[evilsword]

Hi guys,
 
I am new here and a noob for headphones.
 
I am currently listening music with my Xonar Essence STX driving the AKG K240 MKII and want to add an amp in between for better SQ. I have narrowed down my choice to Little Dot I+ and Little Dot MKIII.
 
I would like to seek some advices from you experts here:
 
1.) Would an amp such as LDI+ or LDMKIII increase greatly the SQ from the k240 MKII?
 
2.) Which amp is better fot the k240? I am leaning on the MKIII but some posts here say the LDI+ is better for the low impedance  HPs. The k240's impedance is 55 Ohms
 
Thanks in advance

 

[vizzle]

I'm currently running AKG K240 MKII with Fiio e7 and bothering me the same question:

Which amp is better fot the k240? I am leaning on the MKIII but some posts here say the LDI+ is better for the low impedance HPs. The k240's impedance is 55 Ohms

Can anyone help or add something?

 

[shipsupt]

I don't have any MKIII listening experience, and I've not heard the K240, and I've not listened with the E7... Perhaps I'm the wrong guy to answer at all, but I'll add what I can about the LD I+
 
It does do well with low impedence headphones.  I think it's a great performer for the money and I do beleive you'd notice a signifcant improvement of SQ by adding one downstream of your sound card.
 
55 ohms is on the low side, and from my experience the I+ hybrid design does do well with low impedence headphones.  I would add though, that I've been pleasantly surprised at how the LD handles my Orthos's and high impedence cans.  It may not be ideal, but it's quite versitile.  There are some trade offs, for instance I find my the highs on my HD600's tend to get shrill and harsh, especially with certain tubes rolled in... but I've been really happy with how the HE-5LE's sound.  Grado's love this little amp.  My point it that you shouldn't think of the I+ as being a one headphone amp. 
 
Op amp and tube rolling may seem intimidating at first, but it's really easy and it gives you the opportunity to fine tune the amp for the headphones, music, etc... you are using.  Fun stuff, you can customize.
 
I'm sure others will have more information the other kit you asked about.
 
 

 

[vizzle]

Good to hear about LD I+. I read on many sites that the tube amp is not good with low impedance headphone-s, but can find reason. It's definitely not power output:

LD mkIII spec:
300 mW @ 120 oh
100 mW @ 32 ohm

With e7 AKG k240 mkII play quite nice (compared to my previous setup), but i think they can much better. Now sound is not as clean as I want it to be. Sometimes I can hear something like extra noise, when guitar, drum seem to sound note+"shhh". It's like sound is to "sharp"...

 

[shipsupt]

Part of the reason the LD I+ does well with low impedance is that it's a hybrid amplifier which combines SS and tubes.

 

[drandall]

I wouldn't think that a OTL tube amp like the MK III would be the ideal choice for headphones with a 55 ohm impedance. a solid state or hybrid amp is probably a better fit.
 
i might also consider dumping the PCI-based audio card all together and going with a USB DAC/AMP combo like the audinst MX1, uDAC2 or yulong u100.
 
for a bit more money, you could even do a dedicated USB DAC like the HRT music streamer II ($149)  and combine that with the little dot 1+ hybrid amp ($129)
 
 
this is just my opinion...but if the sound out of your soundcard (and its internal amp)  isn't blowing your hair back...i'm not sure how much improvement you'll get from re-amping it. yes, it'll be louder but i can't imagine the improvement would be as great as if you use an outboard DAC. perhaps other people can speak to this point.

 

[vizzle]

I want to thank you so much for the help and advice you have shared with me. Now I need to consider what amp to buy, choice was limited to Fiio e9 vs LD I+. I use Fiio e7 as DAC right now. Thank you once again.

 

[shipsupt]

That may play into your decision since the e7 fits so nicely with the E9... You'd already have your DAC.

 

[vizzle]

Yhep that's why i consider E9 beside I+

 

[thecansmancan]

Is the e9 not a DAC? I know the e7 is. So is there not some redundancy there or how does that work exactly? 

 

[ebjred]

E9 is the amp for desktop. e7 is a portable amp and dac. There is a slot for the e7 on the e9 which I think might connect the e7 to the e9, not sure as I don't own either of them.
 

 

[thecansmancan]

i checked with a guy on youtube who has them. What i founnd out was that the e9 is not a dac, just an amp. The e17 has a slot (just like an ipod) and the e17 sits on the e9 to function as the dac. I assume the two talk to each other so that its not double amp, because ive heard this isnt preferable.