|
Audio Asylum Thread Printer Get a view of an entire thread on one page |
For Sale Ads |
62.228.204.164
I had a good look at the circuit board of the Wyrd. Seems a good desgn and uses the age old uA723 as voltage reference for the 5 V output taken out of a 2A series power transistor.
The rectified first stage 11V dc output has two 2200 uF caps but no bypass. Same with the final 5V output which is also quite heavily filtered.
I added two 0.1uF PPS caps to the first stage caps and to the 5V output of the usb output to see if there is any sonic difference. The choice of caps is simply due to size, availability and good dielectric property.
Presto, the Wyrd retains its 'lively' presentation but sound is more controlled and civil in the way that the iFi usb power is. Very worthwhile additions. There is also more details across the spectrum.
I recommend that anyone with a Wyrd should try this simple mod.
Follow Ups:
[It] uses the age old uA723 as voltage referenceIt is indeed extraordinary that a voltage regulator chip launched in 1972 is not only still in regular use but is now offered in an SM package. The chaps who designed it must have wished they were getting royalties.
I recommend that anyone with a Wyrd should try this simple mod.
Thanks for the suggestion. I tried by-passing the two 2,200 uF caps and found a small but worthwhile improvement on my "desktop" system. (I've yet to re-try it on my main one.) Where did you fit your +5v by-pass?
Another useful "tweak" I've just tried is something that, as it costs buttons, I've done to pretty well every linear PSU in my audio systems from power amps to the 12v linear supply on a LAN switch - adding transformer "damping" [edit]. In this case, it's across the secondary of the 6v wall-wart transformer. I used a 0.022uF Orange Drop and a carbon comp 330R in series as specified by John Swenson - see link.
You can easily fit it under the board directly by and to the power input socket. (There's enough height though I did insulate just "in case".) It makes for a slightly smoother sound without losing any of the Wyred's clarity.
Of course, the mods will void the manufacturers' warranty and incur their wrath. But they're worth a try . . .
D
Edits: 02/18/15 02/18/15
At the output of the usb socket. There is a plane that says 5V and a ground. Measure it first.
Damping - snubbing is also an age old technique. 60s electronics used to have them. Another thing to do is to put a small capacitor across the diodes.
fmak,
Please also understand that both you and "AbeCollins" are waaay out of my league when it comes to the subject at hand. If I do not seem to respond or follow through with some of your suggestions, it is sometimes because I am trying to learn how, or I simply do not have the knowledge base to do so, but I will learn.
LA
Everyone one of us goes thru this process.
Have you thought of running your suggestion by the folks at Schitt Audio to see what they think? They are pretty sharp folks and so I wonder why they didn't do this in the first place. If it does enhance performance, maybe they will incorporate it in future versions.
... an end user discovered a way to improve a product. Many of these things are discussed over at Tweakers Asylum, and sometimes it's really "why manufacturer didn't think of that themselves?".
One of the recent examples - replacing screws, that hold drivers in the speaker cabinet, with non-magnetic ones (brass). The improvement is easy to hear - and the expense is under $25 for my large, 5-driver speakers.
There is another power supply that some inmates love here which has a bypass capacitor 45 times below the chip maker's specification for output ripple!
Thanks for the tip Fred.
If you are handy with an iron, try it and let me know if you hear the same. It's now 2 hrs on, and I still hear better things.
Post a Followup:
FAQ |
Post a Message! |
Forgot Password? |
|
||||||||||||||
|
This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors: