Little Dot Mk Series, portable and home

[Navyblue]

Firstly, I am new to the headphone world. I don't even own a audiophile grade headphone or IEM yet. I was initially looking for an unamped ultra portable setup. I got a Sony DAP and am in the market for an IEM, somewhat settled for an Etymotic ER-4P.

Despite that I haven't heard an IEM that truly wowed me. Some suggested that I am looking in the wrong place and might be asking to much from an unamped IEM. Thus I am exploring a more elaborate setup here.

I am able to obtain quite a decent deal on the Little Dot stuffs here. Thus this brand interests me a bit. In fact everything from the Mk1 to the MkV looks interesting to me.

I might be pursuing a home set up some time in the future, the MkII to MkV are all possible candidates. I have not explored the tube vs SS, but I'd leave it at a later date. Portable setup is my first priority here.

As I understand it, portable amps are weak and are not for big cans. However in one of the review here the LD Mk1 is used to drive the big Sennheisers. I think it is mentioned somewhere that it uses 4x3.7V cell which is a bit more powerful than found in typical portable amp.

I wonder how good is this relatively affordable Mk1 as compared to other top of the line portable amps (which aren't quite for big cans)?

I am not quite prepared to carry an amp for portable, but I am toying with the idea if it is worth it. But if I the Mk1 is to stay home, would I be better off with using my pre amp's headphone out for big cans? Or should I forget both and wait for a proper home setup?

Btw, I have a speaker amplifier (Carver AV-405). I am thinking of modifying it's unused 2x50W at 8 ohms speaker output for headphone use. How would it compare to the Little Dot MkII to MkV? Would a dedicated amp be betterfor headphone? Or the sheer power of speaker amp will triumph over budget headphone amplifier?

 

[Dept_of_Alchemy]

Speaker amps do not drive headphones properly due to the differences in impedance requirements between speakers (4~8ohm) and headphones (32~300ohm). So a dedicated headphone amp will improve your sound for sure.

 

[Navyblue]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dept_of_Alchemy /img/forum/go_quote.gif Speaker amps do not drive headphones properly due to the differences in impedance requirements between speakers (4~8ohm) and headphones (32~300ohm). So a dedicated headphone amp will improve your sound for sure.

Btw, I was refering to tampering the output of the speaker amplifier like this:

Headphone Adaptor for Power Amplifiers

So this will not work well?

 

[Penchum]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Navyblue /img/forum/go_quote.gif Firstly, I am new to the headphone world. I don't even own a audiophile grade headphone or IEM yet. I was initially looking for an unamped ultra portable setup. I got a Sony DAP and am in the market for an IEM, somewhat settled for an Etymotic ER-4P. Despite that I haven't heard an IEM that truly wowed me. Some suggested that I am looking in the wrong place and might be asking to much from an unamped IEM. Thus I am exploring a more elaborate setup here. I am able to obtain quite a decent deal on the Little Dot stuffs here. Thus this brand interests me a bit. In fact everything from the Mk1 to the MkV looks interesting to me. I might be pursuing a home set up some time in the future, the MkII to MkV are all possible candidates. I have not explored the tube vs SS, but I'd leave it at a later date. Portable setup is my first priority here. As I understand it, portable amps are weak and are not for big cans. However in one of the review here the LD Mk1 is used to drive the big Sennheisers. I think it is mentioned somewhere that it uses 4x3.7V cell which is a bit more powerful than found in typical portable amp. I wonder how good is this relatively affordable Mk1 as compared to other top of the line portable amps (which aren't quite for big cans)? I am not quite prepared to carry an amp for portable, but I am toying with the idea if it is worth it. But if I the Mk1 is to stay home, would I be better off with using my pre amp's headphone out for big cans? Or should I forget both and wait for a proper home setup? Btw, I have a speaker amplifier (Carver AV-405). I am thinking of modifying it's unused 2x50W at 8 ohms speaker output for headphone use. How would it compare to the Little Dot MkII to MkV? Would a dedicated amp be betterfor headphone? Or the sheer power of speaker amp will triumph over budget headphone amplifier?

