I see someone just watched a DMS video! Nice! Iâll get them next year. No doubt.
now youâve 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 
âŚI mostly listen to IEMâs so thatâs 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 DMSâs 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 arenât 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 havenât 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 canât fairly compare the 6xx with the LCD-2C as I havenât 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 donât turn into subwoofers on your head per se, but they are a very different experience on tubes than with solid state amps.
Iâll 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 doesnât go to extremes with the âtubeyâ 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
thereâs 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 canât 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 couldnât 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 LD2âs sound signature is balanced, donât expect a very warm sound, for instance the HD6xx sound way warmer on the Zen Dacâs 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.
Havenât heard this combo but im pretty confident they do as just good with the HD660s
Beyerdynamic T1.2 - They donât 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 didnât 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 youâll 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 HPâs Iâd use 6H6PI/6H6N Novosibirsk NEVZ-Soyuz as drivers and 5654W/EF95 Siemens my fav and/or 5654W/EF95 Jan General ElectricâŚthere are a lot of âvalvesâ/tubes easily available 
Upps wrong post,sorry
So, I already reviewed the little mini âFX Audio Tube-03â (years ago). That was my only âtube thingâ then. I also got a Syba Audio tube from a friend a few months ago (in exchange for other audio equipment I sold him).
About the Tube-01: It was only a tube âpreâ (RCA in, RCA out, that is all). Without EQ, the difference it made on the sound was subtle, even when tube swapping to Voskhod 6J1P-EV tubes. The EQ was fun too. But the non-standard output (the RCA output was more than 2V) made it hard to pinpoint where the volume level should be, same for the EQs having no ânotchâ where âEQ OFFâ should be, and distortion often happened, especially when listening to electronic music, while just trying to get the same amount of bass from non-tube amps. Still, it did good things with speakers, where distortion was less audible than with headphones. Still, distortion was always a problem, or all-around weirdness when listening to electronic music, so I ended up putting a 60$ Burson opamp I got for free (in this 40$ thing, yes). The result is a (definitely-not-neutral) abundance of mids and bass, and now, as Zeos says, âit smooth jazzifies everythingâ.
About the Syba Audio: It was more of the same. One tube, one EQ (with notches and an on/off switch this time), and easy-to-hear distortion with some headphones. A ton of inputs, outputs, and a decent ESS DAC included (I mean, decent for a ~200$ box full of functions). Still, another one that (without the EQ) âsmooth jazzified everythingâ. i.e.: Added a bit of bass, âsmootheningâ the overall sound.
So, why did I just gave both of these to my friends, and then bought a (used) Little Dot Mk2 instead? And why do I not regret it one bit? Because I wanted to know what a real tube amp was. A real tube amp being, tubes, but also transformers (âŚthe big box behind the tubes), and above all, for headphones, OTL technology. And now I know that OTL definitely does things different, and is definitely a step above.
Little Dot Mk2: Your entry point into life-like voices, soundstage and 3D audio.
Infos: First, from now on Iâll just call it the âMk2â. And for the DAC, I used the Xduoo XD-05 Basic (thereâs a 3.5mm-to-RCA line out, itâs my desktop DAC here). This is an A/B comparison between the Xduoo XD-05 Basic headphone out (it never turns off, very useful for amp A/B tests), and the Mk2âs headphone out. For headphones, I used Nad HP50âs and Sennheiser HD6XXâs (and Sony MH755 IEMs). For the tubes, I used the 6J1P-EVâs (I also have GE JAN 5654Wâs). The Mk2âs dip switches were set to âgain level 5â, see below in âBonus #1: Gain levelsâ (hidden dip switches!). More comparisons below in âBonus #2: The RCA outâ.
Yes, I have Sennheiser HD6XXâs. Yes, it adds much needed bass to them, which is nice. But praising OTL tubes âonly for the added bassâ and âonly for high-impedance headphonesâ is a huge mistake. Because what you get with this Mk2, whatever the headphones you use, is a great sense of depth and width and a ton of added dynamics. My 32 ohms Nad HP50âs also sound great, if not better than my 300 ohms 6XXâs, with it. Hell, it even makes my 10$ Sony MH755âs sound like endgame stuff (these are IEMs⌠the big volume knob was at like 10/100). The Mk2 just appears to do great, great things to audio, whatever the headphones (or even IEMs) you use, whatever the impedance⌠As long as itâs not planars: Planars are basically engineered to work exactly the opposite way, so my Fostex T50RPâs donât like it. If your planars work well with your OTL headphone amp, youâre lucky, itâs an exception.
