"Basically, what we're offering is some fun for a rainy Sunday afternoon," said Upscale Audio's Kevin Deal, who had two replacement I/V op-amp upgrades for the $2499 Prima Luna ProLogue Eight CD player. Both are ready to just pop in as replacements for the Eight's existing board. The Basic ("around" $150) has open slots for bypass capacitors and a heavy-duty PS. The Super ("around" $225) already has surface-mount caps and the HD PS installed.

"We offer the Basic for guys who like the smell of solder," said Deal. "Both are just meant to be fun—they increase bandwidth (about 10x) and slew-rate (50%), which means the Eight gets faster and more detailed. Some people are looking for that—some won't prefer it..

"I don't have a sophisticated marketing scheme. I just sell the stuff that I'd want to buy. Hopefully, other people do too."