Yet another Little Dot MkVI amp review ....

[customNuts]

Just about to order, does anyone have experiance with casque_hifi on ebay or audiophile china?? I'd rather deal with David but there is a 3week +1week. 
Any help would be much appreciated.

 

[Theodore]

Hi.
Having a Hifiman HM-801,and thinking of buying the HE-6  planars,can I combine these,adding the LD MkVI?

 

[MikeGosling]

Hi there, 
 
Thanks for you review, I am considering buying either this amp or the MK VIII SE.  
 
I understand the VIII SE is a newer version with uprated components etc, and LD claim its a better match to high impedance cans like my HD650's also.
 
However I really do prefer the looks of the MK VI+!!!  I love those huge tubes which are naked without the brass frames around them.  I understand the MK VI+ to be a power house, but my question is.  For powering the HD650's will the amp power them with ease with plenty of headroom?  With satisfying quality to match, depending on which tubes are used.  Or am I really better off with the MK VIII SE?  
 
I do not own any other cans, with lower impedance.
 
The last LD amp I owned was the MK V Dual Mono SS Amp which I found was a bit under powered for my HD650's at only 187mW @ 300ohms load.
 
LD claim the MK VIII SE to be 1 watt per channel @ 300ohms and LD mention that the MK VI+ to be 5 watt per channel @ 120 ohms.  So can we assume that at 300 ohms its more than 1 watt per channel?
 
I hope you can help me make up my mind, as I know there isn't too much of a price difference between the two at present.
 
Thanks
 
Mike

 

[ViperGeek]

Hi Mike.
 
I've been debating the MK VI+ vs. the MK VIII SE too.  Everything I've read on http://www.littledot.net/forum shows the MK VIII SE to be designed for high impedance headphones like your/our HD650s (especially balanced), and the older flagship MK VI+ to handle both high and low impedance headphones.  The specs of the MK VI+ shows "1W per channel into 50 ohms, 5W per channel in 120 ohms", which feels backwards, but would seem to indicate 300-ohm HD650s to have at least 5W/ch available.
 
I'm also pining for a pair of Audeze LCD-2 headphones which, at 70 ohms, loves amp power, so I'm leaning heavily toward the MK VI+ for my general needs.  To me, there's no reason to limit your future options to high impedance phones.
 
UPDATE: From http://www.littledot.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=2016&sid=1d5d2c7f8bde7a2873a13e99a0d7b5fb#p7023 : 
   "50 ohms: 9 V
   300 ohms: 16 V
   600 ohms: 20 V"
 
Apparently you can arc weld with the MK VI+. 

 
- Dave

 

[coinmaster]

I haven't heard the MK8, but from my research it seems the consensus like the sound of the mk6 more than the mk8, which is why I went with the MK6. The MK8 is supposed to have a better impedance match for something like the HD800s though.
 
If you do the mods from the mod thread the mk6 becomes a vastly better impedance match to high impedance headphones compared to stock and makes the stock MK6 sound like low-fi in comparison anyway.

 

[ViperGeek]

  If you do the mods from the mod thread the mk6 becomes a vastly better impedance match to high impedance headphones compared to stock and makes the stock MK6 sound like low-fi in comparison anyway.

 
Thanks for the first-hand comments.  Do you mind sharing which mods you performed to improve sound and impedance matching?  Did the improvements come mostly from tube rolling?
 
- Dave

 

[coinmaster]

http://www.head-fi.org/t/782183/little-dot-mk8se-mk6-super-mods  -basic mods
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/786458/little-dot-mk6-zombie-resurrection-ultra-mods -advanced mods (still in progress)
 
Start with the basic mods.
It will make your mk6 amp sound better than a $10,000 amp (based on my experience with $5-10k amps)
 
It's not difficult to do but it does take some patience.
 
As for the impedance matching, after the mods my HD800 have powerful, booming, and abundant bass compared to before where the bass was almost non existent. I dare you to find an amp that can give the HD800 this much high quality bass.
 
Oh and I recommend mixing tubes for the MK6, for example mixing thomson 6080 (the stock tube) with tungsol 5998 or something.
I've found that mixing always sounds better than not mixing, it's almost as if it gives you the best of both tubes and the weaknesses of neither.
 
For example if I were to mix a slow sounding 6080 with lots of bass and a fast sounding 6as7 tube with not much bass I'd end up with a fast sounding tube with lots of bass. 
 
I've also found that thomsons nearly always offer superior euphony and sound when using tubes for mixing, yet on their own they aren't that impressive. The only time I didn't use them is with the mullard 6080 and the TS 5998 which is my current favorite. But with every other combo the thomsons were always the best choice.
 
Keep in mind that there is a "right" way to put them in. For example if thomson is TH and tungsol is TS and you put them in like
 
TS TH TS TH
It might not sound anywhere near as good as 
TH TS TH TS

 

[ViperGeek]

Thanks again.  I appreciate the references and recommendations.  I went to school for Electrical Engineering, but haven't touched a soldering iron in a few decades.  Despite the author calling them "basic mods", I'd consider those enhancements pretty advanced for a n00b like me.
 
