The Upgrade Company's Oppo mods?

[mep]

Hi Steve,

First, it's TUC - The Upgrade Company. Manufacturer Warranty "can" apply, in some cases. As I mentioned with my Onkyo, the mods did not affect the Warranty. Mine was fixed under Warranty by an Onkyo Authorized Repair Center. In the case of an Oppo, if there's a genuine concern and a genuine interest, then ask TUC about it. Perhaps, as it was previously suggested, TUC would handle any issues.

Yes, speculation, from folks who have zero experience. Opinion, that is fine. I'm happy to share my experience, if/when it differs from your opinion. I'm also willing to be honest about things, including the negative posts that TUC has had in older forum threads (other forums).

To my knowledge, TUC has been in business for 30 years. I just looked it up, and they have an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau. Still, what matters more to me is my experience, which itself has been great.

If folks have those questions, they can:

a. consider the comments by folks who have actual experience with TUC
b. try it as I did, on a lower cost component, and see if it's baloney or not

I agree, folks should do their own research. That's what I did. I ended up looking past the negative posts from folks who had zero experience with TUC. In the end, I was either going to slap myself up the side of my head for not listening to those folks, or I was going to be glad I didn't listen to those folks. For me, it turned out to be the latter.

Dave

Which means absolutely nothing as shown by an expose on 60 minutes a few years ago. BBB ratings are paid for regardless of the merits of the companies who shell out the cash to the BBB. The bottom line is never make a decision to do business with a company because of a great rating from the BBB.

 

[CPP]

Which means absolutely nothing as shown by an expose on 60 minutes a few years ago. BBB ratings are paid for regardless of the merits of the companies who shell out the cash to the BBB. The bottom line is never make a decision to do business with a company because of a great rating from the BBB.

So true. I never trust BBB. I got ripped on a business that provided chrome plating and had this funny feeling and checked with police which informed me they had been under investigation for fraud and tax evasion and they had a A- rating. And you can add Angie's list to it.

Plus, I found this old 2010 article which speaks loads for the pay for a better rating. Better Business Bureau: The Best Ratings Money Can Buy - ABC News

 

[mep]

So true. I never trust BBB. I got ripped on a business that provided chrome plating and had this funny feeling and checked with police which informed me they had been under investigation for fraud and tax evasion and they had a A- rating. And you can add Angie's list to it.

Plus, I found this old 2010 article which speaks loads for the pay for a better rating. Better Business Bureau: The Best Ratings Money Can Buy - ABC News

I'm amazed that Angie's List is still in business. They have never turned a profit and have record losses every year. Something smells rotten about that company and pretty much every company that has paid for reviews. I wonder what the percentage is of "reviews" posted on the web that were written by someone who has never laid hands on the product and is simply being paid to churn out reviews vice reviews written by actual customers? The internet is a cesspool which has provided a key to the front door of our lives to the nefarious.

 

[thezaks]

Which means absolutely nothing as shown by an expose on 60 minutes a few years ago. BBB ratings are paid for regardless of the merits of the companies who shell out the cash to the BBB. The bottom line is never make a decision to do business with a company because of a great rating from the BBB.

Which is exactly why I mentioned:

Still, what matters more to me is my experience, which itself has been great.

Dave

 

[mep]

Which is exactly why I mentioned:

Still, what matters more to me is my experience, which itself has been great.

Dave

Well, you have certainly been a flag bearer for TUC for years now as evidenced by the links I provided earlier in the thread. I'm glad you enjoyed the mods you had performed and they still motivate you to search out TUC threads on the internet and join forums for the sole purpose of spreading the TUC gospel. It's hard to believe that someone who has no skin in the game (meaning financial ties to the company) would care so much and spend years trying to set the record straight on how great it is to do business with TUC. I find it all a bit much.

