Just ordered a Trends 10.1 Class T Digital Amp - A whopping $130

[aviserated]

Sorry to hijack this tread, but could this Radio Shack amp be the budget amp of the century? I think it sounds better than my basic Sonic Impact amp. http://www.stevehoffman.tv/forums/showthread.php?t=115659

[Erik Mandaville]

"No bass, harsh high, horrible midrange."

Is this an observation about the amp or the speaker?

[Painful Reality]

"No bass, harsh high, horrible midrange."

Is this an observation about the amp or the speaker?

Dunno... an end result?

[Erik Mandaville]

So unload the Trends, and try something like the following to knock your line voltage down. You can at least get your amps up and running until you get to the point of changing the power transformer connections.

http://www.voltage-converter-transformers.com/step-down-transformer.html

[NOSValves]

So unload the Trends, and try something like the following to knock your line voltage down. You can at least get your amps up and running until you get to the point of changing the power transformer connections.

http://www.voltage-converter-transformers.com/step-down-transformer.html

Wow great link Erik!!

[freefallrob]

My findings/experience so far ( a few days ) on the Trends TA-10.1 with Klipsch RB-25's.

Just thought i'd post my views so far, I posted this on the vinyl asylum earlier :-

was very skeptical about this. I read alot of reviews on the Internet, magazines and comments on the various forums and they all said the same thing basically, if you don't mind only 6 watts or so of decent power with no features apart from a volume knob then it's a no brainer...

So I thought what the hell i'll give it a go for 95 GBP, I'll be using less electric ( lower bills ) saving the planet ( lower carbon footprint, I guess ) and better sound, plus if I sell my old amp almost definatly money in the bank ( happy wife ! ).

If it worked out it was an all round win win win situation !

Sound.( System etc as profile but without Rotel amp obviously ).

In the past i've used EL84 valve amplifiers, one from China and one built from a kit by World Audio Design ( KEL84 - very very good 15 watt amp ). I also used an EAR834P phonostage with these.
The sound of the Trends amp reminded me very much of the KEL84 WAD amp but better. The Trends sounds extremely clear with vivid stereo separation and superb midrange central focus/projection. Yet at the same time it sounds fast/incisive and dynamic yet smooth and none fatiguing.
The bass is quick deep and tightly controlled, Mid is glass clear, top is very open sounding with the leading edges and decays clearly portrayed.
Depth, and width are the best i've heard on my system.

The amp seems to follow the waveforms of each sound independently well, yet present the sound in a beautifully layered 'whole'.

It sounds 'easy' and uncongested when things get busy, my wife Donna wasn't really listening but remarked 'That sounds musical, is that the right thing to say ?!' Previously she had complained about the change of speakers from little Missions to the Klipsch...saying it sounded 'in your face'.

The bottom line is, when i'm listening it's not difficult now....I didn't think it was before, but it must have been, it's easier to listen to now, I hear sounds i've not heard before, my foot is tapping, and when someone is singing it sounds like THAT persons singing with their lifes experiences on board and not just from piece of paper pinned to the microphone.....

Greetings from Rob in the UK.

[Daddy Dee]

Rob in the UK,

Thanks for the review most interesting.

-------------------------------------------

This is the RS unit reverenced a few posts above in the thread.

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2049804&cp=&fbn=Type%2FAmplifiers&f=PAD%2FProduct+Type%2FAmplifiers&fbc=1&kw=accurian+receiver&parentPage=search

[Erik Mandaville]

I have no personal experience with Lamhorns, but can comment on the fact that both Lowther and AER drivers can be ruthlessly revealing of colorations imposed by the electronics in front of them. Many, including me, have said the same of the big Heritage speakers, but none I have had, including the Klipschorns and La Scalas, can bring those *impurities* to the forefront like my Lowther PM2A drivers in the crossover-less and rear-loaded Medallion horns. People have mentioned the cost of drivers recently, and these single full-rangers (sort of...) are among the most costly available. They can also be picky as heck about what kind of amplification they are fed.

I understand something of what was mentioned about this, however I found the Teac digital amplifier, which is more powerful than the Trends, to be a fairly good match, despite the fact that our Lowthers are 15 ohm drivers. That said, the amplifier that I have lately been using with the Lowthers is our Moth Si 2A3 amp, and the combination for certain kinds of music is, to me, exceptionally music. But, that hadn't always been the case. The first power transformer that came with the parts I got when I built the Moth had problems in terms of lamination vibration and noise that was bad enough to creap into the audio and then be amplified. It got worse with time, but has since been replaced by a new transformer that is essentially inert by comparison. Because of this problem, the Lowthers were the worse to use with that amp. I then started using the Lowthers, powered by the Teacs, as part of a center channel system, along with our Synergy C-1. Theory would of course bring in comb-filtering effects and poor performance, but it actually worked pretty well.

As usual, too much writing here. The point is that while I now have an extra Teac that I could use just for the Lowthers, I very much prefer the single-ended Moth amp. For strings and acoustic jazz, the combination renders those genres in a way that I prefer to how the same kind of music is reproduced by our Klipschorns, regardless of what amplifier is used with them. For more complex music, or types with heavier bass information, the Klipschorns better the Lowthers by a big margin, particularly when paired with the Teac amp. Having both is for sure a luxury, but I reserve the direct-coupled, very quiet Moth amp for Lowthers and headphones, and am able to toggle back and forth between the two as needed.

