Modding: Where do you stand?

I know next to nothing about electronics. When I hear anything about modding good gear, it increases my anxieties.

S.

Re doing lousy soldering, improving wires, binding posts, cleaning PC boards, fitting better valves, resistors, and caps within in reason. Dumping wall warts for proper power supplies yes.

Messing with the cricut no.

Although I do have a Cambridge Audio 651P which sounds not much better than using the phono stage of a vintage Jap amp going through the tape loop.
It has been put back in its box, that has made me think of getting that modded just for the hell of it, cant possibly make it worse. My Musical Fidelity XLPS V3 is in a different league but only after dumping the wall wart for a Little Pinki power supply.

I see Arkless does a mod on these things, pity I am at the other end of the world.

I’m always tinkering with my gear, can’t stop myself lol.

Had the Arkless modded Cambridge for comparison. It not only got shafted by NVA phono 2 but a Musical Fidelity V90 LPS sounded a good bit better. Not a fan of modding. I also think if you sell modded components (as opposed to repaired or updated parts), they will likely be harder to move on and actually be devalued. 

Regarding Vintage gear, Modding is ok if its 100% reversible imho..

Sometimes the mods warrant the effort.

In certain items I've seen, I'd have swapped out substandard parts for one's that meets my standard. I am a bit OCD, so if I like something, I HAVE to do what I think will improve it. I have been proven right on many occasions.

The Lounge Audio LCR phonostage that I heard recently is a prime example of this philosophy. When Firebottle purchased it, it had the most off kilter RIAA curve, either of us had ever seen. It was seriously abysmal.

After weeks of Alan playing with it, modding it and upgrading bits, it now sounds really good. Actually, good enough to probably sit quite comfortably in almost any system. Same with the Tron Convergence. That sounded thick, heavy and slow. After modding, it was superb.

I definitely believe modding has a place, but only if you know what you're doing, which other than changing caps and resistors, I do not!

Obviously I'm all for modding and it's a service I offer to customers. There's modding and there's modding though... I usually wouldn't buy anything that has been modded by someone who isn't an electronic engineer...
Unfortunately virtually everything that audiophiles believe to be an improvement or useful mod is a waste of time or a retrograde step... eg virtually everything mentioned up thread so far! ie some things I would never do (unless the original fitment was broken) would include fitting new binding posts, phono sockets, wiring, resistors etc etc.... all a complete waste of time in sound quality terms

If you are not capable of designing the amp then don't try and mod it is what I say...

The biggest issue I generally find is that the more modern the equipment then the less modifiable it generally is, either because everything that can be done has been done or because it's all so miniaturised that the mods won't fit.
OTOH gear from the 60's and 70's often has so many aspects that can easily be improved that it's a matter of where to start.... BUT the owner will often say "it's a 50 year old classic so I don't want it to be non standard in any way".... yer can't win!

If its your bit of kit and you plan on keeping it then I'd say fill yer boots. Why not? On the other hand, if you like to box swap and need to be able to sell stuff, leave it alone other than like for like swaps on failed or failing components.

I have to totally disagree with the binding post statement.

Haha, no, you can comment.... Oh you did lol

It's demonstrable. I have done it to people, honestly.

I know there's no chance of changing your mind and I respect that. However, my mind is 100% convinced.

I...... will...... not.... Respond lol

Surely any difference can only be established by a) measurement or b) blind testing. Otherwise it's just opinion.

I had to look that up... and apparently it is 100% pure copper.. which will make no difference. Ohms Law is always right. That's why it's a law!

I don't trust your ears, my ears or any ones ears as expectation bias is a powerful thing.... If it can't be spotted in a double blind test then it makes no difference.

A good illustration, which I've seen others agree with, is that there has been times when on a specific evening I've thought my system was sounding spectacularly good, but then the next day, with nothing adjusted in any way and with the same CD or record still there from the previous evening, I've merely switched it all on again and sat down to listen... and thought "FFS what was I thinking last night!!?? That's crap!"

So much can be down to the mood you are in, maybe how much sleep you had, how many coffees you had earlier or whatever other variables come into play and which can alter the way your brain perceives what your ears are telling it... 

I've explained it already vis a vis the reduced conductivity of rhodium plated sockets. The reduction in conductivity is equivalent to adding a couple of cm to a typical interconnect. It might only be 50% or so as conductive as pure copper but you're still talking of a difference that would require your sockets to be nearly 100m long to put an ohm in the way of the signal.

How tight you screw them down and contact area is wàaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay more important