First tube amp experience
Dec 14, 2008 at 12:58 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 34

koruki

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After some bad experience with a Zero DAC, I ditched it and ordered a Little Dot MK-III from a reputable dealer in Australia.

Been checking the tracking everyday to see where the package is up to, and didnt check yesterday as I was striping down a system case for mods. Had a bit of time in evening to check and saw it has been delivered, so I sprinted down to apartment reception to pick it up. Hooked everything up but only got a min of listening before I had a friends bday dinner to attend.

didnt make it home til about 5am wasted, quickly sat down to do some listening and couldnt take the headphones off til about 6am! first thing after waking up listening again as I type this thread.

WOW! listening to some of my all time favorites songs I've heard hundreds of times before, I noticed so many notes and tunes I've never picked up before. I'm now already 30 mins late to my next appointment LOL! This is gotta cause problems in the long run!

anyway just thought I'd share my experiences with many of you which probably know what exactly what I am talking about.
 
Dec 14, 2008 at 1:56 AM Post #2 of 34
Congrats. I'm enjoying my tube amp also. It's been good enough to keep me happy for 3 years now. Imagine that.

I'm the same way, I've lost too many hours due to just one more song
smily_headphones1.gif
 
Dec 14, 2008 at 4:48 AM Post #3 of 34
DITTO - only have had my LD MK III for a couple of days - not even burned-in, but LOVIN' it. What an amazing amp and what a perfect addition to my HD 580's .... I really need to get some sleep....

Quote:

Originally Posted by koruki /img/forum/go_quote.gif
After some bad experience with a Zero DAC, I ditched it and ordered a Little Dot MK-III from a reputable dealer in Australia.

Been checking the tracking everyday to see where the package is up to, and didnt check yesterday as I was striping down a system case for mods. Had a bit of time in evening to check and saw it has been delivered, so I sprinted down to apartment reception to pick it up. Hooked everything up but only got a min of listening before I had a friends bday dinner to attend.

didnt make it home til about 5am wasted, quickly sat down to do some listening and couldnt take the headphones off til about 6am! first thing after waking up listening again as I type this thread.

WOW! listening to some of my all time favorites songs I've heard hundreds of times before, I noticed so many notes and tunes I've never picked up before. I'm now already 30 mins late to my next appointment LOL! This is gotta cause problems in the long run!

anyway just thought I'd share my experiences with many of you which probably know what exactly what I am talking about.



 
Dec 14, 2008 at 5:49 AM Post #5 of 34
congrats on your new tube amp! your story reminds of mine when I first bought my tube amp/speaker amp combo. just loved it.
 
Dec 14, 2008 at 7:15 AM Post #6 of 34
Congrats! Have you started shopping for "extra" tubes yet? Just so you know, spares have a way of taking over drawers and, eventually, closet space.
 
Dec 14, 2008 at 8:52 AM Post #7 of 34
Thanks for the comments guys. I had a question about tubes, being a computer hardware enthusiast, I was wondering if it would be worthwhile or even be sensible to have a low dB system fan cooling the tubes as I know they get quite warm.

Random thought lol
 
Dec 14, 2008 at 9:21 AM Post #8 of 34
Quote:

Originally Posted by koruki /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Thanks for the comments guys. I had a question about tubes, being a computer hardware enthusiast, I was wondering if it would be worthwhile or even be sensible to have a low dB system fan cooling the tubes as I know they get quite warm.

Random thought lol



Should be no need. My DV is warm too. I remembered the DV maker says that it is ok. Unless you are saying that the climate in your area is hot. If I am in a cold country, I would appreciate my amp even more. No need to use heater. But that is besides the point.
 
Dec 14, 2008 at 2:23 PM Post #9 of 34
Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncle Erik /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Congrats! Have you started shopping for "extra" tubes yet? Just so you know, spares have a way of taking over drawers and, eventually, closet space.


They sure do, don't they
biggrin.gif
 
Dec 14, 2008 at 3:42 PM Post #10 of 34
Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncle Erik /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Congrats! Have you started shopping for "extra" tubes yet? Just so you know, spares have a way of taking over drawers and, eventually, closet space.


Wow, I thought my little box of tubes was bad enough! I guess I have to shop for more tubes now!
biggrin.gif


Anyway, welcome to the wonderful world of tubes!
 
Dec 14, 2008 at 8:42 PM Post #12 of 34
Congrats! Little Dot amps are great and a nice way to introduce people to the sound of tubes.

Tubes are not for everyone's personal taste but the great thing about Little Dot is that for newbies, you can try to experiment with the tube sound from Little Dot with a little price.

My first tube headphone amp was a Little Dot and I loved it. It's a great fun way to enjoy music. Enjoy your new toy!

Just becareful about upgraditis. The tube amp hobby really can attack your wallet once you really get into it.
 
Dec 15, 2008 at 7:29 PM Post #14 of 34
Tubes ... another boy gone bad !!

There i was thinking 'how much can tubes really change the characteristic sound?' the answer was 'alot!'.

Already filled 1 drawer with spares ... need one of those merchant chests with lots of drawers.

Enjoy your new found bliss, we can sleep when we're dead.
 
Dec 15, 2008 at 8:08 PM Post #15 of 34
Quote:

Originally Posted by koruki /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Thanks for the comments guys. I had a question about tubes, being a computer hardware enthusiast, I was wondering if it would be worthwhile or even be sensible to have a low dB system fan cooling the tubes as I know they get quite warm.

Random thought lol



They're designed to operate at those temperatures and it's usually best to cool them passively.

However, I don't recommend putting a fan near your setup. Electric motors are notorious for throwing off RF noise. Your cables, amp, etc. can pick up the RF like an antenna, which will inject noise into your setup. You're better off running your setup away from electric motors, dimmer switches, fluorescent lights, and computer power supplies.
 

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