Updated August, 2008

David: Here is my testimonial on the Denon 2930 upgrade. You are welcome to post it on your website and you may also pass along my e-mail address to anyone wishing to contact me as a reference.

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Just wanted to let you know the upgraded Denon 2930 is finally broken in, and sounds much better than I imagined. It's hard for me to believe a solid-state player can sound so good. The upgraded player does what so many more expensive units cannot do -- retrieve all the harmonics and detail from the disc, but without adding brightness. When I play my favorite songs, I find myself letting the rest of the disc play out again and again. The sound quality is downright addictive!

I would be impressed with the sound even if the upgraded 2930 were a CD-only player. But -- even better -- the upgraded Denon 2930 is a play-it-all machine that also does SACD, DVD-A, DVD, and MP3 discs with the same stunning sound quality. Watching movies is much better with top-notch sound quality to bring out the best in both music and dialogue.

Recently, one of the local dealers in Dallas, TX had a wine-and-cheese event showing off some very expensive gear: Meridian, Krell Evolution, Transparent Cable, etc. Imagine my surprise when I went home and found my upgraded Denon 2930 was competitive with the best-sounding player at the store -- the Krell Evolution player. The smoothness, detail, and refinement of the very expensive Krell were present in my upgraded unit. The upgraded Denon 2930 is the smartest hi-fi purchase I have ever made!

I look forward to having my other components upgraded by The Upgrade Company in the future.

Thanks,

Jonathan Dunn
jonathan_dunn@sbcglobal.net

Hi David

I received the Signature Edition upgraded Denon 3910 player yesterday and have had some time listening. The short time I have been listening is very positive.  It sounds better right out-of-the-box than my Dexa D-clock "modified"  Eastsound CD-E5 RedBook CD player that's touted.  Can't wait till I get more time for listening.  I have put in the burn-in CD you include and left it playing to give it the 300-600 hours of burn-in that it deserves. :- )

Very impressive!

Best regards
Rune Norgaard, Denmark

Dear Dave :

I am AMAZED. The sound is FANTASTIC. I believed in you since you answered my first e-mail but I
was not waiting this sound change. The 3910 likes a new and different gear.

Now I am sure I HAD MADE THE VERY BEST DECISION to send you it.

 The sound is AMAZINGLY clear, full detailed lush liquid and better than the major quantity of CD/SACM/DVD you can find here . I think when hours will be pass it sound will be better and better.The video is fantastic also , a great upgrading.

Dave I am really surprised and I want to give you THANKS for it.

Now I KNOW I must assure you the final is tremendously satisfactory.

Thank you Dave once more. Here, in Spain you have a friend. I will speak about you in my local megazine reviews.  I wish news customers for you from Spain.

I could not imagine what can you do with my LINN UNIDISK 1.1 for my principal gear.

Now I am a happy man and I can enjoy my gear.  Some friend thought I was crazy to send to USA  a DENON 3910 from Spain but now they are surprised and thinking I am right.

Nice to have met you Dave I would like help you for anything you need.

Sincerely,
Constantino García
Director Comercial

Audiogon Chat Post 07-23-07 By Audiogon member "Billhilleary"
I used to own an Esoteric UX-1 and G-0s Master Clock. I now use an Upgrade Co modified Denon 5910Ci and it is far superior to the Esoteric, and for obviously a whole lot less money. 
Bill Hilleary, Washington State

DENON DVD-3930Ci SE upgrade

I would definitely go Upgrade Co's route over a stock $5000-$15,000 player. I have
the upgraded Denon 3930ci Universal which I directly compared to the stock $14,000 Esoteric X-01 Limited Edition and it kicked its butt big time.  What Dave says is all true and he's a really great guy to do business with. He goes out of his way to please you. Look at the 7 day free trail, who else does that? As far as the Audiogon website Dave tells you what is going on his site.
The fact that manufacturers are have been putting pressure on Audiogon.
Take the plunge you won't be sorry.
 
