Someone please explain the logic of upgrades

Hate to go here - but if there are better tubes out there (and the consensus seems to be that there are), why doesn't AI sell them or at least recommend them - especially if they'll improve the sound of their gear? Don't they want their preamp to outperform the competition?. The better tubes on the market are not that much more expensive than the tubes that AI sells.

You'll almost never get the "best" tube with a new piece of gear. In many cases the best sounding tube for a particular piece of gear is a tube that has not been manufactured for 50 to 70 years. In many cases it is a major search (months to a year) to find enough tubes in excellent condition to fill just one or two amps or preamps; and the tubes could sell for anywhere from $100 to $500 each because they are rare and not coming back.

Each unit someone makes and sells needs to sound the same, or who would trust to buy it. So a manufaturer needs to find a large, inexpensive, reliable and readily available supply of tubes in order to meet demand for its products.

If some hobbiest wants to take the time to search the world for a hand-full of tubes to change the sound of the gear, then more power to them.

Audio makers don't recommend other tubes for legal reasons. If you play around with your gear and the tubes and screw things up, or blow up the unit, burn down your house, they could be held legally responsible for recommending you try it. That is why every owners manual says that there are no user serviceable parts inside; not to open the top; and return it to an authorized technician for repair.

I have studied mods that involve about $30 worth of parts that allegedly make a unit, in this case a CDP, that make it comparable to a unit costing thousands. One must wonder why the manufacture does not do. It would probably cost them no more than $20.

I guess the same logic applies as stated above.

Same answer Pmwoodward. Cost and supply. I remember a conversation I had with Stan Warren a few years ago. He was backed up on modifying CD players because he was having trouble getting some of the Black Gate caps he like to use. Now if Stan could not even find a few dozen, how can Sony, Marantz, NAD, or whoever find tens/hundreds of thousands of them.

Over 100 million DVD players have sold worldwide. If those companies spent $20 more on parts their combined profits would be $2 Billion less. Any manager recommending the increased cost when 99.9999999999% of consumers would not know the difference; that person would be fired..

Sugarbrie - would agree with you only if the market was mid-fi. But audiophiles spend major dollars on front ends, amps, TT arms and cartridges, power conditioners, cables, etc. I don't buy your logic. The market is there, as evidenced by the continued existence of high-end manufacturers that produce mega-priced components as well as the large number of mod shops. And believe me, if Sony decided to use Black Gate caps, they'd develop a source faster than you could push "play" on your remote. I'm with Pmwoodward on this one.