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Originally Posted by blmelon /img/forum/go_quote.gif
I am thinking about getting one of these bad mothers for my first dip into the amp lifestyle, but I don't know jack about what a spec sheet says. I have been reading some reviews about each and have a few questions.
1) is there really $100 worth of difference btwn the two?
2) what is the guard around the tubes on the MK4? does it make removal more difficult?
3) how do you use these as pre-amps? all i have is LP source, would i need a phono stage in btwn the two?
4) how bad am i gonna want new headphones when this is hooked up? using sr80's right now.
thanks, i will have more but this should be a good start.
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I'll try to explain some of the differences between the two and (of course) it will be up to you to decide if the cost is worth it for your situation. First would be advantages in circuit design. The MKIII is a standard design found in most headphone amps under $500. The MKIV has the SEPP (OTL) circuit design, which is usually found in headphone amps above $500. I can't quantify the difference for you audibly, but some reading on the topic is here at HeadFi. One could simply say it is a superior design. Second, the MKIV is more powerful than the MKIII, about 150mW at 300ohms. Third, the MKIV has slightly less distortion than the MKIII. Fourth, the MKIV is a bigger unit than the MKIII, MKIII is 10.6 inches deep by 6.9 inches wide by 4.8 inches tall, the MKIV is 12.6 inches deep by 8.66 inches wide by 5.62 inches tall.
Both units have the same tube rolling capabilities, which has been expanded to include the EF92 family and EF95 family of tubes. The MKIV does have the tube guards and gold plate, which is quite a light show at night. The MKIII has silver rings at the bottom of each tube, which glow gold at night. The guards on the MKIV do make tube removal a challenge, but the top ring comes off with 3 Allen headed screws. Both units are used the same way as pre-amps, or as sources. You can use record-out on a tape loop circuit of a receiver to the input on either unit and listen to anything you have hooked up to your receiver with your headphone amp. You can hook up an MP3 player to either unit's input jacks, and hook up the output jacks to AUX in on a receiver and listen to your speakers, with the MP3's music all "tubed" sounding. The possibilities are almost unlimited, except with turntables. You will need a phono stage. Or, hook the TT to the receiver, and your headphone amp to the tape record out and listen to the turntable with headphones.
All MK series amps were designed by Sword Yang at Little-Dot using Senn HD-650s as the "defacto" standard load. That would be 300ohms. The cool part is both units have plenty of power to drive that load and less with ease. The final sound with your phones will again be a personal preference thing. If you consider your phones to be good phones, there is a good chance they will sound better with either unit. Both units have high quality components and excellent craftsmanship. Both units need around 100-150 hours of break-in, but they sound pretty good right out of the box.
I hope this can help you some. David Z at Little-Dot can answer headphone specific questions better than I can, so drop him an email if you are concerned.
