The Upgrade Company

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Unsolicited Customer Testimonials - Every client has paid The Upgrade Company LLC in full.   No kickbacks, no commissions, no fees of any kind for recommending our products and services.

Various System with Signature Edition Upgrade

About 5 months ago I was ready to invest some more $$$ into my system to improve both my vinyl and digital front ends.  

I purchased an Upgrade Co. SE Upgraded Audio Logic 34MXL Tubed DAC complete with NOS Black Gate F, N electrolytic capacitors and top of the line MunDorf Silver+Gold+Oil output coupling caps and had the silver+gold MunDorf wire swapped in and WBT Ag NextGen RCA sockets and Neutik silver pinned XLR sockets installed, and Amperex NOS tubes, and finished off with Upgrade Co’s RFI EMI riddance technology, and chassis dampening and new EAR footers.  Figured I got 30 day return period if I didn’t feel it was worth $4k.

Picked up a TimePortal Statement SPDIF RCA Silver Digital cable to feed it from my SE Upgraded Oppo BDP-105 player’s coaxial digital output.  I was truly blown away.  It just killed my previous vinyl LP rig.  What really blows me away is that over the past 4 months the DAC and digital interconnect have continued to gradually increase in performance as all the new caps, parts, wiring, & NOS tubes continue to burn in and “season”.

After the DAC I couldn’t stand to turn on my vinyl setup it just sounded like crap so I called David at Upgrade to see what he suggested.  David suggested I start with a Millennium Carbon Fiber LP Mat ($399) to absorb RFI EMI before it’s collected by the metal wiring and cantelever in my MC cartridge, and a new SE Upgraded tubed EAR 834 Deluxe Chromed MC/MM phono preamp with Telefunken NOS tubes and VCap capacitors and Upgrade Co’s RFI EMI Riddance Technology installed throughout inside.

I had a Project Tube Box phono stage before and let me tell you that thing sounds like a little toy, an AM radio, in comparison.  I didn’t expect such a tremendous improvement.  Then a couple months ago I got the itch to further improve so I ordered a new set of Nordost DIN-RCA plug-in tonearm cables for the SME-V tonearm to replace the stock Van Den Hull DIN-RCA Cables.  Wow that kicked everything up again.  Digital is better on some CD’s vinyl better on some good albums.  Now I can now play the crappiest CD’s and vinyl albums and enjoy it.
Always musical smooth no nasties great bass & highs & dynamics and 3D soundstage very organic and live sounding.

Everyone that hears my SE Upgraded system (w/ stock Legacy speakers) is amazed.   

I can highly recommend stepping up to an SE’d DAC over a 1 box player, the maxxed our EAR 834 Deluxe MC phono stage, and the Millenium LP Mat in addition to my previous SE upgrade testimonial recommendations.  

Shockingly phenomenal results.

Rick Gallos, Canada

Ultimate Level of Music

I am extending my sincerest thank you today to everyone at The Upgrade Company for helping me to achieve the high level of music & video performance I've longed to achieve for well over two decades.  I could never have achieved this ultimate high level of music as well as video reproduction without The Upgrade Company's help and unique knowledge.  This afternoon, I've been listening to my music collection and I cannot believe the incredible inner detail and sheer holographic realism present in recordings, even older standard 16bit/44khz CD's, all thanks to you.  Concert videos & movies look fabulous, nothing like they do in even in the best showrooms.  

Your Audio Research, EAR, Bel Canto, Oppo, McIntosh hardware upgrades have brought out the best in music and video reproduction I've experienced.  The TimePortal "RFI EMI Ridded" power cords, XLR interconnects& speaker cables are sonic stunners and really completed each system.  

I cannot thank you enough!  Thank you, thank you, thank you...

Extremely Satisfied Customer,

Paul Elliott
New Prague, MN.

Esoteric Audio Research 834P Phono Preamplifier "Signature Edition upgrade"

I wanted to let you know how happy I am with the Signature Edition Upgraded EAR834P phono preamp.

As you know, I had an Audio Research PH5 Phono preamp. Happy with the sound and quality of Audio Research equipment, I wanted to spend $12,000 on an Audio Research Reference 2 Phono Preamp to bring a reference sound to my large vinyl collection. After our discussion, you talked me into demoing & comparing your Signature Edition Upgraded EAR834P for a fraction of the price of a ARC Reference Phono 2.

