[pentatonic]

I have a pair of vintage AKG K340 and want better out of them than using my desktop monitors HP amp. Would the LD MK II be a good match, the little reviews I find on them are very positive. Possible a MK III if it's worth the difference.
 
 I'm using onboard sound (Realtek Hi res capable24/192) would I also hear a major difference if I also get a DAC.

 

[pentatonic]

Anyone?

 

[pentatonic]

No ideas at all?

 

[Papander]

AKG K340 model was released in 1979. So as you can see it is pretty old model (~30 years depending on when yours was manufactured). This is why you haven't got responses, because it's pretty rare to have K340 and Little Dot MKII.
 
But anyways.. according to internet K340 has 400ohm impedance and 94dB/mW sensitivity. This means in order to reach 110dBSPL you would need something that can output 40mW, 4Vrms and 10mA to 400ohm. After looking at Little Dot MKII specs it should be able to do this, meaning that it can drive the headphones, but I have no idea if it is good match sound wise to K340 as I don't own either of those models.

 

[GotNoRice]

At that impedance, the MKII should have plenty of power.

If you're still using realtek onboard, I would definitely upgrade that.

 

[wilky61]

Quote:

 
But anyways.. according to internet K340 has 400ohm impedance and 94dB/mW sensitivity. This means in order to reach 110dBSPL you would need something that can output 40mW, 4Vrms and 10mA to 400ohm. After looking at Little Dot MKII specs it should be able to do this, meaning that it can drive the headphones, but I have no idea if it is good match sound wise to K340 as I don't own either of those models.

 
Hi pentatonic, I just wanted to chime in and give you a little bit of extra information that I have gleaned from these boards as it relates to Papander's post here. This is my understanding of the relationship between output power (mW) and sensitivity, and it seems to jive with Papander's conclusion above.
 
94 dB/mW sensitivity for your headphones means that your headphones should be capable of producing a max. of 94 dB if they receive 1 mW of power from your amp.
 
1 mW --> 94 dB
2 mW --> 97 dB
4 mW --> 100 dB
8 mW --> 103 dB
16 mW --> 106 dB
32 mW --> 109 dB
64 mW --> 112 dB, etc.
 
Additionally, the poster below me has located the output power specs for the two models (300 mW @ 300 ohms vs. 350 mW @ 300/600 ohms). Honestly, the difference in output power between the two models is going to be very minimal. However, I cannot comment on the differences in coloration/soundstage, etc. between the two models... This post offers some impressions and may be of some help.

 

[GotNoRice]

This post details the specifications for both the Little Dot Mk II/III. The Mk II has an output power of 50mW @ 300 ohms, and the Mk III has an output power of 80 mW @ 300 ohms. Honestly, the difference in output power between the two is going to be very minimal.

That information is simply not accurate.

MKII:

http://www.littledot.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=816&sid=4226c75045c6694e0733640921ca3317

Power Output:
300mW into 300 ohms
200mW into 120 ohms
100mW into 32 ohms

MKIII:

http://www.littledot.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=815&sid=4226c75045c6694e0733640921ca3317

Power Output:
350 mW @ 300/600 ohm
300 mW @ 120 oh
100 mW @ 32 ohm

 

[wilky61]

Okay, I'm glad you corrected me because I honestly wondered about it the way the reviewer had written it... and I was baffled as to why I was unable to find official specs from Little Dot (or this website even). So, thanks. You found for me what Google could not... 

 
Looking at the specs you posted, it appears that there still is a very minimal difference in output power between the two models.
 
Quote:

That information is simply not accurate.
MKII:
http://www.littledot.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=816&sid=4226c75045c6694e0733640921ca3317
MKIII:
http://www.littledot.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=815&sid=4226c75045c6694e0733640921ca3317

 
 

 

[pentatonic]

Thanks for the replies. You got to be Wilky from B-r.com?
 
I read that unofficial review and might go with the LD Mk II with EF92s. And yes, thanks, I will do something about the onboard realtek. I also have an E-Mu 0404 pci but for whatever reasons it will not install in my rig even with the Win7 drivers. I used that card before, and while not top end it was a damn good card for the money. If I can't get it to work I might have to look into a dac also. I would prefer a separate dac than a combo to be able to use it anywhere. Any ideas what a good value dac is around the $200, if any?
 
