Amplifier upgrade services

[Faartcoomer]

Hello all,

While looking around some websites I’ve seen some folks advertise upgrade services on certain brands of amps, and I was wondering if anyone had an opinion on the value of such a service as opposed to putting the same cash into an amp without upgrades. Is the money better placed in the pile for the next new amp? How much of an improvement can these kinds of things make? I don’t know much about amps yet so it’s hard to judge for myself, but it seems like it must be worth it to some people, maybe if they’re very attached to a specific amp and its sound? Do the numbers work out better if you send off a parts unit you got for cheap, and make the initial repair part of the service? The listing that specifically caught my eye was someone advertising that they’d do the John Curl recommended upgrades to Parasound amps. I don’t have any plans to do this, nor even a separate power amp yet, but the comments a lot of folks have about Parasound have had me interested in that brand specifically, so I’m curious if that’s ever a worthwhile pursuit.

Thanks for any opinions.

 

[z-adamson]

If you are the diy type that is capable of executing the upgrades you speak of and enjoys it as well, then it is very much worth the money.

If you farm out everything to other people and do nothing on your own, you end up paying retail for someone else’s time and work and at that point the cost to benefit ratio starts to plummet. Wether it’s worth it becomes a personal matter.

 

[Blue Shadow]

The Musical Concepts upgrades of Hafler and other brands did result in lower cost high end sound and an amp that will not recoup the cost of the upgrades when sold. Expect this to be typical. Upgrade for your enjoyment

 

[RVT1K]

I'll be doing some upgrade/preventative maintenance -new input boards and re-cap kits- on my Adcom GFA555 II's and saving money by doing it myself.