Issue with my Little Dot II
Feb 25, 2010 at 6:05 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 20
WhiskeyBent

WhiskeyBent

Head-Fier
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I purchased a Little Dot II off another member of the forum as my first amp, and because of my ignorance, I think I have may have blown out my headphones. Are you supposed to let the amps warm up before plugging the phones in? I plugged in my phones and turned on the amp and as soon as I turned it on, the left speaker in my 595's made this awful popping sound and continued to do so for the next 5 or so seconds. Now it sounds all distorted and awful. Is my amp bad, or should I have let it warm up? Also, is there any way I can replace the speaker in the left ear? Thanks for the help.

Edit: I've also noticed the left big tube on the Little Dot sometimes crackles and sparks. Is it time to replace my tubes maybe?
 
Feb 25, 2010 at 7:08 PM Post #2 of 20
hey,

there is no way you can possibly blow out your headphone, and during the times I used it, I used it with hd650 and it was perfectly fine. Usually I plug the headphone into the amp first, and then turn on the amp. If you turn on the amp, and then plug your headphone in, you will hear the popping sound. Also the left big tube actually works fine, it doesn't really crack, it looks so however I tested it many times, used it a million times and it is perfectly fine.
Don't worry, your amp is in perfect working condition, just be careful with it and let it warm up a little bit.
 
Feb 25, 2010 at 7:16 PM Post #3 of 20
Quote:

Originally Posted by oceanwave1000 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
hey,

there is no way you can possibly blow out your headphone, and during the times I used it, I used it with hd650 and it was perfectly fine. Usually I plug the headphone into the amp first, and then turn on the amp. If you turn on the amp, and then plug your headphone in, you will hear the popping sound. Also the left big tube actually works fine, it doesn't really crack, it looks so however I tested it many times, used it a million times and it is perfectly fine.
Don't worry, your amp is in perfect working condition, just be careful with it and let it warm up a little bit.


I figure it's not the amp and it just happened to make this pop this one time, but this one time screwed up my headphone. I in no way think you're to blame and I am very happy with the amp now that you confirm everything is fine. But it did do something to my headphone. Now when I just plug my headphone directly into my iPod or anything, the left ear makes this horrible cracking sound. I guess now I'm just interested in finding a replacement driver. Is there anywhere I can get one?
 
Feb 25, 2010 at 8:04 PM Post #5 of 20
Quote:

Originally Posted by oceanwave1000 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
what headphone are you using? might be your headphone driver died.


Sennheiser Hd595's. I don't think they completely died. Sound comes out just fine, it just makes a crackling sound almost like the cone is hitting the plastic piece that covers it. I took them apart and this is what appears to be happening but at lower volumes it still does it when the cone isn't moving at all.
 
Feb 25, 2010 at 8:19 PM Post #6 of 20
Quote:

Originally Posted by oceanwave1000 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
hey,

there is no way you can possibly blow out your headphone,


I'm not sure if this is true or not.

Quote:

and during the times I used it, I used it with hd650 and it was perfectly fine. Usually I plug the headphone into the amp first, and then turn on the amp.


You should also turn the volume down to zero when plugging/unplugging headphones.

Quote:

If you turn on the amp, and then plug your headphone in, you will hear the popping sound. Also the left big tube actually works fine, it doesn't really crack, it looks so however I tested it many times, used it a million times and it is perfectly fine.
Don't worry, your amp is in perfect working condition, just be careful with it and let it warm up a little bit.


Some LDII owners reported arcing, popping, crackling. I owned the II+ and still own the II++. I had these problems with the II+ and the company and agent worked with me to deal with the issue. I haven't heard of similar problems with later model LD tube amps.
 
Feb 25, 2010 at 8:24 PM Post #7 of 20
Quote:

Originally Posted by WhiskeyBent /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Sennheiser Hd595's. I don't think they completely died. Sound comes out just fine, it just makes a crackling sound almost like the cone is hitting the plastic piece that covers it. I took them apart and this is what appears to be happening but at lower volumes it still does it when the cone isn't moving at all.


