Trends Audio UD-10.1 USB Audio Converter Review
Sun, 11/09/2008 - 21:25 — The Computer Au...
The Trends Audio UD-10.1 USB audio converter is a
really good product that allows audiophiles to get into the
music server game for next to nothing. This USB audio
converter can take a USB input signal from a PC or Mac
and output bit perfect coax, optical, or AES digital audio.
Whether you have an existing external DAC or an AV
receiver with an open digital input, the Trends Audio UD10.1 can bridge the gap between your computer and the rest of your system. At less than
$170 you can't go wrong with one of these converters.
The Trends Audio UD-10.1 USB audio converter is simply a very cool product. The
UD-10.1 is not a standard Digital to Analog Converter * (DAC). Rather the UD-10.1 is
a digital I/O interface that takes a computer's USB output and passes the signal through
unchanged to the DAC of your choice via the interface of your choice. What make this
product so cool is its versatility. Everyone has a USB port on their computer. Not
everyone has a USB DAC. Many components have an optical input, but not many
computer have an optical output. The UD-10.1 solves the issue with its plethora of
digital outputs. If you have a dedicated external DAC the chances are almost 100% that
the UD-10.1 has the right type of output for the unit. The same goes for those of you
with AV receivers. During the review period I connected my Mac Pro to my Berkeley
Audio Design Alpha DAC with optical, coax, and AES cables from the UD-10.1. The
connections looked like this crude diagram:
Mac Pro >> USB output >> UD-10.1 >> Toslink & Coax & AES >> Alpha DAC
Trends Audio built the UD-10.1 with good quality components and audiophile
applications in mind. Many of us are aware how critical a component's power source is
to achieving good sound quality. Trends Audio understands this and created a
rechargeable battery power supply for the UD-10.1. This option is available for an extra
$13. If convenience is more important to the listener, the UD-10.1 can also run
completely from power supplied over the USB cable from the computer. Trends Audio
also used proprietary dual power regulation circuits instead of the standard 5V USB bus
power. Whether the power comes from battery or the USB bus it is regulated before
hitting the ICs, but Trends Audio recommends using the battery option and I won't
disagree with that recommendation. The UD-10.1 is equipped with a Burr Brown
PCM2704 IC for USB audio conversion to the many output options. Following the
audio path further downstream Trends Audio implemented proprietary impedance
matching circuits for the AES/EBU (110 ohm) and Coaxial (75 ohm) digital outputs.
For the readers not interested in the fine details all you need to know is the UD-10.1
requires no software installation on your computer. Plug this thing in, select it as your
default audio output device and start rocking.
At $169 and a fairly modest build quality the UD-10.1 is more about sound quality than
aesthetics and heft. The UD-10.1 is limited to 16 bit / 44.1 kHz like most USB audio
devices available. Fortunately the vast majority of content available at the moment is
still 16/44.1. Dropping $169 in the interim between redbook content and high
availability of greater resolution is really a no-brainer. In my system the UD-10.1
performed pretty well. The sound was actually much better than I thought it would be
considering the cost and flexibility of this component. Granted low cost does not equate
to low performance, but very low cost can certainly be one indicator. The only two
negative aspects of this USB converter are a somewhat compressed and thinner sound.
This was evident when comparing the UD-10.1 directly with the Lynx AES16e ($700)
digital I/O card. It is very possible that someone without the ability to A/B the UD-10.1
with a card like the Lynx AES16e would never notice this slight compression and
thinness. It is also quite possible that giving these two negatives so much press is
exaggerating the actual sonic impact a bit. The difference between each of the outputs
on the UD-10.1 was negligible. Since the UD-10.1 sends audio to all outputs all the
time it was very easy during the review to compare the outputs by switching inputs on
my Alpha DAC. Scrolling through the inputs of my DAC revealed no sonic differences
that I could consistently identify in a blind A/B/X test. The most important thing I
looked for with the Trends Audio UD-10.1 was its ability to pass the data in a bit
perfect stream. Every output on this device passed the HDCD test with flying colors. If
a component can't pass an untouched audio signal it is impossible to improve
imperfection further downstream. Fortunately the UD-10.1 is perfect in this regard.
