Anyone ever head of Little Dot amplifiers? I stumbled across a company on ebay (orpheansound) that makes them, and was wondering if anyone here knows anything about these. They also make another amp called the Darkvoice THA336. Both these amps hail from China, and are reasonably priced. Any thoughts or opinions?
Do a search and you'll find lots of posts. I picked up a LD II on ebay and am enjoying it. I guess there were some quality control problems with initial runs, but I haven't had any problems. I replaced the cheap power cord with a Zu, though.
Also, this will be my first time with a tube amp - So I was wondering, how does one start investigating the upgrade path with regards to tubes? Any sites where I could look which would inform me that Tubes X, Y and Z would work well with the LDI as they make the amp do........
I think that most any decent cable will do; the stock cable is of rather low quality. I bought a male end and IEC from cryo-parts and used 6 feet of 12 guage wire with excellent and low cost results. As for tubes there are limited options. You might want to give the unit a hundred hours or so before you decide if upgrades are necessary.
I have the little dot 2 as well, and its a great tube amp. Hopefully if i am able to win the tha336 auction, i can review both amps and report back to you guys on how it sounds.
I am looking for a decent, inexpensive headamp for home-use; to use with my Grado 125's. I recently stumbled-upon the Little Dots on ebay, and thought one of these might be a nice way to augment my cans. Can you tell me?...how is the bass-response on your Little Dot-2? I like good, tight bass; with a hint of tube warmth/plumbiness in the top/bottom ends of the frequency extremes. My listening tastes range from rock/pop/rap, to blues and jazz.
I'm sure it would perform well with my favourite Blue Note, Canonball Adderly CD...but how well does it work with rock?
Originally Posted by courierdriver That would be great, aznsenzian!
I am looking for a decent, inexpensive headamp for home-use; to use with my Grado 125's. I recently stumbled-upon the Little Dots on ebay, and thought one of these might be a nice way to augment my cans. Can you tell me?...how is the bass-response on your Little Dot-2? I like good, tight bass; with a hint of tube warmth/plumbiness in the top/bottom ends of the frequency extremes. My listening tastes range from rock/pop/rap, to blues and jazz.
I'm sure it would perform well with my favourite Blue Note, Canonball Adderly CD...but how well does it work with rock?
Actually, the little dot 2 works quite well with rock. I used to own the grado hf-1 and when paired up with the little dot 2, i felt it sounded intimate and smooth. It took off some of the edgyness that i felt the hf1 exhibited with certain solid state amps. I listen to a variety of music ranging from hard rock to jazz and classical and imo, the ld2 performs nicely with all genres. The bass may not be as tight as a solid state amp, but it fills in the spectrum really nicely. Imho, the little dot 2 sounds alot like a hybrid because it doesnt exhibit overtly emphasized warmth in sound and its not extremely detailed as a solid state amp. It kinda falls in between and sounds really sweet. Paired up with my akgs, im in audio bliss. It may not be the best tube amp in the world, but for the price it performs well above it. Oh, and the ebay link with ja audio is another distributer of ld2 amps, so basically its the same amp. Not a rip off, the seller just blurred the actual name.
The LD2 sounds like it may fit in well with my gear. I totally understand what you mean about the sound being a hybrid-cross, between tube and solid-state. That is precisely what I'm looking to achieve. I'm not a full blown Tubehead; but I can't help but be impressed with some of the "toobsound" I experienced at Consumer Electronics Shows (and in high end audio shops) in past years.
Over the past many years; I have had the opportunity to listen to some very impressive set-ups, using tube amps, preamps, and tubed CD sources; from respected names like BAT, Blue Circle Audio, Cary, Mesa, and Sonic Frontiers. I have to say, that the one that stuck out most, was Sonic Frontiers. I always admired their ability to sound smooth and detailed in the midrange and trebel, while maintaining deep (yet well controlled) bass.
I guess that's the sound I'm looking for in my headphone system, too. Thanks for the info on JA Audio, too. I was wondering about that. I think I'll probably just go with the LD2 guy, from Toronto. Cheaper shipping, I think.
My Little Dot 1 showed up the other day and I just had a quick question.
All seems to be functioning OK, but the two front tubes stay cold and the rear tubes are slightly warm (after three or so hours use). I get a very dim light you can just about make out from the tubes in a dark room, my father thinks its faulty but I'm new to all this.
Would you say the LD1 is OK (this is how they are), or would you think somethings up with it?
I would consider the LD2 to try with my 701's, unless anyone knows of a better tube amp in the same price range available to the UK?
According to the official Little Dot forum (www.little-tube.com), the tubes they used don't glow. That was my biggest disappointment when I received my LD2
.
The front tubes also stay cold on my amp ; my guess is that it's how it's supposed to be.
This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
