nauxolo
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Is the excite profit better than the low?
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Little Dot I+ Tube Rolling
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hottyson
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Some people might find certain 408a tubes sound great with certain headphones. The Little Dot I+ with 408a won't beat some really expensive amplifiers but it does very well for the little money that it costs. For those looking for an inexpensive amplifier it may do the job well enough.
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What headphone are you using with it?
Is the op-amp still the one that comes stock with the Little Dot I+?
The stock Little Dot I+ without any tube or op-amp upgrade sounds very good with my Sony MDR-CD780 and my Koss KSC75. After upgrading the tubes and op-amp the amp sounds better with my Grado SR225 but with the Koss KSC75 it lost it's magic.
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The jumpers settings from the factory are good to go for the 408a but you still have to slide two internal switches. It is fairly simple to do and it is well documented in the manual. Follow the directions and you should be okay.
| Originally Posted by nauxolo /img/forum/go_quote.gif So the 408a series seems to be the best tubes of all for this headphone amp? (davidzhezhe has them listed as his most expensive tube option) |
Some people might find certain 408a tubes sound great with certain headphones. The Little Dot I+ with 408a won't beat some really expensive amplifiers but it does very well for the little money that it costs. For those looking for an inexpensive amplifier it may do the job well enough.
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| Originally Posted by nauxolo /img/forum/go_quote.gif I currently have the stock tubes i bought from Davidzhezhe on eBay, and to say the least.. it's not THAT impressive so far. Granted, I'm still 'burning in' the tubes, but we'll see... |
What headphone are you using with it?
Is the op-amp still the one that comes stock with the Little Dot I+?
The stock Little Dot I+ without any tube or op-amp upgrade sounds very good with my Sony MDR-CD780 and my Koss KSC75. After upgrading the tubes and op-amp the amp sounds better with my Grado SR225 but with the Koss KSC75 it lost it's magic.
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| Originally Posted by nauxolo /img/forum/go_quote.gif If my tubes are the 6JI, do I have to change any jumper settings/gain settings for the 408a tubes? |
The jumpers settings from the factory are good to go for the 408a but you still have to slide two internal switches. It is fairly simple to do and it is well documented in the manual. Follow the directions and you should be okay.
nauxolo
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What if the annual revolution ate the party?
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928GTS
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Don't be so dead set on 408's much less a particular brand of them, there are a wide variety of tubes you can roll for this amp.
hottyson
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I don't know which tube you will like best. Different strokes for different folks.
I don't recall exactly how much I paid but the Sylvania Gold Brand 408a were much more expensive than my Western Electric 408a. If I recall correctly, a pair of Sylvania Gold Brand 408a sell for around $90 plus shipping for BIN on eBay. However, if you find a bidding auction for the Sylvania Gold Brand 408a on eBay I think the bids start at half of that, something like $45 plus $8 shipping.
I have some extra Sylvania Gold Brand 408a. I will put them up for sale in the for sale section just in case you or someone else are interested.
| Originally Posted by nauxolo /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yupyup, still the stock op-amp. I'm using the Grado RS-1 with it. Still recommend the Sylvania 408a? It's pretty expensive for a tube, or maybe i just didn't find the right place to buy it. How much was your set? |
I don't know which tube you will like best. Different strokes for different folks.
I don't recall exactly how much I paid but the Sylvania Gold Brand 408a were much more expensive than my Western Electric 408a. If I recall correctly, a pair of Sylvania Gold Brand 408a sell for around $90 plus shipping for BIN on eBay. However, if you find a bidding auction for the Sylvania Gold Brand 408a on eBay I think the bids start at half of that, something like $45 plus $8 shipping.
I have some extra Sylvania Gold Brand 408a. I will put them up for sale in the for sale section just in case you or someone else are interested.
928GTS
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You should need to pay $90 a pair for these tubes,you can find perfectly good pairs for $20-40. Some people are out to gouge and you've got to keep watch out for them.
cristox
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I bought my matched pair sylvania gold brand 408a from trapper32 here on Head-Fi for MUCH less than 90$.
Maybe you can send him a pm and/or search the sell/buy/trade forum for his offer...hope he is having some more sets.
Edit: http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f44/fs...ld-1-a-384131/
Maybe you can send him a pm and/or search the sell/buy/trade forum for his offer...hope he is having some more sets.
Edit: http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f44/fs...ld-1-a-384131/
nauxolo
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Did the massive hate really regret the war?
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intoart
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I am not much into spending a lot of money and time trying many different tubes. I would much rather take advantage of the knowledge and experience on this forum to buy the best tubes the first time.
