The Little Dot Mk IV / SE Impressions Thread
Dec 2, 2012 at 5:23 PM Post #241 of 583
by the way
when you say "stock tubes" do you have the LD MKIV or LD MKIV SE, the latter already comes with very decent tubes anyway.
 
thanks again
 
Dec 2, 2012 at 5:33 PM Post #243 of 583
For me its between the 8100's and the 6zh1p-ev, I may go for the latter since they are just so much easier to get hold of.
Plus I'm only buying from yenaudiostore on EBAY, since that's the re-seller i trust the most. who doesn't have the 8100 in stock at the moment.
So I'm kind of in a corner. :p
 
Dec 3, 2012 at 9:36 AM Post #244 of 583
Personally these are my favorite with my LD MK IV SE: http://www.ebay.com/itm/NOS-TELEFUNKEN-6AK5-5654-6AK5W-Tubes-for-Little-Dot-headphone-amp-MK-IV-3-4-/290678560214
 
I also have:
 
Mullard M8100
Mullard M8161
Raytheon 6AK5
LM Ericsson 403b
WestermElec 403b
Voshkod 6zh1p-ev
Russian Military 6X1Π-EB
 
The Raytheon's have a very airy sound stage but lack a bit of detail, they're perfect for music like the black keys or anything that sounds "muddy".
 
i.e.

 
Based on what I've read I would assume the M8083 is a very similar sound.
 
The Voshkod's are a close second to the Telefunken's for me, I can see how people could go either way on these, and the Voshkod's are usually cheaper so they usually win. I just prefer the flavor of the Telefunken's
 
Jan 8, 2013 at 5:31 PM Post #249 of 583
Quote:
 
Hehe probably not :)
 
The m8100 are great tubes, most other good tubes aren't really better than those. They're mostly different I think, but the m8100 has great characteristics.


Correct me if I'm wrong, NW, but I was browsing a LD tube rolling thread..... wasn't that you who didn't like the Mullards at first and then, voila, they sounded pretty good ......
L3000.gif

 
Jan 8, 2013 at 5:57 PM Post #250 of 583
Quote:
Correct me if I'm wrong, NW, but I was browsing a LD tube rolling thread..... wasn't that you who didn't like the Mullards at first and then, voila, they sounded pretty good ......
L3000.gif


Yes. The truth is the tubes were never the problem, though. If anything, my approach to the whole thing shouldn't have indicated it had anything to do with the tubes themselves, which I know now but didn't at the time :).
 
Jan 17, 2013 at 4:25 PM Post #252 of 583
Quote:
Not sure if this thread is officially dead yet .... just wanted to post I just ordered this puppy and looking forward to its arrival!
 


A week and 2 days later, it's (SE) unpacked and glowing.  In the past half hour, I've tried it with my HE-500, HD600, and Mad Dogs.  It sounds very similar to the Schiit Lyr..... in fact doing a quick A/B comparison, the Lyr sounds a bit more fluid and velvety.   But the LD is not too shabby out of the box.  This is all at default gain, which puts me at about 40-50 %.  I'm picking up a hint of sibilance on the highs --- not great since I'm also awaiting the arrival of a Beyer T1.   Can I expect this baby to smooth out with some burn in?
 
Jan 17, 2013 at 6:29 PM Post #253 of 583
Quote:
A week and 2 days later, it's (SE) unpacked and glowing.  In the past half hour, I've tried it with my HE-500, HD600, and Mad Dogs.  It sounds very similar to the Schiit Lyr..... in fact doing a quick A/B comparison, the Lyr sounds a bit more fluid and velvety.   But the LD is not too shabby out of the box.  This is all at default gain, which puts me at about 40-50 %.  I'm picking up a hint of sibilance on the highs --- not great since I'm also awaiting the arrival of a Beyer T1.   Can I expect this baby to smooth out with some burn in?


Would you be able to say what you mean by "more fluid and velvety"?
 
Jan 17, 2013 at 7:06 PM Post #254 of 583
Quote:
Would you be able to say what you mean by "more fluid and velvety"?


The LD, relative to the Lyr : Bass not quite as extended, slightly underemphasized, mids not as present as the Lyr, highs are crisper, almost to the point of sibilance.  Could just be different sound signature of the tubes, or the amps themselves.
 
Not suprisingly, my higher impedance headphone (HD600) performs relatively better with LD than the lower impedance phones (Mad Dogs, HE-500) vs the Lyr.  Still just initial impressions.
 
Jan 17, 2013 at 7:33 PM Post #255 of 583
Quote:
The LD, relative to the Lyr : Bass not quite as extended, slightly overemphasized, mids not as present as the Lyr, highs are crisper, almost to the point of sibilance.  Could just be different sound signature of the tubes, or the amps themselves.
 
Not suprisingly, my higher impedance headphone (HD600) performs relatively better with LD than the lower impedance phones (Mad Dogs, HE-500) vs the Lyr.  Still just initial impressions.


Interesting. Thanks for sharing.
 
I remember when I first got the Little Dot feeling that the sound did really change dramatically, especially the first week. But I am absolutely not confident about that.
 

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