That's why I asked the question about whether the rather negative review above was one that had possibly more to do with the speaker than the amp; but the obvious answer, as was pointed out, was the result of *both* the Trends and single-driver Lamhorns, together. That they weren't so happy with one another does not seem so far-fetched to me.

Erik

[Deang]

I got the Trends, installed it on Tuesday and pulled it from the system last night. I didn't like it much. It doesn't sound like the Super-T at all, at least not on the Jubilees. The bass isn't as tight, and the midrange has a milky quality to it. The Trends actually has a sound which reminds me of some of the MOSFET amps I heard in the past. There's something going on in the highs I can't quite describe, but it got on my nerves enough that I quit caring and just wanted it out of the system. The Super-T has a zero feedback kind of sound to it, while the Trends just sounds like a decent solid state amp.

[Daddy Dee]

Deano,

Thanks for your review. I think the comparison to the Super T amp is most interesting.

I've also done some listening to both, but didn't notice much difference on my Heresy II's. One thing about the Trends, there were occasional cuts where I wondered if I was hearing something thinner with the Trends than the Super T.

[jacksonbart]

so to summarize some 30 pages later, a go or a no go?

[Daddy Dee]

so to summarize some 30 pages later, a go or a no go?

Interesting question, in one "shootout" review I read, of nine listener/evaluators the outcome was something like:

4 preferred the Trends

3 preferred the Super T

2 thought it was too close to call.

I would give the nod to Super T, but I'm setting up a system in my wife's office with the Trends and think it sounds great.

[meagain]

Dean - was this at low or high volume? What levels? All?

[Cut-Throat]

while the Trends just sounds like a decent solid state amp.

===============

I am still mystified as to what the claim is for these amps to sound good or great or better than any run of the mill amp. I surely see and understand the efficiency. I surely see and understand the low price and small size. What I have never heard articulated is why these amps "should" sound better than something else. What's the theory that would make it sound great?

Mark,

I have no idea of why this little amp sounds pretty good. - I just tried a pair of the Monarchy Solid State Monoblocks and they were not even listenable. They sucked big time. Very Harsh and Not musical at all. I had a completely different experience with my little Trends Amp. Yes, it sounds like Solid State, but is listenable. And for $130 is remarkable. I use it on my Tekton speakers and it is a very good match. If someone wanted a cheap Stereo System - A pair of the black Tekton Design speakers at $300 for the pair and a Trends amp for $130 would give them a lot of bang for the under $500 Buck!

At $130 for the amp, I think every audiophile should own one, just for the comparison purposes alone.

[DrWho]

What's the theory that would make it sound great?

I thought you were the expert on digital circuits? Surely you are familiar with the natural behavior of transistors that caters very well to working with digital signals???!?

[anarchist]

I think the point, Dr. Who, is there is no theory and therefore should be no expectation it would sound great. I could be wrong about mdeneen's question but it seemed rather obvious to me; perhaps the subtlety in which it was asked befuddled you.

[pauln]

I hear what you mean about the mid-high range - "something going one their, I can't quite tell" is the feeling I got, too.

As far as the theory behind the sound, some have noted that the amp's output impedance varies with frequency - low like a SS amp in the bass range and high like a SET in the upper end.

I think most of the serious published listening reports have been at low to moderate volume using just the first couple of watts.

[Deang]

I haven't read any claims by any manufacturer stating they sound better than anything else, just that they sound as good. I think they have their own signature, and that some will like them and some won't.

http://sound.westhost.com/articles/pwm.htm

Dee, those listening tests didn't include any Klipsch speakers. Paul brings up a good point too about their output impedance -- it's likely they will sound different from speaker to speaker.

Lisa, low volume listening was the most disappointing -- nothing noteworthy about the sound at all. A bit of juice helped, but the highs grated on my nerves. Worked the best with a movie I watched last night.

[Cut-Throat]

The fact that it sounds "about as good as a typical SS amp" is nice, and it sure points to a good bargain, but that's not at all the same as an expectation that it might be superior. And, I completely agree that if you have a tight budget you could do worse than one of these amps. Again, that's a utility argument though, not a quality one.

If someone told me the Honda Fit was a really great cheap car that was fun to drive and got great mileage, I'd not question them. If they said the Honda Fit was superior to the BMW 7 series or a Mercedes Benz S class, I'd ask, "Why?"

I think you have to look at these little digital amps like you look at your Tekton Design speakers. The Tekton's are not going to replace Khorns either. But for $500 they are damn good!

There is no way I would compare these little digital amps to my Welborne SET amps, but again that is not the point - they are in another league. The only point on these digital amps that I have ever made is that they are less than $150 and fit in your shirtpocket and are quite listenable. - i don't think any audiophile should consider them as their main amplifier, but they would be fun to take to any listening session.

[Deang]

i don't think any audiophile should consider them as their main amplifier

And yet you thought the Trends sounded better than both the Monarchy and your AE-25 Superamp. I think if all of your listening is done at a watt or two then they should at least be given a shot, and the small investment means a lot of money left over for some other things (like better speakers).