[gibosi]

I have a tube compatibility question for use with my LD1+.

I have a pair of NOS Russian 6J3P-E tubes I'm afraid I've mistakenly purchased for this amp. From research I've done, these tubes appear to belong to the EF96 family, not EF91, EF92, or EF95, as prescribed for the LD1+. Can anyone tell me if these are compatible or incompatible tubes? If compatible, which internal jumper settings do they require?

Many thanks!

 
The 6J3P (EF96 / 6AG5) has the same pinout as the EF95, so it is compatible. Long ago, I tried a pair of Sylvania 6AG5WA and they were not good. lol

 

[beachpea]

Thanks for the reply and information about the 6J3P-E tubes. I tried them in my LD1+ and they immediately started humming quietly but perceptibly. The hum remained the same at all volumes, so I cleaned the tube pins which resulted in slightly less hum. Perhaps with time they'll quiet down, but their sound is only okay, not great. Perhaps that will improve, too. The good news, I guess, is that they weren't expensive....
 
Are there other factors besides a tube's pinout that affect tube compatibility?
 
Thanks again!

 

[beachpea]

For a visual, these are the 6J3P-E tubes in question.

 

[gibosi]

  Thanks for the reply and information about the 6J3P-E tubes. I tried them in my LD1+ and they immediately started humming quietly but perceptibly. The hum remained the same at all volumes, so I cleaned the tube pins which resulted in slightly less hum. Perhaps with time they'll quiet down, but their sound is only okay, not great. Perhaps that will improve, too. The good news, I guess, is that they weren't expensive....
 
Are there other factors besides a tube's pinout that affect tube compatibility?

 
New tubes are often a bit noisy, with a bit of hum, but typically, they will quiet down after 20 hours, or so.
 
When considering which tubes to try as drivers, two factors are most important. One is pin-out. But sometimes with a little creativity, we can compensate for that. For example, 6AU6 and 6AV6. And the second is heater current. The LD is limited to tubes that draw about 0.45 Amps.
 
A lot of this work has already been done and summarized in the main little dot tube rolling thread, page 77:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/563884/little-dot-tube-amps-vacuum-tube-rolling-guide/1140#post_9392055

 

[iamxLn]

just ordered the voskhods, hopefully will have in two weeks! found a matched pair for 12 bucks from 1973

 

[adtrance]

I listened to the '73 for about a week before I swapped them for '87 (both Voskhod pairs).  I can't tell the difference. 

 

 

[XipeTotec]

Hi all,
excuse me if I go a little off-topic but I have a question:
i am looking for a new entry-level tube amplifier for my earphones (beyerdynamic dt880 250ohm) and I am undecided between this Little Dot I+ and the Little Dot MKII.
Can someone tell me pro and cons of the two?
Thank you and apologies,

 

[gibosi]

 
excuse me if I go a little off-topic but I have a question:
i am looking for a new entry-level tube amplifier for my earphones (beyerdynamic dt880 250ohm) and I am undecided between this Little Dot I+ and the Little Dot MKII.
Can someone tell me pro and cons of the two?
 

 
Generally speaking, the LD 1+, with an op-amp output stage, would be better for low-Z headphones. And the LD MKII, with a vacuum tube output stage, would be better for high-Z headphones.

 

[musaji]

Can someone suggest a good op-amp and tube combo to pair with Philips Fidelio X1s? I just got the headphones and they sound very bassy (and somewhat muddy) when driven through my Yulong D100 built-amp headphone amp, while my little dot tames the bass somewhat (just a bit). I want to love my new X1s but I am just not digging their sonic signature compared to my other headphones. Thanks!

 

[gibosi]

I have never heard the Philips X1....  Anyway, I seem to remember that you have the OPA2107AP and Mullard EF92? And I assume you want less bass? If so, the MUSES01 may be a good choice. And again, the tall-bottle 6HM5 are cheap and well worth a try.
 
In the end, everyone has different ears and different gear. No one can tell you the best combination for your ears and gear. We can offer a few suggestions, but that is all we can do. The best way is for you take the time to roll through a number of op-amps and tubes to discover which combinations hit the sweet spot for you.

 

[iamxLn]

voskhods finally here! and i pulled the trigger on some dt880 pro 250's that come tomorrow 

 

[beekermartin]

I am currently using my Little Dot with Q701's.  I love the combo but I was thinking about grabbing a pair of Sennheiser.  I have a pair of HD280s that I use mainly on my PC for gaming.  I've tried them with the Little Dot and they sound ok but I prefer open headphones for listening to music.  
 
Since the HD600/650s are high ohm and work better with say a Woo Audio amp I was thinking about trying the HD-598s.  Has anyone here used the little dot with 598's? 

 

[nojwe]

I am currently using my Little Dot with Q701's.  I love the combo but I was thinking about grabbing a pair of Sennheiser.  I have a pair of HD280s that I use mainly on my PC for gaming.  I've tried them with the Little Dot and they sound ok but I prefer open headphones for listening to music.  

Since the HD600/650s are high ohm and work better with say a Woo Audio amp I was thinking about trying the HD-598s.  Has anyone here used the little dot with 598's? 

The LD can easily drive my HD650 and my T1 (600 ohms). I rarely have the volume past 10 o'clock.

 

[beekermartin]

I am sure it can drive them but is the LD known for working best with low impedance headphones?  That is why I figured the 598s would be a better fit than the 600/650s.  Plus the 598s are cheaper!  

 

[iamxLn]

voskhods with the dt880 is not a great pairing