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lugbug1 said:

 
I think SS amps bring to the forefront what Grado's are best at; detail, energy and great timing.  But as you say, they seem to deliver a more real musical presentation with tubes.
 
 Incidentaly, Ive got a few unopened boxes of tubes that have been delivered.. I think that means I must be happy with what I've got at the mo; opa2107 and EF91's. The EF91's are great with the warm full bodied 2107 as they are very open sounding with extension at both ends, seem to be a good combo!

 
   
 

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Good to know since I've actually got that same opamp/tube combo in shipment right now Hehe hope they get here soon my anticipation just went up a few notches.
 

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kjoh said:

Good to know since I've actually got that same opamp/tube combo in shipment right now

 Hehe hope they get here soon my anticipation just went up a few notches.
 

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Nice one! I'm sure you'll be pleased, perfect for the Grado's. (remember to change them Jumper settings)
 

EF91's came in today!  I must say that for those who are a fan of the grado "house sound", these tubes are a very very nice compliment it.  I find the m8100's are very lush and warm sounding tubes and are great for someone who find the grado sound just a tad bit too forward.  The EF91's, on the other hand, pour a lot more presence into the mids.  Even though they still give a tube-like sound, the warmth is taken down a few notches.  I also find that I notice more detail with these tubes and that there may even be a little improvement with the soundstage.
 
So again for anyone who likes grado's mainly for there forward mids, the EF91's compliment them reeaally nicely. By this point it's getting very difficult to imagine these headphones sounding any better. I can't wait to see what the OPA2107 brings to the table
 
With the LDi+ delivering so much to my RS2's, I'm growing a lot more curious about the MAD EAR+ HD and how significant it's improvements would be over the LDi+.  

I think you're going to be even more pleased when the 2107 comes! Thats a good description of the EF91's, I find them very open sounding and they bring out more detail. The 2107 brings more body and deeper soundstage that seems to work with that kind of tube, rather than an overly warm type.
 
It does make you wonder how much better you can get for Grado's, because they are never going to have a huge soundstage, and the detail and realism I'm getting with the LD especially with acoustic instruments is amazing.  

Form a technical standpoint the one thing that LD 1+ has over the MAD EAR+ HD  since the LD !+  is a hybrid is power output at low [size=medium]impedance levels.  I am not sure if the MAD EAR+ HD  will be able to drive [/size][size=medium]will be able to drive my Fostex T50RP.  headphones[/size]

OK so I think I'll post in this old thread to share my recent experience with the Asgard & my Grado RS1i, as compared to the Little Dot 1+:
 
I had the Little Dot for a while before it died, and when it did I decided to take the opportunity to try the Asgard as I had heard good things about it from these forums. A lot of folks seemed to say it paired well with Grados. When I got it, I spent a couple of weeks trying to convince myself that the Asgard did as good a job with the Grados as the LD1+ did, but then when I finally returned the Asgard and got a new LD1+ I noticed immediately that the difference was night and day. To my ears, the Little Dot outperforms the Asgard in just about every way: deeper/punchier bass, clearer mids, less strident highs. Overall much more punch and realism to the sound, it feels more "alive". The Asgard sounds thin and weak in comparison. I'm relieved to have the Little Dot back, and I would recommend it over the Asgard.
 
Disclaimer: I've got a Burr-Brown OPA2107 in the Little Dot, and everything else is stock.

This is my experience exactly except with the MK2 instead of I+
 
Asgard cannot touch the value of the LD in my opinion, unless you are really into the slight improvement the asgard gives.  Unfortunately, to my ears, what you lose with the asgard is quite a lot.  Asgard just sounds very analytical in comparison, except since it's a cheap amplifier, you don't even get the detail so what you get is an analytical sounding amp (at least when compared with the LD), without the fine details.  Maybe just a slight touch of detail and air over my LDMKII.
 
As you said the LD just sounds very natural in comparison.  It brings you closer to the music.  Obviously you can't have everything in an amp of this price but to me the advantages of the LD far outweigh what you get from the Asgard.
 
I've used both grado SR80i and Hifiman HE-500 with the two amps.  The HE-500 by far is the most used for obvious reasons(it's an amazing headphone).  Even with 1W vs like 250mw asgard vs LD mkii, I still prefer the LD easily.  Volume was never an issue for me.

Hey this is an old thread. Apologies if some of my questions are amateurish, but I'm hoping that the Little Dot 1+ will be my first foray into this wonderful world of amplification. I just yesterday heard my friend's Asgard for the first time and was astounded at what it did to my Grado/Magnum's sound, particularly in the midrange. I'm hoping to get a Little Dot since you guys all seem to think it'll be better for these phones.
 
However, since I am new to this, I'm a bit unfamiliar with the particulars on a few topics.
 
1. Changing the opamp: is it really as simple as pulling out the old chip and putting on the new one? What's this about jumper settings on the 1+? (That's related to gain right?)
2. I see an option to upgrade to an EF92 tube on the Little Dot page. Is that basically the same as the lauded EF91 or should I just go for stock and order the EF91's separately?
 
Thanks for your time guys.
EDIT: Found everything I needed in the Little Dot Tube Rolling Thread.

I've heard the ef91 an 92 have very similar qualities, at least enough times that it made me not want to pick up an ef91 just to check it out.  It's not exactly the same I'm assuming.  I bought a pair of mullard ef92 from ebay and I really like them though.  No desire to roll after the ef92.  Hope that helps at least some.

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llloyd said:

I've heard the ef91 an 92 have very similar qualities, at least enough times that it made me not want to pick up an ef91 just to check it out.  It's not exactly the same I'm assuming.  I bought a pair of mullard ef92 from ebay and I really like them though.  No desire to roll after the ef92.  Hope that helps at least some.

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Thanks Llloyd. I might just save a bit and go that route.