Quote:
Originally Posted by Penchum /img/forum/go_quote.gif
In this case, with the MKII, I'd hold off and buy some NOS (New Old Stock) tubes after it arrives. The power tubes (large in rear) it comes with are 6H6N Russian made tubes. An upgrade to them is the 6H6N-PI Russian tube, which many Little-Dot owners have bought in lots of 8 or 10 and I'm sure they would sell a pair really cheap. The driver tubes (small in front) are ok, but no where near the quality sound makers you could pick up for very little cash.
I always recommend to new owners, that they run their new amp for 100hrs with the stock tubes. This does two things. First, it lets you hear just how much the amp and the tubes change with some time under their belts, and second, it gives you a reference point (sound) so that when you try other tubes, it is easier to compare them with the reference you are more than familiar with, in your head.
There are many excellent driver tubes in the EF92 and EF95 tube families. Many users here can help with tubes, so don't worry. You'll be joining the Little-Dot Family and everyone is in it for the music.
Have a good one!
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Peachum: Again, thanks. But I'll risk burdening you with two more things before I let you go back about your business, as if you'd never heard from me! -- A question, and some explanation about why I'm proceeding as I am.
The question: With all this talk in the forum about burning in of amps -- how do you recommend doing it?
Second, I migrated to this forum from the Nokia N800 Internet Tablet forum, where we've been in the throes of trying to get a digital audio signal from the N800's USB port (which is an OTG (slave?)) port, but as the N800 has a Linux operating system, it's been possible to effect an internal switch to convert it as needed to a Host USB port.
I came upon your forum in furthering our Nokia forum's quest for possibly some illumination which might be found there on how we could further proceed, and along the way I thus became fascinated by it. As I myself listen to much classical music with CD's converted to the flac format on my iAudio7, I was quickly immersed in myriad threads of interest and consequence to me. (But we still haven't yet found a way to get the N800 to deliver digital music through it's Host-converted USB port!)
Anyway, in my readings of various of your forum's threads (and especially of your own very detailed and persuasive reviews and other comments) I of course became aware of the Little Dot MKII (along with the Zero dac/amp). And today I attended your forum's regional meet here in Seattle, met some very interesting and pleasant people, but perhaps of even greater importance to me at this time -- I was able to try out the Little Dot MKII on the spot, with my own Sennheiser headphones and my flac-loaded iAudio7. (I believe it was member Joshatdot who had the MKII there.) I tried other amps as well, but I was so impressed with the MKII that I came home, got on the net and this forum, and hence my query to you and intent to buy. (And I will read your full review thread, but I have trouble on my two computer screens as the text doesn't fit within the margins, which is a circumstance that makes reading such a long thread difficult, and which I have not yet been able to remedy).
So, there you have it -- for what it's worth. I'll hold off in possibly getting the Zero -- the cart before the horse? -- until I get myself a digital audio signal from somewhere. As I understand it, the Zero doesn't have a USB digital line out, so I can't use my laptop.)
Again thanks and regards, Jim
