Also what do you think about the little dot mk2 since it’s a cheaper tube amp and you have experience with lots of tubes? I thought it was solid for the price if your on a budget imo
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I never have had any LIttle Dot’s, they have been around for a long time and have quite a lineage…many of them out there and they have a pretty good track record so for an entry level tube amp they look ok IMO. (In the beginning of my headphone journey I was tempted to buy a l’dot, but when the LYR route, Vahalla 2 route, BH Crack route, BH Mainline Route, ECP T4, Hagerman Tuba etc…)
But from what I read its not the greatest below 100 ohms…having gone thru this many times buying an amp that works only wil hi or low impedance cans can double you eventual cost as you buy more cans with hi and low Z…
Some exceptions IMO are the BH Crack which ofr cans over 120 ohms like the 250 and 600 Beyers and Senns…are made for these cans and have an excellent track record and stellar results…but again they Low Z stuff is left hanging out…if you can afford this great is not then its a concern for sure.
The main issue I have with the Little Dot and all these low cost imports is quality of parts and construction. Many folks have no issues, and many do…take a look at the reports over at the Drop for the Little Dot Mk2…not the greatest.
Guess what I am saying is getting into this hobby, a decent tube amp is just going to cost abit more than a SS amp…and there are SS amps that sound “tubey” and work with hi and low Z cans…but at a slightly higher price…
Alex
Vali is only $149! 2 yr warranty!! and if it breaks u dont have to deal with overseas etc.
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Yeah, I personally would only suggest a tube in the budget area if you have a headphone that takes exceptionally well to a tube, otherwise imo you can get a much higher quality solid state for similar or less cost than a budget otl. Although I’m not a fan of the cheaper tube hybrids as they don’t sound that great to me
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Couldnt agree more!
Have you gotten to hear a monolith liquid spark? That’s a warmer toned solid state for a great price (that imo will accomplish what people want out of a cheap tube hybrid but more refined)
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Uh… Understood. I am quite new to this tube world, so I don’t really know what an OTL Tube is. Is the darkvoice 336SE OTL?
I thought OTL were just the Non hybrid tubes. Would you mind to explain just a little bit? Haha
Nope havent heard this one either…for $99 its a steal for sure…
The Schiit Magni 3+ is quieter and produces more power than Liquid Spark.
IMO, you may get one of these and it works great forever, but IMO today a Vali ($149) or a Magni 3+ for $99 and a w yr warranty is a no brainer…
Some folks at the Drop dont think this amp is indeed a tube like amp…as often in this hobby it boils down to your ears at home with your headphones…
The good thing here is if you buy a $99 amp from Drop you can at least return it!
Alex
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The liquid spark is tuned differently than the magni 3+, but the magni 3+ is also great
I would suggest you do some reading online…many places that describe what a OTL is and is not.
OTL = Output transformer less…
The other major type is a NON - OTL = Has output transformers…
The latter usually costs more…and works with a wider range of headphone impedances…
Hybrid amps usually have both SS and tubes in the overall design and how this is done is rocket sciene for this discussion…to really get this you need to go to school or have the ability to read or look at circuit diagrams and schematics…not easy to do unless you have some electronics or circuit theory classes under your belt.
People will from a simple explanation paint with broad strokes oh how these different designs work and sound…many, many opinions…
In the end your going to get what you pay for, but recently the cost of some really good stuff has dropped dramatically in price…some from Schitt ( yes I a Fanboy here)…but other folks like JDS Labs has good low cost offereing as well…
So do some googling and start reading and learning,its an amazing hobby!
ALex
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Could you explain how it is tuned?
Interesting…
It aims for a bit warmer wider tuning, smoothed over sound, also very slight roll off in the high end, similar to other cavalli designs, every enjoyable. It’s nice if you want to tame something like a 990 or give some extra body to a 600
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Interesting…you could buy a more neutral amp and use a LOKI and roll off the high end a bit and have the ability to have both worlds…
Yeah of course, just noting that if someone just wants a warmer amp then that’s an option. Also personally I end up preferring the spark for that kind of sound over a slight eq’d more neutral amp because it’s not exactly the frequency response that it’s messing with
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Would rolling something like a hybrid or sheepskin pad on a 6xx warm it up a bit as well? Aside from tubing it? I like the hybrid okay on the 58x, but the sheepskin does too much and ends up muddying upper bass/lower mids, so i mostly stick with the stock pads.
Personally I don’t really like any of the aftermarket pads for senns, not really my thing and I typically just recommend senn stock pads
I would agree with your comment completely. I enjoy the LS more than Loxjie P20, Vali 2 and TA-20. I think it really is the best bang for the buck in amps. Especially for a warm sound. And even more with an open box or a sale.
obviously personal preference but does anyone who has heard both the 650 and 600 think they are different enough to warrant having both? I personally had the 6xx and the 660s and while they sounded different it was not drastic enough for me to keep both. Curious on peoples opinions on the 600 650 pairing
Honestly I do not see them that different overall…one or the other would do just fine here…I choose the HD600.
Just put down the clears and plugged my HD600’s into Hagemans TUBA parafeed tube amp…Dido’s No Angel, Take My Hand!!
Simply Sublime!!
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…if i already have 660s is it still worth it if I get “the famous HD600” ?