In short, whatever the headphones (or IEMS!) you use, and whatever the impedance they are, the Mk2 adds a ton of life and realism to voices, and a sense of scale, to your DAC, separating and giving every instrument its place. And as far as I know right now (and thatâs the most important part) it does all that without removing anything. You will still hear your DAC and all the details it gives you. The frequency range (bass, mids, treble) will be basically unchanged (with 6J1P-EV tubes, for me at least), and you will still be able to blast electronic music without hearing any distortion, and bass will punch as much as with a non-tube amp. Everything (and I mean everything, from audiophile recordings to punk rock mp3s recorded like crap and youtube videos and vlogs) will just be⌠âin 3D instead of 2Dâ.
By buying a tube amp, I was expecting something to enjoy sometimes, and to switch to a âtypicalâ headphone amplifier most of the time. But the opposite is happening. I was not expecting that. I view the Little Dot Mk2 as an incredible add-on to any DAC you like and believe sound great, but⌠âflatâ. Which are most, if not all, âbudgetâ desktop DACs. As in, possibly very detailed, but lacking width and depth and, sometimes, âsoulâ. If you like your DAC. You know it doesnât distort. You know everything is there. You know all the detail is there. But you donât âfeel like youâre thereâ. And you need a mini winter heater. Well, this is for you. This Mk2, paired with a detailed DAC, is the most inexpensive way to feel like your room is the studio. I honestly believe I could mix and master music with this and not worry about any unexpected result while playing it back with anything else. And thatâs why the Little Dot Mk2 is now my main headphone amplifier.
What can I add. Every time I believe the tubes do some âweird thingsâ, I switch to the XD-05âs headphone out and realize itâs in the song. Thatâs⌠one of the downsides of trying odd and/or cheap tube things before getting this one, I guess: You become âparanoidâ. But with a Mk2 and good 6J1P-EV tubes, you donât need to worry. This is âtubes done rightâ. If youâre tired of hearing the entire band âinside your headâ when you use headphones, this is for you (and youâll get way more than that).
Again, all of the above is a review of the Mk2 with the gain set to level 5. You can set the gain with âdip switchesâ hidden inside the Mk2. Even with the dip switches set to the lowest level, (what I believe is) the standard, âgain 3â, my ears can hurt at 20/100 volume. So, why would you set it differently? Because with all my headphones, either with 6J1P-EV or JAN 5654W tubes, âgain 3â added treble and âairâ to the music, which I did not want. Again, if you like everything from your DAC âexcept it sounds flatâ, my recommendation is to leave it to âgain 5â. Being the middle ground it will also be a good all-around choice, whatever the headphones or IEMs you plug in.
What about gain level 10? Well, thatâs another can of worms, because thatâs where tube-swapping will make the biggest difference. 6J1P-EV tubes will boost the bass and mids, but will mute the âairâ, even significantly lowering the treble in female voices (and whispers). Yup, oddly enough, it will âdullâ the sound, and even diminish the soundstage â doing the exact opposite of why I love this amp. JAN 5654W tubes will not murder the treble, but I feel like everything still sounds like⌠molasses. Exactly like my Aune X7S (Class A headphone amplifier) with three gain settings, the highest gain level of the Mk2 is â11/10â, i.e.: overblown, overdone, muting the attack and speed of music, over-tubing, over-smoothening everything. I mean, Iâm not complaining, itâs fun to have the choice. But âgain level 11â, both in the Mk2 or my X7S, is the âI donât want to hear details, I donât want to hear treble, I just want to sit back and relaxâ setting.
And no, my T50RPâs (planars) did not do better with higher gain either (still a bit wonky, even with the gain at 10, I hear sibilance and something weird at about ~200hz, for example). You know somethingâs wrong when even T50RPâs sound smooth and relaxing⌠these are my mech-looking, hard-hitting, analytical-sounding headphones.
But you forgot level 4? Well, my guess is itâs the same as level 5. Same specs, half the switches are affected, so half the resistors (or whatever) are in use. A quick google also mentions âLevels 3,5 or 10â on their websites, ignoring level 4. The Mk2 is made in China and â4â sounds exactly like âdeathâ in Chinese, but I like to live dangerously, so itâs at level 4 now, and my headphones are not dead. 
(Honestly I opened and closed the Mk2 way too much and Iâm tired and I donât want to open it again to compare. Level 4 or 5 + Voskhod 6J1P-EV tubes, it sounds glorious either way.)
