Have nothing scientific or analytical to add in here, but I swapped some NOS Sylvania 6AK5 into this unit and Iām really really enjoying it today with HE-5xx. Seems like it added a bit of oomph to the bass attack and soundstage depth/width. I just love listening to instrumental guitar on these setups. Unlike some other cheaper older tube hybrids Iāve mussed with, there are no warts here. No oddities, the build and fit/finish are great.
If I were shopping in the $100 amp realm, and particularly if I were looking to power any of these ābudgetā Hifiman planar, up through Sundara. Unless completely averse to tubes/want simplicity. Would love to compare this to Vali 2+ sometime.
Got my almost couple of weeks ago, and trying out Sylvania tubes from 65 and from 66.
I was wondering because the case gets warm (39-40 C/102-104F), if adding a radiator to the flat part of the amp will help with temperatures?
Still a noob in the dac/AMP game, so normally do I use this with amp or pre-amp with headphones? Been reading through a lot of articles about amp and pre-amp, but itās still hella confusing which one to use if I just want this singly between my laptop and headphones.
Besides, considering that my laptop has bad USB 3.0 ports that fail half of the time, my only option is the USB 2.0 thatās already using a shared port for a bunch of devicesā¦ Is there an HDMI-to-RCA cable and do folks recommend that? Or is audio signal from the HDMI port not the best?
This is a headphone amp. It also can work as a preamp which allows it to feed signal to a power amp or set of powered speakers. Good to have flexibility. If youāre powering headphones, this will do that job.
It takes rca audio inputs. Most folks would recommend a DAC which would convert USB (digital) output audio signal into RCA (analog) signal. A good budget DAC is in the $100 area. I hear youāre having some USB issues.
You COULD run a 3.5mm to RCA patch cable without a DAC to get signal to the 602, but youāll be missing some āfidelityā.
Maybe explain your goal and equipment and we can better help you.
Currently I have the FiiO K3 connected to my laptop, and I also have the xDuoo LinK dongle dac. According to what you said, I might just hook up a USB-C to USB 2.0 adaptor for the LinK as the middle ground for the MT602, so on the other end I probably need a 3.5mm to RCA I guess? Does that also mean that USB-to-RCA isnāt an option due to the digital/analog signal differences?
I currently have the HD58x, KPH30i, Yamaha MT5, and several Tin or BLON IEMs, but Iām looking to get the Hifiman HE400se for a planar upgrade. Goal is to have a decent and concise build, not too chunky and easily moved around, so thatās why Iām not investing in dac + AMP stacks.
Youāll want to double-confirm this, but I think you could use a 3.5mm out of the K3 (Acting purely as DAC) through a patch cable to the MT-602.
USB-to-RCA is effectively happening already, inside the K3. (just 3.5mm instead of rca, which is why you need that simple patch cable).
This would be the simple cheap current way to do things.
I like doing this more than the Link, as that is a more amplified signal coming out of that output (amped intended for headphones, rather than the K3ās line out which is signal intended to BE amlified - which the MT-602 will do). A lot of these tube hybrids have a good bit of gain to them, and on something sensitive/lower impedance like even the KPH30i and the IEMs may have you decreasing input level into the MT-602 already.
Yes just checked, the K3 has a 3.5mm line out port on the back
Thanks for the very detailed explanation; I think I understand more about pre-amps now. Looking forward to getting this setup and play around with tubes and planar!
Yeah, this item is unique in being a portable that has a lot of output modalities.
But, essentially youāll be using it just like it was a regular desktop DAC in this situation, which most of its competitors would be unable to do.
Good luck! Planar and tube hybrid is a good combo. I love my 5xx through my MT-602.
One other oddity on the MT-602 is that front aux input 3.5mm, which you could utilize instead of the rear rca inputs, if a 3.5ā>3.5 connector was easier for you. I just like the cleanliness of the rear rca.
Iāve got my set today, and my mind just entered a higher dimension.
Iām used to hearing sound left and right, but as recommended, now using the K3 as a dac and the MT602 as AMP Iām hearing a room with the music playing all around me, and the bass thump and the upper sparkle are all enhanced. Heck, even the vocals are coming to the front than being slightly veiled. Not a small room either, a hall for chamber music.
Hifiman HE400se performs exceptionally well with this setup, the whole spaciousness and lower & upper just opens wide out. The Tin T4 doesnāt show as much difference than the 400se, but the space improvement over the left-right plain is really noticeable.
Thanks for the help again, and I highly recommend anyone whoās on the fence for tubes to pick this up as an entry level marvel.
Do you use the volume on the dac feeding to the MT-602 (fixed at 12 oāclock) or just use the volume knob on the 602, and does this affect output power?
Long-time users, have you heard a tonal difference between the 3.5mm and 6.35mm output?
With even a hybrid tube, I typically only leave it on when in use. Since the tube has a finite lifespan.
In my case I use the volume of the MT-602. These have a lot of gain, so sometimes youāll need to dial back the input level a touch. Thereās a little channel imbalance early in the pot also, so sometimes that helps you rise above that level.
No experience critically listening out of the two different output sizes.
Me here, absolutely no problem, and it opens up the stage for IEMs as well. These are fantastic for pairing anything. Iāve paired them with Tin T4 and Blon BL-05s and their sound signatures changed significantly.
I noticed, though, that the Tin T2 fails to change much from this set.
Tbh I donāt think the unit is that strong and it depends on how much you place your volume, there a very tiny buzz on any headphone or IEM I pair with it, but Iām using my FiiO K3 to input signal into it (preamp?) and itself already has a tiny buzz.
To my ears itās not noticeable unless I try to listen to it, HARD. Iām listening with my Blon at this moment and have no problem. Iād say itās fine If there were the buzz aka scream, there wouldnāt be that many folks recommending this unit!
If there were the buzz aka scream, there wouldnāt be that many folks recommending this unit!