[hedmaster]

I would like to say that I have received their LD DAC_1, and as far as I can tell, everything is working fine. David is indeed a joy to work with.

I have just placed my order for my LD MKVII+ a few minutes ago. I am learning that in this hobby there are always going to be fanboys, and there are going to be critics. No matter how good or bad your product is.

There will always be something bigger and badder around the corner. The trick is to do your homework, know what you want, and stay within your budget. Most of the reviews that I have read are speaking very small differences in sound quality. Not to say that there aren't some larger differences as well, but if you do your research, you can find a company that stands behind their product the way Little Dot and the more reputable companies do, then you should try to enjoy the music and be content. At least, that is what I should do. I wouldn't presume to tell anyone else what to do.

I bought the LD DAC_1 & the LD MKVII+ because I have wanted to go balanced since I began this hobby. This is a great and economical way to do it. I am not concerned about their quality of work or quality control. I think I spoke out of turn in my previous post. I guess I was just voicing a concern, that would have served better to remain in my inner monologue, lol!

There a great deal of happy campers on these forums that own LD gear. Just look at the posts above to see how well LD takes care of their customers. For me, that means peace of mind in the knowledge that if anything does go wrong, they have my back. What more can you ask for? It is easy to forget that we are dealing with sensitive electronics here, and there are any number of things that can happen, especially in the globe trotting trek they make to get to us.

I hope you all have a good night. I will report my findings after I receive my MKVII+!

BTW, I did a quick comparison of my LD DAC_1 to my Keces 131 MKII w/ silver iec upgrade. I preferred the LD DAC's fuller, more dynamic sound. So, I sold my Keces, and that has in turn helped pay for my MKVII

!

Best Regards,
Matt

 

[feifan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bowedtoothdoc /img/forum/go_quote.gif Can any owners give me an idea as to the change with this amp SE vs Balanced? Specifically with the AKG K701's. Right now I am only able to listen in SE mode and I am finding that the sound is comprable to my LD MKIII with upgraded tubes. Granted there are differences between the two, but they are small in my opinion.

I spent some time this morning with this setup:

DAC_1 > balanced > MK VII+ > SE > K701

Much wider soundstage and better clarity, but after having the balanced HD650 in the lineup, I missed the tight, deep bass and warmer mids.

I wish I had balanced 701s. My guess is that bass won't be an issue in balanced mode.

 

[feifan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by hedmaster /img/forum/go_quote.gif I would like to say that I have received their LD DAC_1, and as far as I can tell, everything is working fine. David is indeed a joy to work with. I have just placed my order for my LD MKVII+ a few minutes ago. I am learning that in this hobby there are always going to be fanboys, and there are going to be critics. No matter how good or bad your product is. There will always be something bigger and badder around the corner. The trick is to do your homework, know what you want, and stay within your budget. Most of the reviews that I have read are speaking very small differences in sound quality. Not to say that there aren't some larger differences as well, but if you do your research, you can find a company that stands behind their product the way Little Dot and the more reputable companies do, then you should try to enjoy the music and be content. At least, that is what I should do. I wouldn't presume to tell anyone else what to do. I bought the LD DAC_1 & the LD MKVII+ because I have wanted to go balanced since I began this hobby. This is a great and economical way to do it. I am not concerned about their quality of work or quality control. I think I spoke out of turn in my previous post. I guess I was just voicing a concern, that would have served better to remain in my inner monologue, lol! There a great deal of happy campers on these forums that own LD gear. Just look at the posts above to see how well LD takes care of their customers. For me, that means peace of mind in the knowledge that if anything does go wrong, they have my back. What more can you ask for? It is easy to forget that we are dealing with sensitive electronics here, and there are any number of things that can happen, especially in the globe trotting trek they make to get to us. I hope you all have a good night. I will report my findings after I receive my MKVII+! BTW, I did a quick comparison of my LD DAC_1 to my Keces 131 MKII w/ silver iec upgrade. I preferred the LD DAC's fuller, more dynamic sound. So, I sold my Keces, and that has in turn helped pay for my MKVII ! Best Regards, Matt

 

[pekingduck]

Quote:

Originally Posted by grokit /img/forum/go_quote.gif Edit: I cannot find a reference to the MK VIII on David's site, but I read about it on Head-fi, so it must be true!

The VIII is only available to customers in China at this moment

 

[sunneebear]

Quote:

Originally Posted by feifan /img/forum/go_quote.gif I wish I had balanced 701s. My guess is that bass won't be an issue in balanced mode.

I don't have a 701 but if I remember correctly, the 701 runs four wires in it's cable. All you have to do is cut the TRS connector off with about a foot of cable and re-terminate the 701 with a male 4 pin XLR plug. Put a Female 4 pin XLR on the piece you cut off with the TRS plug and you will have a SE adapter to use on SE only amps.

