[SolidSnake3]

Ok well like the title says I'm considering buying either the Little Dot I+ or the II. I know that the I+ is especially good for lower imp cans like Grado for example while supposedly the II can handle anywhere from low to high according to the little dot site.

It seems to be like the II can do both lower*grade* and high*Beyer* ohm cans pretty well depending on the gain setting while the I+ is really only able to/made to drive lower ohm*grado*.

What I'm wondering about is if this impression is correct or am I mistaken here. Is the LD II able to be more adaptable to a wider variety of cans than the I+ and if so does this come at some expense? Like for example does the II suffer compared to the I+ when running lower ohm cans?

Anyone have either/both amps and care to comment? I'm really on the fence between these two amps so any advice/comments would be a great help. Thanks!

 

[kelvanE]

i'm considering the Little Dot I+ for a pair of Denon 2000s.

they are 25 ohm impedance (low). good match too, as stated above?

 

[john57]

I am using the Denon 2000 which has a bit lower impedance than the Grado's and I have no problems using it with my Little Dot 1+.

 

[Head Injury]

The I+ also has a Gain setting, it just requires playing with jumpers.

Tubes are known to be good for high-impedance and headphones that require lots of power, but can suffer with low-impedance (which I believe would rear its head as extra distortion, noise, and channel imbalance?) This, of course, doesn't apply as much to expensive, adequately designed tubes. Solid state are technologically superior, and so are able to drive any range of headphones well even with a cheap design depending on that design.

LD II is all-tube, and since it's cheap too I don't think it would do too well with low impedance. LD I+ is a hybrid, so it's really the solid state opamp in it that's driving the headphones and the tubes are just preamps. I think it would be a better all-rounder. The LD II will no doubt beat it with high-impedance headphones though.

Of course, this is all just guesswork on my part, assembled from shards of knowledge others have dropped. I don't guarantee the accuracy of any of it, and you're better off waiting for someone more knowledgeable.

Are you hell-bent on tubes? The tubes of the I+ do wonders for the HF2, but make my SR60i sound too syrupy. Comfy pads + tube amp + cheapo Grado = buried highs and really thick mids. Bowls + tube amp + refined and more balanced HF2 = Fun, transparent, bright, and warm. If you're using this with your MS1 and comfies, you might be better off with a SS amp.

 

[SolidSnake3]

I am going to be getting rid of the MS1's, they are actually up in the for sale section.

Anyhow I'm looking at getting some sr225i which I have read are great with the ld I+ or some Beyer either 880 or 990 250ohm or 600ohm. I'm unsure as to which headphones so the LD II seems like it would be better if I go higher ohm because I would rather not have to upgrade my amp for a while after this one.

I guess I'm not really hell bent on tubes but I really want to give them a try and the LD series seems like a great line especially for my quite limited budget <$200.