little dot II++ gain question

[blackthorne77]

i just got the little dot II++ yesterday and the funny thing is right off the bat when i plugged it in it sounded like CRAP!! Worse than the cheapest $5 cd player with my headphones (HD580). I shut it down after three hours since it gets soooo hot. The next day i listened to it and it sounded way better

, in fact great, but obviously needs more burn in yet. Anyway Im rambling here. Ok, there are jumpers for headphone gain(apparently) inside this thing.

First question, the distortion trilples on high gain and the power goes up 5X, Will the sound be different(more bass, bigger soundstage, etc.) on high gain, or will it just be louder. It gets loud enough now but i have turned it up to as loud as 3/4 of the max.

Second question, I havent opened this up yet, is it real easy to reconfigure the jumpers for high gain?

Last question, is there a guide with pictures online that i could follow to change the jumpers?

Thanks

 

[vcoheda]

if you run a few searches (jumpers, little dot), you should find something. but they are easy to change. just remove the bottom 4 screws of the ++, 2 in the front and 2 in the back. this will separate the unit. once inside, you will see the jumpers. they are labelled, iirc, CN1 and CN2. remove them for low gain. for high gain leave them in.

i removed them a few times, but generally prefer them in - the default setting.

 

[Dept_of_Alchemy]

Where did you find that distortion triples on high gain?

 

[blackthorne77]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dept_of_Alchemy /img/forum/go_quote.gif Where did you find that distortion triples on high gain?

In the instruction book it states the THD+N <1% (50mW 300 Ohm), and <3% (100mW 300 Ohm). I assumed (but could be incorrect) that the 50mW(<1%) was the low gain and the 100mW (<3%) was the high gain.

Everyone would you agree or disagree?

 

[blackthorne77]

how do you list your gear underneath the messages?

 

[blackthorne77]

got it, ok nevermind

 

[Dept_of_Alchemy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by blackthorne77 /img/forum/go_quote.gif In the instruction book it states the THD+N <1% (50mW 300 Ohm), and <3% (100mW 300 Ohm). I assumed (but could be incorrect) that the 50mW(<1%) was the low gain and the 100mW (<3%) was the high gain. Everyone would you agree or disagree?

Hmm, I think that's just how loud you play it though I could be wrong.

Those are some pretty crappy specs now that I think about it...

 

[iancraig10]

Presumeably, you're not HEARING distortion? If you're looking at the figures but unable to hear it, I wouldn't worry too much.

I find the sound that it makes fine with the hd600 and 650. I certainly don't hear any distortion. In fact, I'm very fond of the amp.

If you are hearing distortion, then there is definitely a problem with it. Check the valves first since they must take a good bashing on their way over from China.

Ian

 

[Dept_of_Alchemy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by iancraig10 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Presumeably, you're not HEARING distortion? If you're looking at the figures but unable to hear it, I wouldn't worry too much. I find the sound that it makes fine with the hd600 and 650. I certainly don't hear any distortion. In fact, I'm very fond of the amp. If you are hearing distortion, then there is definitely a problem with it. Check the valves first since they must take a good bashing on their way over from China. Ian

Can you HEAR jitter in your digital cables? Should everybody stop worrying about it, then?

Jokes aside, 3% distortion is pretty serious business by today's standards (as most high-end gear are rated at 0.1% distortion). I understand that budget tube gear is perhaps on a different standard scale than most other high end audio equipment, but still measured performance will correlate with subjective performance (otherwise what's the point of having electrical engineers?).

 

[blackthorne77]

[Aquote=Dept_of_Alchemy;3307372]Can you HEAR jitter in your digital cables? Should everybody stop worrying about it, then?

Jokes aside, 3% distortion is pretty serious business by today's standards (as most high-end gear are rated at 0.1% distortion). I understand that budget tube gear is perhaps on a different standard scale than most other high end audio equipment, but still measured performance will correlate with subjective performance (otherwise what's the point of having electrical engineers?).[/quote]

Thats a darn good question cause the specs dont always tell you a damn thing! You could buy a class A headphone amp with negative feedback with like 0.000001% distortion, and this little dot can have arguably better sound (a matter of opinion of course), but each design has there weaknesses. The negative feedback runs the very probable possibility that it removes frequencies of sound along with the noise. Any non tube headphone amp can sound dead with good specs, and a tube headamp can sound great with crappy specs. I hate to say it, but without trying it you may never know really.

My Little dot II++ and my senn HD 580's, using my computer as a source, sound as good (maybe better) than my home rig that I run. (A trends TA 10.1 amp going to Klipsch RF-62's) I dont even have a DAC right now.

Speaking of which do any of you have DAC running from the cheapest $5 chinese DAC to a few hundred dollars? Is the sound really drastic between them? My headphone rig sounds real good, and I know there is room for improvement, but I dont wanna flush a few hundred on a DAC if it isnt real drastic.

In response to the jitter question, I dont really know what jitter is/does, but it sounds smooth as silk to me. Also, im not using any digital cables, just a mini to dual rca cable to go from headphone out on my computer to the input of my little dot.

 

[kramer5150]

Tube amps many times measure high distortion specs. I have seen some measure as high as 5-6%. That doesn't necessarily make them bad sounding, so long as you are a fan of tube-harmonic richness. Furthermore, distortion measurements are taken playing test tones, and therefore can vary greatly from frequency to freq.

Many times tube amp designers intentionally design the circuits to run with high THD specs... thats (partially) what gives tube amps their sonic character.

My suggestion would be to forget spec sheets... they are pointless for the most part. Swap jumpers, roll tubes and use your ears to guide you. Keep whichever configuration sounds best. Spec sheets can not tell you what sounds good.

If it sounds good then it is good

 

[iancraig10]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dept_of_Alchemy /img/forum/go_quote.gif Can you HEAR jitter in your digital cables? Should everybody stop worrying about it, then? (otherwise what's the point of having electrical engineers?).

You devil!!!! I showed that comment to my electrical engineers. They think that they have a use.

I'm not saying that jitter doesn't exist because I can't hear it. Equally with the distortion. It's there in the figures but I don't hear it.

Measured performance helps to judge sound but sometimes the data acts as a catalyst for insignificant conclusions. Reviewers should listen first and look at specs later!! Also, due to the fact that tubes distort differently to chips means that it's not actually as offensive as the distortion that you can get from a chip. 5% on a chip may well sound worse than 5% on a tube.

My Little Dot II++ gives no hint of distortion and I only need to use it at about 9 - 10 o'clock with the Senn 600 and 650.

Ian