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Make no mistake, the various Trends combinations weren’t inferior to anything. They offered relatively higher resolution than the KingRex. They were musical. They just didn’t have that heated glass bottle magic. In the past I referred to them as mini NuForce. While I can confidently recommend the basic TA-10 integrated and the PA-10 to existing TA-10 users, the genuine consideration is that once you raise your budget, there are other contenders too strong to ignore.

If you are considering tube/Tripath hybrids, the Italian Carot One Ernestolo at left offers a very appealing all-in-one package that's much more nicely finished at a more attractive price. It utilizes the same 6DJ8/6922/12AU7 interchangeable tube types (in the sonic domain of the preamp/headphone stage which requires manual biasing with a meter) and the Tripath TA2024 chip set. It also features a headphone circuit and RCA/iPod inputs. I haven’t auditioned it yet but looking at the photos, specs and price alone it’s tempting. For those after more power and channels in tube/class D hybrids, my verdict remains unchanged: the 65 watts x 6 Dared DV-6C remains unbeatable. If you want the real valve McCoy, there are many good-looking very affordable little tube amps these days. The first to mind would be the Musical Paradise MP-301 MkII.


Final heat. But it was not fair to leave it like that. I had to go back to the tubes to reassess their level of involvement once more. To simplify as well as facilitate this final round of rolling, I had three preamps, the third one being one of the three malfunctioning units. Lucky for me it would now work properly (but not the other two) after spraying some contact cleaner behind the input selector switch. Even luckier my wife agreed to lend an ear. Taking turns to drive the single TA10.2P amp were a PA-10 rolled with 6N11/6H23n, a PA-10 fitted with HP Toshiba 5963 and a PA-10.1D with RCA 5963. CDs included the violin/piano transcriptions The Twinkle of Stars of Chinese movie scores and Ronald Brautigam’s Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 3.


The joint verdict? The RCA 5963 and HP Toshiba 5963 (both from the 12AU7 family) had the best resolution. The HP Toshiba although fitted in the basic PA-10 seemed to have extra lively articulation. The Russian 6H23n seemed to have deeper bass. Strangely enough the Chinese 6N11 had a somewhat soft and defused image that some might mistake for valve bloom. "I’ve never heard these speakers so beautiful and grand," exclaimed wife. The speakers were JohnBlue JB3. On my desktop. I could have finished the review after the first round right there.
Quality of packing: Adequately and safe.
Reusability of packing: A few times for sure.
Ease of unpacking/repacking: Open and shut.
Condition of component received: Some quality control problems as detailed under the QC paragraph in the review. The manufacturer responded timely and to my satisfaction.
Completeness of delivery: Complete with power cord, PSU and tube. English user manual.
Quality of owner's manual: Comprehensive and detailed. PA-10.1D should be updated about bias adjust.
Website comments: Absolutely professional with informative specs and guidelines.
Warranty: Two years.
Global distribution: Mostly direct online sales.
Human interactions: Professional and friendly, timely responses to questions.
Pricing: Beginning to lose its edge since the price hike.
Application conditions: With the PW-10, be careful to connect the correct DC power wire to the appropriate unit. They are different voltages each but the connectors all fit each other!
Final comments & suggestions: Know what you need, then buy what you want.


Manufacturer’s response:
Dear David,
Thank you for a thorough review of our new line of products. You are very kind and understanding in saying that "price increase is part of the survival game." It’s so true in the current economic climate. We are striving to maintain the highest possible price/performance value however. First off I would like to elaborate on the tube implementation. The tube is mainly for signal amplification and the transistor output circuitry is a constant current follower in class A mode for impedance matching to drive speakers.

Second, we have updated our website for the bias setup. Meanwhile I would like to share some points with you as follows: 1.PA-10. We released the PA-10 to expand our product line. The preamp can be used with our Trends amp or other power amps to provide the best sound for headphones & tube and transistor amps. And the user will enjoy tube rolling. For the headphone amp it is not easy to provide a universal device for supporting every headphone. But the PA-10 is very suitable to drive high-impedance headphones. 
2.PA-10 + TA-10.2P. It may be not a perfect package due to the limitation of the standard power supply. Thus the PA-10+TA-10.2P+PW-10 (Combo One package price is $650) will be a good choice if the music lover is looking for an affordable and compact hybrid tube/transistor system.
3.PA-10 +TA-10.2P bi-amp. As we know, many users want to set up monoblocks or bi-amp to upgrade the performance of their loudspeakers. The PA-10+ TA-10.2P bi-amp combo meets their requirement and costs just $699. However we will release a single power supply for supporting this package in the coming days.

Once again, thanks for taking the time to review Trends Audio and accurately capture the essence of our products.
David Ho

Trends Audio website