[sts9fan]

So I switched out the caps on this bad boy.  Out in some 2.2uf Auricaps and some 2200uf Blackgate stds.
Well the amp still works.  Is it better?  Damned if I know....

[larryrx7]

In reference to the posting about power supply issues. I just wanted to report that I just recently got off the grid and went to a 12 volt dc source I purchased from Advance Auto for 59 dollars. I must say the difference is amazing. This little amp now competes with anything I have ever heard in the 35 years I have been chasing this audio nirvana thing. Its just crazy and a bit disconcerting that a 250 dollar amp that looks like a toy can intrude this deeply into the high end sound. You just have to try this thing to believe it.

[lcrim]

The linear power supply arrived from Alltronics.  I scavenged the power chord and the DC feed cable from off the switch mode ps that came w/ the T10.1
I really don't want to use a battery but the hash is still an issue.  Its much reduced w/ the linear ps but not eliminated.  Granted, I doubt if I've got even 5 hours total on the thing but I just hate that noise so much, I put the Music Reference EM7 SET back in and the dead silent background and liquid sound is just so much easier to live with. 
I'll put it back in over this weekend and try it with its own attenuator instead of the EE MM pre but I honestly think that this is a just in case backup.  I fooled around a few years back w/ the TEAC Tripath and I find this one of the same family sound, you get excited by the detail retrieval and bass output but I can't stand the noise level and the grainy, hard treble.  I listened to Joni Mitchell's  "Blue" as a test recording and the shrillness of the playback reveals a lot about the Tripath and even after putting on some Haydn Symphonies (49, 50 & 51 by a Swedish Chamber Orchestra), the strings were still annoying so I put the Roger Modjeski amp back in place.  Ahhhh
Maybe its that I've gotten spoiled.

[TheChairGuy]

Larry/lcrim,

Your experience with the TEAC mirrors mine...your not spoiled you heard right 

The tripath based gear seems to need mucho power scrubbing.  The shrillness was largely vanquished on my (then) BPT Balanced Power conditioner.  The standard conditioner (Brick Wall) that runs before the BPT (then) was not enough to strip it clean of that shrillness.  So, it seems the Tripath needs both common mode and differential conditioning to sound at it's best. With the BPT and Brick Wall in line, the TEAC was actually quite enjoyable (and, as with my then JVC digi hybrid, it had a hashy sound coming from it that you could hear up close to the speaker, but didn't seem to interfere with the music)

Or, battery/DC.  But then you need an absolutely low inductance umbilical and additional or larger power supply /storage caps to restore some of the dynamics lost using batteries.

[Wayne1]

I recently tried out the Trends TA10. Mike Garner (TweekGeek) sent one to me some time ago, but with other projects, I never took the time to listen to it.

I remedied that yesterday. The unit was kinda beat-up by UPS so I had to do some work on it just to get it to play. As I was inside of it already, I went ahead and changed some parts and rerouted some wiring.

I replaced the RCA input connectors with a pair of Cardas. I personally do not care for or need the passive volume control. I rean some of my wiring direct from the input connectors to the coupling caps. I replaced the stock ones with a Sonicap bypassed with a Sonicap Teflon.

I also replaced the power supply caps with some Panasonic FMs that I also bypassed. The output connectors and wiring were replaced. I wrapped the output inductors with ERS.

I am truly amazed with this amp. With the input wiring change, the input signal no longer travels along the board near the chip. I do feel this is what reduces the hash. It is DEAD quiet. No hash, no noise. I have been using it with the stock switcher and I am still really impressed. I will probably try a battery with cap bank and then build a 12 V version of the Ultimate PS to try it with this amp.

I have no plans to offer this as a mod. I am just writing this as a "fan" of this little gem and the mods posted by Michael Mardis.

I highly recommend this amp and the Mardis mods. I personally don't care for the Auricap, preferring the sound of the Sonicaps, but the mod kit is a great value.

I will try it out with the Burson Buffer over the coming week and let you all know about my findings. Using my ScanSpeak based three ways with an analog modded SB3, the volume of the SB3 is sometimes maxed out. The 6db gain of the Buffer should take care of that.