There are a couple of comparisons in the MK1 review thread. Even though the MK1 will drive bigger headphones, it is made for portable use and should be used that way. For a home/desktop headphone amp system, a great starting point would be the MKIII. It is the sweet spot in their line-up, and is very affordable. A good clean source, the MKIII and good full sized cans would make you a very happy camper.

 

[Navyblue]

Penchum,

Ok the Little Dot expert is here.

What does the MkIII offers that the MkII doesn't? And what will I be missing from the MkIV if I go MkIII?

For an amp, I'm looking for something neutral and transparent. Would the MkV fit the description best? Or are there be any tube combination that I can achieve with the MkII/III/IV?

Thanks.

 

[Ttvetjanu]

Another vouch for the MK III. I just recieved mine yesterday, and I must say wow! This thing is absolutely awesome. Firstly I was so overwhelmed by the details that I found the sound fatiguing, now I am enjoying it fully (with my hd650's),

 

[Penchum]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Navyblue /img/forum/go_quote.gif Penchum, Ok the Little Dot expert is here. What does the MkIII offers that the MkII doesn't? And what will I be missing from the MkIV if I go MkIII? For an amp, I'm looking for something neutral and transparent. Would the MkV fit the description best? Or are there be any tube combination that I can achieve with the MkII/III/IV? Thanks.

Each model up the chain, has more refinements and more power. When you jump from MKIII to MKIV, the amps design changes to OTL and a serious increase in power is added. While some tube combinations will sound rather neutral and transparent, you will always have the yummy tube mids.

The only model that is not going to sound "tube", is the MKV, Solid State Dual Mono. It's claim to fame is "purity". Something to think about, for sure.

 

[Navyblue]

What do you mean by refinement? Detail? Smoothness? Or all of the above and more?

As for the power? Will it be the more the merrier? Or there is a point of diminishing return which the MkIII reached and the MkII has not? Of course this is dependent on phone used. I haven't look into which phone to get yet, but for the sake of the arguement, let's say 300 and 600 ohms.

 

[Penchum]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Navyblue /img/forum/go_quote.gif What do you mean by refinement? Detail? Smoothness? Or all of the above and more? As for the power? Will it be the more the merrier? Or there is a point of diminishing return which the MkIII reached and the MkII has not? Of course this is dependent on phone used. I haven't look into which phone to get yet, but for the sake of the arguement, let's say 300 and 600 ohms.

Think of power in terms of "full dynamic sound" instead of loudness. Each dynamic passage needs power to reproduce it in full detail, so the more power on hand, the better the passage will sound. Keeping this in mind, the MKIII is going to make those passages sound better than the MKII. The MKIV's will make it sound multiples better. The point of diminishing return doesn't seem to apply in this line-up. Each step up is worth the cost. The only limiting factor is: How good your source is, and how good your headphones are, and your wallet. One nice factor for the LD Mk series I like very much, is their ability to sound excellent with the HD-580-600-650 line-up of headphones. These would be my recommended headphones, but others have had great success with other 300-600 Ohm headphones as well.
I hope this helps some...

 

[Penchum]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Navyblue /img/forum/go_quote.gif What do you mean by refinement? Detail? Smoothness? Or all of the above and more? As for the power? Will it be the more the merrier? Or there is a point of diminishing return which the MkIII reached and the MkII has not? Of course this is dependent on phone used. I haven't look into which phone to get yet, but for the sake of the arguement, let's say 300 and 600 ohms.

Sorry, forgot refinement.

Refinement as in better components and the end result from them, so basically all of the above.

 

[Navyblue]

Thanks for the explanation.

All these sound all too tempting.

 

[RogerB]

Navyblue, Penchum has laid it all out there. The bottom line is, get the one your budget can handle. If you have a $500 budget then get the MKIV or SE.

You will be pleased as punch with any of them!!!! I have the MKIII and LOVE it with my 580's!

Fantastic amps! Pick your budget...get one...and NEVER look back!!! (Tube rolling takes over at that point...and the REAL fun begins!!)

 

[Navyblue]

Actually, it is the tube rolling part that worries me.

I foresee that I'll spend countless hours on here and online vendors to figure out which to get. It took me almost a month here and about 100 post just to decide on the ER-4P.