i think it depends on what you're buying and how much you're spending. for example, i'm replacing my accuphase dc-330 pre/dac with a boulder 1012 pre/dac. both of these components are in the $15k+ msrp class. both are also upgradable. the accuphase can already be fitted with an option board that allows playback of sacd via the dp-100 transport. the boulder is also designed to make upgrades easy through the replacement of ic's. if these products and others at or above their pricepoint weren't upgradable, i wouldn't even consider purchasing them. it simply wouldn't make economic sense. at least that's my opinion, FWIW. -kelly
Is Component "Upgradability" Important ?
I have always been concerned when buying a component that it can be upgraded by the manufacturer at a later date if a new version comes out but I am starting to wonder if this is really that important. I say this because manufacturers are hardly willing to give away upgrades just because you may have purchased an earlier version of their product. It seems as though you will end up spending the same amount of money whether you pay for the conversion to the new model or you sell your old component and put the money towards the cost of a completely new model. I am not sure what is the best way to go for the manufacturer but I am also not sure that having one model physically converted into another model is always the less costly way to go for the consumer.