So I got my new LD 1+ yesterday and wanted to share my first impressions with anyone who might be on the fence or simply intrigued by this capable little amplifier.
After carefully inspecting it, I plugged everything plus headphones in and left it playing music at 50% volume for an about 3 hours while it was just sitting on the table. I'd listen to it every now and then to make sure there was no funny business going on. No drama, happy to say. After a few hours, I sat down to give it a good go. Listened to a bunch of tracks that I was very familiar with - ones that I've listened to many times through my main stereo and to a lesser extent, through my RHA IEMs. Review is based on stock 6J1 tubes and op-amp.
Appearance & feel
* The unit feels dense - nothing like cold metal and some weight to make it feel nice in your hands. It's glossy and there's no flex, creak, or wobble when I plant it on the table.
* The AC cable that comes with it looks and feels high quality. It's thick and looks much nicer than any power cable I've seen come standard with any audio equipment I've purchased in the past.
* Also comes with a bag with your average (cheap) RCA cables, average 1/8" to 1/4" headphone adapter, and some extra jumpers. Very Very nice to see it come with the little doo-dads that might trip you up when you're hooking it up for the first time.
* The connections all feel solid. The RCA jacks, the power switch, headphone jack, and volume knob doesn't move a bit when connecting cables. Not your stereotypical cheap made-in-China piece. The volume knob is also smooth and has some resistance to it.
* The whole thing is much higher quality than I expected it to be.
Sound with stock tubes and op-amp
* It's has a detailed sound, much more so than I expected. I wondered if going to tubes would drastically roll off the upper treble, but it doesn't sound muffled or dull at all. It doesn't quite have the pluckyness that I can hear through my Sony ES tho. Hope things get a little more distinct with more mature tubes.
* Vocals are distinct and clear. Some loud passages from intimate recordings like Norah Jones can break up a bit through my iPhone 6 and Sony ES SACD headphone jack, but it's smooth and clear through the Little Dot. Really pleased with this.
* Bass is a miss. The stock tubes are still very new with less than 6 hours on them so I'm hoping to hear some improvement. As it is right now, bass is loose and bland. Almost as if all low notes have the same texture. Also notice that it doesn't go as low as the ES or iPhone. Kraftwerk's The Robots has a low synth at the beginning that is very present and audible through the ES and phone, but it's hardly there through the Little Dot. Listening to classical music, the lower octaves sounds the same, regardless of instrument it seems.
* It's quiet. There's no overt hiss, hum, or static coming through. At first I detected a slight hum with no source, but that was also right after I plugged everything in for the first time. I'm happy to say that it has a quiet noise floor (but not dead silent) after running it for a few hours.
* Overall, I'm very surprised at how good it sounded right out of the box. I'm hoping the upper details and bass-texture improve over time, but I do have other tubes that I plan to roll soon.
So those are my immediate impressions of the Little Dot 1+. I'll come back in a while after I've rolled the tubes and had more time with this very capable and flexible little unit.
Happy listening!