With the UD-10.1's release there are no longer any excuses to put off setting up a music
server. Everyone has a computer and everyone has a stereo. The UD-10.1 is the magic
component to bring the two together while avoiding the dreadful internal digital to
analog converters. I've never heard a computer with an acceptable built-in D to A
converter and I don't see the quality of these DACs changing any time soon.The Trends
Audio UD10.1 is not in the same class as the Lynx Studio cards, but it's performance is
worth quite a bit more than its very inexpensive price.The UD-10.1 provides the
capability for many people to finally connect their computer to their stereo without
major sonic degradation. In my opinion that is worth the price of admission and then
some. Give the UD-10.1 a shot and I'm willing to bet your physical media addiction will
come to an end and you'll be downloading albums in a matter of hours. Computer
Audiophile conclusion = Add To Cart.
Image curtesy of Trends Audio
Image curtesy of Trends Audio
Image curtesy of Trends Audio
Image curtesy of Trends Audio
Detailed Specs:
Audio Outputs: Digital and analog outputs RCA, BNC and XLR connectors
Headphone volume control is provided by the PC or Mac
Analog Outputs: Burr Brown PCM2704 digital to analog converter (DAC)
Linear-regulated power for all analog paths
Signal-to-noise, Dynamic Range: 98dB
THD+N: 0.006% (RL > 10 k, Self-Powered)
SNR: 98 dB
PO: 12 mW (RL = 32)
Digital Outputs and Inputs: Optical, Coax, BNC, and XLR digital connectors
Linear-regulated power for digital paths
Linear-regulated power for all clock paths
4 pin high accuracy crystal clock (±10ppm)
Standard IEC-958 (S/PDIF) or AES/EBU encoding
RCA connector: 75 ohms
BNC connector: 75 ohms
Optical connector: TOSLINK
XLR connector: 110 ohms
Sample rates: 32, 44.1, 48 kHz
Audio format: linear PCM, 16 bits per sample
Audio Formats : Lossless Formats: FLAC, WMA Lossless, Apple Lossless or other
Uncompressed formats: WAV, AIFF, PCM or other
Compressed formats: MP3, AAC, Ogg Vorbis, MP2, MusePack, WMA or other
System Requirements: All systems: 256MB RAM with 30MB hard disk space
Windows OS: Windows NT/2000/XP/Vista or later
Macintosh: Mac OS X 10.3 or later
Linux, PC LinuxOS 2007, Fedora core 7, Ubuntu 7.04 or other
Power Supply : USB Bus Power or
External power: DC 4.35V – 5.25V(max): (e.g. AA size rechargeable battery 1.2V
x4=5V, don't use normal batteries with 1.2V x4=6V, it would be too high for safety and
good sound performance)
Dimensions: (W)76mm x (H)46mm x (D)114mm [case only]
(W)76mm x (H)46mm x (D)128mm [incl. sockets & knob]
Case: Stylish iron-gray aluminium
Weight: 300g
Accessories: 1.5m type A to type B cable x 1
Mini Jack to 2 Phono Sockets Adapter x 1
Warranty Card x 1
Optional Accessories : Trends UD-10.1 Charger Kit : AC Input: Universal AC 100V240V / 50~60Hz
DC Output: DC 5V /0.5A
The package includes charger, battery box and 4 AA size rechargeable battery (1.2V
x4=5V),
LED Indications:
Power on, but no battery connected : Black color
Charging: Red color
Charged/Float Charging: Green color
Dimensions: (L)110mm x (W)80mm x (H)60mm
Weight: 300g
Warranty: One year parts and labor.
Regulatory Compliance: CE FCC
Price - $169 UD-10.1 and $13 for the battery pack and charger.
More information about the UD-10.1 and Trends Audio is available at
http://www.trendsaudio.com
Associated Equipment: Mac Pro, Lynx AES16e card, Kimber USB cable, Berkeley
Audio Design Alpha DAC, Benchmark DAC1 PRE, Kimber Select cable, Avalon
Acoustics speakers, Focal Electra Be series speakers, McIntosh tube amplification,
Virtual Dynamics power cables, Richard Gray's Power Company cables.
* See comments 2 and 3 below explaining why I don't consider this component a
standard DAC.
__________________
Chris Connaker
Founder
Computer Audiophile