[KettyKrueger]

Hi all,

In my first voyage into better sound, I just took delivery of a Little Dot MKIII. I'm using this with my Mac Mini and HD448's.

After a couple of hours of use, I'm quiet embarrassed to say that I can't tell a difference! I've done some quick A-B testing, using a splitter, and the only noticeable difference between using the same headphones and the Mac, and the same combo with the LD is the volume.

Is this likely to be down to:

1-my cheap headphones
2-the Mac/internal DAC
3-my old ears (well 31 yo ears)
4-something else.

Should I return the LD if I can't tell a difference or do I need to make further upgrades?

Sorry for the noob questions, I just want better audio.

Thanks.

 

[NA Blur]

The first thing to grab when dabbling into new audio gear is almost always a new set of cans/speakers.  Upgrading said headphones/speakers is certainly a great way to get more out of your current rig and test its limits.  If you can afford it keep the LD around because you may want it when you upgrade to a less sensitive headphone or one that requires better control of the drivers like the Denon AH-D2000, HE-500, or LCD-2 for example.  Those headphones really shine with a good amp.
 
If you wish to return the LD please list what you want from a headphone and your budget.  We would be glad to suggest headphones that should be an improvement over what you currently have.

 

[KettyKrueger]

Thanks for the reply.

So my headphones are the reason really?

Do you think they'll be much difference after some burn in of the tubes?

It was always my intention to buy different headphones, just wasn't expecting to so quickly!

 

[skyline315]

Quote:

Thanks for the reply.
So my headphones are the reason really?
Do you think they'll be much difference after some burn in of the tubes?
It was always my intention to buy different headphones, just wasn't expecting to so quickly!

 
Headphones and DAC.  I'm not overly familiar with the dac on mac computers, but I would guess that they aren't as good as what you would get with an external solution...

 

[NA Blur]

The DAC inside a MAC is actually quite good and the audio processing in a MAC is less involved than a Windows based machine.  I did extensive testing with my Ultra Desktop Amp/DAC via Windows and MAC based operating systems and the MAC always outperformed the PC.
 
Burning the amp/DAC in will not improve the sound magically.  The same goes for headphones.  Perhaps you may hear slight variations in a headphone because the driver is physically moving, but an amp/DAC is not going to improve over time.  In fact Tyll has shown some evidence of burn in with headphones, but it is so slight that it is barely audible.  I am talking +/- 2dB at most in at a particular frequency.  If someone claims that a headphone is going to drastically change or get better with burn in they are probably selling you something and not offering an objective point of view.
 
An amp and a DAC should be extremely transparent.  They should take the digital signal say on a CD and be able to process it into an amplified analog signal that your headphones can use without introducing or subtracting anything.  Expecting an amp or DAC to do otherwise is a bit far-fetched.
 
That of course does not imply that an amp or DAC will not help improve the sound.  Let us say you have a poor DAC chip and a very noisy amp.  The signal from your CD is going to suffer degradation due to these poor components.  By the time the signal arrives at your headphone drivers there is no hope in retaining the original shape, amplitude, and frequency characteristics of the original signal.  That is how audio processing works.  A good amp and DAC will simply allow the original signal to be fully present.  If a bad amp / DAC trims the bass by dropping the low frequencies for example then the gear will affect the sound.  This is often misconstrued as helping the signal, but in actuality is just allowing the signal to not be affected by the gear.  So in actuality an amp/DAC should give you better reproduction of the original signal, not improve upon it.
 
A headphone on the other hand is what actually produces the sound waves.  It is the single most influential piece of gear because the technology directly changes the sound.  That is why I recommend new or different headphones.

 

[alv4426]

Yeah I think its the headphones too. When I had the LDMKiii it really only sounded good with my DT880 600ohm (my only high impedance can). It actually sound worse to me with my M50s than straight out of my MBP.

 

[hodgjy]

There is a lot of opinion on this, and it's quite controversial.  Some say amping makes no difference, it's all in the cans.  Some say amping makes a huge difference regardless of cans.  I think it lies somewhere in the middle.
 