Dan Fish

"In the beginning, God created the Heavens and the Earth. On the sixth day, God created the first human being Adam with perfect hearing.

Where do we get the perfect sound system?

Since 1987, I have been buying used stereo equipment to save money. Later I decided to try having my equipment upgraded. I bought a few pieces of upgraded equipment from other modifier's/upgrader's, but typically, whenever you called for a status, they would simply state they were "busy".

I started looking around for other experts on upgrading stereo equipment. I read about the "modification" experience's of many people on Audiogon. One day someone mentioned about David Schulte of The Upgrade Company. Many other Audiogoner members also praised him highly for his service and the sonic quality of the upgraded products. They said that David had turned their DVD player into an outstanding player that bested, to their ears, the really high dollar CD players in direct A-B comparisons. That got me interested. I further read about people who had decided to replace the clocks inside CD players with the "SuperClocks" and similar. lets just say that with my experience, I simply do not agree with that upgrade path. It is apparent that only the original designers of the circuits should be the ones to determine the clock type and rate of a circuit. To my ears, there is no comparison to the results David gets with his upgrading.

I decided to call David Schulte on the phone. He sounded very helpful, friendly, and willing to explain the upgrades over the phone. I agreed with his approach, and decided to purchase an upgraded Denon DVD-9000 disc player from him. Within one week, I received the player. Right off the bat, I was delighted with the openness of sound, and the rich and full voices of the singers.

David then told me that in order to appreciate the sound of the Denon 9000, I would need to replace my preamplifier and power amplifier. That would sound like a sale pitch if that had come from a normal sales man. I trust David as I appreciate his goal to "forever improve your system" attitude. I bought an upgraded Audible Illusions L-2 preamplifier, and two upgraded McIntosh MC-122 power amplifiers from him. He told me that the upgraded MC-122 would best stock power amplifiers under $10,000. I trust his judgement, because they sound remarkable. I do not hear sound quality like this in any Hi-End Audio Showroom.

As I played the Phantom of the Opera with four of his upgraded equipment, the orchestra stayed behind the singers all the time. There was no muddiness. The female voices inside Phantom sound so life like that my wife feels like she is listening to a live performance in the theatre. My wife seldom sits in front of my stereo system for more than an hour. Now she does. That in itself is bold testimony to David's upgrades. I have played CD after CD until midnight on many a night. I find that the better a recording is, the better my upgraded system sounds. There is apparently tremendous potential inside used audio gear that once upgraded allows it to become true State of the Art.

Recently, he advised me to buy an Exact Power EP-15A AC re-generator to get another big improvement from my system. So I did, and bought an upgraded EP-15A from him. This improvement is significant. The orchestra of the Phantom of the Opera has authority and body, and the singers sound strong on the loud passages, and decent on the soft passages. His advices are always proper.

Last month, he told me that the MIT Cables are the best. I bought a pair of MIT Oracle v1.1 interconnect for my 9000. That pair of interconnect separates the instruments from the singers in a well laid out manner. I could hear each individual voice with no muddiness. Articulation is clear and definite. I could tell a female voice from a male voice in a chorus. Now my wife thinks that the orchestra sounds powerful on the system!

Even though I have not listened to the expensive CD players like the EMM Labs and Esoteric just yet, but I do listen to my own live recording of our pastor at church . When I play back my own live recording on the 9000 with the MIT Oracle v1.1, our pastor sounds so natural, sweet, and live.

Previously, I used Mogami as my microphone cable for my live recording. I would always see my HHB CD recorder showing a -40 db of noise on the LED volume meter. I thought that noise came from the air flow. Last Sunday, I decided to use the MIT Oracle v1.1 as my microphone cable. Wow, my HHB CD recorder no longer shows any noise on the LED volume meter. Our pastor sounds crisp on a dead silent background with fullness and roundness.

To sum up, David Schulte's "The Upgrade Co." is world class at a bargain. He always delivers, and exceeds my expectations. He is courteous and willing to help you improve your system. I have spent less than $20,000 on my system, and it sounds extremely life like and three dimensional. I now use my saved money for the MIT Oracle interconnects, power cords for each of my components, and maybe one day Oracle speaker cables.

