[Scutey]

  Hi everyone,
This is my first post so please go easy on the noob!
 
So I've just bought a Little Dot Mk II and have several pairs of NOS tubes en-route (6N6P gold grid, Siemens 6AK5W, Voskhod 6ZH1P-EV).  The journey has begun and for now i'm stuck with the stock tubes.  I've seen a lot of talk of a "Siemens Blue Glass 6AK5W" but none of the sellers i've spoken to have heard of such a thing, only the regular Siemens 6AK5W.  Can someone help enlighten me?
 
Thanks!
 

Hi Chris,
 
Welcome to Head-Fi !., I'm afraid I can't enlighten you too much as I've not used them myslelf, and there is very little info out there, also they're very rare, I believe, if you are looking for another  tube then you can't go far wrong with the EI 6HM5, a Yugoslav military tube (EF95 setting), and are quite cheap on Ebay. The best thing you can do while you're waiting for your new tubes to arrive is to listen/burn in the stock tubes, then you will able to get a good reference point for the new ones when they arrive. One other thing, beware, tube rolling is dangerously addictive!. BTW love your avatar!, and enjoy your MKII !.

 

[Chris Lander]

 
Hi Chris,
 
Welcome to Head-Fi !., I'm afraid I can't enlighten you too much as I've not used them myslelf, and there is very little info out there, also they're very rare, I believe, if you are looking for another  tube then you can't go far wrong with the EI 6HM5, a Yugoslav military tube (EF95 setting), and are quite cheap on Ebay. The best thing you can do while you're waiting for your new tubes to arrive is to listen/burn in the stock tubes, then you will able to get a good reference point for the new ones when they arrive. One other thing, beware, tube rolling is dangerously addictive!. BTW love your avatar!, and enjoy your MKII !.

Thanks Skutey!
 
That's the 2nd time the EI 6HM5 has been recommended to me.  How does it compare with others?  What makes it stand out?  Yes, I'm already burning in the stock tubes (which sound pretty flat compared to my friend's Sheer Audio amp I was using with 6N6P, HP tube combo) but it does seem to already be warming up with time.
 
Thanks for the warning but i fear it's too late!
 
Next step is to find a good pair of headphones.  Don't laugh, but I've been using a pair of Beats Studio Wireless (but wired, of course) so I'm looking to graduate.  Open to suggestions.  I listened to some Senns and Audeze last night and definitely preferred the Senns (HD800s but the price is insane!).  The detail reproduced by those headphones is remarkable!
 
Thanks again!

 

[Scutey]

  Thanks Skutey!
 
That's the 2nd time the EI 6HM5 has been recommended to me.  How does it compare with others?  What makes it stand out?  Yes, I'm already burning in the stock tubes (which sound pretty flat compared to my friend's Sheer Audio amp I was using with 6N6P, HP tube combo) but it does seem to already be warming up with time.
 
Thanks for the warning but i fear it's too late!
 
Next step is to find a good pair of headphones.  Don't laugh, but I've been using a pair of Beats Studio Wireless (but wired, of course) so I'm looking to graduate.  Open to suggestions.  I listened to some Senns and Audeze last night and definitely preferred the Senns (HD800s but the price is insane!).  The detail reproduced by those headphones is remarkable!
 
Thanks again!

​The 6HM5 is a true triode which means very low distortion,low noise floor, more linear, very clear and detailed, they're also quite cheap, about £10 for a pair, and for the time being fairly plentiful.
 
As for the Beats, hey we've all got to start somewhere!, as for other headphones well that's a whole nother  can of worms. Do you prefer a warmer sound, ie Sennheiser, or a brighter, sound, ie Beyerdynamic,, two very well regarded brands, also akg 7xxx, Fidelio x2's, Audio Technica, et al, best thing I can suggest is to have a good think about what sort of sound you like, and then do some research, reviews etc, there are loads of reviews on HF, if you can have test then that's best, (yeh those Senn hd800 are expensive), if you can't then there is a fair bit of trial and error, I've gone through loads of cans, personally I like the brighter Beyer sound, I have dt770 pro 80 ohm and dt990 edition 32 ohm and Fidelio x2's (bit warmer). But I'm sure you'll get there, and have some fun along the way!.

 

[frogmeat69]

   
Next step is to find a good pair of headphones.  Don't laugh, but I've been using a pair of Beats Studio Wireless (but wired, of course) so I'm looking to graduate.  Open to suggestions.  I listened to some Senns and Audeze last night and definitely preferred the Senns (HD800s but the price is insane!).  The detail reproduced by those headphones is remarkable!
 