Thanks again guys

 

[GotNoRice]

I also have an E-Mu 0404 pci but for whatever reasons it will not install in my rig even with the Win7 drivers. I used that card before, and while not top end it was a damn good card for the money.

I ran mine in my main computer along side an Audigy 2 ZS. I just looped the digital output from the audigy back into the 0404 so that is where the D/A conversion took place. A year or so later when Vista came out, and they were lagging behind on the drivers, I ended up moving the 0404 into my server. My server was running Windows Server 2003 at the time and XP drivers worked fine. It being in another computer didn't matter as it was still able to act like a DAC just the same, with the digital output from the Audigy 2 in my main computer feeding into it.

These days I've upgraded my server to Windows Server 2008 R2 and I'm using Windows7 drivers for the 0404. I feed it the digital output from the X-Fi titanium in my main rig and it works great.

You could do the same thing easily. Take some old computer, strip it down, install the 0404 in it with a bare install of XP, run the system headless and just keep it tucked under your desk - the 0404 just became a standalone DAC.

 

[pentatonic]

 
Quote:

I ran mine in my main computer along side an Audigy 2 ZS. I just looped the digital output from the audigy back into the 0404 so that is where the D/A conversion took place. A year or so later when Vista came out, and they were lagging behind on the drivers, I ended up moving the 0404 into my server. My server was running Windows Server 2003 at the time and XP drivers worked fine. It being in another computer didn't matter as it was still able to act like a DAC just the same, with the digital output from the Audigy 2 in my main computer feeding into it.
These days I've upgraded my server to Windows Server 2008 R2 and I'm using Windows7 drivers for the 0404. I feed it the digital output from the X-Fi titanium in my main rig and it works great.
You could do the same thing easily. Take some old computer, strip it down, install the 0404 in it with a bare install of XP, run the system headless and just keep it tucked under your desk - the 0404 just became a standalone DAC.

 
Cool idea, will give that a try as I remember the DAC in the E-Mu being fairly good for the price. My media server is running Server 2003 and will be in my 2 ch room when done. I just never thought of doing it like that. Thanks buddy

 

[pentatonic]

Ok so I decided to try the LD Mk II with EF92 tubes. Price for introduction is right and didn't read anything bad on these. Other tubes better? Also I tried finding info on tube amp burn in.Necessity? how long?

 

[GotNoRice]

EF92 is just a type, each brand of tube will often have it's own sonic characteristics.

Which brand are your EF92 tubes?

 

[pentatonic]

I actually don't know that yet, waiting on a email. But it's seems this type ingeneral opens up the soundstage, better response through pretty much the whole range. Obviously I'm trying to find a nice matched pair of Mullards, I always liked the sound of british tubes.

 

[pentatonic]

Quote:

I ran mine in my main computer along side an Audigy 2 ZS. I just looped the digital output from the audigy back into the 0404 so that is where the D/A conversion took place. A year or so later when Vista came out, and they were lagging behind on the drivers, I ended up moving the 0404 into my server. My server was running Windows Server 2003 at the time and XP drivers worked fine. It being in another computer didn't matter as it was still able to act like a DAC just the same, with the digital output from the Audigy 2 in my main computer feeding into it.
These days I've upgraded my server to Windows Server 2008 R2 and I'm using Windows7 drivers for the 0404. I feed it the digital output from the X-Fi titanium in my main rig and it works great.
You could do the same thing easily. Take some old computer, strip it down, install the 0404 in it with a bare install of XP, run the system headless and just keep it tucked under your desk - the 0404 just became a standalone DAC.

Finally got my E-MU 0404 installed in my media server, running MediaMonkey WASAPI spdif optical out from my main rig (96/24) to optical in of the 0404, then analog out to my monitors. can't believe there is such a difference in sound quality, first obvious change, noise floor. Wider soundstage, better instrument separation, faster bass response (which is great on K340s) mids are so much more vibrant, and the highs are just as crisp as before. Thanks for the tip