[grasshoppers]



Quote:
Originally Posted by motogp34 /forum/post/19786384


thought i would post his mods by description:


marantz bd8002 blu ray modifications




marantz bd8002 ultra modification package descriptions

rubycon zl/zlg capacitors-

we replace many decoupling capacitors in all critical areas with rubycon zl/zlg series caps! Very nice improvement! A superb change in total sonic tonality and character. We feel the rubycon zl/zlg are revolutionary for sound

custom ram exotic ultra high speed diode bridge-

replace the stock rectifiers with handmade ram exotic ultra fast smd diodes. These are constructed with audio consulting silver wire. Very little metal is used, lowering eddy current issues thus providing better resolution and bass. We have compared these to the "harris soft recovery diodes" that we used to install and our diode bridges make the music sound cleaner and faster with no grain whatsoever!!

audio consulting transformer coupled analog stage

ram greatly modifies the stock analog output stage. The dac chip is effectively coupled to the audio consulting transformers which then feeds directly out to the rca wbt nextgen rca connectors.

wbt nextgen female copper rca connectors for 2ch out-

simply the the finest sounding rca connectors in the industry. These are low eddy current designs which improve the signal integrity over the stock rca connectors.

audiocom superclock 4-s and clock psu upgrade

replace stock oscillator circuit with the fantastic audiocom superclock 4-s ultra low jitter reference clock. The effects of adding the superclock 4-s into the marantz brings better focus and detail into the presentation, overall resolution increases and bass/dynamics are tighter, deeper and more refined and controlled.

analog modification

$995.00 installed


superclock 4-s/psu modification

$650 installed


switching power supply

modification

$495.00 installed

DUDE GO FOR IT!!!! This sounds and looks perfect!

 

[David James]

Mods costing hundreds more then the original BD player. How can you not do this? I'd offer them more in case they decide to change their minds. Plus by giving them more, think how much better the sound will be.

 

[motogp34]



Quote:
Originally Posted by geekhd /forum/post/19787054


Did you really? vvv





If you truly forgo this time around, what's your next venture be for your audio system?

And yes i did not do the mod


and the next upgrade will be my speakers

 

[Chu Gai]



Quote:
Originally Posted by rock_bottom /forum/post/19787064


Another thing that cracked me up about Reference Audio Mods was when people found out they were advertising a modification to the Slim Devices Transporter before it was even available for sale. This was brought to the attention of Transporter designer and Slim Devices founder Sean Adams in the Slim Devices forum. It turned out that at the time, there was only one Transporter in existence and it was sitting on the test bench in Sean's lab! Yet they already had detailed descriptions of the mod in the ad.

That's a hoot. Any chance you've got a link for that?


From reading various modders' advertising spiel and even a few phone calls, a few general truism's tend to be much the norm.

• They can modify just about anything.
• They identify readily accessible and replaceable parts, often non-critical, which allows them to have such an apparent breadth of knowledge.
• Their tool chest of measuring instruments is generally woefully lacking.
• They're not certified repair facilities.
• They don't and are incapable of measuring the various parameters (S/N, Jitter, Output Voltage, THD, error tracking ability, etc.) hence not only do they not have a baseline to work from or assess whether the player already has issues, but they are unable to substatiate any of their claims.
• They rely upon very subjective statements but frankly no one knows a damned thing about their hearing.
• They love to raise their noses slightly and with an air of ever so slight superiority, mention various recording artists that suggests a deep appreciation for the music genre.
• And of course, they're vague as they point to ephemeral and subjective aspects of music.

 

[Gizmologist]

They said UPGRADE. I just KNOW they are so much wiser in the ways of electrons than the guys who built the original. It Just HAS to be!


They would never lie. Anyone who said he would honor their own warranty and give it back to me with the original parts can be trusted, that's why i sent them 3,000.00 already to modify my 500.00 machine. They said I need the cryogenic cables too to bring out the deepest bass and widest soundstage.

 

[CruelInventions]

No opinion about the second to last point, Chu. But otherwise, spot on and worth pinning somewhere, if there were an applicable thread for such a pin-able summation.


The only thing I might add would be something about how the modders often tend to be described as "very nice guys, patient and really helpful". As if somehow this would add to their credibility or something.


Apart from Mr. "Blue Goop" TUC, whose fangs & claws come out when cornered. But otherwise, he too is super super nice....

 

[geekhd]



Quote:
Originally Posted by motogp34 /forum/post/19787883


And yes i did not do the mod

But you just can't get over it. Why? They sound so tempting, don't they.

Quote:
and the next upgrade will be my speakers

No acoustic treatments? If you are interested in improving sound quality and have time to read what's on that mod site, you should be reading about acoustics. http://www.realtraps.com/

 

[Gizmologist]

+10 Treatments of many kinds can make more of a difference than many would believe. They do not have to necessarily be uber expensive or complicated.

 

[rock_bottom]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Chu Gai /forum/post/19788779


That's a hoot. Any chance you've got a link for that?

I can't seem to find the original discussion, but there's a reference to it by Sean in post #11 of this thread .

 

[krabapple]

My favorite mods are the ones some nutcase used to post here -- one involved wrapping all his cables in special paper. He'd post pictures of his mods and his setup always looked like chaos. I still wonder if it was all a spoof or conceptual art.

 

[ccotenj]

^^^


was that the guy with the pc all wrapped in paper too? what was his name? i remember him from this board and from another...


he was OUT THERE...

 

[Chu Gai]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Gizmologist /forum/post/19790253


+10 Treatments of many kinds can make more of a difference than many would believe. They do not have to necessarily be uber expensive or complicated.