 

[arthurs]

Well, you have certainly been a flag bearer for TUC for years now as evidenced by the links I provided earlier in the thread. I'm glad you enjoyed the mods you had performed and they still motivate you to search out TUC threads on the internet and join forums for the sole purpose of spreading the TUC gospel. It's hard to believe that someone who has no skin in the game (meaning financial ties to the company) would care so much and spend years trying to set the record straight on how great it is to do business with TUC. I find it all a bit much.

+1

 

[thezaks]

Well, you have certainly been a flag bearer for TUC for years now as evidenced by the links I provided earlier in the thread. I'm glad you enjoyed the mods you had performed and they still motivate you to search out TUC threads on the internet and join forums for the sole purpose of spreading the TUC gospel. It's hard to believe that someone who has no skin in the game (meaning financial ties to the company) would care so much and spend years trying to set the record straight on how great it is to do business with TUC. I find it all a bit much.

Hi mep (and Arthurs),

I appreciate your intentions and how you feel about this, but, to me, it seems a little backwards. Yes, I own TUC products and I like finding threads on those and sharing my experiences. I also own a Pioneer Elite RPTV (15 years old), and I like to find threads on that and hang out there as well. I hang out on the McIntosh threads, because I had (just sold) an MX-151. I hang around on the Krell threads, because I have a Krell amplifier. I hang around Wireworld Platinum threads, because I have some of their cables. There's many more... I might hang around for years on many of these forums. I even hang out there after I no longer own the products. It's fun to share.

Anyway, I have no skin in the game for any of these companies, yet I enjoy sharing my experiences for any of them on different forums and many threads.

This is "normal". It happens all the time on forums. Folks do this every day.


Dave

 

[dnelson0929]

OPPO upgrades: Fairly new poster to various sites . Good info. on most topics. For someone that has invested 4+ years researching numerous products /strategies I have learned much and wish to share experiences . I've built 2 substantial media rooms in 3 years. Only component that is the same in both is OPPO 105D. When I first realized that companies do "mods"/ upgrades to OPPO did extensive research on 3 of them. Most everyone on numerous forums agree that OPPO is best bang for buck transport even used with some very high end components. That said when you are spending 10s of thousands on amps, power, speakers etc. The OPPO is a core component and the ability to maximize the OPPO was interesting.. Bottom line of the 3 companies ( 1 in U.K.- 1 added vacumn tubes on top of unit " too radical"; I decided to try The Upgrade Company. Frankly was shocked at improvement. Because I had a 2nd OPPO 105D not upgraded I played both for friends and they too could not believe the difference in sound ( fuller sound, crisp vocals & mid range, etc. + improved video quality including the Darbee video processor.) I'm sure the quality of other components and using high end power / HDMI cables is critical to the improvements I saw. I've been spending most time recently in the PS Audio DirectStream DAC /DSD vs PCM. post, but when I saw this decided to add my 2 cents. Do not understand the magic in the upgrade but know some components are replaced with higher end components and RF contamination is addressed. I also upgraded a Marantz A/V processor with similar results. As mentioned I've build 2 media rooms in 3 years and the upgrades truly enhanced the overall quality. Media Room-1= Classe SSP-800 + Classe Amps-B & W 802D Diamonds- Upgraded OPPO 105D -PS Audio DS DAC- Auralic Aries streamer-NAS. Top of line Shunyata power cables and filters- AudioQuest cables and interconnects all very high end. MR #2 Marantz A/V Processor SIMaudio Amps & pre Amps, OPPO 105D, Audience power conditioner and cables . Audioquest cables. PS Audio , Aries + DAC again for 2 channel music. Look forward to getting involved in more areas & post on this site. I have a serious case of the
Audiophile bug and can't seem to ever get enough info. D Nelson

 

[joeinid]

Welcome to the forum D Nelson, thank you for joining.

 

[mep]

Welcome to AS D. Nelson. I hope to see more of your posts outside of this thread.

 

[lancelock]

I was looking to get a Modded 105D last year and found TUC online. After reading his web site I called to talk about his mods. I left a message twice and never got a call back. I continued my research and found a company called EVS, Rik Schultz and had a long conversation about the mods he would do. Anyway, long story short, the 105D sounds incredible. I spent $800 for the EVS mods. So there are lots of options for 105 mods and company's with good reviews.