I am glad you did…WHAT A PHONO STAGE. The Signature Edition EAR834P has transformed my vinyl collection. It has never sounded better. Way beyond my Audio Research PH5 and better than the stock REF 2. I have been melting away in my listening chair ever since. The liquidity, velvety, buttery shimmering luscious musicality is WAY over the top and crystal clear and dynamic and powerful all at the same time. Huge holographic stage. How do you pull all this off?

The TimePortal Silver Reference RCA interconnects I bought from you were inserted between the EAR834P w/SE and my Signature Edition upgraded Audio Research Reference 3 preamp you guys upgraded so well. I've tried lots of other cables and found that I like TimePortal Cables the very best once again. Great deal. Saving me thousands.

I am really glad we found each other. As an audiophile for over 3 decades, I was positive I had seen and heard it all. Now I find I still have much to learn. The Upgrade Company Signature Edition upgrade focus on ridding radio frequency contamination really and truly is "the missing link" to achieving perfect signal integrity and sonic excellence.

Thanks a million and keep up the great work!

Paul Elliott

EAR P 834P Phono Preamp Upgrade

My EAR P 834P phono preamp from Tim de Paravicini of EAR cost me about $800 new in the early 2000's. I've been using it ever since.  My VPI Scout turntable has undergone many transformations over the years:  five layers of isolation underneath the chassis, upgrade JMW-9 to the Signature tonearm, TT weights, all VPI upgrades, 2 Origin Live DC motors and controllers driving a heavy steel Aerex flywheel, and a platter upgrade. One of the things that makes this hobby fun is talking to other audiophiles and learning from each other. A real nice guy recommended tubes that really improve the EAR 834P's performance before I had it upgraded: NOS 5751's or 12AT7's instead of the stock 12AX7's. Good tubes make a huge improvement in most circuits. But nowhere near fully shielding the unit inside from RFI/EMI and replacing parts with the very best available.

My Van den Hul Colibri cartridge demanded more from my phono preamp to really show what it could do. One audiophile mentor shared with me that the EAR 834P with good NOS tubes will respond very well to capacitor & other upgrades.  Working with David several times previously, I knew he was the guy for the job. David has a great ear and knows there's a lot of bullshit out there with high prices to match.  He will not perform a mod that will not live up to his reputation. He'll just say no.  I have learned to trust him greatly.

With The Upgrade Company's trade secret & proprietary shielding and part upgrades including V-Cap's, he felt they could voice this preamp just right, so Upgrade Co. undertook the job.

Shortly after sending it in, I had a good feeling when David said it had just starting burn in for a couple hours yet it was already sounding better then 2 really big name stock phono preamps they keep on hand for comparisons.  I could hear the excitement in his voice.  This preamplifier has its detractors aplenty, but EAR owner/designer Tim de Paravicini has done a lot of work for several big record labels including Mobile Fidelity and Island, as well as supplied his tube equipment for many recordings.  The EAR 834P has a few hard core fans.  I'm now one of them.  This preamp sounds supremely detailed and musical now.

The stock EAR 834P exhibits a warm tube coloration, as is often said.  However upgraded it now sounds super accurate and fast but amazingly still warm! It now sounds extremely open with great musicality, pace, rhythm, great articulate bass, and a sweet high end.  Acoustic bass sounds so realistic now. I can't stop playing my vinyl since I got this back. Jimi Hendrix's box set West Coast Seattle Boy and Valley's of Neptune-both released in 2010 put Jimi right in your living room with the genius himself.  Since Upgrade Company upgraded the EAR 834P, it is truly a "state of the art" phono preamp.  I haven't found anything that can approach it's performance now.  I'd gladly put it in direct comparison with anything at any price if anyone wants to come by to compare.

Every upgrade I've had from The Upgrade Company has exceeded my expectations.  For those of you with any upgrades done mid-2010 or older, you really need to get yours updated.  I had my NuForce Oppo 83SE universal player updated and it was truly night and day over their original upgrade from mid-late 2010. I've got the balanced output version. Even the digital outs now sound superior to the original upgrade, and now Blu ray and DVD movies look even sharper and more saturated over HDMI.                                          

Bret L. Miller
Springfield, Illinois