pauln Posted July 12, 2007 Share Posted July 12, 2007 Please have no fear playing with the Trends. I have already gone on record stating I won't hold anyone responsible for damage or loss. Please abuse it as necessary to discover its attributes and please do so for as long as you want. The whole reason for the passaround is to unlock it's mystery and share a wide range public evaluation in various environments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meagain Posted July 12, 2007 Share Posted July 12, 2007 OK - I don't think I'll break it though. Tomorrow I'll give it another try with the stock tweeters and hopefully I'll find it to be a VRD killer. [] (So far, not) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fini Posted July 12, 2007 Share Posted July 12, 2007 How does one get on the list of tryer-outers? I would like to try it out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik Mandaville Posted July 13, 2007 Share Posted July 13, 2007 "I don't suppose anyone has this album but I'm listening to David Sylvian's 'Secrets of the Beehive' " Not that one, but I also really like David Sylvian's voice. The technology behind this new breed of amplification helps erode the frequently held notion that very tiny signals have to be routed through very heavy output transformers and hot-glowing glass in order to sound quite good. Obviously this doesn't mean someone will necessarily like it 'better' than their far more expensive and ponderous components, but one of the best sounding amps we have (and a close relative of the Trends in terms of technology) is also the most light-weight, not to mention the least expensive by a giant margin. There was a time some years ago that I had convinced myself that it was important to have as many vacuum tubes in a system as possible, and that each component (preamp and amp/s) MUST use a tube diode for rectification. There are many who would defend that idea, but I can't but admit I have found many instances where, despite their aesthetic appeal, the tubed components were not superior in terms of sound. As you said: "A real eye-opener." Erik Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meagain Posted July 13, 2007 Share Posted July 13, 2007 Erik - which amp are you referring to (close relative of Trends)? I know there are zillions of threads on T-amps on other forums that contain millions of posts. Seems a daunting task to go through them. I know many mod them also. I'm going to try to glean what they're doing to improve the sound and also try to get a better handle on the differences between the brands/models. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daddy Dee Posted July 13, 2007 Share Posted July 13, 2007 Meagain, Thanks for the review on the Trends. The little guy puts out amazing sound. I'm using the Trends in my wife's office driving Heresy II. She loves it. Cut-Throat, One thing to note on the Trends / Super T shootout.... it was a pretty close call and a fairly significant number of the testers thought it was too close to call. I haven't gone back to look at the numbers, but as I remember it was something like: Preferred Trends: 4 Preferred Super T: 3 Too Close to call: 2 That reminds of a poll that the preference is within the margin of error. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cut-Throat Posted July 13, 2007 Author Share Posted July 13, 2007 Meagain, Thanks for the review on the Trends. The little guy puts out amazing sound. I'm using the Trends in my wife's office driving Heresy II. She loves it. Cut-Throat, One thing to note on the Trends / Super T shootout.... it was a pretty close call and a fairly significant number of the testers thought it was too close to call. I haven't gone back to look at the numbers, but as I remember it was something like: Preferred Trends: 4 Preferred Super T: 3 Too Close to call: 2 That reminds of a poll that the preference is within the margin of error. I just looked at the Shootout and the Score was Preferred Trends: 3 Preferred Super T: 2 Too Close to call: 1 Also it was noted that limited power of both made it close. So I was wondering, if anyone has heard both of these amps with more efficient speakers. Publishers note - Oooo..what a squeaker! Descriptions of both reveal the shortcomings of limited output, I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flatsix Posted July 13, 2007 Share Posted July 13, 2007 Meagain, Dee: I have had my Trends 10.1 for a few months now. I agree its a great little amp. I just finished a mod to the amp using the "tweakkit-II" from audiomagus. It cost about $50 so I figured it was worth a try. This mod basically replaces the stock input caps with 2.2uF Auricaps and upgrades the electrolytic tank caps to 2700uf Panasonics. I have been listening now for a few weeks and I think it reduces some of the edge you mentioned. I also think the bass is a bit more extended. Not a huge change, more of a "tweak".... a noticable improvement to an already great little amp. A worthwhile upgrade to me. Check out the audiomagus site( www.audiomagus.com) for the upgrades. They are available in DIY form or you can buy the modded amps ($230-$300). --Ken Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pauln Posted July 14, 2007 Share Posted July 14, 2007 Speaking of tweaks and upgrades... The Trends is unique among the class T amps in at least two ways. One is that it is constructed of mostly discreet components and these are mounted on the board using a large scale pin through board hole soldering technique that makes it very easy for DIY folks to change things (not surface mount micro components). Second is that the manufacturer has maintained a lively open channel through the internet with these DIY folks and has added the DIY folks' most sucessful tweaks into the product. As the DIY community makes more discoveries the new Trends get these updates. In the early part of this thread there is a reference to the DIY thread about the DIY folks and the Trends (over 30 pages back then). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whell Posted July 16, 2007 Share Posted July 16, 2007 The little Trends jumped up another notch today. I plugged it into a line conditioner, as I've had some issues with some grunge on the electrical line. Interesting results: more focused and smooth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pauln Posted July 16, 2007 Share Posted July 16, 2007 This class of amps seems to be sensitive to the power supply - a lot of folks are very happy running them off a battery supply. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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