[mordy]

Thank you very much for your responses.

I will upgrade my power with adapters and 6SN7 tubes and a pair of matched tall Ei 6HM5`s for drivers for now and I have the option to run C3g`s when I find a good bargain. I have bought the necessary adapters, though so I have them.

For my 6SN7 options, I got some matched Shuguang Chinese 6N8P (metal bottoms) and a pair of Russian Foton 6N8S. Looking forward to trying them out when they arrive here in Norway

Lycka till! I was born in Sweden but left over 50 years ago men jag talar fortfarande flytande svenska.

 

[gulakpii]

I'm also on Valvo C3g's on my LD mk4.
For the "power tubes", I tried both the Shuguang 6N6P and the Foton 6N8S before. These were good, but I found the PSVANE UK-6SN7 are better (did somebody said they were also made by Shuguang?).
They are silky smooth,especially on the highs, on my HD-650, but all these are not for my low-Z AKG's. The 6SN7 family probably will not work well with the low-Z cans.

One of the many reasons I like the PSVANE UK-6SN7 is, probably because of the "coke-bottle" shape of the tubes! Seeing them glow in dimmed light is a treat!

My special thanks to the 2 gentlemen above (among many others in this forum), who shared their experience with us!

 

[JKWiig]

Since I use my LD as pre-amp and not very much for cans I go by the guidelines and general advice of the can people but have to tweak a little for my setup. I will, however, try the PSVanes later when I have some moneys for more tubes. Just starting the 6SN7 & C3g journey. I might even be so bold as to go full external heater and 6AS7 when I can muster up the nerve.

These are the Shuguang Chinese 6N8P I want to try. Reviews sound promising.

 

[mordy]

Since I use my LD as pre-amp and not very much for cans I go by the guidelines and general advice of the can people but have to tweak a little for my setup. I will, however, try the PSVanes later when I have some moneys for more tubes. Just starting the 6SN7 & C3g journey. I might even be so bold as to go full external heater and 6AS7 when I can muster up the nerve.

These are the Shuguang Chinese 6N8P I want to try. Reviews sound promising.

Hi JKW,
IMHO, once you have upgraded the drivers to the Ei 6HM5/C3g and the power tubes to the 6SN7 family, you have basically reached the limits how much you can upgrade the Little Dot MKIII/IV amps.
I am not knowledgeable about the electric circuitry in the LD amps, but it is very possible that using external power and 2.5A power tubes (6AS7/6080), the resistors may be overloaded and the amp may be fried. However, I defer to others since I do not know enough about this.
Once you reach the top level of performance in the LD it is logical to upgrade to a
different amp, but it will cost more....

 

[JKWiig]

No worries

I can call it a day after this. I just need to find a combination I like with 6SN7`s. I am a little skeptical running external voltage for the heaters in 6AS7/6080`s anyways

And since I am using the MKIII as a pre-amp I have many other options to tweak the amplification stage anyways. I must say, though, that the tubes have a very significant impact on soundscape even used as a pre-amp only. I am so in love with this little thing. I have had it for 8 years now and it is still going strong.

I am betting this upgrade will keep me more than happy for another 8

EDIT: I am tremendously grateful to the pioneers on this forum that have worked very hard to bring these upgrades and modifications out to the rest of us. You guys ROCK!

 

[mordy]

No worries

I can call it a day after this. I just need to find a combination I like with 6SN7`s. I am a little skeptical running external voltage for the heaters in 6AS7/6080`s anyways

And since I am using the MKIII as a pre-amp I have many other options to tweak the amplification stage anyways. I must say, though, that the tubes have a very significant impact on soundscape even used as a pre-amp only. I am so in love with this little thing. I have had it for 8 years now and it is still going strong.

I am betting this upgrade will keep me more than happy for another 8

EDIT: I am tremendously grateful to the pioneers on this forum that have worked very hard to bring these upgrades and modifications out to the rest of us. You guys ROCK!