 

[feifan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sunneebear /img/forum/go_quote.gif I don't have a 701 but if I remember correctly, the 701 runs four wires in it's cable. All you have to do is cut the TRS connector off with about a foot of cable and re-terminate the 701 with a male 4 pin XLR plug. Put a Female 4 pin XLR on the piece you cut off with the TRS plug and you will have a SE adapter to use on SE only amps.

Thanks, sunneebear. Good to have the instructions if I ever want to to try the mod. I use the K701 a lot in my SE rigs so will probably keep it that way. I'll continue looking for a balanced pair that's affordable.

BTW, can you confirm that the K701 loses its characteristic bass shyness in balanced mode?

 

[grokit]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sunneebear /img/forum/go_quote.gif I don't have a 701 but if I remember correctly, the 701 runs four wires in it's cable. All you have to do is cut the TRS connector off with about a foot of cable and re-terminate the 701 with a male 4 pin XLR plug. Put a Female 4 pin XLR on the piece you cut off with the TRS plug and you will have a SE adapter to use on SE only amps.

I have a Silver Dragon K701 purchased 2nd-hand; does anyone know know if it is wired the same? The cable is terminated on both earcups.

 

[NumLock]

Quote:

Originally Posted by feifan /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks, sunneebear. Good to have the instructions if I ever want to to try the mod. I use the K701 a lot in my SE rigs so will probably keep it that way. I'll continue looking for a balanced pair that's affordable. BTW, can you confirm that the K701 loses its characteristic bass shyness in balanced mode?

You can re-terminate it with a 4-pin xlr like someone said then make a 4-pinxlr to SE adapter.

 

[sunneebear]

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f6/gui...abling-225819/

 

[Nachkebia]

I am asking again, did any of you tried any Denons with this baby? D2000,D5000,D7000? Also what is the difference between + and non + version?

 

[feifan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by grokit /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have a Silver Dragon K701 purchased 2nd-hand; does anyone know know if it is wired the same? The cable is terminated on both earcups.

My guess is that the wiring will be slightly different to accommodate the separate cables.

Quote:

Originally Posted by NumLock /img/forum/go_quote.gif You can re-terminate it with a 4-pin xlr like someone said then make a 4-pinxlr to SE adapter.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sunneebear /img/forum/go_quote.gif http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f6/gui...abling-225819/

Thanks NumLock and sunneebear!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nachkebia /img/forum/go_quote.gif I am asking again, did any of you tried any Denons with this baby? D2000,D5000,D7000? Also what is the difference between + and non + version?

I haven't but will eventually try one of the Denon references. In the meantime, I'm curious, too, to see how they sync with the MK VII+ in balanced mode.

 

[sunneebear]

DHL delivered my MKVII+ today. Can't wait to listen tonight.

 

[ford2]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sunneebear /img/forum/go_quote.gif DHL delivered my MKVII+ today. Can't wait to listen tonight.

If you still have your CD3000's you will have to balance them now.

 

[sunneebear]

I run connectors on all my headphones so I can listen to them with any cable I have.

 

[sunneebear]

No burn in impression.

iTunes->Matrix DAC balanced out->MKVII+->SA5000 balanced.

I am only using the SA5000 in balance for now because it is my most used headphone.

Visually this amp is bigger in life than its pictures. I wanted to pair it with my Matrix DAC but it is wider, thicker and twice as deep as the Matrix. The DAC1 is a very big DAC if it shares the same chassis.

First thing I noticed was a slight channel imbalance. Left was a bit louder. I switched the XLRs inputs around and left was still louder. I switched the headphone cables around and the right side was louder. Definitely the amp.

Sound is strong and dynamic but nothing truly special. No sweet/liquid mids but not lacking. Treble is clean without sibilance but not fast or slow. Just good, no micro detail or fine texture. Bass has good energy and slam. Can go deep but not easily noticeable.

After about three hours, channel imbalance is a bit less but still noticeable in the midrange frequencies. Could be just the caps and other components burning in. I hope it goes away completely soon.

Finally. For a first day impression, this amp has great potential but for a balanced amplifier, it seems without character, a bit sterile. I seem to be at the verge of getting excited in the few hours of listening but I was never satisfied with any particular aspect of its sound other than the spare power to drive headphones. Listening to the brand new MKVII+ was like standing poised with a camera waiting for the bud of a exotic flower to bloom or a peacock to spread its plumage but nothing happens. I can hear tiny bits and pieces of character and color but it just doesn't develop in front of you. I hope that it develop some character with more burn in.

That's it for now.