Trends Audio TA-10: Modding Potential?

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#421
Re: Caps continued

Davet said:


Auricaps have been my cap of choice over the last few years. I have the Auricaps in a modded SI, stock caps in the Amp6 and TA-10.1.

So, you don't care for Auricaps, which cap do you prefer?
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Yes, its all down to system and personal opinion with things like coupling caps.
I recently tried Siemans MKV in my Amp6 that sounded very good but just too large, these are bigger than the Obbligato's!
For now I mainly use PPS, they will not suit everyone and won't sound nice with a bright source.
It would actually make a good thread regarding peoples results and opinions for coupling caps used in the Tripath amps

I found a pair of 2.5uf Bennic films in a pair of old speakers so may try these in the Amp6 and see how they compare against the Auricaps.
 
#423
I have not switched the Auricaps into my TA-10.1. However, I have compared my modified SI T-Amp with Auricaps coupling caps to the stock TA-10.1. The modded unit just sounds more lifelike.

There seems to be more depth and width to the soundstage, more air around the performers, and more subtle nuances in the performance. I can hear the drummer hold down the hi-hat peddle in quiet passages of piano trios. I have heard pianist softfly humming accompaniiment to themselves when "comping" vocalist. The size of the recording venue seems to be in my listening room. All this with the modded SI with the Auricaps.

The stock TA-10.1 sounds more flat, more 2-dimensional than the modded unit. The highs are a little more pronounced in the TA-10.1 and the bass is not percussive. The latter I attribute to the additional 10K MFD cap bypassed by a .01 MFD teflon cap on the PS input in the modded SI.

To my ears Auricaps make the sound more lively. The sound prior to Auricaps sounds as if the performers are playing with the curtains closed on stage.

The overall presentation of the Tripaths without Auricaps is exceptional, IMO, but the Auricaps just seem to balance things. Be forewarned, they (Auricaps) take some time to break in and settle down, but the presentation is well worth the wait.

I hope this answers your question.

I agree "coupling caps for the Tripath" should be a separate thread. I will venture to start it later today.
 
#424
Also good thing with the Tripath's is the input voltage bias, caps especially Auricaps work best with DC bias.
Ok Davet I'll give the Auricaps another go in the Amp6 just to be 100%😉 I presume you have the red lead going to the input amp pcb?
 
#427
Davet. I have modded 3 S.I's and just got a Trends 10.1. Initially I thought it sounded more open that my S.I, but after listeneing at length i found what you have found which is that the subtle nuances are a bit lost. I also think that the bass is quite light on the Trends.
 
#428
Auricaps and Amp6

I have not fired up my Amp6 the last few months. I have to debug some of my wiring. The last time I tried to use it my power led wasn't operating. I have since been absorbed in modifying the SI and listening to the TA-10.1

The Amp6, as I recall, provided a lot more power. I will fix my Amp6 and place it in my system to give you a more accurate answer.

Yes, I have the red lead going to the PCB per Auricap's technical notes.

I went back and reviewed the coupling cap discussion from 18-months ago. It is well worth the read. Maybe the information that is imbedded in that discussion would be better served in a WIKI. There is a lot of valuable information in the thread, but there are a number of off topic discussions as well. Tripath 2005 Coupling Cap Thread
 
#431
SLA Batteries

Hi,

Just a quick word to say that I'm running SLA battery power at the moment, and it's great!!!

My Trends SMPS is with t. for some :smash: and we're going to try the Skynet 8080 next. Feedback from the inside of the Trends SMPS wasn't that great (dry joints and very generic parts), but I guess you have to bear in mind the very reasonable cost of the kit.

Got some Sonicaps and 1% bypasses en route - once they're in, I'll post an update.

Cheers

Jon
 
#432
I'm really looking forward to the skynet experiment. I've heard so many good things about it. 1% bypasses, what do you mean by that? The Obliggatto PIO caps are fantasic. I read somewhere that they sound better with the leads cut shorter (indiating poor wire quality). Has anyone noticed that?
 
#434
dweekie said:
I read somewhere that they sound better with the leads cut shorter (indiating poor wire quality). Has anyone noticed that?
Click to expand...

The reference to the long wire is not about quality, but about the ability of the wire to act as an antenna. These amps can transmit quite a bit of interference and longer wires can introduce this interference into the amplifier. The Obbilagatto caps are coupling caps directly in the signal path and shorter wires should reduce the antenna effect.

Ideally, all low level wiring within these amps should be shielded. If one is really concerned about this interference maybe a Faraday cage should be employed and the caps themselves should be shielded. Some purists may opt to pursue this level of isolation, but I leave that to those that can hear and have the means to measure such interference.
 
#437
robert1325 said:
David Kan, the 6 moons reviewer who did the trends ta-10 is going to review the KingRex Tech T20 amp. [/url]
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That's interesting. I am working with KingRex now on an upgraded version of the Tech T20. My design, they are OEM.

Will be nice to see what David thinks of the KingRex. Their build quality is very good and they are very nice to work with. This should be a fun amp to modify.
 
#439
Disappointed with the TA-10.1

Here's a copy of the email I have just sent to Trends.

You guys have any comments?

Hi,

My first Tripath amp was the little Sonic Impact T-Amp which in my system showed staggeringly good sound quality and sold me on Tripath. This easily bettered my EL34 Valve Amp, and my Musical Fidelity Solid State. This is in a high end system with good interconnects and cables too.

On the basis of reviews I then bought a TA-10.1 (serial 80019596)

It arrived with one dead channel. Opening it, one of the air-core inductors was bent to 90 degrees pulling a connector off. It was a simple job to I resolder this and it then worked OK.

The amp is now burnt in (about 50 hours with all kinds of music). I love the case, appearance etc., but to my great surprise …

… I must say I am profoundly disappointed with the sound quality. The little Sonic Impact T-Amp is FAR better in detail, soundstage, and dynamics, and although it is rolled off in the bass, bass is smoother and perfectly acceptable. Reading the TA-10 reviews makes me wonder if they were hearing the same amp.

One possible clue comes from the diyaudio web-site. They report that some TA-10.1s come with brown ceramic caps to filter RFI from the inputs. Others have blue polypropylene filter caps. One person there owned two TA-10.1s and reported that they sounded very different, with the ceramic cap version losing detail and being “almost unlistenable”. On inspection, mine has the ceramic input caps.

So what to do.

I could go back to the fabulous sounding Sonic Impact, but I hate the cheap plastic case.
I could re-case the Sonic Impact – but I would rather not spend the time doing this.
I could change the caps in the TA-10.1 – but would it make that much difference? If you think not, then I will probably bin the TA-10.1 and put it down to experience.

Any thoughts?
 
#440
I recently got a Trends 10.1 and although It is not as good as my modified S.I, it is not far off. I will check to see what filter caps are in mine. Have you considered asking for a replacement, after all it was faulty on delivery !

Have you checked the D.C offset ? When doing this I found that you need to give it some time to stabilise, otherwise the reading will change when you check it again with the lid on.
 
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