[rosgr63]

Hello nisspug, welcome to Head-Fi.
I don't know about the LD III, I can only comment about the LD MKIV SE.
I like the SR325is with it they sound very nice with rock.
Great mids but the bass may not be as strong as you woulkd like.
Any chance you can audition before you buy them?

 

[lescanard]

Hi all,


 


new to the forums and headphones in general. I'm considering buying an amp for my Grado Sr325is cans and I'm interested in the LD Mk III or Mk IV. Can someone tell me the difference in sound between these two models with the SR325 (low impedance)? 


 


Rosgr63  - you have these cans don't you? Could you give a mini review of the way they sound with the Mk IV? I play mainly rock, jazz and alt country/folk styles of music and value a strong, deep bass and general transparency. I'm wondering if they would suit me.

Hi nisspug, welcome. I have owned both the 325is' and MKIII (sold both), and currently own the MKIV. I only used the Grados with the MKIII but IMO it was the wrong amp for them. I ended up purchasing the hybrid Little Dot I+ as it is the preferred LD amp with low impedance phones. It was a great match and significantly less expensive. Both the MKIII and MKIV are OTL amps which are ideal for phones at 120+ ohms according to an email I received from David at LD. Not to say that neither would sound good with the 325s, just that the LDI+ is made for phones like the Grados. I would suggest that route, save some money and maybe buy a good DAC as well.

 

[nisspug]

Thanks for the welcomes.
 
I can't really audition the amps before I buy rosgr63 as I live in Australia. Could you please descibe the bass a bit more with the MkIV and Grados? Does it go deep and does it have weight and impact? I like realistic bass not over-pumped.
 
Lescanard - interesting that you prefered the LD 1+ with the Grados. Was it mainly the bass that was improved with the smaller amp, due to a better impedance match? Is the MkIV possibly a better match for low impedance cans than the MKIII? I'm also considering building the A47 amp which is a supercharged version of a CMoy. Do you think the LD 1+ would be superior to the A47?

 

[Hifisound]

I have recently ordered MKIV from little dot and am eagerly waiting for the same ( it has been shipped) . Have also ordered Senns HD600. Currently just have Sr60 so this will be my first proper headphone system.
 
I must say David really has lot of patience and answers all your emails .... Appreciated.
 
One small dejection for me was I couldn't upgrade my order to SE. I initially placed order for mkiii and then soon upgraded it to mkiv
Later I realized the SE would be best (given the very good stock tubes as well as 2 yr warranty) , but by the time I sent the upgrade email, David informed me that it has shipped .... Unfortunate...
 
Hope to really enjoy standard MKIV + HD600 !!!
 
Btw any idea if can connect MKIV to power in connections of my NAD372 ? How to ensure its safe for a given amp ?
 
Thanks and Regards,
Hifisound
 

 

[jr41]

@Hifisound
 
Congratulations on going for the MK IV - I'm sure it'll pair very nicely with the HD 600.
 
As for the MK IV vs. the MK IV SE, I don't think there's a huge difference between the two - I think it's mainly in the tubes and you can buy the tubes used in the SE separately.

 

[psone]

Hey HifiSound, grats on the amp and cans! and welcome to the club
 
as far as the nad372 is concerned i'm not familiar with that particular amp but you should be able to run the preamp out from the mkIV into the tape/tuner/aux inputs on it.
 
There are a couple of threads knocking around regarding using the MKIII/IV as a preamp if your looking for more on information on the subject...

 

[Hifisound]

@jr41
 
Thanks!!! i am planning to buy ehx 6h30pi and mullard m8161 later, i hope i dont miss the SE then
Only thing is the 2 yrs warranty, though if this machine is reliable enough, that should not be a problem..
Typically what's the best place to buy tubes , ebay ? And what would be resonable prices for above tubes ?
 
@psone
 
Thanks!!! Yes I can surely connect it to aux in. But I was thinking of bypassing 372 pre and connecting directly to 372 main in.
Anyways, as you suggested I will search through various threads...

 

[lescanard]

Quote:

Thanks for the welcomes.
 
I can't really audition the amps before I buy rosgr63 as I live in Australia. Could you please descibe the bass a bit more with the MkIV and Grados? Does it go deep and does it have weight and impact? I like realistic bass not over-pumped.
 
Lescanard - interesting that you prefered the LD 1+ with the Grados. Was it mainly the bass that was improved with the smaller amp, due to a better impedance match? Is the MkIV possibly a better match for low impedance cans than the MKIII? I'm also considering building the A47 amp which is a supercharged version of a CMoy. Do you think the LD 1+ would be superior to the A47?

