Mod: Trends TA10.1 amplifier – unleashing the Tripath potential

Having tested my soldering skills in a couple of smaller projects, I gathered the courage to put my faithful Trends TA10.1 mini amplifier under the knife. Big time.

The Trends TA10.1 is a well-received small amplifier operating in “class-D” utilizing Tripath TA2024 chipset, "Class-T". There are plenty of Tripath amplifiers available for DIYers and complete amps for the “usual” listeners such as the ones Trends made. Wikipedia states that Tripath went bankruptcy in 2007, making all the T-amps somewhat unique – who knows they might be even valued one day for their scarcity. Still, today you can find them new quite easily.

Staring point

On paper the Trends’ power output is stated as 15 watts into 4 and 10 watts into 8 ohms. Without going into great distortion levels, the reality is something in the lines of 5-6 watts into 8 ohms. This makes it ideal for desktop use, but many have reported the Trends working beautifully with highly sensitive speakers in the same manner as some tube amps. For me, the Trends has been mostly powering a pair of near-vintage Dynaudio Audience 42s in a desktop/nearfield configuration. 

I won’t be going much into detail as what the TA10.1 is about since as I mentioned, the Trends TA10.1 has been well covered throughout the internet by various HiFi sites and forums. Indeed, one such forum is the diyaudio.com’s extensive thread about modding the TA10.1. Over 10 years old, this is not by all means a new thing, but that’s the beauty of HiFi: it does not need to be new to sound good and thanks to the miracle of the internet the knowledge of the DIYers live on to be discovered by the future hobbyist. That is also one of the reasons I decided to write my experiences in this blog! 

After scouring the diyaudio.com’s thread for ideas and experiences, it was time for action. This is how I eventually built mine.

The list of mods:
-New casing, 80x124x170mm
-RCA connectors, Copper core by Clear Components
-Binding posts, Rhodium plated by Clear Components
-DC connector, generic gold plated
-Power switch, generic high quality
-Input caps, Jantzen Silver Z-Cap MKP 2% 2,2uF
-Bias cap MKP2, 100nF, 5%
-Decoupling caps, NICHICON KG GOLD TUNE 50V 2200μF
-Signal cabling, Neotech SOCT-16/20 AWG
-Removed the RF Caps in “Cd1” (might not work well in all setups)

Additional tweaks:
-By placing the PCB vertically inside the case, I could utilize both sides of the board. The board itself offers some form of signal insulation between components.
-Bypassed input signal greatly by soldering input caps directly to RCA sockets – bypasses jumpers and volume pot and utilizes Z-Caps silver leads.
-Copper foil as shield around inductor coils. I suppose this could be grounded for better effect.
-Heatsink for the TA2024 chip.
-Soldering power switch cables directly to PCB without quick connector.
-After the rebuild, I adjusted the output bias. The Trends has two small caps with knobs, one for each channel, that can be adjusted by placing multimeter to speaker + and - outputs.

You could always go with more expensive connectors, caps etc. but I tried to keep some sense of realism with this one. In hindsight the rhodium binding posts could have been copper ones, as together with Jantzen Silver caps the highs might be a teeny weeny too pronounced. But this can be compensated with IC and speaker cabling. Next step would be to pair the Trends with a linear power supply, as now I am feeding it 13.5V with a generic switching power supply. At this voltage the chip gets hot, but it has been working for years. The datasheet states max voltage for the TA2024 to be 13.2V and nominal 12V. More voltage means slightly more output power. Being a low voltage piece of equipment gave me the confidence to proceed with the heavy mods, as ~12V won't be life threatening any time soon.

Finished and singing again!

All in all, the transformation of the amp was not exactly cheap, but then again not very expensive either considering you could easily spend several hundred euros for a pair of RCA cables. 

But then we have the question; was it worth it? Oh yes! It’s hard to say which mod did what to the sound quality and by how much, therefore one must address the project as a whole. The modding, or rather rebuilding at this point, took the Trends to a whole another level, no doubt about that. The improvements in clarity, dynamics and staging were obvious. And in addition, if one enjoys tinkering and soldering – building something on your own – then any project like this will be always worth it. For me this was an excellent learning experience, and I am more than happy with the end results, although inside the case it might look a bit amateurish. But I take pride in this unique piece that I made myself. And oh brother, it does sound good on top of that. Although at this point, I am heavily biased. But I don’t care! 😉 

ps. Now I just need to find some +100dB sensitive horn speakers to really try this thing out. 

pps. That aged well. I realized I had a suitable Sbooster PSU in my other setup feeding a DAC. It's output of 13.2V is just what the doctor ordered. I hooked it up with the rebuilt Trends amplifier. 