So, what are the best tubes to use with this amp and DT770 Pro 80s? (My top priorities are soundstage, tight bass, and a top-end that is more smooth than bright.)
So, what are the best tubes to use with this amp and DT770 Pro 80s? (My top priorities are soundstage, tight bass, and a top-end that is more smooth than bright.)
electropop
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Well, if the sound characteristics i noticed changing on my sr325i's, AD2000's and HD25-1's when swapping tubes, should apply to your beyers as well, i'd recommend some of the 408-family. GE408A's are rather cheap: not much soundstage, good dynamics, highs prominent but smoother than in ss-amps, controlled bass but not so full, quite transparent for tubes. WE408A's gave an even smoother presentation that was flatter, more open and engaging but losing in dynamics and sparkle. Great soundstage.
6J1's after these sound muffled with plenty of bass (one note -bass) and everything else just seems laid back.
I'm getting sylvian 408's soon and they've been, at least here, hogging all the praise. I've got my hopes up
Some Russian military tubes should also sound rather good, not sure how though.
-K
| Originally Posted by intoart /img/forum/go_quote.gif I am not much into spending a lot of money and time trying many different tubes. I would much rather take advantage of the knowledge and experience on this forum to buy the best tubes the first time. So, what are the best tubes to use with this amp and DT770 Pro 80s? (My top priorities are soundstage, tight bass, and a top-end that is more smooth than bright.) |
Well, if the sound characteristics i noticed changing on my sr325i's, AD2000's and HD25-1's when swapping tubes, should apply to your beyers as well, i'd recommend some of the 408-family. GE408A's are rather cheap: not much soundstage, good dynamics, highs prominent but smoother than in ss-amps, controlled bass but not so full, quite transparent for tubes. WE408A's gave an even smoother presentation that was flatter, more open and engaging but losing in dynamics and sparkle. Great soundstage.
6J1's after these sound muffled with plenty of bass (one note -bass) and everything else just seems laid back.
I'm getting sylvian 408's soon and they've been, at least here, hogging all the praise. I've got my hopes up
Some Russian military tubes should also sound rather good, not sure how though.
-K
intoart
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Can I tell anything about quality from price? Will a $50 pair of tubes sound better than a $10 pair?
HippieTom
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Not if you dont like the sound sig....
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I totally agree....Instead of swapping from Sylvania, GE, WE 408s etc., try some EF91, 92 and 95 and all their variants. There are so many different tubes you can roll with this amp, why just settle for one family?
| Originally Posted by 928GTS /img/forum/go_quote.gif Don't be so dead set on 408's much less a particular brand of them, there are a wide variety of tubes you can roll for this amp. |
I totally agree....Instead of swapping from Sylvania, GE, WE 408s etc., try some EF91, 92 and 95 and all their variants. There are so many different tubes you can roll with this amp, why just settle for one family?
nauxolo
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Is the complete penalty better than the drunk?
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Expensive? The most expensive tubes for this amp are the Sylvania Gold 408A, at the moment. When the sellers figured out they were good and everybody started buying them, their prices skyrocketed. Just like the 6SN7 tube did, now some of those prices are triple than any 408A. It just takes a little bit of research and patience.
I have bought quads of EF91, 92 for $30.00. I have 2 amps that use the EF91 & 92, so buying quads pays off for me. On the same token, a couple of months ago I bought a lot of 25 6AK5, 5654, 6096 etc. for $25.00. The EF95 tube is not expensive at all, if you check periodically.
After a bit of research, I settled for a pair of CBS Hytron 6AK5W for my SR 225s. It gives them that bit of warmth they needed. I bought that quad for $19.99.
| Originally Posted by nauxolo /img/forum/go_quote.gif because they are expensive! well, if i dont like these sylvania 408a that i purchased from some overstock guy, i'll try the other families. |
Expensive? The most expensive tubes for this amp are the Sylvania Gold 408A, at the moment. When the sellers figured out they were good and everybody started buying them, their prices skyrocketed. Just like the 6SN7 tube did, now some of those prices are triple than any 408A. It just takes a little bit of research and patience.
I have bought quads of EF91, 92 for $30.00. I have 2 amps that use the EF91 & 92, so buying quads pays off for me. On the same token, a couple of months ago I bought a lot of 25 6AK5, 5654, 6096 etc. for $25.00. The EF95 tube is not expensive at all, if you check periodically.
After a bit of research, I settled for a pair of CBS Hytron 6AK5W for my SR 225s. It gives them that bit of warmth they needed. I bought that quad for $19.99.
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