The Little Dot line of headphone amps represent what is possible when a Chinese production amp doesn't cut corners on build quality and engineering. This amp has my vote as the best desktop hybrid amp in the price range.
Build/Design
The build quality is very solid; the housing is all metal with a very smooth and clean-looking volume knob. The amp is also quite heavy. The design is very plain however, which is fine, but a little boring.
What really stands out in the design department is the choice of tube socket/settings (WE408A, EF92, and EF95). Both WE408A's and EF95's are very affordable and effective replacements for the unimpressive stock 6JI's. The 6ZH1P-EV Voshkhods for example are available through eBay from Russia or Ukraine for less than 15USD per NOS pair. Another favorite of mine is the GE JAN5654, which I found for 3USD for a NOS pair! If you want to splurge, EF92 Mullards (M8161) are also a great option. But to play devil's advocate, a user on AudioKarma ran some tests on the circuit and concluded that tubes contribute next to nothing to the circuit.
Along the same lines, the op-amp can also be rolled since the LDI+ has a no-solder DIP-8 slot installed rather than a surface mounted or through-hole soldered op-amp. Personally, I think op-amp rolling is a waste of time when comparing op-amps above the 1USD mark. For example, an OPA2134 (~4USD) is hard to distinguished from an OPA2107 (~15USD) or MUSE02 (~30-70USD) but is probably better than the stock, which is worth less than a dollar.
Sound Quality
The sound you get is somewhat dictated by the tube you roll since this hybrid amp does rely on the tubes for color (whereas most of the amplification is done by the solid state components). Whatever tubes you roll however, the sound is very clear and balanced, which is what you want out of an amp barring any coloration you desire from the tubes. Detail is also great on this amp, especially with a good pair of open or semi-open cans like the DT880. Higher impedance headphones also benefit since the output impedance is said to be around 30 Ohms. A quick overview of tube impressions and reviews are available here: http://www.head-fi.org/t/364043/little-dot-i-tube-rolling
The only demerit for this amp is the relatively low power compared to other amps in the price range. For my 250 Ohm DT880's, it takes about 70-80% on the volume knob to get good volume for modern mainstream recordings and full volume to enjoy classical recordings (which tend to be much lower volume recordings). The gain can apparently be changed internally, but this is annoying if you switch between different headphones of different impedances.
Overall, I love this amp and powers my home headphone setup. A great option for all except the most frugal shoppers of HiFi devices.
Build/Design
The build quality is very solid; the housing is all metal with a very smooth and clean-looking volume knob. The amp is also quite heavy. The design is very plain however, which is fine, but a little boring.
What really stands out in the design department is the choice of tube socket/settings (WE408A, EF92, and EF95). Both WE408A's and EF95's are very affordable and effective replacements for the unimpressive stock 6JI's. The 6ZH1P-EV Voshkhods for example are available through eBay from Russia or Ukraine for less than 15USD per NOS pair. Another favorite of mine is the GE JAN5654, which I found for 3USD for a NOS pair! If you want to splurge, EF92 Mullards (M8161) are also a great option. But to play devil's advocate, a user on AudioKarma ran some tests on the circuit and concluded that tubes contribute next to nothing to the circuit.
Along the same lines, the op-amp can also be rolled since the LDI+ has a no-solder DIP-8 slot installed rather than a surface mounted or through-hole soldered op-amp. Personally, I think op-amp rolling is a waste of time when comparing op-amps above the 1USD mark. For example, an OPA2134 (~4USD) is hard to distinguished from an OPA2107 (~15USD) or MUSE02 (~30-70USD) but is probably better than the stock, which is worth less than a dollar.
Sound Quality
The sound you get is somewhat dictated by the tube you roll since this hybrid amp does rely on the tubes for color (whereas most of the amplification is done by the solid state components). Whatever tubes you roll however, the sound is very clear and balanced, which is what you want out of an amp barring any coloration you desire from the tubes. Detail is also great on this amp, especially with a good pair of open or semi-open cans like the DT880. Higher impedance headphones also benefit since the output impedance is said to be around 30 Ohms. A quick overview of tube impressions and reviews are available here: http://www.head-fi.org/t/364043/little-dot-i-tube-rolling
The only demerit for this amp is the relatively low power compared to other amps in the price range. For my 250 Ohm DT880's, it takes about 70-80% on the volume knob to get good volume for modern mainstream recordings and full volume to enjoy classical recordings (which tend to be much lower volume recordings). The gain can apparently be changed internally, but this is annoying if you switch between different headphones of different impedances.
Overall, I love this amp and powers my home headphone setup. A great option for all except the most frugal shoppers of HiFi devices.
and extended enough for me to hear stuff I never noticed
before in my favorite music or even the radio.
I'm now up to Beyerdynamic 250ohm DT-880s and the SRH-440.