Which system would you choose? Stock State-of-the-Art equipment or equipment upgraded to State-of-the-Art level along with MIT cables for the same investment? I pick the second, and I am totally pleased with my choice."

Wai-Sze Tam
Cupertino, CA

Denon DVD-3910 SE upgrade- Follow-Up:
I want to tell you about a little unknown secret when you deal with Dave Schulte.. About a month ago David called me and asked how I was liking my now 8 mo old DENON 3910 that he upgraded. Previously I had been in monthly contact with Dave to tell him how the player's sound keeps changing all for the better. I really could not believe my ears with the increase of continuing musical pleasure that I was definitely enjoying with his upgrades. So when Dave had called me and stated that he can make my DENON 3910 player sounding even better, I quickly said " How much more can you improve on this already beautiful sounding player" He slyly said " Quite a bit" Now the next question that came out of mouth was " How much to do this upgrade?" Dave said " It's free" A few days later I sent the player back to David to work his magic.. Less than a week later I am flat out amazed at the improvement in the sonics once again more of everything.. Definitely more 3d than ever before..

So here the little secret that David needs to post on his website....
The Upgrade Co offers free customer updates to keep previously upgraded players current with the latest State of the Art in sound reproduction, even if you purchased them used. Manufacturer's are always improving their models, likewise The Upgrade Company is always pushing the edge of the art & science of sound reproduction as well. A player upgraded by the Upgrade Company a year or even 6 months ago are not close sonically. I purchased my 3910 SE upgrade 6 months ago so I thought I was pretty current. I was flat out amazed at the level of improvement...definitely not a tweak but a full measure of improvement....like my player was getting the upgrade done all over again." Thank you David for such sterling customer service!" Oh by the way I just purchased a Unison Research Unico Se int amp. This amp sounds great in my current setup. I will definitely be sending the amp in for an upgrade to Sir David...to make the amp sound even better.

Peter Camperos

I want to tell you what happened on my way to upgrading to a modified player. In the past I had started with a decent cd player the AH TJOEB 4000. I liked it but did not love the sound. Even after tube rolling it still didn't move me or make me stay up for hours listening to music. Next I tried and had in my system a REGA SATURN cd player for about 8 mos. The player produced sound that was better (more detail, micro dynamics) but it had no soul to the music reproduction. IMHO the audio player plus the rest of the equipment should move me and make me get lost in the music. I was really tired of trying to see which digital source will work in my system.

After spending countless hours reading this and that about modified audio equipment I thought this may be the way to go and began my search for a modified CD/DVD player. I found out there are many companies claiming to modify players, some had good reviews from fellow A'goners and other publications and some not so good. I narrowed my choices to three main competitors. I relied on word of mouth and customer satisfaction of audio products that they claimed could be modified.

I saw an ad in A-gon for a "Hot Rod" modified version of a Denon 3910 player. After again talking to a few supposedly satisfied customers I proceeded to purchase their modded 3910. After speaking a few times to the owner he ordered me his new version of the 3910. He said it would be done in a matter of a few days. Naturally i said let's proceed and I waited patiently for when he was to send me out the 3910. I tried calling him after a week and didn't receive a phone call or an email back. When he finally called back he said it wasn't ready and would take a few more weeks. I hesitantly agreed and waited patiently for my player. It finally was ready after 6 weeks!! After receiving the player I hooked it up and it turned out to be defective! Needless to say I was not happy I of course returned the player at my own expense for repair. It took the owner approx 2 weeks before telling me that there was indeed a problem; they forgot to install supposedly some important resistors in the player. All along as I do nightly I was still searching and conversing on Agon and somehow stumbled on the UPGRADE COMPANY. I was especially impressed with all the positive customer reviews…and David Shulte's concepts about modifying audio equipment.

