Ivan, you are absolutely right, it is the real issue and would make me question the overall value. To be a bit more specific in my dealings with the referenced Nameless Modder, there was a REAL issue. I had a tube based DAC and was exploring modifications to it. When I called up this company to find out what was offered, I pretty much got stonewalled as to what he was going to do. When I suggested that it would be easy enough for me to find out what he did by opening up the lid and seeing first hand I was told that the generous 5 year warranty would become void, he places a seal on the edge that when breeched nulls the warranty. I then asked what happens if I need or desire to change out a tube? Well, the conversation didn't end well and he seemed to get a bit irritated by my incessant questions. I picked up on that, thanked him and hung up. I don't feel that a customer should have to go through this excercise prior to laying down money to have work performed. My conclusion was that the modification probably consisted of little more than changing out a few capacitors and maybe a bit of damping of the chassis with some "proprietary" material. Regardless of what it is, I want to know what is being done.
Prior to purchasing the used 95 Oppo but inquiring about the Oppo 105 I called Dan Wright who was most gracious and took the time to explain to me what his modifications entailed. He also provided info about the Bybee rail and Audio Magic upgrades and the results with his unit. No hocus pocus, just facts, his goals and priorities and listening impressions. I never did hear back from him concerning locating an end user close to me so I just went ahead with a used 95 that had the Bybee rail and Audio magic upgrades at a price reasonable enough that if it didn't work out to my satisfaction or expectation I would be able to resell at little loss.