[wrexican]

Hi guys,
Anyone tried this little fella out yet? Its the Fanmusic MKII Portable Headphone Amplifier.

Heres a link for it : Fanmusic MKII MK2 Portable Headphone Amp Amplifier NEW - eBay Integrated Amplifiers, Amplifiers, Audio, Electronics. (end time 23-Dec-09 19:27:54 AEDST)

Any feedback would be good. Thanks.

 

[G_T_J]

I'm interested in this headphone amp too.Seems solid constructed and it's definetely affordable for any pocket.Any feedback or comments will be highly appreciated!

 

[shinobi00]

it's a copy of another amp. little dot mk2 i think. Search the forum. I can be had for around $89 on ebay.

 

[borrego]

I have one. It is same as the Little Dot Mk1+ standard version (uses single LM4562NA instead of 2 LM49710HA). The Little Dot MK1+ gold version may sound better right out of the box. But the Fanmusic circuit board allow you to solder in a DIP-8 socket later for OPAMP rolling.

Because it uses the LM49600TS as buffers, so it should be reasonably powerful for a 7.4V powered amp. The sound is clear, natural, balance (standard LM4562 sound). The best point is there is absolutely no hiss, even with the TF10 I previously have.

The bad point is you can't use it while charging. It is because there is no charging circuit inside and it just relies on the cut-off chip the battery built-in. If you use it while charging, the auto cut-off chip won't work properly and the battery will just die after a few times because of overcharging. Also there is no indicator for battery being fully charged so you have to time it.

On my copy, the charging cut-off chip inside the battery would behave "a bit weird" after fully charge: You turn on the amp and the LED won't light on and there is a strange noise from the phone (so make sure you earphone is disconnected). You just have to turn off, turn on the amp again, and then the amp would work fine. This weirdness makes me feel uncomfortable to leave the amp charging overnight. Fortunately the amp only need 3hrs to get fully charged and it will run for nearly 20 hours per charge.

Beside the strange battery charging issue, I think it is the best portable amp under $100 (considering other amps in the price range won't even give you a built-in Li battery and auto-cutoff charging). On my copy does have a slight channel imbalance at very low volume (typical issue with potentiometer based volume control)

There are 2 jumpers for you to increase the current for the LM49600TS for it to drive higher impedance cans (with the cost of 1/2 of battery life). I haven't tried it myself as I only have IEMs

 

[purabm]

The picture of inside circuit is misleading, which actually shows LD MKI+ using two metal package LM49710HA op-amps. What they sell on eBay is LD MKI as borrego said single LM4562NA instead.

 

[borrego]

Purabm, the picture you shown is different from my Fanmusic MK2. Mine only got 2 470uF caps and got a pair of LM49600TS

The Fanmusic MK2 is a clone of the LDMK1+. Your picture looks like the LDMK1 with 16.8V supply voltage and 4 470uF caps

 

[adamyackley]

I would have to agree with Borrego on the quality and charging issues on this amp. I bought mine on eBay and works great with my k702's. I have listened to this amp for the last 2 months non-stop at work, and it has been euphoric (the headphones help). One of my major gripes is the headphone plug. Lately, the plug has been moving a bit, causing scratching and balance issues. Since I listen so regularly, I'm considering trading up to another amp.

 

[gimbertt]

I have just received one of these and the sound out of the left side of the headphone seems alright but the right side is so muted as to be barely audible. I am wondering if it could be the same as adamyackley's issue.
 
I have used 2 different players and 3 different headphones. They are answering my emails but are trying to guide me through making sure that I have it plugged in correctly in very rough english. There are only so many ways to plug things in with an an audio in and a phones socket so I feel this is going to be a long process.

 

[clem24]

Just bringing up an old thread...
 
I bought one of these strictly on the price differential: $90 vs. $165 shipped for the LD MK1. 45% off is huge price differential in my books. I have it driving a pair of Shure SRH840. Personally I think it sounds fantastic. It really helps to bring out the low end in these cans, while adding clarity to everything else. After reading borrego's post, I also worry about leaving this thing overnight to charge as I use it strictly at work (I have a LD MKIV SE at home). I'd hate to be responsible for burning the place down but then sometimes I wonder hahaha.. j/k.
 
So my question is.. Does the LD MK1 also behave the same way as well (i.e. the charging issues, no charging indicator, etc..)? Or is this only a quirk of the Fanmusic? Can it be modded to show a charging light or perhaps to allow it to be used while charging?
 
As far as my unit is concerned, I don't notice any channel imbalance, but on my example, the headphone jack for the connection is not as tight as it should be, so it's really for the headphone connector to fall out but mostly stays in. Not an issue for me and a fix is trivial in my mind.

 

[JiggyJones]

Should I get this for my Fischer Audio FA-011s?

 

[MJfromMD]

Fanmusic MKII MK2 Portable Headphone Amp Amplifier
 
I bought one of these to use with my iphone 4 - for music listening, being paired with some fairly-good noise-cancelling headphones. 
 
Overall - I was actually disappointed in the purchase, considering the great specs advertised for this the amp. It seems physically huge in size - and even on the highest gain setting, really doesn't add much volume to my headphones (compared with using them driven only by the iphone itself).
 
Having said that, it DOES seem to preserve the music's fidelity in providing no discernable loss over the spectrum.  The delivered peak volume is adequate for my habits - but barely. I listen to rock music mostly and have measured the comfy level through open air in my living room (with my SP meter) in the 85 - 90 db range. That is just to give you an idea of my preference for loudness, since it is a relative term.
 
The instruction booklet I received with the amp is totally written in Chinese and the only documentation that came with it.
 
I too suspect that the headphone jack may become a problem. At times I noticed that it doesn't take much of a "bump" on the cable to have (1) side, (ch) drop out or conduct intermittently, but it is quickly remedied thus-far by just moving it back to its original plugged-in position. It has not malfunctioned in-use without being "wiggled" or bumped.
 
I was really sold on this amp by comparing specs with others claiming to perform the same task, (the specs are impressive). But as I said, its benefits may not out-weigh the negatives for some people, (size, medicore volume increase, lack of English support).
 
At $89 I believe it too expensive. (Hind sight).