Yesss! Clear improvements in micro and macro dynamics, sense of easiness and lack of background noise were the first things I noticed. But then I realized that once again, the details are lifted - at least a two whole levels. I think this is might be thanks to the improved noise floor, the details become simply much more easier to pick up. Another thing is that amplifier now feels more powerful and the soundstage feels an inch or two closer. Since the Sbooster has its own power switch, I could bypass the one if the amplifier... Well, maybe next time. For now I call the project completed 😎

Review: Dynaudio Focus 220 Floorstanding Speakers - The Dynamic Duo Does It All

Dynaudio is no foreign brand of speakers to anyone who has ever taken more interest in Hi-Fi than just visiting a local supermarket looking for a stereo set. The Danish company has been selling speakers for almost four decades, from entry level to super high end, for home users and studios alike.

Being as popular and wide spread as it is, the general assumption is that Dynaudio's products are described as "power hungry", "bass monsters" or "the speakers for rock/metal music". To be fair, there are a seed of truth in these statements. But now I'm getting ahead of myself.

For the past eight months or so I've been a Dynaudio owner. I got my hands on a pair of Contour 1.1s and these Focus 220s. The Contours were a slight overkill for my PC system so I soon downgraded them to a pair of Audience 42s. (Don't worry the Contour 1.1s are still in the family.)

Focus 220 & Batman

The Focus 220s standing at 98 cm tall are the first "Mk I" versions since Dynaudio has also released a fine tuned Mk II version. Both are discontinued at this stage and someone might consider them as somewhat aged models. But we all know that in a world of audio reproduction old age doesn't mean much. Heck, they are in their prime! Weighting a hefty ~19 kg per piece and deploying two 17 cm (~6,7") Esotec+ mid/bass drivers they are look like traditional speaker boxes - look closer and you will notice that the rear is actually narrower than the front. This gives them a slightly more elegant feel. The black ash wooden finish simply does its job and does not bring up any strong feelings. Take the grills off (as anyone generally should) and the grill attachment holes dominate the front face making Focus 220s appear cheaper than they are. Also the tweeter and drivers are surrounded by screws. So the Focus 220s may not appeal aesthetically to everyone and most likely are not going to win any beauty pageant prices - but what about the sound? It's the sound that matters, right? RIGHT!? 

The reason I first got my eyes on Dynaudio was because after hearing the Audience 42s a good while back and a pair of mighty Confident C2 at a small exhibition here in Helsinki, I took notice of the slightly warm but very dynamic house sound of Dynaudio and the ability to play any genre with ease - "Could these be the jack of all trades?" I wondered. And because my music taste varies from classical to metal that is just what felt I've been looking for but never really had. So yes, Dynaudio has been top of mind of a while now and now finally I know what I have been missing out.

Compared to my previous floor standers the Amphion Prio 620s, the Focus 220s offer overall much softer sound. In a small room Dynaudio's bass is said to be overwhelming and I can relate to that statement. Luckily at around 15 sq. m. and without a solid wall behind speakers my current listening room doesn't have much of this problem - although it could be a little bigger. The speakers are standing straight with no tilt but to my experience a little tilt may help to focus up the soundstage.

My faithful Dayens Ampino Monoblocks deliver 50 W per channel to 8 Ohms whereas Focus 220s maximum power handling is 250W with a nominal impedance of 4 Ohms and sensitivity around 86 dB. I fear that my Ampinos are not quite up to the job that massive orchestral pieces or bass hungry metal music requires and generally Dynaudio speakers are recommended to be paired with beefier amps.

I choose Matt Darey's See the Sun (Dan Stone Rework), an energetic vocal trance piece - and the Focus 220s leave little to be desired. The bass pounds like in a club in Amsterdam (if you have the guts to turn the volume up). Treble details are fast and overall feeling is just pure fun and very non Hi-Fi. The level of detail or transparency is not the greatest I've ever heard but in the end it's all there - and honestly when speaker delivers music like this, I don't even really care.

