Audiophile Upgrades

Most hi-fi equipment can be modified to provide superior sonic performance. This provides a far more enjoyable and realistic listening experience.  All audio and hi-fi products, including audiophile and high-end pieces, are designed and engineered to a price point.  There are of course a few money is no object exceptions at the ultra-high-end, but not many of us can afford those.

Like any other product, hi-fi components (amplifiers, DACs, CD players, etc.) are a compromise that must take into account a large range of factors, including component costs, manufacturing costs, shipping costs, overheads (rent, energy, staff, …), exchange rates and market requirements.  The reseller has to make a profit.  The distributor has to make a profit and the original manufacturer has to make a profit.  If they do not, they cannot survive in business. 

Factor those margins in and you’ll soon see that the ticket price you pay is far removed from the price limit the manufacturer must put on component costs in order to reach their target price point in the market. To limit their costs in this way means sacrifice and compromise to the sound quality achieveable.

In an ideal world, it would be great to think that manufacturers would just make the best product they can.  Realistically though, that is not possible and generally they do their best with their particular set of constraints.  To achieve this compromise, decisions must be made on the quality, or omission, of parts used.  This ends up limiting the sonic performance of the equipment.  However, those of us who want and expect more for our money can use this to our advantage.  Particularly if you buy used or end-of-line equipment and maudifi it.

The cost to you is less and repurposing or upcycling in this way is more sustainable. Obviously, it is not viable for everyone to follow this model, but the number of people interested in hearing their music better is a tiny proportion. If you are one of them, think about it. You can do-it-yourself (DIY) if you have the skills. That’s brilliant if you can. Drop us a note, we may be able to shortcut the process for you. Indeed, some maudifi upgrades will be offered in kit form. Otherwise, the maudifi upgrade service is available for others who don’t have the time or inclination for DIY audio.

With golden ears and an electronic engineering background, maudifi tunes hi-fi equipment for significantly improved realism and a more out of the box performance. Wider and deeper soundstages. More presence. More detail. More enjoyable.

maudifi uses high quality parts from quality electronic component manufacturers as suits each individual upgrade.  We will listen to and inspect the original item and look for the best ways to improve the sound quality on a reasonable budget.  We can discuss further options within a budget you are comfortable with.  There is of course still a compromise, there always will be, but far less than those originally made, and you can hear the difference.

Upgrading/modifying your existing hi-fi equipment provides exceptional value for money in comparison to buying new. High-end audio manufacturers and audio DIYers around the world have been using these well proven techniques for decades. Modern, quality components are now significantly improved over their predecessors too. Now, there are a small selection of niche providers, like maudifi, that offer this service to end-users. It enhances sound quality, <pause for effect> dramatically!

These upgrades are offered as a service to customers within the UK. Unfortunately, given customs procedures plus the time and cost of international shipping it is not feasible to offer this service globally. However, for international customers maudifi now offers upgrade kits (e.g. CA340A) with an extensive step-by-step upgrade manual.

If you don’t see your item listed, contact us to see what is possible.

An example

A good example of this in action is the Cambridge Audio Azur 340A integrated amplifier and its derivatives (340A SE, 350A and 351A). It is a competently designed budget integrated amplifier that received good reviews at its price point.  However, it sounds flat and un-involving with barely any soundstage.  What is there, sounds narrow and shallow. The music sounds like it is trapped inside the loudspeakers.  To be fair, equipment at that price point typically doesn’t let the music free.

Now like many other amplifiers, if you know what you are doing, it can be made to sound significantly better by the judicious use of higher quality components in certain locations and application of noise suppression devices in key places.  A sprinkling of some maudifi know-how on this amplifier transforms it from passable entry level to a proper toe tapping musical performer.

With the restrictions removed it produces more detail, you become aware of transparency, separation between instruments and a vastly increased soundstage.  It steps outside-of-the-box!  Raising the performance to that of an amplifier costing substantially more is possible on a budget.