Mods for Ah! 4000 are Posted (not an ad) (1 Viewer)

[Doug_B]

I know a few of you have interest in Dan Wright's plans for modding the Ah! Njoe Tjoeb 4000 CDP. The link is here.
I applaud all the modders in making this hobby just that much more interesting, not to mention giving many folks an affordable climb towards audio nirvana.
Doug

 

[KeithH]

Doug, thanks for the info. I will check it out. I went to modwright.com a few days ago, and nothing was up. Thanks again.

 

[KeithH]

Doug, I just went to your link. Wow! That's really cool! If I go for a mod, I'll go for the $550 version. The only thing that seems to be missing is upsampling. Upscale Audio is supposed to be offering an upsampling DAC for under $300 soon. Exchanging DACs is supposedly very easy (no soldering). However, I'm betting that modwright.com's mods would surpass addition of the upsampling chip to my player. This is something I will consider, though I really don't want to spend money on hardware right now. I am going to wait for reviews, which will likely appear on Audio Asylum (or possibly harmonicdiscord.com). I'm sure the reviews will be positive, but I'd like to see what people have to say.

 

[Doug_B]

Keith,

I would think that Dan's DAC could easily be replaced by Upscale Audio's upsampling DAC if one chose to experiment, thus gaining the benefit of all of Dan's mods and then just trying out each DAC. I posted a question to Dan about this.

Doug

 

[KeithH]

Doug, I was thinking the same thing, and I am glad you asked Dan about this. Please do let us know what he says. Along those lines, I wonder what Kevin Deal at Upscale Audio thinks about Dan's proposed mods. If anything, Kevin should be ecstatic because he may sell more players now. The more performance-enhancing options available to the Ah! owner, the more attractive the player, in my opinion. The player is simply a better investment now that Dan has come on-board with mods.

 

[Doug_B]

If anything, Kevin should be ecstatic because he may sell more players now. The more performance-enhancing options available to the Ah! owner, the more attractive the player, in my opinion. The player is simply a better investment now that Dan has come on-board with mods.

Well, I think it's a mixed bag. Although there is merit to what you say, there is competition in the realm of add-ons, as Upscale and Dan offer some overlapping upgrades (of course, Dan's is more extensive). Also, in case there's an in-warranty problem with the unit that cannot be addressed remotely with the customer, one wonders how mods may be viewed.
By the way, Upscale now has a prototype photo of the new upsampling board on their web site.
Doug

 

[KeithH]

Doug, your point about competing mods is well taken. Still, Kevin could sell more players now that Dan is on board with mods. At least Dan Wright isn't selling the player. You want the player, you go to Kevin. As for the warranty issue, it stands to reason that Kevin would not honor the warranty on players modded by Dan Wright. That's a good point. I've had my players since April 2001, so my warranty has expired. Also, I don't know how many people will be deterred from having Dan Wright do the mods since the Ah! only comes with a one-year warranty. Still, there obviously are things to think about before having Dan do the mods.
Thanks for the tip regarding the picture of the upsampling board. I'll have to check that out. I was on Upscale's web site the other day, and the picture wasn't up. I assume the upsampling chip is coming soon.

 

[KeithH]

Doug, I saw your question posted to Dan Wright about adding Upscale Audio's upsampling board to a modwright.com-modded Ah!. In case you haven't seen it yet, Dan posted a reply. He said that the upsampling board could be added after he performed his mods, though he is skeptical as to whether the upsampling board will outperform the DAC he will be installing.

 

[KeithH]

Doug, I posted information about Dan Wright's mods for the Ah! over on Audio Asylum, and responses I have gotten have not been positive. However, I have not gotten replies from many Ah! owners.

 

[Doug_B]

Keith,

An interesting set of responses. Thanks.

Doug

 

[KeithH]

Doug, no problem. I still might go for the mods. I certainly am not going to sell the Ah! and buy a BAT player or something of that ilk. Some of the attitudes on Audio Asylum are ridiculous. Getting back to the Ah!, I am torn between getting Dan Wright's mods and the ones Upscale Audio is offering. It is true that I could add the upsampling board after having Dan do his thing, but I'm not which way I will go.

 

[Doug_B]

Keith,

Hopefully, it won't be long before hands-on opinions come in on both sides of the fence. Maybe they'll also be a few folks that do both, if that turns out to be feasible.

Doug

 

[Bruce Chang]

So the the $3oo standard and $550 signature is just an upgrade or you get the complete AH! 4000 with those things listed.

 

[KeithH]

Bruce,
The Ah! Njoe Tjeob 4000 is available from Upscale Audio (www.upscaleaudio.com), which is the sole US distributor of the player. Dan Wright of www.modwright.com is offering modifications to the Ah! player. The basic package is $300 or so, and the "more advanced" package is $550. In addition, Upscale Audio offers some upgrades. Details of these mods are available on www.upscaleaudio.com .
Doug,
I will be checking Audio Asylum periodically for reviews of Upscale's and Dan Wright's mods.