 

[Dizzie]

Hi mep (and Arthurs),

I appreciate your intentions and how you feel about this, but, to me, it seems a little backwards. Yes, I own TUC products and I like finding threads on those and sharing my experiences. I also own a Pioneer Elite RPTV (15 years old), and I like to find threads on that and hang out there as well. I hang out on the McIntosh threads, because I had (just sold) an MX-151. I hang around on the Krell threads, because I have a Krell amplifier. I hang around Wireworld Platinum threads, because I have some of their cables. There's many more... I might hang around for years on many of these forums. I even hang out there after I no longer own the products. It's fun to share.

Anyway, I have no skin in the game for any of these companies, yet I enjoy sharing my experiences for any of them on different forums and many threads.

This is "normal". It happens all the time on forums. Folks do this every day.


Dave

Folks may do this every day but it is not normal. You said "I enjoy sharing my experiences for any of them on different forums and many threads." But on the Shark you have 25 posts, 24 of which are in this thread. A one-note-song is only noise.

 

[thezaks]

Folks may do this every day but it is not normal. You said "I enjoy sharing my experiences for any of them on different forums and many threads." But on the Shark you have 25 posts, 24 of which are in this thread. A one-note-song is only noise.

Hi Dizzie,

Actually, it is normal and it is the norm. I'm curious as to why you think it's not normal, even though folks do this every day on forums? If folks are doing this every day, isn't that the norm? Seems like a backwards world that you are trying to impress upon this thread.

What's not normal is folks giving newbie's a hard time, getting on folks who post in older threads, tracking posts, etc. Kind of creepy, if you ask me.

If you can't help yourself and will continue down that road, then you might as well go check into my posts (same user name) on the avsforum and/or the audioaficianado forum. Regarding this forum, my activity/behaviour is normal. Think about it, a lot of folks who join forums will start with one thread, and they will have quite a few posts in that first thread. Aside from that, the number of posts in a thread can depend upon the activity in that thread. For example, I posted in an OLED thread, but there's not any activity there, so my post(s) are limited there.

If someone on this forum cares only about posting in one thread, is that a problem? Everyone is different - we're not all the same. Some folks like posting in as many threads as they can and as much as time allows. Some are only interested in a few threads. And, there are folks who might only care about one thread.

You are seriously beating up on someone because they only posted in one thread (actually two in this case)? I guess all folks who post in the audioshark forum should be informed that it's frowned upon to only post in one thread! I was thinking that, based upon the moniker for this forum (We don't bite! The friendliest audio forum), I would not encounter this kind of attitude. Either your attitude is a representation of this forum, or, you are out of line with the intent of this forum. Perhaps a moderator or such can clarify for me and all the other one-threaders.

Dave

 

[mep]

Serial killers consider what they do as normal also. It's all a matter of perspective.

 

[thezaks]

Serial killers consider what they do as normal also. It's all a matter of perspective.

Seriously mep, what is that supposed to mean? Are you actually comparing the normality of posting in a forum with serial killers?

Dave

 

[arthurs]

I don't want to speak for Mep but I doubt that's the case. More likely he was commenting on the normalized view we each have of our own behavior versus how others may perceive or interpret it...hence the disconnect here of members who perceive repeated contribution to a single thread as unusual and potentially shilling and your view of it as typical and helpful...

 

[thezaks]

I don't want to speak for Mep but I doubt that's the case. More likely he was commenting on the normalized view we each have of our own behavior versus how others may perceive or interpret it...hence the disconnect here of members who perceive repeated contribution to a single thread as unusual and potentially shilling and your view of it as typical and helpful...

Thanks arthurs! Your comment is much appreciated and is so much more reasonable and informative than many of the other comments that have been made.

So, I can understand that there is potential for shilling on any thread. On one side, there may be folks who are honestly sharing their experiences and/or their excitement for a product, and on the other side, there might just be some who are there specifically to entice others. In the same way, a shill might jump into a forum and onto only one thread, but so can a person who just wants to be part of a forum thread.