My take is that some headphones scale very well with amping, whereas others don't.  If you have a set of scalable cans, then adding better amps let's the cans meet their potential.  Some cans will sound the same out of a $2 tape walkman as they do out of a $5000 tube amp.
 

 

[Currawong]

My very first experiences on Head-Fi were like this, though with far more expensive headphones. As has already been suggested, I'd start with getting better headphones first.  Choose them depending on the kind of music you like. 
 
I wouldn't say that an amp is going to improve the quality of a MacBook Pro's headphone socket. Thankfully recently a number of devices have come out, both DACs and amps (combined or separate) that will give a significant improvement for $250-300.

 

[wilyodysseus]

Percentage-wise, what's your normal listening level from your computer? If your computer gives sufficient volume, and you don't notice any distortion, the benefits you'll get from an amp with those headphones will be at best subtle.

So, if I were you, I'd either return the amp, or keep it and obsessively start shopping for a though-to-drive pair of headphones that need the amp. And we both know what forum we're on....

 

[Spareribs]

Hmm....A tube amp like the Little Dot should sound noticeably different. I used to have a cheaper model of the Little Dot and even with cheap headphones, I could still hear the difference and it was very obvious. I'm not claiming that I have golden ears though. Try some more listening or perhaps change headphones. The difference should be obvious. If you can't hear the difference, don't worry. Just get rid of it and stick to the basics of plugging in and enjoy the music. After all, it's the music that matters most.

 

[Mr.Tom]

Your the first to be honest enough to come right out with it! There is no difference between amps or Cans, it's just a sickness! Get out why you can, or some months from now you'll be talking about 99.9999% copper interconnects, and how it sounds sooooo much better than Silver.
 
 
 
Quote:

Hi all,
In my first voyage into better sound, I just took delivery of a Little Dot MKIII. I'm using this with my Mac Mini and HD448's.
After a couple of hours of use, I'm quiet embarrassed to say that I can't tell a difference! I've done some quick A-B testing, using a splitter, and the only noticeable difference between using the same headphones and the Mac, and the same combo with the LD is the volume.
Is this likely to be down to:
1-my cheap headphones
2-the Mac/internal DAC
3-my old ears (well 31 yo ears)
4-something else.
Should I return the LD if I can't tell a difference or do I need to make further upgrades?
Sorry for the noob questions, I just want better audio.
Thanks.

 

[Lorspeaker]

http://www.compudio.ca/2007/06/little-dot-mk-iii-exclusive-review.html
 
i had this amp before, its versatile, there are a few gain switches beneath the amp..  alot of potential.
basically airy, lean and wide soundstage using stock cable..
can be improved, made to sound more beefy n punchy with a good powercord.
 
i would recommend an external dac...
and ripping your cds in lossless formats...if u havent done so.
 
=========
 
the can u have...err its headfi here...everybody switches cans FAST..and the wallets open every minute somewhere in the world..
u better get use to it.
nevermind, just buy the latest denon d7100. that should settle the matter.

 

[Armaegis]

Quote:

Your the first to be honest enough to come right out with it! There is no difference between amps or Cans, it's just a sickness! Get out why you can, or some months from now you'll be talking about 99.9999% copper interconnects, and how it sounds sooooo much better than Silver.

 
So true. If you can't hear the difference, count your lucky stars. Sell the stuff you don't need, sit back and enjoy what you have. Leave the rest of us to our delusions of golden ears where we listen to the equipment rather than the music being played 

 

[NimbleTurtle]

A tube amp should sound different, for good or for worse. Maybe you should upgrade your headphones first before and see if the amp makes a noticeable difference. Some headphones do naturally show a big improvement with amps (Q701, HD 650) mainly because they are either a) insensitive: lacking in volume  b) high impedance: need much more voltage to work the drivers. Low impedance cans like your sennheisers do benefit as well of course, since they need more current than voltage. Have you noticed any tightening of the bass at all? 

 

[TwoEars]

Quote:

 
Headphones and DAC. 

x2
 
Sorry to say it but if your headphones aren't up to it you won't notice anything special.
 
Cheap headphones are easy to drive and require no amp.
 
Better headphones typically benefit from amplification.
 
And if the signal is crap to begin with you're out of luck anyway.
 
Sorry but that's the harsh truth.