Testing of Stock versus Upgraded (modified) Components

[naturephoto1]

Hopefully in the near future, I will be making some comparisons of a stock versus an upgraded (modified) Denon DVD 3800BDCI Blu-ray player and a stock versus an upgraded Onkyo PR-SC885 Pre/pro. This is coming about due to the feelings of many of you that I am not providing truthful information and due to comments such as the quote below:

Originally Posted by btf1980

No one knows what Dave Schulte does, and from your posts, I don't think you remotely know either. You keep bringing up how much better your 3800 sounds. Better compared to what? Did you compare your modded 3800 to an unmodded one simultaneously? Everything about it reads like a Stereophile magazine. Chock full of vagueness, unsubstantiated claims, no proof of anything, no comparisons of modded and unmodded source units at the same time. It really gets old.

Changing power cords on blu-ray players? <sigh>

Dave Schulte of the Upgrade Company is attempting to get me stock units fresh out of the box to make A/B comparisons with my upgraded units of these models. It should be stated though that when the upgrades are developed for these models, the stock versus upgraded units are compared by several individuals to concur on the improved performance before these units are released as upgrades. The stock and upgraded machines are in turn compared to very expensive products on the market. The upgraded units come with a money back guarantee which is very unusual for modified products. These products would not be released if they would not have improved performance because this would be a waste of time and money for the modifications and the units would be returned for a full refund.

In an effort to make these tests as fair and unbiased as possible the units will be tested using identical singled ended RCA interconnects, single ended coaxial RCA interconnects, and HDMI cables, power conditioners, power cords, and tweaks. The volume of the units will be adjusted to be equal, the source disks will be identical, etc. We will attempt to test the audio and video reproduction for analog, digital, and HDMI cables.

It will have to be understood, that the fresh components will not have been broken in while my components will have more play time than the new pieces. Additionally, to avoid being called biased in the tests, I am requesting that several of the members volunteer and give their input on these findings in a listening and viewing session.

I will keep you informed as to when the components arrive. In the mean time, please contact me if you would like to participate in this comparison. For those interested, I live north of Allentown, PA but only have a small listening room so the group will be fairly small.

Rich

[richteer]

Originally Posted by naturephoto1

It will have to be understood, that the fresh components will not have been broken in while my components will have more play time than the new pieces. Additionally, to avoid being called biased in the tests, I am requesting that several of the members volunteer and give their input on these findings in a listening and viewing session.

I'd be interested in particpating, but logistics (not to mention, lack of finances) would probably discount me.

I'd suggest as much break-in as possible is done for the unmodified components.

[Intamin]

I'd love to join in but for the same reasons as rich won't be able to. Maybe if I ever get around to visiting Dorney Park (roller coasters are my other passion, hence the name) I'll hit you up. I do want to know how this turns out though.

[mdabb]

When will this all come about Rich ???

[naturephoto1]

Originally Posted by mdabb

When will this all come about Rich ???

Hi Andrew,

I think that Dave has ordered an Onkyo PR-SC885 Pre/pro already for shipping to me; that is my understanding from a discussion we had yesterday. If that is correct, then it would be a matter of waiting for the Denon 3800 BDCI which I think that he will be ordering for shipping to me shortly. Dave wants me to photograph the opening of the new boxes to demonstrate that these are in fact new and unused. Once the tests have been completed, the stock components will be sent back to Dave because he has orders on at least one of these as an upgraded unit already.

It would be great to meet you and to have you as one of the panel to test the components, but I know that coming from the Pittsburgh area to about 17 miles north of Allentown is a long ride.

I will further update this as more information becomes available. I know what to expect from having compared upgraded (modified units) versus some expensive gear already, but we will have to wait for the confirmation when the testing is conducted.

Rich

[Blu-Raider]

I replaced my cable box stock power cord with a $3500 version and the 480i programming suddenly became 1080p. Most amazing thing I've ever seen!

(just kidding the op, of course)