There will be a healthy trade in program for those wanting to upgrade though I don’t know how much or what they can do in sales yet.
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I’m wondering if the trade in value will be adjusted for any of the modded DSD that are becoming more prevalent.
I have the parts in hand to make the transformer mod. If the trade in $ is diminished by the mod, should I not do it? I likely will anyway but just curious.
I’d think you would want to sell that to someone that wants that mod but doesn’t want to do it. Not sure about what PS will think, but most makers would say you voided your warranty rather than “improved” it.
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I would tend to believe modified equipment would have less value on the used market in comparison to strictly stock. The basic sound has changed to reflect the listener’s preference which may or may not reflect market values. Modify a piece because you prefer what it provides, not for enhanced market value.
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In a way you are just a beta tester for the transformer in the new MkIi. You could always swap them back if your worried about a few dollars. Roll out timelines are always subject to change. At least you have better sound to enjoy now without wait. It is way better than firmware, cables, or fuses for sound enhancement all of which also lose money bought new sold used.
I did mine before the announcement. Hanging out here reliability on the DS seems to be better than some of the other products and rarely would a transformer fail by nature of their design.
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In a private sale, my guess is most people would avoid your modded DS. Only for the fact that it would be difficult to judge the quality of your work. In many cases when there’s a trade-in program the trade-ins often go to a reseller. I assume that PS Audio has a similar relationship since they have a trade-in program, but don’t sell used gear. I can’t speak on behalf of a reseller, but I imagine they’d not look favorably on a mod from anyone but the OEM or a known modder.
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For transparency, I will most likely mod my DS after I purchase a MKII. I am very fortunate to have a nice soldering setup and the skills to use it (with the help of magnification). The modded DS will replace the Chord Hugo2 in my office. I fully expect that the April DS firmware will be a grand finale triumph making the DS a long term component for me.
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Maybe this has been discussed before…would be nice if PS Audio offered the transformer upgrade for the DSD, then it wouldn’t void the warranty or lower the resale value.
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Since it’s now likely an end of life product why would they do that?
With all the other new products coming out in the relatively near future, I would imagine transformer upgrades wouldn’t pencil out to much more than a distraction.
New DAC, new amp, Bridge III, Octave music, Octave Play, Octave Player, and of course the Service/Repair Dept. That’s huge! I am sure I am forgetting something.
Sometimes you just have to move on. The DS had, and still is having an awesome run.
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To make money … and please their customer ?
This kind of work could actually be sub-contracted to skilled technicians that could be happy to make some extra money.
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How much would you be willing to pay?
I guess somewhere between $1000 USD and $2500 USD.
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…that’s very generous indeed.
I was thinking that $500 to $750 would be reasonable. But that’s without me knowing the cost of the transformers. I need to look around here on the forum, I know I have either seen them for sale or the price was mentioned.
The Edcor transformers are around $55. Shipping in the US is $25-$35.
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I tried to be realistic: if a PS Audio technician will do the work for me, then you have to take into account the cost of the parts, the labor, the insurance quality to ensure the modification is as per spec (that will actually probably necessitate the alteration of existing test bench to do proper testing of the modified DAC), the employee insurance cost, the company profit margin, the minimum 1 year warranty, the technical support, and whatever cost I may be be unaware of.
Added to that, I was hoping to fit-in the price of the power supply improvement.
You cannot just count the cost of the transformer and say that is it - if PS Audio will put its name behind the upgrade, additional costs will be added onto the final price.
At least, that is what I thought when I mentioned my price range.
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PS Audio has bigger fish to fry. The transformer mod is what it is. -A large improvement for a small cost which will go into their DSD II. I’m not anticipating anything more from PSA on the Edcor transformers. The DSD has been a great ride, and the mod will keep it around for a bit longer. That’s it.
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Hi Paul,
my DS senior I bought it less than a year ago in Italy. The price of the DSs in Italy is 8800 €. Considering the huge difference in price, I hope that the Italian importer will join this campaign, perhaps with a factory-imposed price. Otherwise I will buy it directly from you. However the DSs is fantastic and so are all of you. Congratulations
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My post was no criticism at all. Coming from the hifi business myself, I was only surprised to read, that somebody is willing to pay fair prices in the first place. Many people prefer “free lunch” for the rest of their lives, after they have purchased a component… 