[EnsisTheSlayer]

Hi everyone! I'm a new and budding audio enthusiast who wants to get into the realm of tubes. I had the chance to audition a cheap (non-audiophile) turntable on my HD558s, and ended up really liking the mellower and non-fatiguing and interesting distorted sound (although I somewhat wish there was more bass). Since then my ears have had time to mature more as I auditioned other headphones at the Magnolia section at my local Best Buy (most notably P7s, Crossfade 2s, MH30s, and MDR-1As) and my cousin's HE-400Is and K7XXs, and now more than ever I'm interested in trying the world of tubes to see what they're like, and how similar or unique they are to how I remember vinyl sounding.

SO that brought me to the Little Dot 1+ and MK2, since the Vali 2 is criticized for sounding too similar to solid-state and I can't find anyone selling any Darkvoices new, and Ebay listings are still significantly more expensive than the Little Dots I mentioned. So that lead me to the Little Dot 1+ and MK2 (which I unfortunately just missed on Massdrop for a really sweet price), however the only thread I can find comparing how the two is from like 2010 and while I did find some really interesting information about how the 1+ would be better for easier to drive cans while the MK2 being an OTL amp would be better for harder to drive HPs, I still didn't get anything on how they sounded compared to each other. One of the people on that thread admitted to owning both though, so that's why I'm making this post hoping people who own or have heard both can come in and explain the differences in sound between the two, or else I'd just be using my own intuition.

If the MK2 is noticeably "tubier" or more unique sounding, then I'll go with that, but if they don't sound too different then I'll go with the 1+ since the only full-sized cans I own of any significance are the HD558s and Status CB-1s which are both easier to drive. Or if there are other tube amps in the $100-200 price range you think I should consider then I'd also love any help in that regard. Thanks to everyone who helps, if I do get a response that is.

 

[PurpleAngel]

My two cents and humble opinion.
For the headphones you have, the LD 1+ seems like the better choice, the LD 1+ being designed to drive lower impedance (ohm) headphones, to deliver the power in a way the diaphragms in the cups of the (lower Ohm) headphones resond well to (less voltage, more current).
Where as pure OTL tube are more about lots of voltage (and maybe less current?) for hard to drive (higher Ohm) headphones.

 

[EnsisTheSlayer]

My two cents and humble opinion.
For the headphones you have, the LD 1+ seems like the better choice, the LD 1+ being designed to drive lower impedance (ohm) headphones, to deliver the power in a way the diaphragms in the cups of the (lower Ohm) headphones resond well to (less voltage, more current).
Where as pure OTL tube are more about lots of voltage (and maybe less current?) for hard to drive (higher Ohm) headphones.

Thanks for the recommendation, you've always been a big help in my previous threads. Regarding sound, do you think the MK2 would have a more "tuby" sound than the 1+, with it being a non-hybrid vs a hybrid amplifier?

 

[herrsmith]

Here's a discussion of the effect high output impedance can have on low input impedance headphones. I can't find any specs, but OTL (output transformerless) amps tend to have quite high output impedance, which will cause the problems mentioned in the link. Additionally, as the other comment says, low impedance cans that do not have an electrical resonance (i.e. basically planar magnetic) will not receive as much power as they would from a similarly powered solid state amp because the lower current output of tubes. So, even though there might be more of a "tube" sound from the Mk2, it's not what you want unless you're driving higher input impedance headphones because it causes other problems.

 

[PurpleAngel]

Here's a discussion of the effect high output impedance can have on low input impedance headphones. I can't find any specs, but OTL (output transformerless) amps tend to have quite high output impedance, which will cause the problems mentioned in the link. Additionally, as the other comment says, low impedance cans that do not have an electrical resonance (i.e. basically planar magnetic) will not receive as much power as they would from a similarly powered solid state amp because the lower current output of tubes. So, even though there might be more of a "tube" sound from the Mk2, it's not what you want unless you're driving higher input impedance headphones because it causes other problems.

+1

 

[PurpleAngel]

Thanks for the recommendation, you've always been a big help in my previous threads. Regarding sound, do you think the MK2 would have a more "tuby" sound than the 1+, with it being a non-hybrid vs a hybrid amplifier?

Saying you want a "tubier" sound might be too generic a term for giving you a constuctive answer, as different tubes sound different from other tubes.
I guess you could say different tubes add different tweaks to the sound.
On head-Fi, switching tubes on the head amp is referred to a Tube Rolling.

 

[EnsisTheSlayer]

Here's a discussion of the effect high output impedance can have on low input impedance headphones. I can't find any specs, but OTL (output transformerless) amps tend to have quite high output impedance, which will cause the problems mentioned in the link. Additionally, as the other comment says, low impedance cans that do not have an electrical resonance (i.e. basically planar magnetic) will not receive as much power as they would from a similarly powered solid state amp because the lower current output of tubes. So, even though there might be more of a "tube" sound from the Mk2, it's not what you want unless you're driving higher input impedance headphones because it causes other problems.

Okay, I'm convinced on the 1+ now. The fact that the HPs I own now are all low impedence and easy to drive cans, and that I'm considering getting T50RP MK3s (or the Talos 2s when they come out) which are planar, I think the 1+ would be a much better choice for me. Thank you for taking the time to explain the pros and cons of each!

 

[Moak]

Does anyone have experience with the Little Dot 1+ and the Little Dot MKII?
Do they sound identical?

I have an MKII and it's fantastic. I do a bit of tube rolling and listen a lot with an HD800 and a Grado GH2.
Does it make sense to buy an LD 1+ as well? I've read that Burson offers opamp rolling options for the LD 1+.
This isn't available for the MKII.