This is the official thread for the Little Dot MK II
This thread is for discussion and reviews.
- Point1 * 32 - 600 ohms output
- Point2: * Pre-Amplifier Gain: 3-10x (also controlled via gain switches)
- Point3 * THD+N: 0.1% (50mW into 300 ohms)
I see someone just watched a DMS video! Nice! Iāll get them next year. No doubt.
now youāve got to get the MkIII, not the III SE (it sucks apparently) and see how different they sound and whether the small difference is worth finding the extra for the MkIII.
It would be interesting to hear the difference for sure ā¦I mostly listen to IEMās so thatās something another forum member might be able to shed some light on?
Using the ifi nano line out port to feed the little dot? I do the same with my ta20. I love that little thing.
Random question. I currently have the 6xx and I am wanting something with some more bass extension and impact for listening to stuff like the Gorillaz or Twenty One Pilots, just something more fun. I was looking at the LCD-2c, but after watching DMSās video this amp really intrigues me.
So the question is, how would buying this amp for my 6xx compare to just buying the LCD-2c? Other than the fact that it costs significantly less.
I currently run my 6xx off of a JDS Labs Element 1.
Senn arenāt known for their bass, but a warm DAC and Amp working together will help to a point, but probably not to your satisfaction.
Some say you havenāt truely heard what senns (hd6??) are capable of until you try them on a good tube amp. I am trying to find this out myself.
So I canāt fairly compare the 6xx with the LCD-2C as I havenāt heard the latter, plus they are 2 very different headphones. I can say that yes, the 6xx gain significant bass extension and impact when driven by a tube amp. They donāt turn into subwoofers on your head per se, but they are a very different experience on tubes than with solid state amps.
Iāll shamelessly plug my own 6xx review. I talk more about their transformation on tubes within:
Today I part with my LD2MK2 because I upgraded to a BHC and need to clear desk space.
This is my brief thoughts/review after owning the Little Dot mk2 for a good 9 months now.
Sound signature
The little dot mk2 provides great value for its price, its an amazing true blood tube amplifier with a Single Ended Push Pull (SEPP), Class A designation.
Given that one has medium impedance/sensitivity headphones and is looking for a large hollographic tubey sound that leans towards warm BUT keeps it neutral, this could be the amp for you, just keep in mind it doesnāt go to extremes with the ātubeyā coloration like some xduoos or the darkvoice.
My favorite thing about this amp is the slight soundstage expansion and the liveliness it gives to the treble (with the right tubes), very crispy treble. To my ears it also adds just a touch of warmth without boosting the bass.
Tube rolling
You pretty much have to roll them, the stock tubes add distortion, extra noise and artifcats. Their only upside is they color the sound more than the tubes I recommend, so if you want kind of a boom-box bassier distorted sound (which can sound fun actually) then you can use them.
If not, these are cheap and easily available:
Recommended driver tubes
GE JAN 5654w
Voshkod 6ZH1P-EV
thereās really not much difference between these two with the LD2, they both sound excellent.
Recommended power tubes
Russian 6H6P or 6H6P-I
For more information on Little Dot tube rolling refer to:
Dac pairing
Straight from my phone it sounds good enough, really canāt complain, but with a proper dac they scale to the next level.
Using the Zen Dac v1 and the Fiio BTR5 as a DAC with the LD2 there was very little difference between them, I preferred the Zen Dac because it had a hint of smoothness, but very subtle, If I were to blind test the two of them I probably couldnāt tell the difference.
Using the more expensive Pro-Ject Pre box s2 digital, there is a very noticeable improvement in the presentation, it just sounds straight warmer and more inviting.
Headphone pairings
HD600/650/6xx are amazing pairings, if you come from a Topping, SMLS or some analytic amplifier the difference is night and day, the sound becomes very sweet with very smooth vocals, warmer bass delivery and livelier treble.
Just keep in mind LD2ās sound signature is balanced, donāt expect a very warm sound, for instance the HD6xx sound way warmer on the Zen Dacās Headphone Jack than on the LD2.
With the Sennheiser HD560s another incredible combination, those have some sharpness in the treble and an analytic signature, but with the LD2 they just sound smooth and fun. Note that you may get some artifacts from time to time but not a deal breaker.
Havenāt heard this combo but im pretty confident they do as just good with the HD660s
Beyerdynamic T1.2 - They donāt drive them to their full potential, not even close, but its actually a decent pairing if you are on a budget, they sound good and balanced, with smoother treble than on a schiit magnius. Enjoyable pairing.
I didnāt test them with the dt880 600ohm but I would expect similar results as above, good enough pairing but wont reach their true potential.
Beyerdynamic T90, dt1770 and dt1990 - Very good pairings, you may get some artifacts from time to time but not a deal breaker.
With lower impedances
There may be audible hiss (noise floor), artifacts, distortion, and channel imbalance when using with sensitive headphones. For the most part I never found none of these issues too annoying, the noise floor and distortion I could look past if I liked the coloration of the pairing, but the artifacts got extremely rough on low impedance and high sensitivity headphones.
With Alessandro MS2i (grado sr325is) I detected absolutely none of these issues, in fact I absolutely love this pairing, as enjoyable as using them with my RNHP, but different signature.
With the Koss KSC75 and Porta Pro, it was acceptable, some noises here and there, but they sounded better on every other amp except maybe for the treble region. Similar results with the Grado sr80e, sennheiser hd25 and Hifiman Ananda
With all of my audio technicas it sounded decent, but the noise floor and artifacts were too extreme.
As a preamp
This is a very clean sounding preamp, it added no noise whatsoever to my chain, but it does it best to not color the sound, if you want a tube preamp that actually colors the sounds youāll be a lot better of with one of the chifi tube preamps.
Tis a great value amp and when I used to use it with HPās Iād use 6H6PI/6H6N Novosibirsk NEVZ-Soyuz as drivers and 5654W/EF95 Siemens my fav and/or 5654W/EF95 Jan General Electricā¦there are a lot of āvalvesā/tubes easily available
Upps wrong post,sorry