LITTLE DOT MKVI has arrived
Sep 4, 2008 at 3:53 PM Post #76 of 112
So to summarize for those getting LDVI:

1. get two quality quiet 12v 80mm fan (recommended so far: Noctua, Papst, Nexus, Antec, Scythe) I got Zaward, and examples of others: Quiet PC UK - Quiet Computer Fans for a Virtually Silent PC

2. unscrew 10 bottom plate screws (be careful, I already stripped one in my exuberance)

3. pull 3-pin connector from board (slight tug should release)

4. before removing stock fans, note carefully how the color coded three wires from each fan are spliced together (so the 12v fans are run in series to 24v feed)

5. prep new fans' wiring in same manner (solder and heat shrink tubing, I didn't have latter so I just used electrical tape to wrap)

6. attach new fans so air is blown into amp (this is very important, amp chassis is significantly cooler this way)

7. dispense with the fan protector cage (may not make a big difference, but could add to additional vibration). Also my fans came with rubber attachment thingies so I dispensed with the original screws as well.

8. replug the 3-pin connector to the board (it only goes in one way), being careful to make sure it sits flush. You may want to tape excess wiring to the base plate.

9. screw the base plate back on (do not overtighten, as you may strip screw head, like I did on one of the screws)

That's it, and now you will have a nearly silent amp compared to the buzz-saw of the original fans. (OK the fans are kludgie, but they seem to work - I hate to think how hot this amp will get without fans, even with fans blowing out (as opposed to blowing in), the amp got very hot)

[the above may be blatantly obvious, but it may be helpful to someone - like me - that's not so mechanically/electrically inclined]


Also, on headphone cabling, as others have noted, the amp can take 4-pin XLR (front) or 2 x 3-pin XLR (back). Do not be intimidated by this, especially with Senns as they have detachable cable. There are numerous cable makers that provide this.

And do not scrimp on source - I think that's a good part of the magic I'm hearing (I'm using XLR out of 840C, there's better but the 840C is enough for me)

The best endorsement of this product, is that I am having fun with headphones again.
 
Sep 5, 2008 at 12:37 AM Post #80 of 112
silenX fans are notorious for having bogus dbA ratings on their packaging
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, you can get much better in terms of CFM/dbA
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Ah I see why exhaust fans don't cool the chassis as much as intake fans, looks like the pcb blocks the air vent holes at the top of the chassis = bad air flow = uh oh!
 
Sep 5, 2008 at 1:14 AM Post #81 of 112
Now apart from fan & tube rolling there is two more things that MK VI owners must do to improve this already a great amp.

First is get some isolation feet for the amp as the fan will produce vibration. As most people know tube are very sensitive to vibration on amps! I just order some vibrapods and they be here next week.

Second thing is tube damper for the tubes! I'll get some after I start roll some better tubes!

Cheers
 
Sep 10, 2008 at 1:13 AM Post #82 of 112
Quote:

Originally Posted by cafe zeenuts /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Now apart from fan & tube rolling there is two more things that MK VI owners must do to improve this already a great amp.

First is get some isolation feet for the amp as the fan will produce vibration. As most people know tube are very sensitive to vibration on amps! I just order some vibrapods and they be here next week.

Second thing is tube damper for the tubes! I'll get some after I start roll some better tubes!

Cheers


Hi CZ,

It's been a little while, so I was wondering if you had more impressions on the MKVI by now? Will you be doing a full review? Thanks man!
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Sep 10, 2008 at 3:14 AM Post #84 of 112
Hey Penchum

My Vibrapod is here, using them on my setup it seems that it has a little more air to the sound and bass is abit tighter!

After about 30hr on the amp and cables I can say that the sound from my system is very good. Big 3d like soundstage, tight define bass, warm mids and clear highs with long decay and this is with stock JAN sylvania 6080wc at the back and OTK 6h9c in the front!

I going to get some better tubes and some other snake oil products
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for my MK VI, so stay tune for more updates.

Btw, I don't write full reviews I'll leave that for someone that have more experience then me!

Cheers
 
Sep 10, 2008 at 7:05 AM Post #87 of 112
LD is not the first company to use Fans in Audio equipments, maybe a first for a headphone amp but many AV amps have fans in them.

Stock fan is loud but put in quality silent fan like Noctua there is no issues with heat. Adding a vibrapod under the MK VI also help to reduce vibration cause by the fan. With the extra height now under the amp it's also running cooler then without the the vibrapods!
 
Sep 10, 2008 at 8:50 AM Post #89 of 112
It depends on which fan you use some and rpm on the fan running as some fan like Noctau allows you to control the rpm via resistor adapter provide with the fan!

I'm running 2 noctua 80mm fan at full speed 1800rpm and have no issue with vibration or noise and it's quite cool on the amp. I thinking of droping the rpm to 1100rpm to see what temp is on the amp is like!

Since we're always trying to squeeze maximum perfermance from our equipment adding some kind of snake oil such as vibrapod does not hurt anything
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