Many thanks to Shep and Mr. Mardis for uncovering the potential of the Trends TA-10.

[TomS]

Wayne,

Funny, I was just starting to explore the Trends TA10 today for a small system I'm putting together for my teenage daughter (an iPod'r).  My other daughter already has the Audioengine5 powered monitors which are nice, but I thought I'd try something a little different this time.  I just bought a pair of Ferrari Red Onix X-LS's to go with her red iPod Nano and am now trying to see what would drive them for that purpose without spending big $$.

Based on your experiment, do you think the TA10's up to it, though not for earsplitting volumes?

Tom

[shep]

 aa aa aa
another happy camper!

[sts9fan]

Wayne

How would you compare the stock unit to the modded one?

[Wayne1]

Tom,

I would suggest getting the modded version right away. Or if you want a small project, order the stock version and the mod kit from Audiomagnus.

With a more normal 2 volt input, the Trends should work just fine with the XL-S. I do have a pair I use in my bedroom system. I can try hooking them up sometime over the weekend and I'll let you know for sure.

The ScanSpeaks are around 88-89 db 1 watt 1 meter. I was playing them last night with some Lina. I was sitting in a chair on the floor above where the speakers were. The bass was vibrating the chair I was sitting in. This was at about 80 on the volume of the SB3.

sts9fan,

I never was able to hear the stock version. The case and output connectors were damaged in shipping. I had to replace the connectors just to be able to use it. While I had the unit open, I went ahead and changed out all the parts. I think Mike Garner might have a stock one still. I will try to get together with him sometime to compare.

[FredT300B]

The TA-10.1 was well received by visitors to the Lone Star Audio Fest in Dallas this past weekend. We had my stock 10.1 plus a Michael Mardis Signature edition along with his Octopus amp. Most of the demos were done with the stock 10.1, my ART Array line array speakers, and an Arcam FMJ CD player. Several visitors asked questions along the lines of "What's that little preamp?", followed by an exclamation of surprise when they learned that "little preamp" was actually the amp driving the line arrays to room filling levels with chest-pounding bass. Anybody else who was there, please give us your impressions of this system!

This was my first opportunity to compare the stock 10.1 the Michael Mardis edition and to the Octopus amp. The stock 10.1 is a nice sounding amp, much better than you would expect for the price. The only downside I could hear is that it is bright. It's not the grainy brightness I've heard with some inexpensive solid state amps, and orchestral strings sound very nice, but the treble sounded a bit exaggerted to my ears. This was especially apparent when I briefly replaced the 10.1 in the system with a high quality SET tube amp.

The Micheal Mardis upgrade eliminates the brightness, but with no loss of detail. The effect is similar to what I heard when I upgraded my Magnepans' Solen tweeter caps to NorthCreek film caps, with a more balanced sound and a more open soundstage, where the instruments' positions are more easily recognized.

I'm not familiar with the Octopus amp, but I heard it uses a more powerful chip. That was obvious when I cranked up the volume - it will play louder than the 10.1, and it has the same treble clarity as the Mardis Signature edition 10.1. It seems to be a good solution for anybody who wants the good sound but needs more power to drive less efficient speakers. I believe Mike Weiss told me the sound of the Octopus is similar the the higher power T amp that's under development for his AudioMagus shop. I hope so.

I'll have the unmodded TA-10.1 at the Lone Star Bottlehead Meeting in San Antonio on the 19th, and everybody is invited to join us and hear it. I now have a 12V, 7AH battery power supply, so you can hear it with that as well as the stock switching power supply.

http://lonestarbottleheads.org/
 

[gooberdude]

Over the weekend i had a chance to demo a Trends TA 10.1 again, this time at another member's house...

He uses it inline with the Promitheus TVC & uses a Mac Mini as a source.   Keeping the TVC volume up 100% he uses the remote control for the Mac Mini....so cool.

The last time I heard this combo the Trends volume knob was still in tact, this time it was disabled....it sounds a lot smooother w/the volume knob removed!

Such a good deal for $100.