[Groog]

Reading these forums has lead me to believe that buying a Little Dot amp for my DT880s is a good choice.
 
I am thinking about getting either the mkIII or mk IV and am wondering if someone can justify the large price gap between them? Is the mkIV really that good?
 
Also, what is the best way to connect the headphones to a PS3? The PS3 only has an optical out. Obviously I can plug the headphones into the headphone socket on my TV, but I was wondering if there was a more direct solution?
 
Another quick question, I'd like it if the cable from the DT880s was longer (for sitting on my sofa whilst plugged into the TV). Should I get any extender cable or be more careful in my choice?

 

[Groog]

Sorry to bump but can any give any advice?

 

[djdnz]

I've been lurking these forums for quite some time now, and two days ago I pulled the trigger on a set of Beyer DT880 600 ohms.  I'm deciding between the LD MKIII and MKIV as well (the IV SE is definitely out of my price range).  I was actually hoping you would get a response on this thread, as I was asking this exact same question myself.  I actually checked the thread a few times, but figured since it made its way to page two that it was not going to get any responses.
 
I've contacted David of Little-Dot, asking for his opinion of the very same question.  Here is the response I got:

"I do indeed recommend the Little Dot MK III to most users due to it's price/performance value, however if you would prefer to have better sound right from the get-go and not worry about tube rolling, the upgrade to the Little Dot MK IV is definitely something to consider.  You would then not have to worry about upgrading as well.  [...] If you have any other questions or requests, please do not hesitate to ask!"
 
I've read just about every thread I can come across, and there is no clear winner, though not many have listened to both so far as I can tell.  Most people are happy with either, so obviously they will both sound good... but its hard to tell if the $100 price increase is worth it.  Knowing me, I will probably tend to go for the IV just because I'd rather have more than less, and I really don't want to have to upgrade down the road to get just a bit more performance.

 

[amp2xpand]

I have the dt880 (2003) and I purchased the little dot mkIII around the same time. I am really happy with this combo. I don't regret this buy at all. After reading many reviews and comparisons between the mkIII and mkIV, I don't think the mkIV is that much better. Many head-fiers mentioned that the mkIII can sound like the mkIV with just better tubes. Sooner or later a tube amp is going to need new tubes anyways.
 
The little dot mkIII is a great amp though. It sounds good with all my headphones. 

 

[Groog]

I'm glad there is someone else in my position! I am thinking I'll end up with the MKIII as I can't quite justify the extra money for a MKIV. I have been running my DT880s from my Xonar D2X which sounds great. But moving them to the TV showed my how much I need the amp. 
 
Just waiting on David updating his ebay shop, he told me it would be by the end of the working week.
 
As for toslink to RCA would this do the job?
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Digital-Optical-Converter-Cable-Mountain/dp/B001U7ERU6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1287149320&sr=1-1-catcorr
 
It does what I want, I just seems so cheap compared to my other kit and that makes me concerned!!

 

[GreyArea]

Woa!

Might be a bit too late but could you provide a little bit more info? I smell confusion.

If you need to convert from digital toslink optical to digital coaxial optical, that bit of kit off amazon might do the job though I'm just a little confused as to your question.

Are you sure you're not looking for a DAC to convert from digital optical (from a CD player or computer sound card) to Analogue RCA (to go into your Little Dot mk3 or other amp)?

If you are indeed looking to convert Digital to Analogue (DAC) then a whole world of opportunities opens up for you. You could buy anything from the cheap but nice nuForce uDAC (http://www.nuforce.com/hp/products/iconudac/) up to the Benchmark DAC1 (http://www.benchmarkmedia.com/dac/dac1-usb) and maybe beyond to something truly hardcore.

I use an beautiful old DPA Enlightenment DAC hand-built in Wales.

BTW, if you're a fellow Brit (I notice the cheeky amazon.co.uk URL there), then you might find it hard to get hold of some items popular on HeadFi like NuForce products for example. It might be easier to look at Chinese products like maybe the AudioGD range.

Give us a shout if you need any more help.