My point is that, more often than not, the newbie is joining for honest reasons. I'm sure there are shills that join as newbies, but I think the majority that join are not shills. And yes, some shills will pour themselves into one thread, but others will do it out of genuine interest - I believe the latter is the majority. It has to be. Otherwise, the majority of folks in these forums would be shills. If that's the case, then it's a forum I do not want to visit.

On the other side, there are the folks that are opposed to shills and will jump into a thread just to call out shills. These folks, as it seems here, do not have any experience with the thread topic. Because of this, from my perspective, it gives the appearance of an agenda.

My other point is that, in most forum threads (on avsforum and audioaficianado), folks do not pick on newbies for having an opinion, or for only contributing to one thread, or for saying something nice about a product. There might be opposing opinions, but when folks share their experiences, they don't get called shills. That is why I am calling that normal. Because it is the norm - it's typically what is seen. It's rare that folks who have actually had experiences with a product get called out for it by folks without any experiences. That is why this thread seems a little backwards, compared to all the other threads I participate in, in all the other forums I've visited.


Dave

 

[arthurs]

No worries Dave. I see what you're saying but one important addition...surely you were aware of the volatility that has followed this topic to every site it's been on, so it can't be a surprising result when that trend continues...if you weren't aware, some research is in order. I'd suggest an agree to disagree approach to this thread and enjoy posting in some other good discussion on AS, this clearly won't be the thread that changes the world view on this topic...my two cents, overstated value for sure

 

[mep]

I don't want to speak for Mep but I doubt that's the case. More likely he was commenting on the normalized view we each have of our own behavior versus how others may perceive or interpret it...hence the disconnect here of members who perceive repeated contribution to a single thread as unusual and potentially shilling and your view of it as typical and helpful...

Thank you for your very succinct analysis of what I said. I was just getting ready to break this down for Zak, but I couldn't have said it any better than what you did. Hopefully he will get the point.

 

[mep]

Thanks arthurs! Your comment is much appreciated and is so much more reasonable and informative than many of the other comments that have been made.

So, I can understand that there is potential for shilling on any thread. On one side, there may be folks who are honestly sharing their experiences and/or their excitement for a product, and on the other side, there might just be some who are there specifically to entice others. In the same way, a shill might jump into a forum and onto only one thread, but so can a person who just wants to be part of a forum thread.

My point is that, more often than not, the newbie is joining for honest reasons. I'm sure there are shills that join as newbies, but I think the majority that join are not shills. And yes, some shills will pour themselves into one thread, but others will do it out of genuine interest - I believe the latter is the majority. It has to be. Otherwise, the majority of folks in these forums would be shills. If that's the case, then it's a forum I do not want to visit.

On the other side, there are the folks that are opposed to shills and will jump into a thread just to call out shills. These folks, as it seems here, do not have any experience with the thread topic. Because of this, from my perspective, it gives the appearance of an agenda.

My other point is that, in most forum threads (on avsforum and audioaficianado), folks do not pick on newbies for having an opinion, or for only contributing to one thread, or for saying something nice about a product. There might be opposing opinions, but when folks share their experiences, they don't get called shills. That is why I am calling that normal. Because it is the norm - it's typically what is seen. It's rare that folks who have actually had experiences with a product get called out for it by folks without any experiences. That is why this thread seems a little backwards, compared to all the other threads I participate in, in all the other forums I've visited.


Dave

Dave-How current and relevant are your experiences with Friar Tuc? When was the last time you sent an item off to the land of blue goo and and aluminum foil? Time has marched on since you first started posting on the internet about how wonderful your experiences were with the Upgrade Company. Apparently there are no new threads about the Upgrade Company you can glom onto, so you search out any thread that has ever been posted on the net that you haven't previously discovered and shared your wonderful experiences on and try and resurrect it from the dead (as you have done here). So really, that would make you more like Dr. Frankenstein in that you try to bring the dead back to life.