[Lapwing]

Quote:

Originally Posted by boomana /img/forum/go_quote.gif What is does mean is that my opinion is more informed than others when speaking about any of the amps I've heard. If I talk about the sq of any amp, I have reference points. The only Little Dot I've heard didn't come close to most in sq quality, but that doesn't means ones I haven't heard haven't improved since that time. From those who have more experience than I with Little Dots, they've made improvements and I can only hope they have.

The difference between you and I is that you give merit to your subjective psychoacoustics. I'm of the type that won't believe in something so ridiculously subjective as sound quality unless it's been proven to me either by a blatantly obvious difference to my own ears or to some kind of scientific proof concluding so. The latter point is where I've obtained most of my skepticism. In every analytically comparative review I've read through thus far has concluded that in fact the difference in amplifier SQ are negligible.

 

[olblueyez]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lapwing /img/forum/go_quote.gif The difference between you and I is that you give merit to your subjective psychoacoustics. I'm of the type that won't believe in something so ridiculously subjective as sound quality unless it's been proven to me either by a blatantly obvious difference to my own ears or to some kind of scientific proof concluding so. The latter point is where I've obtained most of my skepticism. In every analytically comparative review I've read through thus far has concluded that in fact the difference in amplifier SQ are negligible.

 

[Golden Monkey]

LOL @ everybody...too funny...

Anyway, claims of shillery aside, IF Penchum WAS some sort of incognito LD-compensated pusher (as opposed to very enthusiastic firm believer), why would he post more or less the same reviews on the little tube forums? I mean, if someone was going to be swayed by a review, it would be here, not there...there's almost NO "looking for an amp, help me decide" threads there, they are all from current owners. My guess is he's just REALLY into LD. So what, if it makes him happy to stick with them and review them in great detail, good for him. Some people are never satisfied and can't keep anything for more than a week without selling it on (glitch, I'm talkin' to YOU, lol).

 

[dcpoor]

Quote:

Originally Posted by crappyjones123 /img/forum/go_quote.gif huh? i thought it was about our love for cheez 'n tourtles! blah wrong forum again my first amp was a little dot mk v. i had it for about 4 months before i sold it not because i didnt like it, but i needed the funds at the time. at the time i thought of it to be the greatest amp ever made. and then i went to canjam and all my impressions of my supposedly awesome rig went out the window. the 650s didnt sound the same. the little dots are great amps for the price they are sold at. the customer service leaves very little to be desired. however, if one were to put it again a zana or a sds or even an ec/ss for that matter, the difference in sound will be fairly obvious. i am not engineer nor do i claim to know much about the interns of amps, but the argument for one clean watt being one clean watt might not be the strongest in this case. NOTHING generates one clean watt. there is always loss in power SOMEWHERE along the way. nothing is 100% efficient. summary, ld's are great amps but i find it hard to believe they would stand up and hold their ground against any of the big amps that may or may not cost a kidney.

just checking, you found the slightly more expensive EC/SS to be considerably better than the LD mk v?

 

[boomana]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lapwing /img/forum/go_quote.gif The difference between you and I is that you give merit to your subjective psychoacoustics. I'm of the type that won't believe in something so ridiculously subjective as sound quality unless it's been proven to me either by a blatantly obvious difference to my own ears or to some kind of scientific proof concluding so. The latter point is where I've obtained most of my skepticism. In every analytically comparative review I've read through thus far has concluded that in fact the difference in amplifier SQ are negligible.

I do give merit to subjective psychoacoustics as do the designers of all amps as does anyone who has heard them. Since you have heard only two or three amps, sources and headphones, you speak from your experience. I speak from mine. The difference between you and I is that you have no experience, yet insist your opinions are as valid as those who do. I would never be such a fool as to make a similar claim.

 

[boomana]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Golden Monkey /img/forum/go_quote.gif LOL @ everybody...too funny... Anyway, claims of shillery aside, IF Penchum WAS some sort of incognito LD-compensated pusher (as opposed to very enthusiastic firm believer)....

I strongly suspect that he's just an excessive fanboy, but excessive fanboyism of 3000+ posts, mostly about the Little Dots or Zero, gives you the result of shilling, whether intended or not.

