[ciphercomplete]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sunseeker888 /img/forum/go_quote.gif hey cipher, true thats a great amplifier, I love mine too. May I ask what gain setting you are using? I'm using 5x with switch 2 on.

I have mine on the highest gain (10). The K501s need juice.

Since my Creek amp has issues with low impedance headphones I purchased a Etymotic 75ohm resistance adapter a while back for the ad700s and DR150s since they are both 32ohm. I am really glad I did that because it would be a pain to switch the gain on the little dot everytime I switched headphones. The Ety adapter isn't a perfect fix but it evens things out as my 501s still get maximum power and the other two get the same amount of power they would get if the Little Dot were set on the lowest gain. A seller on Ebay named "awwan" sells the adapter for $20.

 

[Pierre59]

Hi

I have just finished to read this post and I was amazed by your, not only fantastic review Penchum, but it is very professionnally made too.
I want replace my Original Master Headphone amp by this L.D. MKII because I want to use it as preamp too with my little Trenad TA-10.1 and I what to know if it's a good idea.

Is it true that some MK II and MK III can have some ground problem?

My system is:
Cambridge Azur CD player
AKG K701
Black Rhodium Illusion interconnect
Trends Audio TA-10.1 integrated amp
Audio-Art SC5 speaker cables
JmLab Chorus 705S

I have send an email to David on Ebay for somes inorfations.

I Have read in a french forum that the tube are soldered in the MK II. Is it true?


PS
I'm french-canadian. Excuse-me if my english is not very good.

Merci Beaucoup ( Thanks )

Pierre

 

[ethebull]

The tubes are not soldered - no issues - easy to remove and replace.

There are no grounding issues any more than any grounded piece of gear. The use of a multi outlet strip or filtering box to a single outlet for your whole system should avoid any potential problems (true for any set-up)

The preamp function will be fun for you to play with. You'll have to decide if using it as a "tube buffer" is pleasing for your system. Good chance you will enjoy it with most digital sources.

Have fun!

E

 

[Pierre59]

Thanks a lot ethebull.

I will wait for some tube rolling suggestion to fit with my AKG headphone.

 

[breakfastchef]

I am nearing the 100 hour mark on my MKII and have Mullard 6CQ6/CV131 (E92)
driver tubes and 6N6P power tubes ready to roll.

 

[Pierre59]

I have received an email from David sooner tonight. He asked to all my questions.

Now, I must decide if I buy the L.D. and sell my Original Master or if I tweak my Trends TA-10.1 and I keep my headphone amp.

 

[Pierre59]

I will tweak my Trends finally. Mainly because there is swtich on the L.D. and I don't want plug and unplug each time that I listen music by my phone or by my speaker.

Thanks for all.

 

[Alpha 1 Omega]

penchum can you recommend a tube set and a place to obtain .

I have LD MKII

thanks for the help

 

[Penchum]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alpha 1 Omega /img/forum/go_quote.gif penchum can you recommend a tube set and a place to obtain . I have LD MKII thanks for the help

Well, first, I would go over to the MKIII tube rolling thread and ask the folks there, if someone would be kind enough to sell you a pair of 6H6N-PI power tubes. They are the best you can get for a stock MKII and most have bought them in lots of 8 or 10, so extras are around.

Second, I'd look around eBay for a good driver tube. There are several really good ones to look for. In the EF95 compatibles, one is the Russian 6ZH1P-EV. Another is the Sylvania 5654/6AK5 with black plates and halo getters, and are sometimes hard to find.

The GE 5654 Mobile Radio tubes sound very nice, and cost little.

If you like the warm tube sound a lot, I'd recommend getting a pair of Mullard M8161's or Mullard 6CQ6 driver tubes. These are both EF92 compatibles, so you would have to set your jumpers accordingly.

Hopefully, this will get you started.

 

[breakfastchef]

Quick question to fellow MKII owners...I rolled my tubes for the first time yesterday. I am running in the E92 'mode' with 6N6P power tubes and Mullard CV131 driver tubes. I notice this tube combo is running much hotter than the stock tubes. Is this normal? The only other thing I did while inside the case was to raise the gain.

