[Brooko]

Mike

Here's why I posted the advice above

http://www.head-fi.org/t/619181/list-opinion-amp-recommendations-for-fostex-denon-headphones

These two posts from Songmic also help explain the technical side brilliantly.
http://www.head-fi.org/t/619181/list-opinion-amp-recommendations-for-denon-headphones/180#post_8852275
http://www.head-fi.org/t/619181/list-opinion-amp-recommendations-for-denon-headphones/210#post_8896782

 

[MIKELAP]

Mike

Here's why I posted the advice above

http://www.head-fi.org/t/619181/list-opinion-amp-recommendations-for-fostex-denon-headphones

These two posts from Songmic also help explain the technical side brilliantly.
http://www.head-fi.org/t/619181/list-opinion-amp-recommendations-for-denon-headphones/180#post_8852275
http://www.head-fi.org/t/619181/list-opinion-amp-recommendations-for-denon-headphones/210#post_8896782

 Buy the way i am not disputing your advice my friend  its all true i guess, i wouldnt know .im just saying i dont ear it .

 

[Brooko]

   Buy the way i am not disputing your advice my friend  its all true i guess, i wouldnt know .im just saying i dont ear it .

 
No problems there my friend 

 
Theoretically Grados aren't the best match either - but I had no problems when i owned the RS1s either.  Admittedly though - most of the time I'd use them more with my DAPs or out of the NFB-12 (both low output impedance).
 
It's more for bbmiller.  In theory the Denons aren't ideal matched to the MKIV - but really he won't need to amp them anyway.

 

[bbmiller]

Using pink noise and resistors to burn in my DAC and headphone amplifier with a Ruth Goldberg menagerie?
 
I am finally scheduled to get my new Little Dot DAC_I Digital to Analog Converter and my Little Dot MK IV Tube Headphone Amplifier / Pre-amplifier probably Monday. But my Sennheiser HD 600s will probably be delivered a week and a half later. Consequently I have no appropriate headphones to burn in my new audiophile quality, partial set up, which will be arriving Monday. I am thinking I will go to RadioShack, electronics store, the only store who sells resistors close to me and by the closest thing they have to a 300 ohm resistors which are 330 ohm resistors in quarter watt and putting them both in series of two and parallel create a 330 ohm one watt equivalent resistor suitable to simulate my Sennheiser HD 600s without being there. So it will take four resistors per channel, but RadioShack has that many. I using then plan on using a MP3 player (not my normal source of music for this set up) and a pink noise recording cycling into the RCA inputs to USB soundcard which will give me an optical audio out to the DAC with that pink noise will recording then repeatedly run for as long as the battery lasts and then charge and put the pink noise again and again until I reach 100 hours. So the plan is an eight resistor menagerie connected to my headphone amplifier and a recording of pink noise as the source to burn in at least my DAC and headphone amplifier before my headphones arrive.
 
 So what do you think of that plan? Can you think of any alternative plans that would be better? My normal source of music will be my one computer, but I will not be willing to give it up for 100 hours unless I could do something like have it generate pink noise out of one USB while still watching videos and listening to sound from another USB and video output.
 
PS what volume on the volume knob of by headphone amplifier do you think I should use?

 

[TrollDragon]

Wow that's quite the plan... :eek:

Solid state electronics do not Change or Benefit from any "Burn-In" because if they did all the specs on units would be different... Except in the case of quality control where it is used to find bad components or improperly soldered boards from the reflow ovens.

But whatever floats you boat...

The LD manual states that the amplifier should not be run for anymore than 8 hours without a cool down period since there is no ventilation in the case. Heat is a major contributor to failed electronics so I would follow the LD guidelines.

Your 300 ohm resistor network should be fine for the purpose but the stock driver tubes that come with the LD are not the best sounding tubes, check into the Little Dot Tube Rolling thread to find much better sounding choices like the 6DT6 in EF92 mode and 6HM5 in EF95 mode. Right now everyone is running octal tubes 6SN7 with adapters and external heater supplies in that thread. I run a 6DJ8 variant in my MKIV with an adapter, but you might not want to experiment with such mods from the start to get a feel for the stock sound.