At this point I was not impressed with my current experience with the other company and decided what the heck and contacted Dave Shulte. I was pleasantly surprised to get hold of David so quickly (unlike the other company) David took the time and asked what I was looking for and I explained the problem I was encountering with the other company. David knew who this other company was and told me and he said that his upgrades are so much more superior to theirs and you will really be moved by the sound of his mods. I thought to myself what a bold statement from a confident man he must know his stuff. David always makes the effort to know what his competitors are doing for their modifications. David also told me again the sound will be so much more superior and the quality of his parts will leave all others in the dust. Again a bold statement but guess what I liked that confidence in a company! David told me to return the current player and get my money back and he would build me a better 3910 and send it out asap.

Fast forward and less than a week I received his new version of the Denon 3910. When i received it and plugged it in there was no comparison in sound quality and workmanship. The player was more heavier in weight than the previous company. Oh and this is very important to me the relentless pursuit of customer satisfaction. A prime example was after I had the player for only a few days David called me up and told me he had discovered a mod to his already wonderful sounding 3910 player and it would dramatically increase the enjoyment of my 3910. I told him that I was very happy with the sound and this was only having a few hours of break in. he kept insisting that I need to get this mod done on the 3910. I of course gave in and sent back the player and within a week I received the 3910 and plugged it back into my system. Damn if he wasn't right again! There was now a very immediate improvement in the sound and a change for the better. What were the immediate changes how about more solid bass, sweeter midrange and effortless highs all of this with maybe no more than 10 hrs of break in. To say that I was pleased with the results was an understatement.

I wanted to wait a few months to post this review because I wanted to properly let the 3910 burn in especially the Blackgates.

Here is what you can expect. Nice sound around 200 hrs. Jump to 400 hrs and you start to see this players potential. At 800 hrs you will first hand witness the beautiful sound of this player. You may ask what you will be rewarded with read on... The balance of musicality and neutrality of this player is truly shocking. There is a harmonic rightness to the midrange and upper bass that literally had my jaw drop. Never have I experienced this before with a player. I have listened to Meridians, Esoterics, Aero, and even the Modwright modded Denon 3910. David's version beats them all IMHO. For once I was listening to music and not equipment. This in itself is no small feat but I truly believe David has nailed it firmly. To see if i was just imagining this euphoria I had a few of my audiophile friends over for a listen. Most of these guys had very excellent systems and preferred vinyl over cds. Well after a few hrs of listening they really grew to like the sound of this 3910 player. They all agreed that they were very impressed with the music reproduction the player was conveying into my room.
So what have I learned from all this.. Not all modification companies are the same, not all modified players are the same. Futhermore, not all customer service is the same. If you want to purchase an incredible sounding player like the 3910, want and expect first rate customer service along with the constant pursuit of excellence in the company and the product you need only call David Shulte.

Like I found out the hard way and like so many satisfied clients before me I am pleased I did make the right choice. I firmly believe you will not be disappointed and you will enjoy the end result.

Peter Camperos
Pasadena, CA

What would an average DVD player sound like if it was rebuilt with premium components which allowed it to operate at its peak potential? Where the market driven cost constraints for internal component parts were taken out of the equation, and the circuit design is optimized for musicality and transparency to achieve State of the Art performance levels.
I recently had the pleasure of hearing such a digital source in my system, and I can tell you the bar has been raised. I have other sources which could be argued, in their stock form provide State of the Art performance, albeit at a very hefty price tag which is way out of reach for most audiophiles.

The player was an "upgraded" modest DVD player rebuilt by The Upgrade Company, a $1495 MSRP Denon DVD-3930Ci 1080P Universal player. David Schulte gracefully sent me a Signature Edition Denon DVD-3930CI to evaluate in my all digital system next to my stock Denon DVD-3930Ci I had been using to fulfill video roles, never dreaming it could be capable of anywhere near State of the Art sound quality via it's digital output.