 

[crappyjones123]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lapwing /img/forum/go_quote.gif The difference between you and I is that you give merit to your subjective psychoacoustics. I'm of the type that won't believe in something so ridiculously subjective as sound quality unless it's been proven to me either by a blatantly obvious difference to my own ears or to some kind of scientific proof concluding so. The latter point is where I've obtained most of my skepticism. In every analytically comparative review I've read through thus far has concluded that in fact the difference in amplifier SQ are negligible.

lapwing, i have had the pleasure of working in close proximity with a few people who consider themselves what the world considers them - extremely scientifically inclined and skeptical of hogwash. if there is one thing i have learnt from being around them is that none of them hold fast to "facts" as some of the other people who dogmatically believe in something do. a good scientist will always be open to new solutions to already present problems and not reject them just because it is subjective. if that were the case, 99% of science wouldn't have been done. as much as you would like to believe that science is pure hard fact, it really is not. no good idea is just observed. people have inclinations, they test their intuitions. if their intuitions are supported by scientific experiments, then well we get an advancement in science, if not, they move onto some other musing. it is people who are open to GOOD arguments (even if the argument is against what they believe in) that tend to climb to the top of such academic ladders, not people who cling onto their beliefs like a scared child clings to his blanket.

a very underquoted indian mathematician ramanujan used to go to bed every night and then wake up and write down mathematical expressions that he said came to him in his sleep and were told to be true by a goddess he prayed to. till date the correctness of over 3000 series is mind blowing. he never gave proofs to show that they were right but somehow they just were.

if you refuse to consider other people's views even if they are polar opposites to yours, you are only showing how poor of scientist you are. i use the word scientist to describe anyone who does science, not necessarily someone who works in a lab. you claim to be doing so by saying that you have read numerous articles on the behavior and operation of electronics in question. all i can see you doing is bad science and yelling rather loudly since you cant seem to convince people of your point of view by using reason.

its peoples reluctance to even consider an opposing argument that makes them look like idiots in the scientific community. it is not a sign of being committed to your thoughts. it is not believing in yourself. it does not indicate self confidence but only the opposite. drop the act of having science on your side when infact all you have is the bullheadedness of a dogmatic preacher of a fundamentalist institution of some religion that believes that the world will end 6 years from now. say what you believe in but dont say that you are backed by science and then quote formulas out of context. formulas and practice are different. in theory you can draw a straight line but in practice you can never do so. in theory you can measure the accurate resistance across a circuit but in practice you cannot do so because none of your instruments or the circuits you are working with are perfect. kindly read godel if you have any questions in the matter. (a man who valued reason above all else. im guessing you and him would make excellent friends)

lastly, your refusal to accept anyone else's thoughts on the matter without a scientific study point to only one thing...you have all the absolute truths in the world unless proven otherwise and have absolutely no doubt about any proposition that can be presented logically.

could god, if he/she/it were to exist, really assume the name of "lapwing" and come down to earth? damnit...just when i thought i was out of questions to answer to answer in philosophy...

 

[Golden Monkey]

Quote:

Originally Posted by boomana /img/forum/go_quote.gif I strongly suspect that he's just an excessive fanboy, but excessive fanboyism of 3000+ posts, mostly about the Little Dots or Zero, gives you the result of shilling, whether intended or not.

Yeah, I suppose you're right boo...I don't hold it against him though, y'know? He's a lot less insidious than SOME suspected shills around here. I've gotten PMs from Penchum before, but they were never to sell me on anything, they were just going into details on things discussed in the forum, which I appreciate. I think he's very knowledgable, friendly, enthusiastic, and helpful, and enjoys reaching out to other LD owners and discussing them. He's no different than a motorcycle HAM radio, or espresso machine enthusiast, IMO...

Quote:

Originally Posted by crappyjones123 /img/forum/go_quote.gif blahblahblahmetaphysicsblahblahgodblahblahscienceb lahblah...

LOL...I missed you, crappy!

My LD thread YOU inspired got pretty long...but then you stopped visiting...*sniff*...lol...

 

[Golden Monkey]

oops...