Next up Katie Melua's Shy Boy. Well well, the Focus 220s can dance to this as well. Katie's voice jumps out clearly and precisely. Plenty of fast somewhat round but detailed bass keeps the rhythm flowing nicely, really makes your feet moving. But by no means is the bass dry like in some expensive British monitors but in contrast more relaxed and deep.

Focus 220 & GameCube

Song Unfold from an EP Urban Flora by Alina Baraz/Galmiatias hits like a thunder. A huge soundstage of vocal downtempo electronic music full of juicy details and once again bass that makes you look for that hidden subwoofer. The delicate vocals are displayed right on front of the listener and grab attention while the music in the background fills the room. It would seem the Focus 220s do offer a very good stereo impression when called for.

In the beginning I said Dynaudios are considered to be suitable for metal music. Time to find out. Amaranthes' Leave Everything Behind offers a worthy challenge to Focus 220s' woofers. But the Dynaudio holds. With ease. Double bass and energetic guitars keep pumping music like there is no tomorrow and so do the speakers. Once again fast, round and deep, but not even closely dry bass, is the key for Dynaudio's triumph and at the same time you notice that the details do not get muffled even in this soundwise extremely complex song, they are all there. All the instruments are displayed clearly and it's easy to follow each of them independently. Switch to one of the greatest headbanging songs that is Metallica's Sad But True and our initial question will be answered: Dynaudio and their Focus 220 speakers can rock. Big time.

Oh and movies and games are no exception. The Focus 220s will let you enjoy any form of entertainment without mentionable flaws. Their strength lies once again in delivering a room filling rich sound with sharp details and a convincing bass. But for that theater grade couch shaking experience a subwoofer is required (no matter what front speakers you have).

Even if the Focus 220s are not the most transparent speakers out there nor will they offer the latest word in resolution, they will reveal poor recordings. Or let me put it this way, because they are blessed with trait of being jack of all trades, the Focus 220s will sound fine but maybe little dull with poorer recordings. Feed them with quality songs and they will surprise you every time with their detailed room filling capabilities, dynamic and rich full range reproduction and energetic presentation.

The Dynaudio's Focus line is still in production and as one can see they are not exactly entry level products. The Focus 220s retailed somewhere between 2000 and 3000 euros during their time. Clearly this means that the amplification and source of media should be at an adequate level, and in Dynaudio's case, an amplifier with a little heftier power reserve and driving capability is not a bad idea at all. With my 50 watters the Focus 220s truly open up when that volume knob travels all they way up to 12'o clock and even further towards southeast until the SWAT team storms into my listening room. Brands with components known for their PRaT may deliver nice synergy with Dynaudio, such as Densen or Naim but of course there are many suitable for the job (as you may read below).   

So there you have it. Dynaudio Focus 220s are an interesting pair of transducers capable of delivering any genre of music with great satisfaction. Just don't let their "sleeper" like appearance deceive you. They are indeed bassy (fast, deep, round, rich) and never dry. Maybe not the last word in aesthetic design nor in absolute resolution or transparency. On the other hand never harsh or boring. With quality recordings they will surprise you every time. Most of all they are almost always fun, especially when the volume rises and believe me - you want to keep raising it.

PS.

Out of curiosity I switched the small but widely praised Trends Audio TA 10.1 amplifier set as a poweramp to work together with my Abrahamsen V3.0 preamp. Now the Trends delivers only a measly 6 watts at 8 ohm load, being a small T-amp mostly suitable for desktop systems. And it is paired with floorstanding Dynaudios. Nothing to lose right?

I press random play on my playlist. My jaw drops. WHERE IS THIS SOUND COMING FROM? The sound the Trends TA 10.1 delivers is utterly surprising, shocking even. The bass is fast and bit tighter but still has that quantity that is to be expected from these speakers. The details are sparkling and the music just flows at astonishing rhythm and ease. I have no idea how is the small T-amp capable of doing this. Maybe it has something to do with crossover design? Or maybe this is true synergy where the bass heavy and slightly warm nature of the Focus 220s meets the modern Tripath sound of the TA 10.1?  And the funny thing is that this setup seems to work with every genre of music, leaving only large orchestral and most complex metal pieces little lacking whereas with electronic, hip hop, vocal, acoustic, jazz or pop you really can't tell that there is a small 6 watt amp playing. Of course you can't play very loud with 6 watts but still loud enough the upset the neighbors at night. I still can't get my head around this. I suppose I'll just have to listen more music!