Thanks again!

The Sennheiser HD 650 play very nice with my Mk III, so do the Beyerdynamic T90.

 

[Scutey]

  The Sennheiser HD 650 play very nice with my Mk III, so do the Beyerdynamic T90.

​The T90 is a wonderfully open and detailed can.

 

[Chris Lander]

Thanks guys.  I really appreciated the detail in the HD800s (more precise than the HD800 and better in the midrange for me).  I think i'm looking for a fairly balanced frequency response but with excellent detail - you know that feeling that you're at a concert in the front row and can hear every little detail of the music?  That!  Looks like the T90 have been discontinued but replaced with the Beyerdynamic Amiron home.  Thoughts for pairing with the LD MkII?

 

[Chris Lander]

...oh and an expansive sound (some may say "soundstage").  I also want to wear them at work in an open office environment.  The Senns are so open that they're a little too noisy for my nearby team mates!

 

[Scutey]

  ...oh and an expansive sound (some may say "soundstage").  I also want to wear them at work in an open office environment.  The Senns are so open that they're a little too noisy for my nearby team mates!

Hi Chris,
 
Problem is an expansive sound is best from a open back can, however all open cans leak sound, it's an inherent part of the design, but if you want to wear them in an open office without anyone else hearing them then it's closed back which equals narrower soundstage, if you really don't want anyone else to hear them then it really has to be a closed can, the Beyerdynamic DT770 PRO and the DT1770 PRO have good soundstage for a closed can, I've used both on my LD mkIII, they should sound pretty good on your mkII.

 

[CJG888]

Try the DT770-250 Pro with the Custom Cans damping mod. You won't be disappointed.

 

[Scutey]

http://www.head-fi.org/t/563884/little-dot-tube-amps-vacuum-tube-rolling-guide
 
Chris, Forgot to mention this regarding tubes for your mkii , have you seen/read the, Little Dot Tube Amps: Vacuum Tube Rolling Guide ? . I found it to be absolutely invaluable, if you haven't hear is the link.

 

[Share2Care]

Good Evening Gents & Ladies!
 
I am pleased to say that I am upgrading from my mighty Little Dot MK1 up to a rather bigger Little Dot MKIII !!
 
With the LD MK1, I still have a few matched tubes that I am hoping I can keep such as match Mullards 8100 etc as in my mind I do believe these can be used as the Driving tube as the front two tubes? I may be completely off the reservation here so feel free to correct!
 
I have no experience in sourcing the larger Power tubes. Would a few of you chip in with a selection of them? The real Triode tube mentioned a few posts ago sounds fantastic. Also, must they be matched? I am based in the UK so any Europe suppliers would be great, but I am happy to import from anywhere.
 
To get a meaningful Chinese base line, I will burn them in and the MKIII at the same time and then introduce some tubes and then report back which I am hoping to be unbelievably excited about!
 
Thanks for the advice!

 

[Whelkie D]

Here

   The real Triode tube mentioned a few posts ago sounds fantastic. Also, must they be matched? I am based in the UK so any Europe suppliers would be great, but I am happy to import from anywhere.
 
 

Here's a link to the ones I think you mean.......................http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/251765500700?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT.
I bought some a while back from this seller and they arrived in the UK within a week. They're nearly as warm sounding as the Mullards and possibly slightly brighter. Oh, and when you switch on they light up like a christmas tree for the first few seconds then fade to a lovely red glow

 

[MIKELAP]

Here

 
 The real Triode tube mentioned a few posts ago sounds fantastic. Also, must they be matched? I am based in the UK so any Europe suppliers would be great, but I am happy to import from anywhere.

Here's a link to the ones I think you mean.......................http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/251765500700?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT.
I bought some a while back from this seller and they arrived in the UK within a week. They're nearly as warm sounding as the Mullards and possibly slightly brighter. Oh, and when you switch on they light up like a christmas tree for the first few seconds then fade to a lovely red glow

i bought tubes several times from langrex.co.uk in U.K. Nhttp://www.langrex.co.uk/ No need to match tubes, also russian 6N6P-ir (POWER TUBES)where well regarded here and in general about $25.00 /pair + no need to match them http://www.ebay.com/itm/MATCHED-PAIR-6N6P-IR-ECC99-E182CC-Tubes-NOS-GOLD-GRID-Same-Date-Codes-/231887670518?hash=item35fd950cf6:g:0KcAAOSwpDdVgHda

 

[gulakpi]

Langrex is highly recommended!  They are in UK as well!

 

[CJG888]

+1 on Langrex. Watford Valves are also good.