 

[bbmiller]

Wow that's quite the plan...

Solid state electronics do not Change or Benefit from any "Burn-In" because if they did all the specs on units would be different... Except in the case of quality control where it is used to find bad components or improperly soldered boards from the reflow ovens.

What about tube burn in how necessary is it? Does it take a 100 hours, at least burn in, if it is pretty necessary?

The LD manual states that the amplifier should not be run for anymore than 8 hours without a cool down period since there is no ventilation in the case. Heat is a major contributor to failed electronics so I would follow the LD guidelines.

How much cooldown time between tube burn in sessions do you think necessary?

Your 300 ohm resistor network should be fine for the purpose but the stock driver tubes that come with the LD are not the best sounding tubes

What about the SE tube variant which is what I bought?

 

[TrollDragon]

Everyone in the rolling thread runs their tubes while listening to them and some do notice changes over a period of time. You can have the same model number of tube from different manufacturers and they will sound different between the brands. It is something that you have to experience for yourself with different tubes, the ones I listed earlier get a high praise from the majority of LD users so there is some merit to those tubes.

Yes the SE version does benefit from different driver tubes as well. Page 77 of the LD Tube Rolling thread lists all the 7 pin tubes that have been used as driver tubes and their results, sorry I can't link to the page from the mobile browser if you search or check a few pages back I think MIKELAP posted the link to that thread.

 

[MIKELAP]

  What about tube burn in? Is that necessary? Does it take a 100 hours if it is?

Heres the link to page 77.                  http://www.head-fi.org/t/563884/little-dot-tube-amps-vacuum-tube-rolling-guide/1140

 

[TrollDragon]

Heres the link to page 77.                  http://www.head-fi.org/t/563884/little-dot-tube-amps-vacuum-tube-rolling-guide/1140

Thanks MIKELAP!

The table is about halfway down that page, I think post #1159.

 

[MIKELAP]

Thanks MIKELAP!

The table is about halfway down that page, I think post #1159.

Close  #1154  you got a good memory .

 

[superpronker]

I'm using my LD MK IV SE with a pair of Denon D7000 and it's giving out a high-pitched whining sound. The whine doesn't get higher when I change the volume, it appears to just be constant. 
 
Does anyone experience this? Any ideas to what the solution might be?
 
There is no ground by the way. 

 

[TrollDragon]

  I'm using my LD MK IV SE with a pair of Denon D7000 and it's giving out a high-pitched whining sound. The whine doesn't get higher when I change the volume, it appears to just be constant. 
 
Does anyone experience this? Any ideas to what the solution might be?
 
There is no ground by the way. 

Have you tried connecting a ground?

 

[boombobby289]

I'm new to Tube Amp.
May I know if Cans like AKG K550 and BeyerDT880(32ohm) work well with MKIV or IVSE?

I worry about the annoying noise from this Amp?

Have you experienced with hum noise from its transformer?

 

[TrollDragon]

My Ultrasone HFI-780's @ 35 ohm do hum with the MK IV, I use a 100 ohm inline attenuator with them. The attenuator reduces the hum to a very low level but it is still there.

The DT880 Pro's @ 250 ohm and the GMP 8.300 D Pro's @ 300 ohm do not hum at all and sound incredible with non stock tubes.

OTL amps like the MK II and up are not really designed for low impedance headphones. You should look into a LD I+ hybrid or something similar.

 

[bbmiller]

 sound incredible with non stock tubes

As I have stated earlier I am using the tubes of the SE option and am finding they are making my Sennheiser HD 600s sound incredible even though their stock. If the original files are incredible the sound is incredible.
 
 
I am wondering what are the nature of files said to be improved by tube rolling? I have read elsewhere that given the right free 1980s recordings that the right tube can improve the sound greatly, but is it possible to describe what you hear when you find the file of this nature before and after the right tube?
 
 
I am also wondering do I need a tube tester? Will the degradation of the sound once my tubes eventually wear out be so gradual that I can have degraded sound creep up on me without realizing it?