HD600 Amp (v. Littledot mk4/se or Darkvoice 336i/332 or X-Can?)
Jun 29, 2008 at 12:25 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 12

nismohks

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so i want to expand into desktop sized amps.

i dont really have a lot of money to play with, around 350 or so.
initially i wanted a all in one unit with dac and amp, but that is proving to be quite annoying.

so my plan is to pull the trigger on a beresford tc7510 dac and then another amp.

At this stage, i am not aiming to pay a lot (poor uni student) so around 300-350 would be my absolute max. For this price range, i was thinking about hte darkvoice or littledot range.

Which models would be best? i read the darkvoice is generally better than littledot given the same price point, is that right? solid state or tube, it doesnt really matter, but tubes look better :p

Also, how does the X-Can series compare with these amps?

i will be using this with my senn hd600 and sometimes ue sf5p and using my x-fi's optical output to the dac.

Which models should i look at? and decent buying channels for these, especially when i live in australia?

Cheers
 
Jun 29, 2008 at 12:50 AM Post #2 of 12
The Beresford DAC is very good at a great price. I owned a Little Dot and thought it was excellent with my Sennheiser HD650's. Super build quality. From what I gather from this forum, Little Dot or DarkVoice, you would be pleased with either one. If you go with the LD, look at the MKIII; MKIV if you can afford the extra dollars.
 
Jun 29, 2008 at 6:52 AM Post #3 of 12
how would this setup perform compared to a Dared MP5 or Fatman itube?

also which would be better, darkvoice 336i or littledot mk4 normal ?

is the mark4se worth it? or would the darkvoice 332 be a better decision?

thanks
 
Jun 29, 2008 at 1:15 PM Post #4 of 12
As you can see from the discussions in the other threads...

The DV332 is truly exceptional with the Senns!!! In this price range - this would be my choice for Senns.

The X-CANv3 is good also... but the X-CANv8 is better - though the DV332 is better with Senns. But... the X-CANv8 is also exceptional with low impedance phones (e.g. RS-1s, D2000/5000s, AD2000s, etc.).
 
Jun 29, 2008 at 1:49 PM Post #5 of 12
but the x-cans sell for a lot more money than the darkvoice or littledot right?

in terms of price/performance, the 332 u say?

i am not too sure about the cost of the xcans :p
 
Jun 29, 2008 at 6:57 PM Post #7 of 12
Quote:

Originally Posted by nismohks /img/forum/go_quote.gif
but the x-cans sell for a lot more money than the darkvoice or littledot right?

in terms of price/performance, the 332 u say?

i am not too sure about the cost of the xcans :p



Right now there is an excellent deal ($275) for a PinkFloyd modded X-Can V2 in the For Sale Forum. It is a better sounding unit IMO than the V3. If I did not allready have one I would buy the V2. Good luck.
 
Jun 29, 2008 at 7:07 PM Post #8 of 12
Quote:

Originally Posted by nismohks /img/forum/go_quote.gif
but the x-cans sell for a lot more money than the darkvoice or littledot right?

in terms of price/performance, the 332 u say?

i am not too sure about the cost of the xcans :p



At about $420 shipped, or so, I doubt you'll find better price/performance than the DV332 - it compares very closely to the DV337, which compares very closely to the SP Extreme - with Senns... and... it sounds good wtih low impedance phones too.

As far as the X-CANs - they range in price from about $200, to about $300 for the v2 and v3, and about $550 for the v8. I understand the PF modded v2 sounds a bit richer than the v3 - and may well be the best price/performance ratio - I don't know, never heard it.

But... if I were focusing primarily on the Senns... based only on what I've heard (and read)... my choice would be the DV332... if... it were in my budget.
 
Jun 29, 2008 at 7:35 PM Post #9 of 12
MKIVse, I just love the sound and its pretty affordable too.
 
Jun 30, 2008 at 1:16 AM Post #10 of 12
so how does the mkivse, 332 and the xcans compare with each other?

thanks a lot
 
Jun 30, 2008 at 8:15 AM Post #11 of 12
Very little people have been so lucky to own like 2 of those amps. I only know of 'Marchingmule' that he posted that he preferred the MKIVse to the Woo6. I think so few people compare them etc. because you really can't go wrong with any of them.
 
Jun 30, 2008 at 11:50 AM Post #12 of 12
Quote:

Originally Posted by vvanrij /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Very little people have been so lucky to own like 2 of those amps. I only know of 'Marchingmule' that he posted that he preferred the MKIVse to the Woo6. I think so few people compare them etc. because you really can't go wrong with any of them.


hmm... guess i will buy based on availability or price then...

how about changing tubes?

which amp gives more options and also which would cost less in terms of replacement tubes? big benefits of either by tube changing?

reason i ask is because some amps(such as quite a few littledots) come with bad quality stock tubes and should be replaced. just want to budget in a bit of money to facilitate that change :p
 

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