 
As I recall nisspug - the bass was definitely much improved on the LDI+ I think. I felt it was a much better presentation - very smooth and took any harshness out of the phones for me anyway. Really had the juice to drive the low impedance phones (I also enjoyed my AKGs with it). I didn't dislike them with the MKIII, just felt that the hybrid LDI+ was a better match and was a really nice budget unit - so much so I sold the MKIII. I was able to swap out op-amps and enjoyed that as well as tube rolling. I never listened to the Grados with the MKIV (they were sold by the time I got it) - and I really love this amp with my Beyers but can't comment on how the Grados would be with it. My impression was that the MKIII/IV are more suited to phones over 120ohms. My Beyers are hi-impedance and it shines with them. I am unfamiliar with the A47 - so no opinions there either, sorry. 
 

 

[dadong]

I'm now a proud owner of a MKIV amp...

 
it's a sweet little thing and dealing with David at little dot was smooth as silk.
 
currently running off an sondigo inferno/ipod touch G1 into a hd555 (waiting for my hd650's to arrive)
 
Sound is SPECTACULAR. The mids just opened up compaired to when i was running straight off the ipod. bass has more impact now. and i've only used it for 4 hours. can't wait to hear how it sounds with my hd650's and when it's burned in for 100+ hours and with flacs... if it puts a smile on my face at 4 hours and fwir it only get's better i have high expectations.
 
 
now to fix this freaken ground loop issue. so i can run it off the computer... i heard it can be fixed by constructing a set of interconnects with the shield cut at source end. can anyone help me out with this?

 

[nisspug]

Lescanard-thanks for posting those impressions. Sounds like I should look deeper into the LD+1. Much appreciated.

 

[.Sup]

I received some nice power block with quality plugs and they don't fit into LDs IEC sockets. I looked at its IEC and one pin is thicker than the other. So I can't use it with it. Really too bad.

 

[jr41]

@dadong
Congratulations on getting your MK IV

 
Sorry to hear about the ground loop issue though. I've never suffered from the problem myself so I can't offer much assistance, I understand it's got something to do with resistance in a components signal path ground, or a varying in potential between two components connectors ground paths. If you describe your particular setup and the problems you're experiencing someone might be able to help you.
 
I know you can get various devices which sit in the signal path to eliminate the problem, you can also get cheater plugs - but these really aren't a good idea for obvious reasons.
 
It might be worth posting your issue in the DIY forum, as people with a strong knowledge of electronics hang out there.

 

[dadong]

K thanks. I've just purchased a used cheap line conditioner and from what i've read that might just fix the issue, though i can' t be sure until it arrives. funny though the hum completely disappear when i listen to any music that has good mids, it's just when the music starts getting quite that it becomes an issue.
 
other than that these things are hot

Quote:

@dadong
Congratulations on getting your MK IV

 
Sorry to hear about the ground loop issue though. I've never suffered from the problem myself so I can't offer much assistance, I understand it's got something to do with resistance in a components signal path ground, or a varying in potential between two components connectors ground paths. If you describe your particular setup and the problems you're experiencing someone might be able to help you.
 
I know you can get various devices which sit in the signal path to eliminate the problem, you can also get cheater plugs - but these really aren't a good idea for obvious reasons.
 
It might be worth posting you're issue in the DIY forum, as people with a strong knowledge of electronics hang out there.

 

[jr41]

@dadong
Re-reading your original post, I see you're using an ipod as one of your sources. I wouldn't have thought you'd get mains hum (ground loop) from an ipod as your source, not even if it's plugged in as I believe ipod power adapters aren't grounded.
 
You might get it from your sound card, I'm not sure (I'm not an expert on this subject).
 
Sound quality from a sound card can be variable and some are prone to a lot of background noise (as is the case with the on-board sound card in my computer). Also, are you using CD quality lossles audio files or low bit rate MP3s? It could just be the MK IV is more revealing than your previous amplification.

 

[dadong]

@ Jr41
 
I'm using high bitrate audio tracks + Flac files on foobar 2000. absolutely no problems there.
 
and yes when i'm using my ipod running off the battery there is absolutely no background noise. once it's plugged into to the computer it's a different story since i thing all usb devices are grounded.
 
Interesting thing is the more i look into this the more it hints at the EMI from my videocard  hum starts to fluctuate when i move the mouse, though strangely enough is if i use the cheater plug all noise goes a way, so i'm a stump to what the issue actually is. ground loop or EMI at the soundcard.
 
I could use the cheater plug until the issue is fixed (i've heard that on tube amps the concerquences are terrible), but no way in hell am i gonna risk getting killed before i get a taste of my incoming hd650's XD