Schiit Wyrd mod...

If you run a different cap, but usually smaller cap in parallel, the better cap can impart its better qualities (see first post).

 

.. and the bad qualities - hence to improve the situation remove the cheap Caps and replace with better once. Why else would anybody bother….

 

The guy that keeps that thread alive has one of the strongest placebo effects I've ever seen. Hard to find any real truth in anything he says.

 

I wanted to but nah, not gonna kill the board from the start. Just lowering the ESR at higher frequencies already has an impact. Besides I have already raised the capacitance by >780uF.

If you wanna go the route, the way I would recommend without resulting to NOS parts is to parrallel a bunch of OSCON/Organic Polymer ones, that would be half the wyrd's price though. The caps Schiit has chosen are already pretty good for the application and the best for the price point that the Wyrd shoots for.

If you want, you could f**k around with yours and report back the results.

 

What should be looked at is why the Regen is considered better even though it is doings same things:
1-Replace power line
2-Reclock data
Yet there are other extra things going on in the Regen.

The differences between them can be the path clues to upgrade the WYRD.

 

So I went ahead and added a 2nd Wyrd, and modded both with a .1mfd 100v non-polar bypass cap to both of the 2 main filter caps, just like in the pictures above.

What I noticed after adding the 2nd Wyrd, and before the bypass cap mod, was a significant increase in the precision and focus of all of the 'voices' and the entire soundstage itself as well.

The evaluation of the net effect of the bypass caps will have to wait since the only way to tell, now, is to un-install them (an easy experiment).

But I can say that the overall SQ has risen to new heights, in multiple ways using the criteria I deem 'Better'.
And it's not done coming into full focus, yet.

Oh and that formula for building a bypass cap, I mentioned previously is,
use a non-polar, high voltage rated, bypass cap of 1/100 the value (or less).
I used .1mfd because I had them 'in my drawer' but .01mfd are also quite nice as well.
The 'trick' is use very high voltage rated (100v or greater) non-polar 'audio grade' caps.
At least that is what the rule of thumb was for analog circuits (power and pre amps, speakers, etc.)
And I assume that these rules of thumb should also benefit digital circuits as well.

I'll know when I undo the mods…
After the system reaches its new peak of SQ…

JJ

 

Why ceramic and not MKP?

I know ceramics are smaller, but the WIMA MKS 2 series would be small enough. Might even for MKS 4, depending on the values desired.

Kemet even makes some smallish MKPs also depending on the values.

I like adding caps as it helps with instantaneous current draw, even the small ones, but why not go all out. I know the MKS 2 series is 10%, but I would think the low ESR and the material would lend itself more than ceramic.

Anyone tried tantalum in this way?

 

The Regen also has a regulated power supply. Basicaly upgrading the caps is upgrading the Wyrd's power supply, but nothing really beats something that is well regulated. Well regulated power is one of the great components of any high end piece of equipment.

You can't add a regulated power suplly to the Wyrd, because it is fed with AC not DC, so the regulation is happening on the same board as everything else. Another limitation of the Wyrd. I would imagine the power supply is one of the biggest reasons for such a higher cost to the Regen even when the unit itself has fewer parts.

 

I just realized something...

you can probably use an external regulated DC supply in input regardless if it says AC..(!)
And it won't matter which way the plug it set in respect to polarity.

Because the internal Bridge rectifier will simply pass the DC straight in, and in proper direction.

Would be fun to try.
I have an extra DC supply to try but I already sold my Wyrd....

Edit:
As respeat to the voltage , try a voltage that is what the board uses, not what the old power supply says, as that is probably higher.

The less the Wyrd has to regulate the power, the better,
As you can use a better regulated DC power supply .

 

I don't think that would work.

 

It might work... though you'll need to bump up a bit to ensure proper headroom across the regulators since AC values are all RMS.

 

Another aspect that may be a longer term problem is that since only 1/2 of the diode bridge will be conducting and it will be 'on' in a continual ongoing basis, it 'might' reach thermal, or other, design limitations.
And of course since we don't have access to the schematic, we are 2nd guessing here, still, feeding DC into an AC circuit is usually 'not done'.

JJ

 

And then... if we've got a nice external regulated supply, why not go all-in and bypass the entire internal power supply in the first place?

 

I thought about this, but I think the small Schiit devices use half-bridge rectifiers to give + and - power rails. Not as simple as just 12V+.

Somebody is free to correct me if I am wrong.