No worries

I can call it a day after this. I just need to find a combination I like with 6SN7`s. I am a little skeptical running external voltage for the heaters in 6AS7/6080`s anyways

And since I am using the MKIII as a pre-amp I have many other options to tweak the amplification stage anyways. I must say, though, that the tubes have a very significant impact on soundscape even used as a pre-amp only. I am so in love with this little thing. I have had it for 8 years now and it is still going strong.

I am betting this upgrade will keep me more than happy for another 8

EDIT: I am tremendously grateful to the pioneers on this forum that have worked very hard to bring these upgrades and modifications out to the rest of us. You guys ROCK!

I used my MKIII almost exclusively as a preamp with a speaker system, and this little amp makes a very big difference - enjoy!
In terms of external power I used an inexpensive voltage regulator with an old PC power supply in order to be able to use tubes of different voltage such as 12V and 8V tubes. Many times such tubes are the same as their 6V equivalents but much cheaper.

 

[lumohomo06]

New to little dot, which tube is a good fit for Grados? Appreciate it.

 

[Tony51]

New to little dot, which tube is a good fit for Grados? Appreciate it.

What Grados you have? I have the sr60e, sr325e and the RS2E. All three sound very good with my LDmk2 with the power tubes Russian made called the Super Tube Sovtek 6H30pi, (Cryoset certified

)these are the most powerful of all my tube rolling. As for the driver tubes, I finally settled with the Mullard M8161/cv4015 hard to find on eBay. So if you want to spare yourself the grief of tube rolling, find the above. The super tubes are found between 50-75 dollars. The Mullard we're much cheaper at about 30 dollars. You may find yourself setting the LD on medium gain since the Grados are so easily driven. I keep mine on high gain since my LDMK2 is more dedicated to my Sennheiser hd600 and my Beyerdynamic dt1990 pro.
A close second best driver tubed are the jan5654w by GE, found cheap on eBay or 20 dollars on Amazon which I have on my nobsound bass/ treble preAmp connected to my LDMK2 for that extra bass when needed.
The Mullard outshined the GE by a tad in dynamics otherwise a pretty close tie.
With these Mullard (taller tubes) the family changes from ef95 to the ef92 so you have to put the jumpers inside the case on the board pins reading ef92 or there will be no sound.
Tony

 

[lumohomo06]

What Grados you have? I have the sr60e, sr325e and the RS2E. All three sound very good with my LDmk2 with the power tubes Russian made called the Super Tube Sovtek 6H30pi, (Cryoset certified )these are the most powerful of all my tube rolling. As for the driver tubes, I finally settled with the Mullard M8161/cv4015 hard to find on eBay. So if you want to spare yourself the grief of tube rolling, find the above. The super tubes are found between 50-75 dollars. The Mullard we're much cheaper at about 30 dollars. You may find yourself setting the LD on medium gain since the Grados are so easily driven. I keep mine on high gain since my LDMK2 is more dedicated to my Sennheiser hd600 and my Beyerdynamic dt1990 pro.
A close second best driver tubed are the jan5654w by GE, found cheap on eBay or 20 dollars on Amazon which I have on my nobsound bass/ treble preAmp connected to my LDMK2 for that extra bass when needed.
The Mullard outshined the GE by a tad in dynamics otherwise a pretty close tie.
With these Mullard (taller tubes) the family changes from ef95 to the ef92 so you have to put the jumpers inside the case on the board pins reading ef92 or there will be no sound.
Tony

Thank you, Sir. My LD 1 will arrive this Friday, I will try the stock tube and later I will try your recommendations.
I have SR60, 125, 325. PS500.
I really like the RS2e, let me know if you want to get rid of yours. Thanks.

 

[Tony51]

Thank you, Sir. My LD 1 will arrive this Friday, I will try the stock tube and later I will try your recommendations.
I have SR60, 125, 325. PS500.
I really like the RS2e, let me know if you want to get rid of yours. Thanks.

Wait, I thought you had the LD Mk2, you typed LD 1? Is this correct? If so, you don't have power tubes to change since it's a hybrid not a true class A amp. If that is the case you only need to change the driver tubes (2). I thought you had the 4 valve LDMK2.

