Review of Little-Dot MKIVse
Feb 12, 2009 at 9:58 PM Post #706 of 847
Quote:

Originally Posted by Max F /img/forum/go_quote.gif
That picture is for the Little Dot III NOT the Little Dot IV.


Thanks, Max! I was replying to intoart's question about the MK III, and I correctly describe the difference between the III & IV SE, but I named the picture wrong accidentally. It's corrected now, thanks!

That could have stirred up quite a bit of confusion.
 
Feb 13, 2009 at 12:15 AM Post #707 of 847
I think I am more confused that ever!
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Feb 13, 2009 at 2:54 AM Post #709 of 847
Quote:

Originally Posted by BombayTheIndian /img/forum/go_quote.gif
What's confusing? I'm sure we could help sort it out for you.


Sorry, I was just making a general comment in terms of I have no idea which amp to go with at this point!

Using k701's, which I really like in terms of detail and instrument separation, but I find to be a tad harsh.
 
Feb 13, 2009 at 3:06 AM Post #710 of 847
Quote:

Originally Posted by Rob T /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Sorry, I was just making a general comment in terms of I have no idea which amp to go with at this point!

Using k701's, which I really like in terms of detail and instrument separation, but I find to be a tad harsh.


Oh, gotcha! It's always so hard to decide... I think a lot of people on here have the same mentality about it, though: there's always the "what if" that will burn you until you break down and upgrade anyways, thus spending more money than you would have in the first place. Everyone's different, though!
 
Feb 13, 2009 at 4:09 AM Post #711 of 847
Quote:

Originally Posted by BombayTheIndian /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Oh, gotcha! It's always so hard to decide... I think a lot of people on here have the same mentality about it, though: there's always the "what if" that will burn you until you break down and upgrade anyways, thus spending more money than you would have in the first place. Everyone's different, though!


I'm a pretty big believer in trying to do it right the first time, and buying it once! I hate buying the "cheap" alternative, to only turn around and sell it at a loss because of not being satisfied, then buying the more expensive (better) item later. It's obviously more expensive in the long run.

That said, it is not so easy to do that in this hobby. You can't simply throw money at some headphones or amp and claim that you have the best. There are too many variables and personal preferences at play.
 
Feb 13, 2009 at 4:13 AM Post #712 of 847
On a side note, I've got 4 NOS Mullard M8100 CV4010 tubes that I'm not going to be needing. If anyone's looking to grab them from me, send me a PM! Not looking for much, either $20 for all 4 shipped or $10 for 2 shipped. I don't know if it's inappropriate to post them in this thread, so don't stone me if I've wronged, please!
 
Feb 13, 2009 at 10:24 AM Post #713 of 847
Quote:

Originally Posted by cswann1 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Ok. I think there is something wrong with my SE. Aside from the heat, which is not really alarming as it takes a good half hour or more before it reaches it's warmest temperature, there are two other things.

First, the chrome tops if the driver tubes turned a very dark color right away. The tops of the power tubes are still bright chrome.

Second, there is a very small difference between the lowest and highest gain settings. Even with both jumpers set to ON for a setting of 10, unless I go to 12 o'clock on the dial, I can hardly hear the music. This is confirmed on two sources. I have to go to at least 3 o'clock to get any significant volume through my K701's. Slightly less (1-2 o'clock) for my Grado SR60's.

I'm going to take a pic of the tubes and send it along with a description of these gain issues to David this evening. I'm hoping that a couple of new driver tubes will fix, what I now believe to be a problem with my amp.


I have the same experience with regard to your first "problem". I've emailed David on the driver tube discolouration and he says it's normal. So long as the tops of the tubes don't turn white (indicating a loss of vacuum), your tubes are fine (even if one driver tube is visibly darker than the other). My SE sounds fine, so I left it at that.

Your second problem is a concern. There's a big jump between my lowest and highest gain settings. With my Grado SR 80 (32 ohms) for example, the volume pot is seldom past the 12 o'clock position (lowest gain) while at the highest gain, it seldom passes 9 o'clock. Do let us know David's diagnosis of your problem. Hope it's just a simple matter of replacing your tubes.
 
Feb 13, 2009 at 1:24 PM Post #714 of 847
I thought that I preferred tubes, but that was based on different headphones than my current pair. The DT150s sound better with SS.
At this point, if I buy a new amp at all, it will likely be the MKV.
 
Feb 13, 2009 at 3:21 PM Post #715 of 847
I can't believe I did this, but somehow I just got it in my head the the ON position of the gain switches was for the maximum gain. I should have double-checked the manual on my MKIVse.

Anyway, I have the switches back on the OFF position and there is plenty of volume now.

While this amp, paired with my K701's is definitely not a rock lovers dream come true, it does a good job for that genre. And for material that is not bass heavy, well let's just say I'm more than happy. I'm delighted with what this combo does with acoustic and vocal tracks.

Thanks to all who offered advice while I worked out my constipation-of-the-brain issues.
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Feb 13, 2009 at 4:00 PM Post #716 of 847
Quote:

Originally Posted by cswann1 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
I can't believe I did this, but somehow I just got it in my head the the ON position of the gain switches was for the maximum gain. I should have double-checked the manual on my MKIVse.

Anyway, I have the switches back on the OFF position and there is plenty of volume now.

While this amp, paired with my K701's is definitely not a rock lovers dream come true, it does a good job for that genre. And for material that is not bass heavy, well let's just say I'm more than happy. I'm delighted with what this combo does with acoustic and vocal tracks.

Thanks to all who offered advice while I worked out my constipation-of-the-brain issues.
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It happens to the best of us...
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Glad you've sorted this out.

I definitely prefer my SE at its max gain setting - even with very low impedence phones like the Grados / Alessandros and Denons. With no perceptible distortion (to me at least), the max setting gives my music more punch at all frequencies.

For those of you who have yet to play with your MKIV's gain settings - try it with your favourite pair of phones... you may be surprised at the difference you hear.
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Feb 13, 2009 at 5:12 PM Post #717 of 847
I too noticed a big difference by increasing the gain.

When I received my MK IV SE I put it to the lowest gain possible right away since I read that's supposed to be the best quality. Bass and punch was a bit lacking, so I contacted David and he instructed me to increase the gain to the maximum setting (HD650's) as the manual says. Huge difference to my ears, everything was much better, I just couldn't turn the dial as far.
 
Feb 14, 2009 at 4:46 PM Post #718 of 847
Quote:

Originally Posted by MatthewK /img/forum/go_quote.gif
I too noticed a big difference by increasing the gain.

When I received my MK IV SE I put it to the lowest gain possible right away since I read that's supposed to be the best quality. Bass and punch was a bit lacking, so I contacted David and he instructed me to increase the gain to the maximum setting (HD650's) as the manual says. Huge difference to my ears, everything was much better, I just couldn't turn the dial as far.


X2 (or is it X3?
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)

I noticed the same: the gain settings do affect the sound quality. The thing is, I'm using 62-Ohm AKG K701.
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Not exactly the best situation when it comes to volume control. The 9:00 position, is the loudest I can use. But it's worth it.
 
Feb 20, 2009 at 12:46 AM Post #720 of 847
WOW!

I ordered it on saturday, and it came this morning (thursday). I can't even get shipping that fast out of Californica.

I plugged it in and listened for a little while, and my first impressions are very favorable. The bass on my HFI780's tightened up very nicely. Definition of each instrument is superb.

Now for the burn in.....

David is the man!
 
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