 

[crappyjones123]

My LD thread YOU inspired got pretty long...but then you stopped visiting...*sniff*...lol...[/QUOTE]

glad to have helped out. i still maintain that the ld amps are lovely pieces of work as previously mentioned in my other posts but to say that they can stand next to other amps are obviously better would just be plain foolishness.

i do feel that spending enough time on head fi or more importantly, enough time with people on head fi will make you not flinch at price tags anymore. when i had just come on this site, buying a 595 for $160 was something i had never imagined myself doing but now, i think id be willing to spend anywhere up to $700 if i wanted to on just a pair of headphones, assuming i needed/wanted one. the same thing happened to me with the mkv. the first amp i wanted, i wanted to be cheap. spending 300 bucks on the amp alone was a big step for me. i am NOT saying that the sound i got out of that setup was poor, it wasnt. i am only saying that after hearing the sound that other amps can make the 650s produce, i wouldnt be satisfied with the mkv alone at this stage. which makes me realise that i would have to climb the ladder to be able to get the sound i desire. unfortunately, that just means i have to spend a little more money.

if i were happy with the mkv and couldnt hear the differences between it and say a zana, would i just buy an mkv right now and call it a night? absolutely. can i hear the difference between the two amps? absolutely. would i be satisfied with the mkv knowing that the zana sounds better and another 2 months of saving would enable me to try to purchase one? absolutely not.

i think the whole reason little dot does so well is because their place in the market in terms of price. people come on here expecting to not spend as much money and then either stop after buying a relatively cheap amp and never look back, or they talk to other members, go to meets, hear other gear, and then embark on a very agonizing and wallet emptying journey that may or may not lead them to a rig that gives them the sound they desire. to many people it is the journey that is the most fun. to others, it is the belief that there is something out there that they dont have that will give them the sonic pleasure that they desire. i will go out on a limb and even say this. people who spend enough time on these boards, and have the means to upgrade, will eventually find something better than the mkv and purchase it. the problem is that the human species is an inquisitive species. we cant just look at a wet paint sign and not touch it. we must know. for people who are lucky enough not to have the means to go further than the mkv, the journey stops there. for those who do, well then it is just the beginning. but a very good beginning nonetheless.

ps. i miss you too <3

 

[wae5]

I’ve been a classical music audiophile for many years so I have a perspective that’s outside the world of headphones. Penchum shares this deep audiophile experience too and I think he’s motivated to use it to be as helpful as he can be to those who are just starting down this well trod path. I think it’s telling that many here can’t see him for the extremely helpful person he is. When were you ever as helpful and patient as he is? Even once? On a lighter note, as a long term audiophile I’d like to say if I had an amp speaker combination that sounded as good as my LD amps sound with my many phones (and cost as little) I wouldn’t be here. I don't know what some of you are listening to that leaves the LDs in the dust but I bet you're not satisfied unless your lilies are gilded too.

 

[olblueyez]

 

[mrarroyo]

... He's no different than a motorcycle HAM radio, or espresso machine enthusiast, IMO...QUOTE]

Funny you should mention those two. I drink so much expresso my blood turned black! I am looking into HAM via a friend who has been a HAM operator for about 40 years. Motorcycles, been there done that! If I ever return to Georgia, TN, or NC I will have another one.

Anyways, this has been a fun post and I hope you take it as such. Lately we are all getting to serious and forget that music is supposed to relax and bring smiles to our faces. Thanks.

 

[boomana]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wae5 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I’ve been a classical music audiophile for many years so I have a perspective that’s outside the world of headphones. Penchum shares this deep audiophile experience too and I think he’s motivated to use it to be as helpful as he can be to those who are just starting down this well trod path. I think it’s telling that many here can’t see him for the extremely helpful person he is. When were you ever as helpful and patient as he is? Even once? On a lighter note, as a long term audiophile I’d like to say if I had an amp speaker combination that sounded as good as my LD amps sound with my many phones (and cost as little) I wouldn’t be here. I don't know what some of you are listening to that leaves the LDs in the dust but I bet you're not satisfied unless your lilies are gilded too.

I'm willing to bet most members on this site have experience outside of headphones, be it with live music (playing and/or going to concerts), speakers systems, studio recording, car audio, and/or possess technical knowledge. That's what makes this site valuable, so I have no idea what your point is.

You, however, make my point for me: the Little Dot phenomenon is driven by one person (helpful though he may be), and those who will defend him and the Little Dots without having heard what they're defending against.

wae5, the SF area is one of the most active on head-fi with a huge selection of gear, regular meets and fun people. Why not go to one?

oh....and to answer your question: I believe I have been helpful at least once on this site. I, however, am losing my patience very quickly.

 

[absolutlemur]

Not sure what to think about drama over tube headamps.

To the point, my experience with Little Dot has been excellent. My MKIII is awesome, and drives 325i's with authority. David at Little Dot answered all of my questions faster than any other online vendor I've ever dealt with.