P.s the stock tubes suck pretty bad and distort even after burn in. Anyway nice Grado set up you have. Not selling my Grados, but I am selling my Hifiman Edition S and my Sennheiser hd579 which I just don't use. Both in like new condition.
Tony

 

[lumohomo06]

Yes, I bought the
Little Dot I+ 6JI X2 Tube standard Hybrid Headphone Tube Amplifier, with stock tube only. Do you think LD MK2 will be better than this?

The RS2e is really good, I listened one time， really impressed with the vocal, and really non-fatiguing. Compared to RS1e, RS2e is my type.
Have you listened to RS2i, RS1i, or RS1? Which one is similar to RS2e?

Thanks!

 

[Tony51]

Yes, I bought the
Little Dot I+ 6JI X2 Tube standard Hybrid Headphone Tube Amplifier, with stock tube only. Do you think LD MK2 will be better than this?

The RS2e is really good, I listened one time， really impressed with the vocal, and really non-fatiguing. Compared to RS1e, RS2e is my type.
Have you listened to RS2i, RS1i, or RS1? Which one is similar to RS2e?

Thanks!

Yes sir, if you want a true analog tube experience, I've would have purchased the LD MK2 since its the real deal, however the LD 1 should sound pretty good and has 800mW at 32 ohms which will drive your Grados to deafening level. But you are not going to get the full analog experience since you will not have tubes supplying the power.

As to the Grados RS2i, RS1i and RS1, i have not listened to them, only the three i have mentioned before. The RS2e are the most analog sounding of the bunch. My sr325e are bright but man do they sparkle and sound pretty darn good on the LDmk2 and even better on Solid State amps. I have swapped the original pads on my Grados to the Earzonk G cushions that supplies a bit of more bass from the get go.

 

[lumohomo06]

Thanks for the detailed explanation. I did not know that little dot 1+ is not a full tube amp.
Have you used any solid state amp that is a good pair with Grados? Thanks.

 

[Tony51]

Thanks for the detailed explanation. I did not know that little dot 1+ is not a full tube amp.
Have you used any solid state amp that is a good pair with Grados? Thanks.

A solid state for desktop I don't have as I am more about portability than anything else. However, I just sold my Emotiva A100 which sounded very very clean, the downside was that the A100 lacked a little bass so the Schiit Loki EQ was a very good welcome to pair with the Emotiva. Since I barely used it, I sold it. Now that was my desktop, if that is what you're after, the combo mentioned is excellent but an over kill for Grados since they are so easily driven. This combo would set you back 229.00 for the Emotiva n 165.00 for the Schiit Loki EQ.

Now for portability which is what I use 99% of the times. I'm using my Sony Walkman ZX2 paired with the Fiio E12 portable amp that has a bass boost on the fly. The Grados sound great in this combo.
My other combo is my Fiio X7mk2 paired with my other Fiio A5 portable amp with bass boost.
The Sony combo supplies a more analog sound than the Fiio X7mk2 combo.
I don't know what you use as your music source but sound is different between devices.
The Fiio X7mk2 has a hump in the 2k-4khz region while the Sony is the reverse in that region. I love both signatures it supplies.
I also have the Little Bear 4 portable tube amp which I'm testing as we speak and sounds pretty darn good but can't tell you as to the best paring yet because I have not tested with all my headphones.
On a side note, I have another tube amp in route from China which I want to try out and if I like it, I might be selling my LDMK2 with the great tubes it had installed. It's only because my LD Mk2 is almost exclusively used for my Sennheiser hd600 and I have it on high gain and for the Grados it should be set on medium to low gain so that it would sound best and I don't want to open the case up to set the switch to low Everytime I grad a headphone that is easily driven, so I have it set to high gain at all times. If you get yours I'd set it to med-low gain and see which settings give you the most balanced sound and leave it there. The LD Mk2 sounds very very good.
Tony

 

[lumohomo06]

Damn it, I got my MK 1+ today, and to my surprise, it is 220 V with UK plug. Amazon must be kidding with me. Sad day for me.