Have you tried to gently move the diaphragm back to its original position?
 
Feb 25, 2010 at 9:22 PM Post #8 of 20
Sounds like the voice coil de-laminated from excessive power probably caused by the shorting output tube. (the sparking you mentioned) Bottom line, your new little dot has a bad tube which needs to be replaced. Hopefully there's nothing else wrong. Unfortunately your headphone probably needs a new driver. I'd give Sennheiser a call if I were you..
 
Feb 26, 2010 at 4:46 AM Post #9 of 20
Quote:

Originally Posted by atbglenn /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Sounds like the voice coil de-laminated from excessive power probably caused by the shorting output tube. (the sparking you mentioned) Bottom line, your new little dot has a bad tube which needs to be replaced. Hopefully there's nothing else wrong. Unfortunately your headphone probably needs a new driver. I'd give Sennheiser a call if I were you..


I don't think it's the tubes. When I first turn on the amp, the tube crackles for a split second and maybe once more during the first minute. After it gets warmed up, everything appears to be fine. This happens when I switch the tubes from one side to the other and it's always the left. There's probably a small short somewhere, but it seems to be fine once it warms up a little. My headphones on the other hand, are screwed. Definitely need a new driver.
 
Feb 26, 2010 at 8:39 AM Post #10 of 20
I feel sorry for your headphone, hopefully with a new driver, you can truly experience the sound of the little dot II. About the warming up, i think most of the little dots are like that, they just need some warming up, after that they are perfectly fine.
Hope you will enjoy the Little Dot.
 
Feb 26, 2010 at 11:27 AM Post #11 of 20
All tube amps need warming up. Usually 5-30 minutes, depending on the amp and how long you like to warm up your gear beforehand. Yes, call Sennheiser nd see what they can do.
 
Feb 26, 2010 at 3:45 PM Post #12 of 20
Whatever the problem with the amp turns out to be, I wish you the best of luck and hopefully it's not too expensive to resolve.. I've owned both the Little Dot II+ and II++. Neither of which crackled or popped through my headphones when powering on, or warming up....
 
Feb 26, 2010 at 4:07 PM Post #13 of 20
I called Sennheiser and they are selling two drivers for the price of one since they changed the impedance of my headphones. It's only costing me $22 for two new drivers so I can't complain other than having to break them in again lol. Are the drivers that difficult to replace, or do I just unplug the old ones and plug the new ones in? Is there any soldering required? I can't solder lol.
 
Feb 26, 2010 at 4:33 PM Post #14 of 20
WhiskeyBent, just make sure you resolve the problem with your amp before you plug in your repaired Headphones! As far as replacing the driver, I'm sure they are soldered in. If you have no soldering experience, I highly recommend letting someone who knows how to solder do it because the drivers are very delicate and can be ruined if you apply too much heat for too long....
 
Feb 26, 2010 at 5:32 PM Post #15 of 20
Quote:

Originally Posted by atbglenn /img/forum/go_quote.gif
WhiskeyBent, just make sure you resolve the problem with your amp before you plug in your repaired Headphones! As far as replacing the driver, I'm sure they are soldered in. If you have no soldering experience, I highly recommend letting someone who knows how to solder do it because the drivers are very delicate and can be ruined if you apply too much heat for too long....


How do I go about resolving the problem? I listened to the amp all day the day before and everything was fine, and then the one time I turned it on when it was cold, it crackled and scared the piss out of me lol. What could cause this? I know it's not the tubes since the same socket does it no matter what tube is in it. I'd really like to not have to ship it away and wait god knows how long to get it back when I could let it warm up awhile before plugging my phones in. I really have no idea what I'm talking about though, so I how would I go about solving the amp issue if there is one at all?
 
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