Little Dot MKIII & MKIII SE Tube Headphone Amps Discussions | Drop

Free Standard Shipping in the US on orders over $99

Showing 1 of 348 conversations about:

Little Dot MKIII & MKIII SE Tube Headphone Amps

Apr 29, 2017

My MKIII just arrived today (not purchased from Massdrop). So far it sounds great! This is my first tube amp, and immediately you can hear that "tube sound" that everyone talk about, its just got this awesome sound signature to it. I am currently running my A5+ off the pre out of the MKIII too. Cant wait to start rolling some tubes....it would be awesome if Massdrop started selling tubes *hint hint*.

Apr 29, 2017

Uzuzu

1431

May 3, 2017

NJbonelessThey can't, because all the good tubes are vintage lol.

May 3, 2017

maellen

May 31, 2017

NJbonelessHow does fare with your Jotunheim?

May 31, 2017

Vote

NJboneless

377

May 31, 2017

maellenYou mean comparison between the two? If I could only have one I would pick the Jotunheim any day over the Little Dot. The Jot is flat sounding compared to the LD (obviously), but is also much more accurate. The LD has a wider soundstage and is definitely warmer sounding, but really loses punch and accuracy on the low end. The LD is also brighter, but once again doesnt have the clarity of the highs like the Jot does. Obviously hard to compare these amps as they are so different, but if there is one word I would describe the LD, it would be "fun". Its certainly not as accurate or consistent as a solid state amp. It lacks the punch in the low end, and accuracy on the high ends. But its VERY fun to listen to. I play music for hours while doing school, ranging from pipe organ to EDM and it puts an enjoyable twist to each song I play through it. When I really want to sit and focus on my music the Jot gets used almost every time.
Its worth mentioning I bought some Russian Voshkod 6ZH1P tubes to try with the LD, and they change up the sound significantly. Any song with prominent singing sounds AWESOME with these tubes, they really bring out the clarity of both male or female voices. Once again, really fun amp especially when you start rolling tubes!

May 31, 2017

Uzuzu

1431

Jun 1, 2017

NJbonelessI haven't heard a Russian tube that I enjoy... I would recommend Amperex tubes, they always sound better. Also I just gotta say... sometimes im in the mood for tube and sometimes SSD. For me I couldn't compromise one or the other.... but 80 percent of the time I listen to tube.

Jun 1, 2017

NJboneless

377

Jun 1, 2017

UzuzuAbsolutely, it definitely depends what mood you are in! I will be sure to look up those tubes. The Voshkods I bought do sound great but only for very specific music as they have much clearer mids and highs, but really soften the low end.

Jun 1, 2017

Vote

Uzuzu

1431

Jun 2, 2017

NJbonelessamperex are liquid smooth and good bass you will enjoy them

Jun 2, 2017

Vote

Elsid

697

Jul 4, 2017

NJbonelessDoes the pipe organ help with your studies? Maybe my scores would improve?

Jul 4, 2017

Vote

NJboneless

377

Jul 4, 2017

ElsidYep its automatically +2 speech for organ music. Haha, no really I personally find it helps me concentrate and stay focused. While reading I can't have music with lyrics so I listen to a lot of classical and organ music. Specifically, pipe organ has so many neat sounds and I love hearing the details of the player hitting the keys or the sound of the air going through the pipes. It's funny as now I associate certain peices of music with specific tests so whenever a certain peice by Bach or Handel starts playing I'm like damn that was playing during my network final haha. If you want to try some pipe organ search Cameron Carpenter, he's a bit of a douche but is an awesome player and has a variety of different composers that he covers.

Jul 4, 2017

Vote

Elsid

697

Jul 4, 2017

NJbonelessThe pipe organ can be quite complex. I'll give it a whirl. Might be a interesting ride. Thanks..

Jul 4, 2017

Vote

RoaroftheTiger

Feb 23, 2019

NJbonelessI'm glad to see that the Little Dot lll is working out with your Audioengine A5+ active speakers. I've hesitated to do a similar set-up; but with a pair of Kali LP 6 active monitors. or Other "normal" speaker amplifiers. Since Little Dot's Instruction Manual warns against using It with " direct-coupled" amplifiers ! Any thoughts on the matter ?

Feb 23, 2019

Vote

NJboneless

377

Feb 23, 2019

RoaroftheTigerTo be super honest with you I dont have an opinion on that haha. I guess I didnt realize they dont recommend pairing the two up...with that being said I still run the same setup to this day without any issues. I listen to the A5s with the Jotunheim primarily but still fire up the LD once a week. Cheers!

Feb 23, 2019

View Full Discussion