[JimSmiley]

Hey now,

Anyone with this set-up want to give me thier impressions? I see the MKIII has selectable gain, but my Grados are rather low impedance (32 ohm I think.)
Before I get into the world of tubes, I'd like to know more about the relationship between low impedance cans and tubes.
I'd like to buy this tube amp, but I'm not giving up my Grados.

TIA

 

[Caribou679]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimSmiley /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hey now, Anyone with this set-up want to give me thier impressions? I see the MKIII has selectable gain, but my Grados are rather low impedance (32 ohm I think.) Before I get into the world of tubes, I'd like to know more about the relationship between low impedance cans and tubes. I'd like to buy this tube amp, but I'm not giving up my Grados. TIA

Hi!
I bought the MKIII when I had a Sony MDR7509HD, which are 24 ohms of impedance. And I do not regret it. Soundstge is incredible.

I would not worry with your Grados, the worst thing is that the amp would show the plus and minus side of your gear!

regards,

 

[YtseJamer]

I don't have any problems to drive my RS-1 or my 225s with my MKIII.

 

[Seba]

Very happy user (although MKIV SE) here too!

 

[Dept_of_Alchemy]

My MkIII drives my MS2i quite well, especially with warmer tubes like the Mullard CV131 or M8100.

 

[htbyron]

Does the Mk series offer enough current for Grados? From what I've read, that is the area where tube amps have come up short in the past (with the exception of MAD Ear and a few others specifically designed to provide higher current). I had a LDII and while I enjoyed it, I got much cleaner sound from the headfive with my grados (SR-80 & HF-1).

 

[Tech2]

I have an MKIII that I use at work, mainly with my 50-ohm Senn HD555, but I did listen to it with both my woodied SR60 and 325i when I had the amp at home.

My home set-up consists of a NAD CD player and a Woo6, whereas my source at work is an old Toshiba DVD player which was highly regarded as a nice budget source ($50) around here a few years ago.

The thing I notice with both amps, but more so with the MKIII, is that even when set to the lowest gain I rarely get past 9 or 10-o'clock on the volume control, with 7-o'clock being "off" or no volume. This is true using either source and occurs with the 555 and the Grados. I would prefer to be using the center (11 to 1-o'clock) portion of the potentiometer. It's a minor gripe, but the center of the pot is usually more linear and the very beginning of the pot (in my experience, with cheaper parts) is where trouble usually develops over time.

With my LDII the pot was completely cutting out on one channel at lower volumes but was fine at higher volume. I finally ended up replacing it with an Alps Blue Velvet and the issue was resolved. I don't believe that the MKIII pot will be a problem since it is supposed to be a higher quality pot than the one used on the LDII.

Having said that, it is not a deal-breaker for me. The MKIII sounds fine and suits my purposes as a second tube amp for work. It's still a very good bang-for-the-buck amplifier and I don't regret buying it at all.

 

[Seba]

I use my LD with volumes 30-50 (10-12 O'clock) and have the lowest gain. No problems with channel imbalance.

Yesterday I listened great variety of different music and I don't think my LD lacks any current. Bass is nicely tight and it goes very deep if album has such notes. I might consider me as a mild basshead but I like more balanced sound than boomy bass. If I want to go completely nuts, I'll change flats to my RS-2's and give it a go.

 

[Mike_TNT]

I've got the same concerns as Jim but I also have an RA1 amp. Could I use the MKIII as a preamp for the RA1 and make that my Grado setup?

 

[dr dougie]

LD Mk III is certainly a nice entry level tube amp for the cost and has no problem at all with low impedance IEMs at least to ~30 ohm. I really think it would be fine with any low impedance phones.

It works well enough as a preamp but there's a lot more competition around that price for tube preamps that do just that and aren't also headphone amps. Not really sure how the Mk III compares but I would guess some of the simple old school 12AU7 preamps would be at least as good. I'm getting one soon and have a LD Mk III so we'll see!