Having spent more than four months with my stock Denon DVD-3930CI connected to my TacT Audio 2.2x/Boz 216/2200 digital preamp/amp system driving a pair of Escalante Design Pinyon's and a pair of Escalante Design Uinta subs, I had become intimate with the stock Denon DVD-3930Ci's shortcomings. After swapping in the Upgrade Company's "Signature Edition" Denon DVD-3930CI into my system and comparing the two, all I can say is “perfection”. For starters, the overall system resolution was enhanced evenly across the frequency spectrum yet remaining neutral in presentation. The stock 3930 completely starved the signal in its transmission. I found the upgraded 3930 to have an extreme transparency of the treble and midrange with superb bass extension which also excelled in openness and coherency.

With the music laid bare by the Signature Edition upgraded 3930CI, I never had the sense that it added its own character but remained neutral and relaxed in presentation. In my system I experienced a much deeper emotional connection with the music then I had previously. The essence of each instrument was captured and displayed in the most believable sense with a significant jump in resolution and space between and around instruments. Pinpoint imaging came to mind during my evaluation with the original note preserved and having the expected overtones. The bass output on my powered Uinta subs never sounded this tight, fast, extended and impactful. I was amazed.

Lastly, I A-B'd the video performance via the HDMI outputs of the stock Denon 3930Ci versus the upgraded Denon 3930Ci off of it's HDMI output, with both players set on the same menu settings. The upgraded 3930's video output was substantially improved upon: I noted better black detail with less noise in the blacks, better gradation of blacks, an overall reduction in noise and color bleeding, and much more three dimensional.

Highly Recommended.

Mike Girardi
Audiogon ID "MIKEG"

Hi Dave,

Hope that you had a good time at the Rocky Mountain Audiofest.

Thanks for sharing this review. As per my voice message, yes your Upgraded Denon 3910 is really fantastic. Never thought it would beat the Esoteric X-03 big time.

Congratulations!! for your work - something you should be proud of.

You can count me as your loyal customer for a very long time.

Best regards,

Dan Comeau

Paul Canady on his Denon 5910 Signature Upgrade:

Dear Upgrade Company and David Schulte,

I've now logged about 1300 hours on my Denon 5910 with your "Signature Edition" upgrades, and I thought I'd share my impressions with you. I'll refrain from commenting on all the attributes that audiophiles usually opine about . . . soundstage, imaging, high and low frequency extension, linearity, lowered noise level, etc., except to mention that your Signature upgraded 5910 has all that in spades and so much more.

However, I wanted to talk about a different observation that I have. The first 500 hours or so were, as you forewarned, a bit bumpy. More accurately, I would describe them as erratic. The sound quality would bounce back and forth from good to a little rough, sometimes exhibiting extremely harsh highs that made it nearly impossible to listen to. I was patient.

Somewhere between 500-600 hours, it settled down and started to progressively improve. It was at this point that I started some critical listening sessions. These were typical audio fanatic sessions where I was being critical of every detail of the presentation -- making a mental list of tweaks that might be needed to compensate for perceived weaknesses in the sound quality. However, I noticed that even those perceived weaknesses continued to dramatically decrease as the unit burned in more over the weeks.

Then, at about 850 hours, something strange happened. During a late evening critical listening session, I suddenly realized that I had listened to music for over three hours without even thinking about any of the issues that audiophiles typically obsess about. I realized that I was totally absorbed in the music, and not the way my system was sounding. This was a first.

I was flabbergasted. How did I enjoy this hobby for so long missing a true life-sized soundstage, the physical separation of the instruments, the timbre of the female vocals, etc. . . It then dawned on me that your upgraded Denon 5910 had taken all of the individual outstanding qualities that we hobbyists painstakingly try to pick apart and analyze during critical listening, and melded them all together into an integrated, coherent, mesmerizing musical whole.

Sure, I could still, with minimal effort, listen for the exquisite details, the pitch black background, hi/lo frequency extension, dynamics and all the other attributes us audiophiles prize. But this player has put all those pieces together into a musical presentation that has compelled me to just relax and LISTEN TO THE MUSIC like no other source I've ever heard. I've tried a number of the latest and supposed greatest stock and modified players upwards of $10-14,000 in my system. I would never have dreamt your Denon 5910 could surpass these players. If it were not for your money back guarantee, I would not have risked the plunge.

