[.Sup]

jr don't forget the amp need lots of burn-in and tubes also.
 
I thought I read somewhere that David stopped IV SE production and was only making regular IVs because the tubes in the SE were hard to get. Good to see they are available again.
 
enjoy your new LD when it arrives jr

 

[jr41]

Thanks guys. I read through Penchum's useful review thread and all following posts, which mentioned the long burn-in time. The HD 650 also need plenty of burn-in time apparently so I'll resist judgement until both are fully settled down.
 
If I recall correctly, again from reading Penchum's thread, the first batch of SEs were wired for a particular premium tube which Little Dot had aquired a stock of. When that stock ran out I believe LD initially planned to stop production, but then decided to adapt the SE so it could accept the same family of tubes as the non SE MK IV so they could continue selling it.

 

[wudai_e]

The only problem I have with LD IV SE are the power tubes made from EH. They seem to have quality control issues. 2 out of 4 tubes died early and create lots of hiss and pop in one channel. Made me stay out of future tube gear. I love tube rolling but hate to buy new tubes every now and then simply because of a bad tube.

 

[furyagain]

I also just got the MKIVse with a MKVII+
and have them both conected to my LD DAC1
 
David 's services is really good,
he answer all my questions with in a day ( from tube rolling to trouble shoot)
 
I really recommand getting what i have now,
as the DAC have both output , RCA and XLR 3pin (2x)
i have the RCA connect to MKIVse and the balanced XLR to MKVII+
and i have both setting playing the same song
 
good for comparing
 
I do love using T1 and HD800 with the MKIVse and the D7000 with the MKVII+( but need ohm adapter , as just like the MKV MKVII+ give me hissing  when use with D7000( low ohm headphones)
 
the only complaint is...
I am using the lowest gain setting ( 3)
when i tried to set to (4) the right channel sound abit louder
 
but i really don't need the reason to go high gain with all my headphones.
 all around 9-10o clock the volume nub
 

 

[Stevtt]

I actually got rid of my home setup and went portable. Just a couple months ago I started looking at my vinyl collection, couldn't stand it anymore and had to start all over. I went with a Mk IV SE to play with the tubes and take time to decide what I was going with next but I like it. I'm using it off my Music Hall mmf 7.1 through a Jolida D9 into a set of Beyer 880's.  I'm running the pre-amp out through a Cambridge 640R on 2 channel to speakers. I also have the gain low.

 

[lescanard]

I'm pleased to say my MKIV arrived today and I am quite happy as a first impression. I'm using it with my DT990s (600ohm) - fed from my DacMagic. I swapped out the stock drivers immediately for some Western Electric 403Bs that I just recently bought on eBay. It sounds great out of the box but I'm burning it in for a while as well. I had an MKIII previously which I sold - I was surprised at how much bigger the MKIV is - solid as a tank.
 
My 1 small issue is the jumpers. The old MKIII had switches which made changing the settings for tube families quite easy. I've only glanced at it but can't see how I'm going to easily move the jumpers to change to EF91/92 tubes. I have many of these types of tubes and I tend to favor them. Has anyone done this - and any advice. The holes are pretty small - I couldn't really get a hold of the jumpers with needle nose pliers very easily - any tips or advice on this? 

 

[jr41]

Congratulations lescanard. How would you say the sound compaires to your old MK III?
 
Mine hasn't arrived yet so I can't answer your question RE changing jumpers. Once it's arrived, and if I discover anything useful in this regard, I'll let you know.

 

[Tiramisu515]

wow, looks like we have a few new MK IV/se owners.... That is great to know. Hopefully, we will take the journey together and share as much as possible.
 
As for the jumper thingy. I too find it alittle too much hassle. I mean, the design should have been more user friendly. Any guru who has been switching jumper, please advice if you may. I am sure it would be beneficial to all of us trying to tube roll with the Mk IV/se.
 
cheers!

 

[rosgr63]

I think you'll be able to find quite a few tubes to roll without having to change the jumpers.
But I agree a simpler way would have been better.

 

[lescanard]

Quote:

Congratulations lescanard. How would you say the sound compaires to your old MK III?
 
Mine hasn't arrived yet so I can't answer your question RE changing jumpers. Once it's arrived, and if I discover anything useful in this regard, I'll let you know.

Thanks - I'm really just starting with the MKIV. I didn't own my DT990s when I had the MKIII - basically I was using it primarily with my K701s and although it's a really nice amp - as an OTL design it's better suited I think with higher impedance phones which the K701s are not. My M-Stage does a stellar job with the AKGs - I guess I just didn't have a good headphone match for the MKIII when I had it. I was listening a bit last night with my DT990s and was really impressed with the detail and soundstage of this amp and expect it will only get better.

