[vlach]

Well, the bottom plate has only 6 screws, nothing attached to it and easy to remove so off it went. I expected to see very cheap caps but they look pretty decent actually; black & gold series Nichicons and black Rubycons.
The cheapest ones are usually blue...
I think i will leave it alone.

Edit: my unit is the new version, purchased 11 months ago. The boards show V2.2

 

[Onik]

Onik, i located the photo you posted of the modded WA2, see link below. If you open the link you will see the parts listed just under the photo, here they are:

Jensen .22uF
Sic Safco 470uF
Sprague 330uF
BHC 100uF
IR HEXFRED
RIFA 120uF


https://www.flickr.com/photos/vluo/15942730359

Edit: I notice 4 transistors on the modded amp that i do not see on any other photos.

I have seen that post, also asked the guy/Vincent Luo about the mod, but never received a response

 

[Onik]

Onik, one more thing; since you opened up your friends WA2, can you share a photo so that we can see the differences with the modded one. Thank you.

 

[Onik]

Well, the bottom plate has only 6 screws, nothing attached to it and easy to remove so off it went. I expected to see very cheap caps but they look pretty decent actually; black & gold series Nichicons and black Rubycons.
The cheapest ones are usually blue...
I think i will leave it alone.

Edit: my unit is the new version, purchased 11 months ago. The boards show V2.2

The Caps don't look premium to me, especially the Coupling caps, and also the blue registors.

Maybe you are happy with the design but to me it doesn't look like a $1000+ amp.

 

[jonathan c]

Has anyone tried the WA2 with the Audeze LCD-4 (200 ohms / 97dB per mw)? At 14 ohms (90dB per mw), the new LCD-5 looks to be out of the question with the WA2.

Edit: academic question now….Audeze has discontinued the LCD-4…

 

[vlach]

The Caps don't look premium to me, especially the Coupling caps, and also the blue registors.

Maybe you are happy with the design but to me it doesn't look like a $1000+ amp.

Which ones are the coupling caps?

 

[cddc]

Which ones are the coupling caps?

These 2 look like output coupling caps.

 

[cddc]

Which ones are the coupling caps?

The 2 small white caps on the top also look like coupling caps between stages.

 

[vlach]

The 2 small white caps on the top also look like coupling caps between stages.

I guess the question is will replacing the coupling caps change the overall character and sound signature of the WA2. I have my doubts to be honest but i would be thrilled to be proven wrong.

 

[Onik]

I guess the question is will replacing the coupling caps change the overall character and sound signature of the WA2. I have my doubts to be honest but i would be thrilled to be proven wrong.

After doing some research I found, that Replacing The two white caps with some Copper Foil Paper Oil Caps will make huge difference to the sound. I assume they are the output coupling caps.

 

[cddc]

After doing some research I found, that Replacing The two white caps with some Copper Foil Paper Oil Caps will make huge difference to the sound. I assume they are the output coupling caps.

These 2 white caps are coupling caps between the driver stage and the power stage, not output coupling caps.

 

[Onik]

These 2 white caps are coupling caps between the driver stage and the power stage, not output coupling caps.

good to know then which are the output coupling caps? It could be even easy to understand if I had a circuit diagram of this amp

 

[cddc]

good to know then which are the output coupling caps? It could be even easy to understand if I had a circuit diagram of this amp

I've said it earlier...

Could't see the back side of the output board, so not 100% sure. But I'm 100% sure on the white inter-stage coupling caps, and 90% positive on the said output coupling caps.

 

[cddc]

I guess the question is will replacing the coupling caps change the overall character and sound signature of the WA2. I have my doubts to be honest but i would be thrilled to be proven wrong.

There are audible differences by rolling these passive components (caps, resistors, etc), but not as pronounced as those active components, such as tubes. So from that I will say lots of caps are way overpriced.

 

[vlach]

These 2 white caps are coupling caps between the driver stage and the power stage, not output coupling caps.

I researched these white coupling caps and they are actually 'suppression film' capacitors, meant to reduce emission and increase the immunity of radio and electromagnetic interference. Thus i'm not sure how much of an impact they have on SQ.

Perhaps replacing the 'output' coupling caps instead would yield more SQ improvement, but i'm just guessing at this point. I believe this amp has been around since 2008, surely there MUST be someone who tinkered/upgraded the caps who could speak for the results...

https://www.mouser.com/new/vishay/vishay-f1773-x2-capacitors/