To say the least, I was pleased, impressed, and most importantly, musically satisfied. But to my pleasant surprise, it did not stop there. The sound continued to become even more compelling, more mesmerizing, literally magical. Now, with almost 1300 playing hours logged, I liken my listening experience to drinking a wonderfully complex cabernet, or indulging in a dessert of decadent dark chocolate. The music is lush, with full body and shimmer, while retaining the finest of details and ease. It is truly amazing.

I find myself playing music much louder then before because I can turn the volume up very high as the music remains super smooth and easy on the ears. Now all of my CD collection sounds just fantastic, even older Redbook CD's. When I close my eyes, it feels as if the room has no walls. The band is in the room on my system. You are submerged in a life-sized soundstage that seems endless. Vinyl has never created this illusion in my system. Also I find CD's are so much easier to deal with. Your 5910 Signature Edition put me on easy street. I never even dreamed recorded music could sound like this.

Thank you for bringing the band into my listening room!

Paul Canady in Nevada

Audiogon Member: "Wizeazz" on his Denon 3910 and 2910 upgrades:

I can tell you that buying another piece of equipment is not the answer. If you are upgrading from a CD player to an all-in-one machine then that is a different story, but from one all in one player to another or from one cd player to another, there is such a small difference in performance to value ratio that The Upgrade Company is really the only logical decision. I have compared my Denon 2910 upgraded by The Upgrade Company to my friends Denon 2910 from Underwood Hi-Fi which had their Level 2 mods and a clock with it's dedicated power supply, and I can tell you that mine was still much smoother, backgrounds much blacker, more music period. I will be sending every piece of gear I own to Dave and in the end save a fortune because when he is done, nothing compares. Take the plunge, you won't regret it.
Mike Wise

I spent an afternoon with David a while back, and we did many side by side comparisons at his business. We compared a Denon DVD-9000 that he had upgraded, against other customer machines that were in for upgrading. The units we compared were a stock Esoteric X-01, a stock Linn CD-12, an Aloia that had been "modified" by someone else.

The Denon 9000 was by far the best of the group. Quite an achievement for an "older" player that only sells for around a grand used. I was amazed to be honest. The sound had an intimacy and smoothness that I had not heard before. The biggest difference was the bass extension and slam. The other units sounded thin. I am not trying to flame the owners of these units, I am just saying what I heard in our session.

David is an incredibly honest person, and I completely trust him with my gear. I know this sounds like one of those " too good to be true" scenarios by some internet shuckster, but I learned a great deal, it was a great afternoon of A-Bing equipment and cables.

The Upgrade Company's work is incredible and sounds truly amazing, and well worth the investment. It is what David says it is.

Richard in Ohio

Audiogon Member: "I_audio" on Forte, Reimyo, Denon, Sony ES upgrades

I thought I should share my experience with some interesting audio equipment and their upgrades by David Schulte of The Upgrade Company. The equipment included: the Denon S1 Integrated Amplifier, Forte 4a amp, Reimyo DAP 777 DAC, and the Sony CVP-CX 777 ES SACD/CD 400 disks Mega changer. I have had the Denon S1 & the Reimyo for years and upgraded them about two months ago. I had the Forte and the Sony for about three months. I listen mostly to Jazz and Classical music, sometimes new age and rock.

It started when I ran into an ad by "The Upgrade Company" selling the Forte 4a amplifier. I heard this amp at audio dealers in the early 1990’s when it was available. This amp impressed me on several occasions driving Martin Logan and other speakers that I still remember it to this day. I was going to buy it back then when raving reviews in The Absolute Sound described the Brown Electronic Lab amplifier as possibly the best amplifier in the world. I followed the review instead of my ears and bought the BEL 1001 without auditioning it. The BEL was a good amp but turned out to be much less musical than the Forte.

The Forte was discontinued. I later traded the BEL for Joule Electra tube OTL and became for the most part a "Tube Guy". Joule Electra amp and preamplifiers are among the very best sounding I have heard at audio dealers, shows, and anywhere. Their reliability proved incredible. I still have the Joule Electra equipment in my main system, but like many of us, I sometimes get the bug to try something else.

Only a few of the best models of equipment survive the test of time. I realized I still wanted this Forte amp, so this time I trusted my instincts. I bought it used and upgraded from David Schulte of The Upgrade Company. I was amazed at the sound of the upgraded Forte 4a and understood why it has developed such a cult following. It is very musical, sounds effortless and natural. Despite its 50 Watts class A 8 ohm rating, it sounds big, effortless, clear and musical. It has a wonderful midrange and treble that is very competitive with the very best amps made today. It has very good bass, however, being only 50watts, it is not enough power on some bass passages.

The Forte was so good by today’s standards, I decided to try to get Dave to upgrade some of my other equipment.

I sent him a Sony CVP-CX 777 ES SACD/CD Mega changer that I bought to use for a second system and as a transport. I did not really care for its sound as a CD player but felt its SACD sound had good potential. Dave’s upgrade was less than he would have liked due to limited space inside the Sony to place the parts he wanted. Still the improvement was very obvious that I now enjoy listening to it especially on SACD. Not very far behind my $6,000 APL 3910 in fact. In some ways it is better, others lacking. But once the Reimyo 777 DAC was upgraded and run off the Sony 777ES as a transport, that was a whole other league entirely. I have since sold my APL 3910.

Then I had Dave upgrade the rare and beautiful $5500 Denon S1 integrated amplifier. Actually I was about to sell the Denon, but the improvements as a result of the upgrades were so amazing that I am keeping it. The Denon S1 series from the early 1990’s, and were Denon’s statement, cost-is-no-object products. The $40k Denon S1 Monoblocks, the S1 Transport and S1 DAC were reviewed in Stereophile and firmly placed in “Class A Recommended Components”. I do not think I ever saw a Denon ad in Stereophile . The preamp listed out at $17,000. The Denon S1 Series look like pieces of art and were perfectly built.

So, how to describe the effect of the upgrade? With all the upgraded equipment, lots of air, more depth, more 3-D, more dynamics, really good bass, much smoother and much more musical sound overall. The sound is bigger and clearer, more powerful.

In case of the Sony, in addition to the above the grain and digital hardness were gone.

In case of the Denon S1 it became very smooth, liquid, and crystal clear without any solid state hardness or grain. The highs are extended and silky smooth. The midrange is liquid and sweet. Well how good is the Denon now? It is better that the current Stereophile Class A Unison Unico SE, with the Underwood Hi Fi level 2 upgrade. The Denon is Crystal clear, liquid, and fast. I think the Denon is the most improved component because it had room for Dave to use the parts he wanted.

Dealing with Dave is a pleasant experience. Easy to reach by phone, very fast turnaround time, and is open to uneducated suggestions. I found he can upgrade just about anything audio or even video. Expensive equipments like the Reimyo DAC can be improved with Dave’s upgrade not just the entry level stuff like the Sony SACD/CD 400 discs Mega changer.

The improvement is so dramatic that I am going to have Dave upgrade all the components in my system. Happy listening!

