The Upgrade Company: Fact or Fiction?

fuzz092888

fuzz092888

Audioholic Warlord
I came across this website the other day and have been wandering around reading there articles and testimonials. They seem to make a compelling argument, but then again so do the Mormons and the Vacuum salesman.

My soul and the cleanliness of my floors aside, what do you guys think? I can't say I know enough about what they're talking about to know if it is even plausible to get the kind of results they're claiming.

What I do know is that they want hundreds to thousands of dollars to do what they're claiming (unless you buy from them and then only for certain products), so what's the deal? Snake oil? Legitimate?

The Upgrade Company - Leader in High Performance Audio Video Upgrades
 
V

Volta

Audioholic Intern
There is an entertaining, informative, and very long thread over at AVS about them. Well actually there are a lot of discussions about this topic over there. From what I read there it was enough for me to make an opinion on this company. Some people are very happy with the results and money spent, but I'm guessing many more are skeptical. I personally find more value in spending money on room treatments or better speakers.
 
Swerd

Swerd

Audioholic Warlord
I came across this website the other day and have been wandering around reading there articles and testimonials. They seem to make a compelling argument, but then again so do the Mormons and the Vacuum salesman.

My soul and the cleanliness of my floors aside, what do you guys think? I can't say I know enough about what they're talking about to know if it is even plausible to get the kind of results they're claiming.

What I do know is that they want hundreds to thousands of dollars to do what they're claiming (unless you buy from them and then only for certain products), so what's the deal? Snake oil? Legitimate?

The Upgrade Company - Leader in High Performance Audio Video Upgrades
Even before reading what they are actually selling, my snake oil alarms started sounding off right away. The first two warning signs were vague promises of improvement and expensive prices.

What gets upgraded?
  1. Electronic parts
  2. Wiring - MacIntosh, and other high end mass-produced brands use cheap skinny gauge (often cheap aluminum) unshielded power wiring w/push-on terminals.
  3. Radio frequency and electro magnetic shielding are applied like NASA, the US Military, the medical and aerospace industry installs whenever absolute signal fidelity and absolutely pure power delivery to the unit must be maintained. Performance that is far beyond consumer grade products.
  4. Vibration dampening is applied: electricity is a resonance. Vibrations from loudspeakers and transformers for example induce distortion and sonic aberrations.
All this sounds kind of vague. Even if true, they avoid direct claims of audible improvement to performance of any of these products.

What do the manufacturers of those products have to say about these so-called upgrades?

It seems to me they're selling imaginary salves for Audio Nirvana Nervosa which is an imaginary aliment.
 
fuzz092888

fuzz092888

Audioholic Warlord
I didn't even see that thread over there, what I dunce I am. Now I'm wondering what was so interesting that it continued on for 50+ pages. Although I will say that in 5 minutes skimming that thread I found a quote that will probably end up being one of my favorites from now on:

"One is rich, warm, sweet and laid back, and the other is brighter, sharper, faster and more forward."

I can see how these apply to a woman, but I am having difficulty applying these adjectives to a collection of integrated circuits.

One poster quoting another, definitely made me laugh out loud.
 
P

PENG

Audioholic Slumlord
I think they are a perfect place for people who are prone to and can actually enjoy Placebo effects.
 
fuzz092888

fuzz092888

Audioholic Warlord
Exactly what I thought, and after browsing the AVS thread on TUC seems like a pretty smart guy to me. My only gripe is that I didn't think of it first. Hey if people are going to get ripped off, why not by me :p

I kid I kid :D
 
Jed M

Jed M

Full Audioholic
Cue the shills to show up at any time defending their products and how even they were skeptical at first. It will read something like a Dear Penthouse Letters: Fantastic, amazing, too good too be true and, also just like those letters, 100% made up.
 
fuzz092888

fuzz092888

Audioholic Warlord
Ok here I am. Those how dare you mock those dear penthouse letters. When you've lived through a few of those situations then you start to understand how plausible they can be. More amazing things have happened then some of the stuff in those letters, so why couldn't it have happened to those guys?

I don't read penthouse letters as fiction......I read them as a challenge. CHALLENGE ACCEPTED :D
 
fuzz092888

fuzz092888

Audioholic Warlord
For the record I did use the search function "the upgrade company" was typed in and I got quite a few results that had nothing to do with upgrade company. Going back and doing exactly what I did before, I went through probably 6 pages worth of results, and yes it appears I missed one of the threads you are citing, but seriously? Telling me to learn to use the search function because I accidentally skimmed over a single thread after being awash in irrelevant search results? Please cut me some slack.
 
BoredSysAdmin

BoredSysAdmin

Audioholic Slumlord
For the record I did use the search function "the upgrade company" was typed in and I got quite a few results that had nothing to do with upgrade company. Going back and doing exactly what I did before, I went through probably 6 pages worth of results, and yes it appears I missed one of the threads you are citing, but seriously? Telling me to learn to use the search function because I accidentally skimmed over a single thread after being awash in irrelevant search results? Please cut me some slack.
Ok, you get this much slack " ......... " ;):rolleyes::D

p.s: i used search by thread name ;)
 
woofersus

woofersus

Audioholic
TUC = scam
Cue the shills to show up at any time defending their products and how even they were skeptical at first. It will read something like a Dear Penthouse Letters: Fantastic, amazing, too good too be true and, also just like those letters, 100% made up.
And threats of lawsuits in 4, 3, 2...... :D


There's a pattern to be found in many threads on this company. Perhaps it's best this thread gets binned before it repeats in long, drawn out fashion.
 
F

FirstReflection

AV Rant Co-Host
One of the first things it says on their website is:

"electricity is a resonance"

And with that, I'm out.
 
mtrycrafts

mtrycrafts

Seriously, I have no life.
I came across this website the other day and have been wandering around reading there articles and testimonials. They seem to make a compelling argument, but then again so do the Mormons and the Vacuum salesman.

My soul and the cleanliness of my floors aside, what do you guys think? I can't say I know enough about what they're talking about to know if it is even plausible to get the kind of results they're claiming.

What I do know is that they want hundreds to thousands of dollars to do what they're claiming (unless you buy from them and then only for certain products), so what's the deal? Snake oil? Legitimate?

The Upgrade Company - Leader in High Performance Audio Video Upgrades
How did I miss this thread? ;):D

They offer zero evidence, period. Testimonials are just that. I see them on TV all the time.:rolleyes::eek:
 
B

BM1

Audioholic Intern
I really don't understand why one would want to go out and spend big money on something like a high end AVR ($1,500+ category) and then turn around and immediately void its warranty by sending it to an otherwise unproven company to tear it down and "upgrade" it. Buy good equipment right off the bat, and you won't need to have a mom and pop shop "upgrade" it.

Snake oil. The people that sent their stuff to The Upgrade Company probably stopped and bought a bottle of Z-MAX for their cars on the way home.
 
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