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How to use a Little Dot MK III as a preamp?

post #1 of 6
1/5/11 at 7:56pm
Thread Starter 

Hi,

Like the thread title states, I've purchased a Little Dot MK III and i'm loving it so far, but I was wondering if it was possible to use the my Auzentech Forte soundcard or the LD MK III as a preamp, and would this be recommended? I currently have a line level output from the Forte to the input of the LD MK III.  The Forte currently has it's own headphone amp.

Thanks in advance.


Edited by Zudeo - 1/5/11 at 7:57pm
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post #2 of 6
1/5/11 at 10:08pm

Sure you can use it as a preamp.  What amp are you planning to use it with?

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post #3 of 6
1/5/11 at 10:13pm
Thread Starter 
Well, before I get ahead of myself, both the Forte and MK III are amps, but which one would be better as a preamp... and for the stupid question, does having a preamp enhance the sound? Maybe 'enhance' wasn't the best word but I hope you know what I mean.
Edited by Zudeo - 1/5/11 at 10:15pm
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post #4 of 6
1/5/11 at 11:06pm

Oh, you’re talking about using two headphone amps together? That isn’t what the preouts are for.

 

They are for connecting a separate dedicated amplifier (without a volume knob of its own, etc), usually for the purpose of powering speakers.

 

Example

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post #5 of 6
1/6/11 at 7:55am
Thread Starter 
Fair enough. So why would one want two amps and a power amp for just speakers? Also, I'm planning to get the Little Dot DAC_1 in a couple weeks. Is the ideal setup for that Forte -> Toslink -> DAC_1 -> RCA -> MK III to headphones?

Thank you for your help so far. I'm pretty new to head-fi. I used to use Creative Gaming Surround headphones before I found a thread on Overclock.net that opened my eyes to the world of better audio.
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post #6 of 6
1/6/11 at 10:45am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Zudeo View Post

Fair enough. So why would one want two amps and a power amp for just speakers? Also, I'm planning to get the Little Dot DAC_1 in a couple weeks. Is the ideal setup for that Forte -> Toslink -> DAC_1 -> RCA -> MK III to headphones?


Well in the picture I posted, I don't use both of the tube preamps/headphone amps at the same time; only one would be connected to my stereo amp at any given time.  They use different styles of power tubes that give them different sonic characteristics so I switch between them.

 

Your cable layout is correct.

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