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Trends Audio UD-10 USB to Digital Output Audio Converter thoughts

Posted by bullethead on July 19, 2007 at 10:48:18

Well I recently compared a Musical Fidelity A3 CD Player (used as a transport), a Soundblaster Audigy 2 NX USB 2.0 Soundcard, A Slimdevices Squeezebox v3, and the Trends Audio UD-10 USB digital transport together in a comparison. All four were used in "transport" mode feeding into a Bel Canto DAC2 DAC (still a wonderful product after many years).

Thoughts on the MF A3 CD as a transport. This is what set me into PC audio. Sure I was happy for a couple of years but I kind of new there was another way. I just never tried to get any better. Hence PC audio came to the rescue as a cure for my recent itch. The MF A3 is a good transport but it sounds a bit muddy at times. The bass is loose and the upper frequencies are "smeared" (keep in mind this is comparing spinning disk to harddrive transports as per below).

Thoughts on the Soundblaster Audigy 2 NX USB 2.0. This is what made me look into better USB to Digital out converters. Sound quickly surpassed the CD Transport. More inner detail, lack of loose or "muddy" bass. High frequencies were extended and spacious. Full of air, organic vocal music sounded better, almost "unreal".

Thoughts on the Squeezebox v3 (stock unmodified). Didn't sound better than a PC driven source. The Audigy 2 NX USB sounded better all around, and the MF beat in in body. Sound was good and acceptable, clearly excellent by most standards, but not the best I have heard.

Thoughts on the Trends Audio UD-10. Before serious listening (you'll know why in a second, out of the box using USB power its acceptable but not that good) I put in a 5v digital switching power supply and had that connect up to the Trends UD-10. Before adding in the power source I noticed lack of well everything when compared to the Soundblaster Audigy 2 NX which has its own power supply. Unpowered externally, I was immediately dissapointed and knew it was that the USB connection didn't have enough juice to power this thing sufficiently. So since I retired the Squeezebox I used that power adaptor and connected it to the device. An immediate improvement and the sound I will get to next.

Sound when compared to the MF, the Soundblaster USB and the Squeezebox. Absolutely no contest. I'm not kidding, and I am certainly not saying this because the Trends Audio UD-10 is now a new favorite gadget of mine. The sound has more body and substance than the better unit of the rest of em (Audigy 2 NX USB). The detail is there, there's more of it than I have heard before. The sound is a lot "warmer" than the Audigy and seems more like real music and not as coated with aluminum to put it into words. Bass is tight and really present. The Audigy USB bass was laid back but tight as well. Trends UD-10 has bloom to it. I compare the FLAC files I play almost to the fluid like Vinyl experience now. Audigy USB sounded too futuristic, Trends UD-10 sounds more real.

Well I hope I shed some light. This would be a great thing to get if you already have a DAC and don't want to fiddle with yet another DAC w/ USB built in.

Enjoy the music.

Edits: 07/19/07

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