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Review of the Little-Dot MKII Tube Headphone Amp/Pre-Amp
Aug 19, 2008 at 9:02 PM Post #286 of 659
Quote:

Originally Posted by Penchum /img/forum/go_quote.gif
I liked how the EF92 6CQ6 driver tubes sound in the MKII. Even though you have to put the jumpers on for EF92 mode, it is worth it. They have that famous "Mullard" sound, which works well for most types of music.
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The United Electron EF92 is a good choice as well if you're thinking about rolling the EF92.
 
Sep 2, 2008 at 3:36 PM Post #287 of 659
i have a problem concerning the tubes, not the amp...a few weeks ago i thrown in a pair of russian 6n6p power tubes, which didn't gave me a percievable improvement in sound quality, but i always had the impression of a slightly uneven channel balance...but since it was evident only with some recordings....i didn't switch back to the stock tubes till today...and it confirmed my impression, since to my ears the stock ones are perfectly balanced...i have different driver tubes as well, 2xm8100, 4xussr 6j1, which seem to have no bias problem at all, so my experience told me that power tubes need to be a matched and tested pair, where driver tubes are more or less the same....is it correct , or i just have a bad pair of tubes ? If i am correct, i'd better buy a pair of spare power tubes from LD...which should be 100% fine....
 
Sep 2, 2008 at 3:46 PM Post #288 of 659
Quote:

Originally Posted by Meliboeus /img/forum/go_quote.gif
i have a problem concerning the tubes, not the amp...a few weeks ago i thrown in a pair of russian 6n6p power tubes, which didn't gave me a percievable improvement in sound quality, but i always had the impression of a slightly uneven channel balance...but since it was evident only with some recordings....i didn't switch back to the stock tubes till today...and it confirmed my impression, since to my ears the stock ones are perfectly balanced...i have different driver tubes as well, 2xm8100, 4xussr 6j1, which seem to have no bias problem at all, so my experience told me that power tubes need to be a matched and tested pair, where driver tubes are more or less the same....is it correct , or i just have a bad pair of tubes ? If i am correct, i'd better buy a pair of spare power tubes from LD...which should be 100% fine....


You are right, It can be a "crap shoot" for sure. I once had a box of eight 6N6PI power tubes, and all eight seemed very well matched. Others, have had them seem miles apart from each other. The only way around this is to either buy a matched set, or find someone with a tube tester, who can match them up for you. Also, some matched pairs will seem unbalanced to each other, until they have matured, about 45 hours.

You could check eBay and see if someone is selling a matched set of those. They are very nice power tubes when matured.
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Sep 2, 2008 at 4:06 PM Post #289 of 659
ok , so i am not gone mad...it is a known "issue"...for now i'll use the stock ones...while i hear some improvements swapping driver tubes...i don't feel so with the power tubes...in case they go bad, i'll just buy a matched pair of chinese tubes from LD and live with my slightly unbalanced ones until i get a replacement....
 
Sep 2, 2008 at 4:16 PM Post #290 of 659
Quote:

Originally Posted by Meliboeus /img/forum/go_quote.gif
ok , so i am not gone mad...it is a known "issue"...for now i'll use the stock ones...while i hear some improvements swapping driver tubes...i don't feel so with the power tubes...in case they go bad, i'll just buy a matched pair of chinese tubes from LD and live with my slightly unbalanced ones until i get a replacement....


Well, considering the cost and what you'd get, I'd highly recommend dumping the Chinese tubes at the earliest opportunity. They aren't known for quality, and the Russian power tubes are. You could also ask around and see if anyone has a spare set of the 6N6PI's that are closer matched. This might be very cost effective too, since many bought these in groups of 8 or 10, and might be willing to let a set go for a decent price.
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Sep 16, 2008 at 5:20 AM Post #291 of 659
Hey. I also bought this amp and the zero dac both thanks to Penchum's awesome reviews. I have one tiny problem though, with the zero acting as DAC and pre amp, the mkii is way too sensitive even using the lowest impedance. My headphone is a hd580 (300ohms). I can never go above 10/100 on the dial for my mkii and that is at the lowest gain available (funny thing, it came defaulted to on-on, low gain). Is there anything I can do? Lower the volume in foobar? Set zero to phone mode and lower the volume there? Thanks
 
Oct 4, 2008 at 2:13 AM Post #295 of 659
Dec 7, 2008 at 10:08 PM Post #296 of 659
Thanks to this excellent review. Also purchased MK II today.
Can't wait to get my hands on it.
 
Dec 19, 2008 at 8:12 PM Post #298 of 659
i mite be getting this soon to power my HD600..my first Tube amp probably!
 
Dec 22, 2008 at 1:00 AM Post #299 of 659
Dec 22, 2008 at 1:16 AM Post #300 of 659
Quote:

Originally Posted by Project22a /img/forum/go_quote.gif
I'm looking to get a set of Mullard M8161's, but I'm having a bit of trouble finding them (Were they all bought out? I used to see the full shield ones on ebay all the time)

However, I did find a set of "CV131/6CQ6" that are supposed to be equivalent to the M8161's. Is this true?

Mullard CV131 / 6CQ6 Little Dot Amp M8161 CV4015 EF92 - eBay (item 270315164359 end time Jan-07-09 20:57:58 PST)



From that auctions description...

"..... These tubes are the civilian-branded equivalent of the popular Mullard M8161 tubes and were both manufactured in the same Mullard factory using the same design."
 
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