Trends T-10 stuff

robert1325 · « **Reply #20 on:** 6 Apr 2007, 04:07 pm »

Here's some Pictures

Ignore the shitty looking acoustic treatment behind my SI's ( birthday cake box)

gooberdude · « **Reply #21 on:** 6 Apr 2007, 04:33 pm »

that is some crazy modding Robert!!

I will be on the Hawthorne Forum soon enough...hopeful that i'll get some baffles made up this weekend when visiting the folks. My dad's workshop is much easier to work in than my highrise condo.

robert1325 · « **Reply #22 on:** 8 Apr 2007, 02:20 pm »

Man these Caps are really getting better and better! All my music sounds so much better , very intimate and romantic.

Sufjan stevens is really nice now! Guitars have more weight and body and the highs are very smooth. No listener fatique.

dave_c · « **Reply #23 on:** 8 Apr 2007, 08:08 pm »

Quote from: thayerg on 1 Apr 2007, 10:49 pm

Quote from: dave_c on 26 Mar 2007, 10:23 pm
Anyone have experience using a buffer before this guy? Either Burson, Musical Fidelity or IRD Purist in 0db mode? Just curious to see if it would help in any way. Gonna use on my PC speakers and don't want to have a lot of gain otherwise the volume control becomes a very small range.

I recently bought an IRD purist and disabled the Trends' volume controls (I am biamping with them).
The buffering definitely helps winkle a little more resolution out of the Trends.

Thanks! That's good to know and was actually a combination I was thinking of using.

dave_c · « **Reply #24 on:** 8 Apr 2007, 08:10 pm »

Quote from: robert1325 on 8 Apr 2007, 02:20 pm

Man these Caps are really getting better and better! All my music sounds so much better , very intimate and romantic.

Sufjan stevens is really nice now! Guitars have more weight and body and the highs are very smooth. No listener fatique.

Those caps are big! I tried finding them on diyhifisupply but they don't seem to have them anymore. What are they made out of?

robert1325 · « **Reply #25 on:** 9 Apr 2007, 04:04 pm »

Here you are:

http://www.diyhifisupply.com/diyhs_ob_caps.htm

These caps make me listen to a wider choice of music, more jazz especially ! That was the only thing I found boring and lifeless with the trends ta-10. Battery power is also on my list!

robert1325 · « **Reply #26 on:** 9 Apr 2007, 06:57 pm »

I'll post the same post I made at DIYaudio for the sake of convenience:

For me the Obbligato caps are a must, They just made everything sound right. More like real music and soooooo intimate!

Some music I didn't like before is suddenly beautifull. The tonal colour of my setup before the cap change was bordering on Neutral -- Lean ... Now it's still quite neutral but very romantic and warm where it should be . Not exactly like tubes , but close.

With these obbligato caps there's not one recording I've played so far that sounded bad, They just make this amp complete ( at least in my system)

The only critisism I have is the slightly slower but fuller/louder bass response ( but it does have more of a musical quality to it ) And the highs are not as pronounced ( wich I actually like but some people may not). Listener fatique is almost ZERO on even terrible recorced scratchy music pieces.

They are still improving every day.

Try them, It's only 20 bucks ... the cheapest but greatest upgrade I've ever had.
Yes: this hobby is not over, I'm still curious about other parts and amps !

Greetings,

Robert

JDUBS · « **Reply #27 on:** 10 Apr 2007, 02:22 am »

Nice job, Robert!

How long are the leads on those Obbligatos?

-Jim

acd483 · « **Reply #28 on:** 10 Apr 2007, 12:24 pm »

I'll weigh in. This Easter weekend I brought my Trends home where I've got a REV 3 Promitheus TVC, ADS 1290/2 speakers with music provided by an Apple G5 and MHdt labs Constantine USB.

Alone, the Trends was fine, detailing nicely, but nothing special. The TVC brought out an amazing amount of depth. A great combo indeed! The difference I had with Matt was that I needed to run the Trends at about 70% volume with the TVC wide open. I figure that has to do with the volume from the DAC and the bigger model ADS speakers wanting more power.

That said, fantastic results from 10w/channel. I look forward to continue experimenting with this lovely amp.
Can't wait for their DAC.

gooberdude · « **Reply #29 on:** 10 Apr 2007, 01:47 pm »

Hey Anthony,

I've asked Nick to help me understand why using his TVC in line with the Trends has that cool effect compared to just using the Trends alone. Its odd that adding more wire for the signal to go through improves the performance of the system, but it certainly does.

