Why
should I have my product modified/upgraded?
Response Audio Co. LLC was among the first company
to start offering commercial upgrades to tube gear
and has been offering upgrades and modifications to
tube products and loudspeakers since 1996. There are
those out there that do not believe in the use of
high quality components, such as premium capacitors,
critical resistors and quality wire but our 12+ year
track record and consumer feedback has never been
less than spectacular. Response Audio Co. LLC has
several thousand modified products now in the
consumer market with pieces rarely coming up on the
used market.
Why? Most audio products
no matter what their cost, are built to a price
point to obtain the most profit. To do this, they
must keep their cost to build the unit as low as
possible. How do they do this? Simple. They
compromise on the quality of parts used. Now you are
probably thinking that if you purchase a $2000 tube
preamp and then spent another $1000 or more for
modifications you should be able to find a stock
$3000 unit that would be better. You would be wrong.
That $3000 preamp was built with the same profit
driven attitude and still uses bottom of the barrel
parts inside. There are very few manufacturers out
there using premium parts to assemble their
products. Who's to say a $20,000 component will
absolutely sound better than a $5000 unit with well
thought out and executed modifications performed to
it and using premium components. You just saved
yourself $15,000. Hhmmm............
What
products or type of products do you modify?
We are not a digital
modification company. Never have been, never will be
so please don't ask us to look at your solid state
DAC or CD player/ There are other companies out
there that specialize in these products. What we
specialize in is vacuum tube preamps and amplifiers.
Over the years, we have been known for taking some
of the better Chinese tube products and turning them
into world class products that compete with
counterparts costing several times more.
What is
involved in your modifications.? Why don't you list
it anymore?
We use to provide
every last detail of the work performed in our
modifications as well as the parts used. Over the
years we have had many fly by night companies pop up
and call themselves a modification company. Upon
further looking into, their upgrades/modifications
were identical to our but using sub par components.
We have spent years developing many of our upgrades
and our upgrades and parts used comprise unique
intellectual property and are trade secret.
Secondly, no other high
end modifier or upgrade company is confident enough
in their work to offer you a 5 year parts and labor
warranty.
Ask yourself: why is that? Aren't they confident
enough to stand behind their work for such a time
period? Maybe they don't plan on being around that
long.
Our modifications
include but are not limited to new capacitors, new
diodes, wiring, ground layout and new resistors.
Many of the parts we use are exclusive to Response
Audio / Bella Extreme. Our unique components and
techniques provide much higher results then most any
kitchen table DIY modifications. The average
consumer is simply unable to perform upgrades to
this level of expertise on their own without the
years of experience and very advanced techniques
used in both the selection and matching of parts and
in "voicing" each model to the preference of the end
user.
Simply installing high
dollar parts into a component does not mean it will
sound better. We have spent years evaluating
countless combinations to find what sounds right in
any given product. Sometime the most unorthodox
combinations yield the best results and we are not
willing to give our years of experience away for
free.
Years of customer
testimonials confirm that we have done our research
and are able to provide you with a product you can
live with and enjoy for years to come.
What
type of warranty do you offer:
Five year parts and
labor, fully transferable. No, that is not a
misprint. Our track record for reliability has
proven over the years to be better then the original
manufacturer because the parts and solder we use are
the very best available. Most products on the market
today are built to a price point to allow for the
most profit and/or volume moved. We do not build to
a price point and therefore do not use the cheap
parts to modify products that are used by the
original manufacturer.
What is
your turnaround time on modifications?
There is no simple
answer to this question. Times depend on the
complexity of the mod as well as our current work
load.
Do any of
your modifications alter any the original
functionality or circuitry of the product?
Most of the time the
answer is No. However we have come across some
products that required a slight change in circuitry
to sound their very best and/or operate at proper
voltages. There are other times when a sub par
remote control volume pot is removed and replaced
with a much higher quality design. This is only a
functionality change that results in better sonic
performance.
Can you
provide me with the parts needed and instructions on
how to perform my own mods?
For reasons mentioned
above, the answer is no. Another reason is for
liability. We are also not a reseller of any of the
parts we use.
I
started to modify my product. Can you finish it?
We will no longer get
involved in products where someone has already
attempted to modify it as these are usually a can of
worms. Nor will we modify a product that has already
been done by another company.