 

[Penchum]

Quote:

Originally Posted by breakfastchef /img/forum/go_quote.gif Quick question to fellow MKII owners...I rolled my tubes for the first time yesterday. I am running in the E92 'mode' with 6N6P power tubes and Mullard CV131 driver tubes. I notice this tube combo is running much hotter than the stock tubes. Is this normal? The only other thing I did while inside the case was to raise the gain.

Yep, they run hotter. Most of the NOS tubes I have (in both families), run hotter than the Chinese driver tubes.

 

[breakfastchef]

A follow up to my post from two days ago relates to the compatability of 6N6P (6H6П) with the MKII. I have been through the tube rolling threads for the II and III and distinctly remember noting this as a potential replacement power tube.

I bought 4 of the 6N6P's and put two into use on 7 May. When they warmed up, I got a low level static in the left channel. It would last half a minute and abruptly stop. Within 40-60 seconds, the static would slowly rise back up, last a half minute or so and abruptly stop. I swapped the drivers around and the static was still in the left channel. I went back to the stock 6N6's and the problem stopped.

Yesterday I put in the other pair of 6N6P driver tubes and have no static. These are currently paired with the Mullard CV131's.

I wrote to David and he said the 6N6P was not a suitable replacement for the stock 6n6's. He said to use 6H6PI, 6H6n or 6H6nN. This leads me to ask two questions.

1. Is the 6N6P an appropriate replacement driver for the MKII? My pair is working, but I certainly do not want to fry the amp by continuing to use it. For now, I have rolled back to the stock drivers.

2. If the one of the first pair of 6N6P's I used were defective, why would the static sound not follow the tube when I swapped them? This one puzzles me.

 

[Penchum]

Quote:

Originally Posted by breakfastchef /img/forum/go_quote.gif A follow up to my post from two days ago relates to the compatability of 6N6P (6H6П) with the MKII. I have been through the tube rolling threads for the II and III and distinctly remember noting this as a potential replacement power tube. I bought 4 of the 6N6P's and put two into use on 7 May. When they warmed up, I got a low level static in the left channel. It would last half a minute and abruptly stop. Within 40-60 seconds, the static would slowly rise back up, last a half minute or so and abruptly stop. I swapped the drivers around and the static was still in the left channel. I went back to the stock 6N6's and the problem stopped. Yesterday I put in the other pair of 6N6P driver tubes and have no static. These are currently paired with the Mullard CV131's. I wrote to David and he said the 6N6P was not a suitable replacement for the stock 6n6's. He said to use 6H6PI, 6H6n or 6H6nN. This leads me to ask two questions. 1. Is the 6N6P an appropriate replacement driver for the MKII? My pair is working, but I certainly do not want to fry the amp by continuing to use it. For now, I have rolled back to the stock drivers. 2. If the one of the first pair of 6N6P's I used were defective, why would the static sound not follow the tube when I swapped them? This one puzzles me.

Sorry I didn't catch this in your earlier post. Those letters can look so much like each other!

The MKII stock, loves the 6H6N and 6H6NPI. PM me if you would like some, I modded my MKII & MKIII to use 6H30's, so I have more than a few sitting around collecting dust.

My guess is that what you saw posted earlier before you ordered, was a type-o, and they meant 6H6N. If someone doesn't look this up soon, I'll do it and post what I see. My guess is the 6N6P is unstable in the MKII, and this is causing the strange stuff to happen. Film at eleven!

On the 6H6N's, the 6H6NPI sounds better than the 6H6N. The bass is more refined and overall detail is improved. Let me know!!

 

[SawaFish]

This forum really made me wanting to buy a MKII

. But since I'm a poor student the price is still quite high, so I wondered if Any of you had to pay customs? (please tell from which country you come when answering my question)

Thanks alot

 

[ethebull]

Not in the US, no customs fees from China.

You might consider hard about saving up an extra $45 for the MK III though