Author Topic: small is beautifull!  (Read 11491 times)

shep

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small is beautifull!
« on: January 25, 2007, 07:50:37 AM »
I can be very tiresome, but that's part of the disorder  :-({|= I just want to bang on a bit about my Trends T-10 which M. Mardis did for me. It's a revelation and like the speaker I just posted, the neatest purchase I ever made to feed my nervosa. For 200$ I got a slice of audio heaven. I intend to NOT leave well enough alone and try different caps, as soon as M. has finished trying out the ones that will fit. I am not persuaded that the Janzen are the best choice for this application. Aside from being a total mis-match with the speakers (under-power/insensitive) this little creature makes lovely sounds. I am a convert. Eventually I will need to address the incompatability issue with a more powerful version (which he is working on). I get clipping with voices at fairly reasonable levels (read Loud). This is strangely provoked only in a specific frequency range. Bass does not excite clipping for instance. The moral of the story is that it is possible to have high class sound for very limited means and this is a fine thing indeed. I'm perfectly aware that if I add a grand or two to the pot I will certainly hear the difference. Gotta know when to stop (usually when the bank tells you to!)

Offline Bemopti123

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small is beautifull!
« Reply #1 on: April 07, 2007, 08:46:11 PM »
$200?  Doesn't it cost $110 or something like that?  I wonder what sort of magic was done to it.

shep

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small is beautifull!
« Reply #2 on: April 09, 2007, 10:54:23 AM »
All new caps, wiring, shielding, vampire posts; new pot. etc. I think the full kit costs the same. There are a slew of new versions coling out: mono blocks, battery power packs and maybe a pre. Trends is on a roll!

mgalusha

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Re: small is beautifull!
« Reply #3 on: June 12, 2007, 01:01:02 PM »
Shep, I finally got to hear the Trends amp this weekend. It wasn't the same as the one that M. Mardis did for you but it was considerably modified by Wayne at Bolder Cable. Quite a surprising sound from this little guy. Without a doubt the best class D I've heard in my system and likely better than many linear amps. I'm thinking about getting one and hacking it up for my work system. 'Course I'd have to build a real power supply but I've a design brewing in my head that I've been looking to use and this may be just the opportunity.

Thanks for the heads up on this.

mike

shep

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Re: small is beautifull!
« Reply #4 on: June 13, 2007, 12:03:52 AM »
hey Mike, you're welcome but of course my heads up was not the first (the great amp shootout).
I don't think there are that many ways you can modify such a simple design; different parts for dif. flavors.
I suspect part of the magic lies in its simplicity, the straight-thru-short approach. This is something N. Pass and others like some of the more daring Brit. designers have been advocating for years. If I understand M. Mardis, the power supply is the real key to the final approach. For some reason this Tripath itiation doesn't respond well to the battery driven mode (à la Red Wine). It would appear that this kind of circuitry/chip design needs a highly regulated, very stable source of power to sound its best. The new one (Yu Long)that is due to appear in my life any minute from him takes this idea as far as was reasonably possible (keeping it all in one box). Any way you deal with it, the Trends in modded version is ridiculously good. Of couse it clips badly and runs out of steam easily trying to drive my inefficient TL's. The new one should have more head room, even though its based on the same chip, and be more at ease. Review coming here real soon!

WEEZ

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Re: small is beautifull!
« Reply #5 on: June 13, 2007, 09:20:03 AM »
shep,

I've lost track of which amp you're getting.. :?

shep

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Re: small is beautifull!
« Reply #6 on: June 13, 2007, 11:43:57 AM »
life in the T-lane started as a Mardis Trends, then i ordered a Mardis Little Dot T-100, and when that took so long he sent me his version of something called a Yu Long T-amp as a gift. This is presently enstated and has created the strangest problem I have ever had and if anyone has some ideas I would really appreciate it. When  a cd is playing and I pass my hand over and close to the drive, the cd startes to skip and the speakers to emit some kind of weird rushing static noise. If I take my hand away this stops. The laser assembly is new and everything was working perfectly before I inserted the new amp. I am totally bewildered (and in the dumps about this)

Offline richidoo

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Re: small is beautifull!
« Reply #7 on: June 13, 2007, 01:30:49 PM »
Sounds like the emergence of a latent talent! See what happens when you pass you hand over a vessel filled with water. Preferably a new vessel, preferrably at a wedding. Preferrably not in Nova Scotia without a permit.   ;)

Offline miniminim

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Re: small is beautifull!
« Reply #8 on: July 16, 2007, 12:21:56 AM »
So, Shep, did you ever get to the bottom of this?