AL

Associated gear
Reimyo DAP 777 DAC, APL Denon 3910, Sony CVP-CX 777 ES SACD/CD player, VPI TNT/Graham 2.2 ceramic arm/Koetsu Uruchi, Joule Electra LA 100 full function preamp, Joule Electra Grand Marquis OTL amps, Cary SLP 50a, Cary 2A3 Parallel single ended amps, Forte 4a, Reimer Teton Speakers, Omega Super Hemp single driver no crossover speakers, Era Model 5 speakers, Analysis Plus 8,9,& Gold, JPS Superconductor2, Alpha core Goertz Ag2 silver, Shunyata Hydra 8& power cords, Exact Power voltage stabilizer, Cinepro Balanced power, Harmonix 78, Harmonix Power cords, ASC room treatment

Similar products
Unison Research Unico SE integrated
Valve Audio Predator integrated
8-08-06

DENON DVD-3910 Upgrade

Initial Impressions:

I was looking for a way to improve the sound of my home theater system and determined that my 8 year old DVD/CD player was the weak link. I didn't have a large budget so I decided to buy a used DVD/CD Player that performed decently and have it upgraded. There were many companies that were willing to upgrade my Denon 3910, but most of the prices out there were astronomical. I finally heard about David Schulte and decided to give him a call. I spoke with David about his experience with the Denon 3910 and some of the improvements he would make. I have to admit I was a little skeptical, but decided to give the Upgrade Company a try.

Easy to Work With:

When I shipped the Denon to David’s shop he immediately sent me an email letting me know that the unit arrived safely and most notably that he had already started working on installing the upgraded components and parts. I was really impressed about this sense of urgency since my past experiences with upgrading equipment usually resulted in weeks and sometimes months of waiting.

Quick Turnaround:

Within a week from when I sent David my Denon 3910 he had it back at my house. I had never experienced such a quick turn-around. With David, there is no long waiting.

Customer Satisfaction and Follow-Up:

Once I got the Denon back I started the break-in period. The initial sound improvements were subtle, but improvements in the video were noticeable right away. The picture on my rear projection TV was much clearer than before. The Images were very clear especially for a 10 year old rear projection TV. On the audio side of things I could tell that the Blackgate Caps and other new parts David installed in the audio circuit needed time to break-in. During the entire break-in period (300-500 hours of playing time) David was very conscientious about emailing me and sometimes calling me to make sure that I understood what was happening during the break in period and that I was satisfied with the performance of the player. When David sensed that I was not completely satisfied with the improvements (before the break-in was finished) David requested that I send the unit back (he even took the price of shipping off the cost of the upgrade) and assured me that the improvements we had initially talked about would be realized. David just wanted to make sure that everything was working properly. While the Denon 3910 was in David’s shop he traced the problem down to some faulty capacitors. Again, within the week, the Denon was back at my house playing in my system, but this time the sound was noticeably improved. Now the sound of my system began to generate sonic qualities that I could only imagine before now. The notes coming out of my speakers were extremely clear and natural sounding. Notes that just seemed to hang in the air for the longest time beyond what I had ever experienced previously. There was no hint of brightness or harshness whatsoever. Just pure natural sounding notes from one end of the frequency spectrum to the other. The highs were clear and natural and the lows were powerful and taut. Another impressive quality was that prior to David’s modification, whenever I turned up the volume of my system to loud levels the sound would become fatiguing. Now that was not happening at all. At times I became concerned that I might actually damage the speaker drivers if I played my system any louder and even at those volume levels my system sounded very pure and natural.

Now that the Denon 3910 has had a chance to fully break-in, I am repeatedly impressed whenever I settle into my listening chair no matter which CD or DVD I am playing. Each note is impressively clear and natural. No longer did my system sound harsh, bright, muffled or fatiguing. All of those problems are now gone.

Having now gone through this upgrade experience with David Schulte of the Upgrade Company, I look back and realize how easy David made this experience for me. If you are interested in having any kind of upgrade modification to your existing audio or video equipment and want great customer service, high quality parts, and workmanship, I wholeheartedly recommend that you give the Upgrade Company a call!

Tom in Nebraska

I never thought I would ever label a DVD player soulful, but now every time I play Music DVD’s, CD’s, DVD A or SACD the experience has been involving and passionate.  I always knew that the 2900 was the weak link in my system but after the upgrade from David the player is on par and a worthy source component in conjunction with my SimAudio Amp and Processor.

The cost benefit has been tremendous and I am very happy with the modification work from the Upgrade Company." 

Joey Ledesma from S. California