Trends TA-10.1 optnions/input

I have just been breaking in a Michael Mardis modded Trends amps and I must say it is very impressive. I have played it for about 50-60 hours and seem to be improving all the time. This amp is very sensitive to different speaker cables. I have tried the cobalt cables and the ps audio statement and I think it likes the ps audio the best. I have it driven by a redwine audio sb 2 into a citypulse dac connected by fiber, then into a TAD 150 Sig preamp. The speakers are a set of soliloquy sm 2a3 minimonitors and a pair of Spendor s5e. I haven't decided which sounds better yet. I also have a vintage pair of spice tc 50 I am going to try and I might even experiment with a old set of magnapan mg1 I have in storage--never can tell what will work best

Just wanted to report a rather strange experience with this amp. I at first ran with a pair of soliloquy sm 2a3 minimonitors thinking this would be an ideal match, considering the 11ohm impedence and 91 db sensitivity and the sound was very good but nothing exciting. So I decided to try it with a my spendor s5e's which are a much less sensitive speaker and a less favorable load to drive so I wasn't expecting much. But as usual in this hobby, things don't always happen as expected. In fact the sound I heard was much more detailed and coherent and I didn't hear any compression even at more than adequate volume levels. Can you figure that? I have never heard the unmodded version so I don't know if the upgrade has anything to do with this outcome.

Well I have found out a very important aspect of the Trend..I just got off of the power grid and am using a 12 volt storage battery. I picked up the unit at Advance auto for 59 dollars and the difference it makes with this amp is jaw dropping. The tightness and depth of the bass increased at least 30% And the tactile sensation and presence also took a large jump. A layer or two of veiling also disappeared. So I guess the power supply quality is of prime importance with these amps. Has anybody discovered this or other tweaks with this amp?

It is a battery jumper pack that can be bought at any auto parts store under different brands. The one I got has two cigarette lighter type jacks on it. The dc cable came from Radio Shack and cost about 30 dollars or so. It will support from 2 to 12volts and is switchable. Make sure you switch it to 12 volts or the amp will just sit there with the led on and thats it. It took me a while to notice the thumb switch and move it from 2 to 12v, then all was well and great music flowed.The difference is stunning and takes this amp up a couple notches to be sure. I am thinking of getting another one and biamping my spendors. I use a Red Wine Audio modded squeezebox 2 running into a citypulse dac.