StLouis was freezing cold for the Holiday, kinda sucked...one of the rare visits when the weather was better here.

You have to stop by in a few weeks again, these new OB Silver Iris drivers are wild...still breakin' them in though.

robert1325 · « **Reply #30 on:** 10 Apr 2007, 04:09 pm »

So this TVC is really something I should go for?

gooberdude · « **Reply #31 on:** 10 Apr 2007, 04:52 pm »

Hey Robert,

It is certainly a good preamp, if you are into passives, regardless of how it worked with the Trends TA 10.1.

I've been e-mailing with the designer to see if he can make me a tube amp to go with the Hawthorne's, and asked him specifically to explain what or why the TVC works the way it does when using it at 100% volume...it as if we used it as a buffer. I haven't heard back. 'Galvanic Isolation' is one term i've heard used to describe why TVC's work/sound so good.

If you can pick one up used, or if there is a local guy with one...definitely try it out. I still can't believe the performance for a preamp costing under $500. Also, you'll get to use multiple inputs with the Trends in this configuration.

For my 1st tube amp with the SI's, i may opt for a cheaper integrated tube amp just to play around more with using the TVC as a buffer. It sounds silly to have 2 volume knobs in the signal chain, but with the TVC open 100% none of its volume knobs resistors are in the way.

hey Robert, do you pull your SI's out from the wall? i'm finding they like about 5' of open space behind them. Just got my 1st baffles finished last night & have 'em tilted about 20 degrees...so far so good.
Amazing how good they sound just sitting in the shipping box...they do sound MUCH better in the new baffles though.

robert1325 · « **Reply #32 on:** 10 Apr 2007, 05:17 pm »

It's still a lot of money for me ( student) , but I'll probably get one this summer

I've been over to someone with two tube amps, a yarland el34 SET and a audionote OTO SE EL84 PP . Both where very nice sounding tube amps on a slightly higher level of performance than the (modded) trends. (listening to the hawthorne's) They had that last bit of space and realism. The SET was the most detailed and clear sounding, but a bit boring on some pieces of music, Thinner sounding. The audionote el84 amp was really rich sounding , great fun . My dads audion 300B's PP sound great to on my hawthornes. But the differences are not that big with the Obbligato caps. I can easiliy live with the trends now

My room is very small (12 by 12ft) I pull them out about 1 mtr. they sound very dead against the walls.
Acoustic treatments ( like a rug) can tame them a little , in my dads living room, the hawthornes sound exciting but to shouty , the floor is wood .

acd483 · « **Reply #33 on:** 10 Apr 2007, 11:14 pm »

For $500, the TVC is the Trends of preamps. It's worth every penny.

doorman · « **Reply #34 on:** 11 Apr 2007, 01:36 am »

Can someone explain what the h#ll "galvanic isolation" is ?
Don

gooberdude · « **Reply #35 on:** 11 Apr 2007, 03:06 am »

search the archives here. somewhere, maybe in the orig TVC thread, steve eddy or some other techie guy spoke about it this isolation.

this may just be something with the Trends & a TVC. I have not tried this with a SS or tube amp.

its a 'go' with the Trends though.

Anthony, can you duplicate this at home here in chicago??? i can't recall if your TVC is here or not.

JDUBS · « **Reply #36 on:** 11 Apr 2007, 03:39 am »

Quote from: doorman on 11 Apr 2007, 01:36 am

Can someone explain what the h#ll "galvanic isolation" is ?
Don

The internet is your friend:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galvanic_isolation

sts9fan · « **Reply #37 on:** 11 Apr 2007, 01:35 pm »

So I powered up my stock T-10 yesterday and was pleasantly surprised by the sound. The highs are very clear, crisp and detailed. I then used it with my Bottlehead FPIII and I really like the sound. I am going to disable the volume control tonight and I have ordered some Auricaps and Blackgates. I have never cap rolled anything so I am interested in this little exp.

Kris

robert1325 · « **Reply #38 on:** 11 Apr 2007, 01:37 pm »

Auricaps should be quite good, but there was someone over at DIYaudio who mentioned they are not an upgrade over the stock caps.... But who knows, It might be in your system.

Give the amp a week or two, the scratchy high and light low-end will vanish.

sts9fan · « **Reply #39 on:** 11 Apr 2007, 01:39 pm »

It is a bit scratchy. I will give it some time. The tubes mellow it out nice though.