Modified equipment...

Agree with Chelillingworth, it all depends on the success and reputation of the mod. For over 20 years modified DQ-10 Dahlquists(mirror-imaged, updated crossovers..etc)have been of more value than stock. It all depends on how well received the after-market mods are.

AMG Mercedes mods were so successful that Mercedes bought AMG...and what does this have to do with Audio gear...perhaps more and more as time passes and the high-end continues to shrink. We may someday be left with people doing mods to mainstream electronics for a "high-end".

What about SMC modified McCormack equipment? I think these mods would return some of their additional cost and SMC waranties their entire product.

While I agree there is no blanket rule on modded gear, I do not see a problem with modified gear from some the known people, ie Stan Warren, Steve Huntley. These people have been at the game for some time. What I would stray away from is the the hobbyist (home tweaker) who has too much time on his hands, solder, and a soldering gun. Ive been to some audiophiles homes to look into purchasing equipment, If I see a work table and lots of reisitors, caps, and parts lying around, I wouldnt touch what that person was selling.

I would had again that some part swapping is very simple work and that some of the people that work on their own equipment can be much more skilled than those at the factory that put it together especially with the case of mass market gear like the aforementioned Sony and Pioneer. Like everything you have to make an educated decision. With lower priced gear the improvement in sound can be profound and the effect on your wallet relatively light. By being overly sqeamish you can really miss out on some great value. I know for a fact that having Dan Wright, Richard Kern or Ric Shultz work on a Sony Sacd player and the value increases dramatically, just a fact.

I Agree Chelillingworth. If I was a skeptic I would even say that the industry has a real interest in folks not doing mods because, if they do not, it keeps things under their control and also keeps the whole thing so unknown and mysterious. If you stop thinking about buying and start thinking tweaking you will find that audio (for the most part) is a mature technology and state secrets are few (at all but the very highest end.) Upgrades, even on pretty good stuff, are painfully obvious and inexpensive.