I'd never heard of mixing tubes like you suggest.  Cool!  I'd also been under the (mistaken) impression that you get the biggest sonic difference by changing out driver tubes before power tubes.  I'm rocking a little Little Dot MK III at the moment, so I don't have as many mixing options, but can see I have a lot to learn.
 
- Dave

 

[coinmaster]

 Despite the author calling them "basic mods", I'd consider those enhancements pretty advanced for a n00b like me.

It might seem complicated when you read all the technical info on the thread but all it really is is replacing some capacitors and resistors for better ones and adding some capacitors between certain spots. 
It's kind of ridiculous how much of an improvement can be had just by upgrading the components.
 
The second link to my mod thread is more about improving the circuit design and building an MK6 from scratch for cheap.
My mods aren't "hard" per se, but much more involved than the "basic" mods which are simply replacing components on the board.
 
That being said, my mods are still in the experimental phase while I work out an easy and efficient method of building the mk6 and finding what alterations sound best.
 
 

I'd never heard of mixing tubes like you suggest.  Cool!  I'd also been under the (mistaken) impression that you get the biggest sonic difference by changing out driver tubes before power tubes

Normally this would be true. I have switched from the stock driver tubes (crap) to the holy grail 6sn7 (Tungsol round plate) and while the improvement was significant, output tube rolling is equally significant if not more.
 
The thing is, since the output tube rolling is so significant, it probably means the output stage from an engineering perspective is not very solid since different output tubes are changing the operating characteristics which I will be attempting to solve.
Keep in mind that I said from an engineering perspective, as imperfection and distortion is often a good thing in audio.
 
There's also the fact that the driver stage has some rather large problems, being unregulated and unbalanced which I will also be fixing with my mods.
 
 
 
Oh yeah and to any HD800 owners/haters out there.
I've tried the HD800 on many of the major flagship amps and my modded MK6 makes them all sound like total crap. I was quite ashamed of the prices of these flagships after I modded.
Apparently, most commercial amps are just trimmed down versions of DIY amps, meaning DIY will always be better and cheaper.
The HD800s now, on my modded MK6 not only have euphony in spades, but they have loads of bass and the sound is like I'm actually at the concert.
I occasionally freak out cuz I think someone is in the room with me.
It's like my mind is telling me there a dude 5 feet in front of me but my eyes can't see it. It depends on the quality of the recording though.
 
I've tried almost all of the flagship headphones and I always thought that the HD800s were perfect except for their lifelessness and lack of bass.
Now that is no longer an issue and I currently consider them to be the best headphones I've ever heard when paired with this amp as they don't really have any obvious weaknesses.
 
The difference in sound on my HD800s before modding and after modding is bigger than the difference when changing between different headphones.

 

[Maxx134]

... all it really is is replacing some capacitors and resistors for better ones and adding some capacitors between certain spots. ..

My mods aren't "hard" per se, but much more involved than the "basic" mods which are simply replacing components on the board.

Correction:

1- There is no" basic mod".
2- The thread is titled " Little Dot MK8SE / MK6 Super Mods ".
3- It is not just " replacing some capacitors and resistors for better ones and adding .."


MUCH research and number crunching that was put into making the MK8/6 Super Mods thread.

We made it to contain information for others to learn specifically as to why,
and which parts were changed and integrated into the units.

This is not blind parts upgrading.

So I can agree that modding the LDMK6&8 does make it substantially better.

Also placed in the SuperMod thread what works to give actual sonic improvements, and will continue to do so.

 

[coinmaster]

Maxx. Has anyone ever told you that you are overly sensitive? I thought we were way passed this petty nonsense. You act as if I am insulting your mods when I have been giving it credit where credit is due at every turn.
I could go down the list and debunk everything you said on the list in the above post, but unlike you, I can care less.
No offense dude, but you have the worst reading comprehension I have ever seen in my life. I feel compelled to tell you this after all these months. Nothing can really leave my mouth without you misunderstanding it 9 out of 10 times.
 
Also you keep considering my mods as "changing" not "modding" when the very definition of modification is "to change".

 

[Makiah S]

The better question is, has any one offered them selvs up to mod new Models of these Amps. For those of whose who don't have access to a sodering iron nor the technicalities to perform the upgrades 

 

[coinmaster]

The better question is, has any one offered them selvs up to mod new Models of these Amps. For those of whose who don't have access to a sodering iron nor the technicalities to perform the upgrades 

Any random guy can do it, it doesn't require skill. and the instructions are already there. It's really not worth the cost of paying someone to do it unless you really don't have the time. Time is the main cost.

 

[flaw3d]

Thanks for the review. I myself and taking the plunge and looking at hd800. It'll be my first high quality audio headset but I'm still reading up on a good day/amp combo

There goes an arm and a leg

 

[Maxx134]

I would look into modding the hd800 before doing equipment change so you have a frame of reference,
Unless you say you also getting equipment as well.