You only need to remove the two lower screws from both the bottom of the front plate and the back plate to free the bottom plate (removing the four rubber bottom feet is useless â itâs only connected to the bottom plate). You donât even need to remove the tubes from the amp, actually (if you like to live dangerously), because the dip switches are âunderâ the Mk2.
At first, I followed these instructions.
âŚand I had a surprise. Setting my Mk2 to âGain 5â gave me high gain on the left channel and low gain for the right channel. Oops. This âLittle Dot Mk2 guideâ PDF (screenshot below) says âplease remember to configure the switches on each red box identically with respect to the otherâ.
Yes, this is 2 switches for the 2 channels. Gain 5 is achieved by setting â1â to âonâ and â2â to âoffâ on both switches. Donât forget that I bought my Mk2 used. Maybe thereâs been a few revisions (since 2010!), and the dip switches now work differently. But for mine, itâs one red box for each channel.
Bonus #2: The RCA out.
Itâs not just a headphone amplifier: Thereâs also a pre-out. Sound goes through the tubes (and the dip switches!) before the RCA out. So this can act as a preamplifier for those stupid speaker amplifiers with no volume knobs (sorry). But also allows you to plug a non-OTL headphone amplifier and âtube your planarsâ (set the Mk2âs volume to 60-70, forget it, RCA out to an headphone amplifier and control the volume there).
Be aware that you wonât get all of the benefits of the OTL headphone amp from the RCA out (obviously). Still, maybe 50% of it. If you, for some odd reason, only intend to use this as a pre-out, be aware 50% of its âmagicâ will be unknown to you. But⌠thatâs pretty much your only choice if you want to âtubeâ planars.
Okay, that was a long text. 100% worth it, though. He says, listening to his Little Dot Mk2. 
Enjoy!
I canât stress that enough: The âstereotypeâ of the guy drinking scotch on the rocks and listening to jazz with a tube amp is dead for me. Everything, and I mean everything sounds good with the Little Dot Mk2. Yes, Jazz sounds better on tubes. Also everything else from Testament, In Flames, Kmfdm, Fleshgod Apocalypse, and Punk, Techno, Dance and K-pop too. Lol.
The Little Dot Mk2 is now my main amp, and I shuffle through anything daily. Nothing sounds worse on the Little Dot Mk2. Everything sounds better.
I had a huge amount of fun with mine before I moved it on.
Quite ridiculous value and quite easily upgraded too.
what cans did you use with it and what tube amp(s) did you move on to since?
I used HD6xx exclusively - a match made in heaven!
These days I still donât use tubes all that much, just the odd occasion when the fancy takes me.
Itâs a Antique Sound Labs amp with a few mods and some decent tubes and a LD Mark 3 these days.
Still using the venerable SennheisersâŚ
Anyone successfully order this from littledotus.com? Iâve seen several reports of people not receiving their purchase and unable to communicate with the seller, so itâs making me think twice about pulling the triggerâŚ
Edit: Maybe Iâll just buy from Linsoul when the time comes. $10 more, but might be worth it, from what little information I can find about buying directly from Little Dot.
Hi, Iâm new to this forum and I would like to ask you guys some help with this amp. Iâve had it for around 3 years now, and about a week ago I noticed something, there is a low but audible hum to the sound now. The amp still has the stock tubes, and itâs never had this issue before. From my research humming comes from the tubes, which although I donât know much about them, they have been fine for the years Iâve owned them. I donât quite know if they can just fail like that, from what Iâve seen they have like 3k plus hours of life expectancy, and Iâm not sure Iâm there yet. Even if I were, how can I know that the tubes are causing the hum? Is there some thing I could see while inspecting them, or some sort of test? I donât have other tubes to swap to tell that way, and even though I would like to eventually roll Iâd prefer not to spend the money, also especially if it wouldnât solve the issue.
A few things Iâve noted about the problem;
The hum sounds exactly like a 120hz tone from a tone generator.
The hum barely responds to the volume knob, even if itâs at 0 volume it is still pretty audible, and only gets a little louder at 100.
When turning off the amp it immediately goes away, even though it takes some time for the tubes to go off and I can still hear audio slowly fading when playing music or so.
Iâve tried moving around the polarity of the connection, changing the cable to other plugs and so, the issue remains.
Iâm sorry if this is obvious or something, maybe Iâm just not accepting that the tube is finally dead? If so, would I need to replace all 4 tubes or just the big power ones? Thanks for any advice 
Amazon Link
DMS likes it tooâŚ