 
Quote:

I think you'll be able to find quite a few tubes to roll without having to change the jumpers.
But I agree a simpler way would have been better.

I've experienced and accumulated quite a few tubes (with the MKIII previously and my LDI+ currently). I really think the EF91/EF92 tubes are my favorites and I have quite a few so I'm going to need to figure out how to change the jumpers easily.
 
Some of the best tubes I've heard the past 2 years include CV4015/Mullard 8161 (EF92), and my absolute favorites which are Mullard EF91/Blue Glass (6AM6). I would highly suggest people try this family of tubes - incredibly rich, smooth and deep tight bass are characteristics I think they excel in. They will be really good mates with my DT990s which are strong on the low end. 

 

[.Sup]

Why do the jumpers need to be changed? I though they were for impedance only

 

[lescanard]

 
Quote:

Why do the jumpers need to be changed? I though they were for impedance only

The way my new MKIV is set up (slightly different than the way the MKIII was) is explained from the manual below:
 
"The Little Dot MK IV / SE has three jumper pins per channel that allow two different types of driver tubes. You can access the pins through the amplifier’s bottom panel, and they are located to the sides of the pair of capacitors closest to the front of the amplifier. Please power off the amplifier, and unplug it for at least 10 minutes before attempting to change the jumper settings.
 
If the jumper cap is covering pins 1 and 2 (M8100ff), the following driver tubes may be used:
 WE403A  5654, CK5654, GL5654, 5591, CV4010, CV5216, CV8246, 6069, CV10442  EF95, M8100, 6AK5W, CV10100, CV8159, CV8225, CV850  6J1
 
If the jumper cap is placed to cover pins 2 and 3 (EF92 side), the following driver tubes may be used:
 EF92, 6CQ6, CV2023, V884, VP6, M8161  EF91, 6AM6, CV10327, CV138, CV1955, CV2195, Z77  CV131, 9D6, W77
Any other equivalents or drop-in replacements for the above-mentioned tubes (both sets) may also be used. "
 
So basically you need to somehow wedge some tweezers down the 2 very small holes - remove the jumpers which are by default on pins 1/2 and replace each back on pins 2/3. My old MKIII simply had switches like you see on the bottom of the MKIV to adjust the gain. I believe Little Dot went away from the switches and back to jumpers because of some issues they were having. 
 
The reason this is so important at least for me - is I have about 35-40 tubes I've collected - at least 2/3 are of the EF92/91 families and as I said - they tend to sound best to me. I should also note - the manual that came with my amp must be old - I received a more updated manual from David via email that correctly explains this. The physical manual I rec'd is actually wrong - it's important that new owners get the updated manual. 
 
If you don't have it - here is the link:
 
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/6037680/Little%20Dot%20MK%20IV%20SE%20Reference%20Guide.pdf

 

[kwang411]

I own the LD Mk IV SE too, my set up is: Asus Xonar STX --> LD Mk IV SE --> HD800
 
I find that this set up is very bright with HD800, but i'm not quite sure what exactly is causing it.
I've plugged my HD800 into my receiver downstairs, and I know for certain that HD800 is capable of delivering warm-neutral-ish sound.
i think the LD is supposed to sound quite neutral, maybe slightly to the warm side (since it's tube amp), so I guess maybe it's the STX thats very cold and bright?
 
What do you guys think? Thanks

 

[jr41]

Hi kwang411, I'm not sure what could be causing your problem. What gain setting do you have you amplifier on? From previous reading I believe it's recommended to have the HD 650 on gain 10. Since the HD 800 is also 300 ohm, it may be that 10 is also the best setting for the HD 800. I recall comments were made that adjusting the gain affected sound (particularly bass), but whether it will address an overly bright sound I'm not sure.
 
Have you got another source you could use to determine whether the Xonar is the cause?

 

[.Sup]

Quote:

I own the LD Mk IV SE too, my set up is: Asus Xonar STX --> LD Mk IV SE --> HD800
 
I find that this set up is very bright with HD800, but i'm not quite sure what exactly is causing it.
I've plugged my HD800 into my receiver downstairs, and I know for certain that HD800 is capable of delivering warm-neutral-ish sound.
i think the LD is supposed to sound quite neutral, maybe slightly to the warm side (since it's tube amp), so I guess maybe it's the STX thats very cold and bright?
 
What do you guys think? Thanks

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if your operational system is either Vista or Windows 7 then your music will sound bright, that's why I don't use PC as the transport any more. Windows Xp has a much more neutral sound, you should try it if you haven't already.
 
 
Thanks for the PDF lescanard