Have you seen Ethan's NSFW video on acoustics?

 

[Chu Gai]



Quote:
Originally Posted by krabapple /forum/post/19790791


My favorite mods are the ones some nutcase used to post here -- one involved wrapping all his cables in special paper. He'd post pictures of his mods and his setup always looked like chaos. I still wonder if it was all a spoof or conceptual art.

Those were great mods, krabapple. Just think if he'd written things on the foil like Peter & May Belt. Why he'd be taking it to the next level.

 

[rock_bottom]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Chu Gai /forum/post/19788779


That's a hoot. Any chance you've got a link for that?

I tried some more to find the original discussion, but I think some of it was deleted. However, in this post , a Slim Devices employee confirms that they offered the mods before any of the preorders were fulfilled.

 

[Chu Gai]



Quote:
Originally Posted by rock_bottom /forum/post/19792758


I tried some more to find the original discussion, but I think some of it was deleted. However, in this post , a Slim Devices employee confirms that they offered the mods before any of the preorders were fulfilled.

I'm sure RAM had a very good answer for how they were able to pull this off.

 

[motogp34]

What do you think about this Company same deal ???

http://www.nuforce.com/hi/company.php

 

[Gizmologist]

"OFHC Copper, PEX dielectrics, Si-Insulators, Gold Bananas (spring-loaded, gold-plated to 3 micro-inches)"


WTH is a micro-inch? I do believe they meant micron but not being an audiophool, I wouldn't know those special terms for the magical stuff.

 

[CharlesJ]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Gizmologist /forum/post/19907471


"OFHC Copper, PEX dielectrics, Si-Insulators, Gold Bananas (spring-loaded, gold-plated to 3 micro-inches)"


WTH is a micro-inch? I do believe they meant micron but not being an audiophool, I wouldn't know those special terms for the magical stuff.

3 millionth of an inch?

WOW, that much gold? First cycle of plugging and unplugging and it is history, no?

 

[Diamond007]



Quote:
Originally Posted by KennyG /forum/post/15879475


After almost three full months I'm at wit's end.

I'd like some PM's from anyone who's delt with Reference Audio Mod's...both the good and the bad.

I've spend a large sum of money on two heavily mod'ed Marantz 8002 blu-ray/ CD players, and have nothing to show for it...allot of empty promises.

Has anyone else had similar or better experiences?


Thanks so much, Kenny

I waited three years for Kyle of Reference Audio Mods to complete the personally hand selected components for my "World Class, West Coast Showroom System". $28,000 later I have one of the MOST BEAUTIFUL BOAT ANCHOR SYSTEMS you ever made. I traveled over 35 times taking 3 1/2 hours in each road trip to your parent's house to watch you work on your mother's kitchen table, only to find that half of our appointments were not kept as you hadn't made it home from the night before, that's what you treated my business!!


Here is a list of unresolved issues from day one:

1. Custom Marantz 8260 universal CD/DVD transport W/Cocobola Chassis that from the 1st day didn't play anything more than a few select Cd's in redbook and within the first year stopped playing altogether. Marantz refused to service the dreaded TOC error as Klyle's work negated the warrentee which he also refused to honor.

2. Silver Rock TVC preamp in a Custom Cocobola Chassis that despite my repeated requests STILL only has ONE input. Too difficult for you Kyle? I only paid excess of $5000 for this little GEM!


3. Custom made Carver ZR-1600 D Class Amp that he smoked right in front of my eyes and dispute a world wide power advertisement campaign between he and his last Carver client he quickly discontinued as unreliable but refused to take back. Oh yes, he matched this 600 watt pro audio amp with his 98db efficient 60 watt $10,600 bent wood horn speakers that blew the tweeters in the first 2 months of use. A short in the way he wired up the output RCA's caused the problem with the AMP and the speaker failure in one swift act! To his credit was repaired yet I still couldn't stand the high frequency hiss that remained and could be heard over the music, I never was able to use and I replaced. Later I found two HUGE Oil In Paper capacitors (a $300 charge for these) that were NOT even hooked up & super glued inside, his excuse was that he tried to cure the lack luster bass response (which didn't work out and said he left in place for me to try again later). Nice eh?? This piece O' Crap cost me $4,500!!! Oh, did I mention the 30 LB. $1500 custom transformer? Later I learned that this amp was sold for $1000 and returned from another dissatisfied customer who didn't like the sound either and threatened to sue. Thanks for the memories!! !!

4. Kyle delivered his custom $5,500 power filter system that amounted to a series of coils, capacitors and a huge transformer that sat loosely on two pieces of 2x6 boards he found behind his father's garage. His promises to install in a covered hard wood box for my protection left unfinished and proved to be a fire hazard and with open wiring had to be removed so my dogs didn't electrocute themselves. Kyle are these products UL approved???

5. AS a 30 yr veteran jeweler I watched Kyle work with limited tools, a cheap Weller solder iron and his fathers Fluke Multimeter. What no scope or any other testing gear? I observed and heard his excuse for absolutely the worst soldering techniques where he feels that globs of solder, like super glue was excessively used as he had past problems in shipping returns as his work was such a mess. Real "CRAPS MAN SHIP" here folks, I personally bought him a MetCal solder station which did help but his sloppy workmanship remains a genuine problem. I can't trust him to fix and can't sell for parts.


His response to all of these issues was "Jim if you want MORE sound, you'll have to pay for it"??

 

[krabapple]

Somewhere the ghost of P.T. Barnum is laughing.