cones, ingress audio level 1 roller blocks, JL Audio E110 with Auralic subdude, Primacoustics room treatments.
Theater:
Focal Aria 926,905,CC900, SVS PB ultra x2. Pioneer Elite SC85, Oppo BDP93, Panamax M5400PM, Minix neox6, Nordost Blue heaven LS power cables. -
Okay I am done here
You guys will never hear what the "hack job" did to my system and most of you aren't even willing to look at the posts of my experience,nevermind contact the owner of the Upgrade Company.
Think what you will as it is a free country.
I just thought and hoped that some people would be willing to look on this with an open mind. I see that much has not changed about this forum (*which is what drove me away nine years ago and may just do it again*)
Again I don't work for them and and not being paid for this promotion.
Enjoy your systems boys! -
Jay
SDA 2BTL * Musical Fidelity A5cr amp * Oppo BDP-93 * Modded Adcom GDA-600 DAC * Rythmik F8 (x2)
Micro Seiki DQ-50 * Hagerman Cornet 2 Phono * A hodgepodge of cabling * Belkin PF60
Preamp rotation: Krell KSL (SCompRacer recapped) * Manley Shrimp * PS Audio 5.0 -
Gentlemen please explain to me the very positive experience that I had with him as detailed in my posts at the beginning of this thread.
(*did you actually read them btw??*)
Why did he a year later after the fact wish me a happy birthday on Linkedin.com?
Doesn't look to me like he was berating or abusing me.
@honestaquarian David can be extremely offputting at first.He is a bit abrasive and mouthy,but he knows WTF he talks about. I was not very receptive to his personality type at first. To be brutally honest he straight pissed me off!!
I'm out....HT Optoma HD25 LV on 80" DIY Screen, Anthem MRX 300 Receiver, Pioneer Elite BDP 51FD Polk CS350LS, Polk SDA1C, Polk FX300, Polk RT55, Dual EBS Adire Shiva 320watt tuned to 17hz, ICs-DIY Twisted Prs, Speaker-Raymond Cable
2 Channel Thorens TD 318 Grado ZF1, SACD/CD Marantz 8260, Soundstream/Krell DAC1, Audio Mirror PP1, Odyssey Stratos, ADS L-1290, ICs-DIY Twisted , Speaker-Raymond Cable -
From the other thread:I'm not saying what he does isn't a good idea, it is. My issue is the price charged for the work is ridiculous.
I've skimmed through this entire 4 pages of riveting entertainment and from an objective point of view, this seems to summarize what most others have said.
Most (if any) aren't saying you didn't hear improvement, just that the same improvement could have been realized for a much lower cost. I've seen several people tell you that if you're happy with the mods you had done then good for you. My interpretation is that people saying you got ripped off just mean that you paid more than necessary for the improvements, not that you didn't get any improvement.
Bottom line: Enjoy your system and don't worry about what others think.Things work out best for those who make the best of the way things work out.-John Wooden
