#19 in Headphone amps
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Reddit mentions of Little Dot I+ 6JI X2 Tube Standard Hybrid Headphone Headphone Amp Pre-Amp Tube Amplifier (LDI+)
Sentiment score: 8
Reddit mentions: 13
We found 13 Reddit mentions of Little Dot I+ 6JI X2 Tube Standard Hybrid Headphone Headphone Amp Pre-Amp Tube Amplifier (LDI+). Here are the top ones.
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Little Dot I+ 6JI standard is a hybrid transistor-vacuum tube headphone amplifierLittle Dot I+ 6JI standard offers versatility and incredible sound quality in a tiny footprint
Specs:
Color | LDI+ |
Height | 7.08 Inches |
Length | 3.81 Inches |
Release date | September 2018 |
Size | 10 |
Weight | 3.3 Pounds |
Width | 3.93 Inches |
As mentioned in other comments, the usual suspects from Schiit's budget-friendly selection are a good start:
As for products not made by Schiit, any of these will give you good performance for the price:
Amplifiers:
DACs:
Now I can't guarantee that all of these amps will reliably drive the AKG K712 Pro with authority or anything, but they should all be able to let you use them without turning the volume up to 11.
Hope this helps :)
Edit: Ok so smaller USB-powereds are not sufficient for the AKGs, as pointed out by the commenters below (Thanks for correcting). That would explain why I perceived so much improvement upgrading from the E18 :P
Wanting to get a new amp or AMP/DAC combo
Budget - $150
Source - Current source is a Fiio E10
Current Headphones - Hifiman HE-400
Preferred tonal balance - I like a warmer sound more than a bright sound.
Preferred Music - Everything. From Dubstep and DnB to Indie rock and metal.
What would you like to improve on from your set-up - Just looking to change out my Fiio since the headphone amp section of it is dying.
Hey guys! So the headphone amp section on my Fiio E10 DAC/amp is starting to die. I'm getting weird thumping and clicking noises from it and sometimes it cuts out all together.
So now I'm on the search for a new amp. The DAC section and the output on the rear of the Fiio still works fine so getting a standalone amp instead of a amp/DAC combo is an option. Just not sure if the DAC in the E10 is good or not.
I also use the Fiio rear output to run to my speaker amp so maybe a new DAC/amp combo would be a better choice.
Right now I am looking at two things:
Amp: Little Dot I+ http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00A2QM5O6?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_act_title_1&smid=A2Q0JVLI22BSVA
Amp/DAC: SMSL SD793-ii : http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00A2QLPJM?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_sfl_title_5&smid=A1V0149CC6WCAD
Any opinions? The SMSL is quiet a bit cheaper so I'll be able to get a set of velour pads for my headphones if I get that.
My Little Dot I (https://www.amazon.com/Little-Dot-6JI-standard-Headphone/dp/B00A2QM5O6) is $115 brand new. If you shop around you may be able to find some better deals too!
Schiit Fulla $80 24/96
http://www.head-fi.org/t/756553/review-of-schiit-audio-fulla-usb-dongle-dac-amp-w-pics
Fiio K1 $40 24/96 (not async)
http://www.head-fi.org/t/788198/fiio-k1-smaller-and-better-for-less
Bravo Audio V1 Tube Driven Headphone Amplifier (just amp, no DAC)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00A2QKTLW/ref=s9_acsd_hps_bw_c_x_3
Little Dot I+ 6JI X2 Tube standard Hybrid Headphone Tube Amplifier (just amp, no DAC)
http://www.amazon.com/Little-Dot-6JI-standard-Headphone/dp/B00A2QM5O6/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1463140467&sr=1-2&keywords=little+dot
UK buyers might prefer to buy Fulfilled by Amazon, given the possibility of quality control issues (and that when VAT and import duty are taken into consideration, the Massdrop price isn't much different).
To be honest, I'd be hesitant about the idea of a valve amp removing distortion. I always understood that the point of valves was to add a little "pleasing" distortion; that's what makes for the supposed elevation. (And that if you use a valve amp in the range where it doesn't distort, it's basically hugely inefficient compared to a solid state amp...) Still, if your synth doesn't have a headphone out, I guess you have to feed it through something. And as someone on Head-Fi observed, valve amps are pretty.
You want warm? You will need to properly amp them. Also, tubes can help warm them up even more. Check out this great amp called a little dot for only 115. Best tube amp under 300 no doubt.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00A2QM5O6/
The Little Dot 1+ at $110 is probably the cheapest I could recommend. More respected companies like Hifiman and Schiit offer tube headphone amps in the $170 range.
I've built tube amp kits from aliexpress and had no issues, but they aren't cheap. I've never seen a decent looking headphone tube amp kit out of there though, sorry mate.
TUBE AMP & DAC HELP REQUEST:
You can't really go wrong with a Magni for the price. It's a great little solid state amp and will drive your DT990's to the volumes you'd want.
It's really solidly built and even comes with a 2 year warranty.
Just a suggestion as it's as at the top of your price range, do some research on tube amplifiers. The Little Dot 1+ Tube Amp is on Amazon for $116 right now. Granted Tube amps aren't for everyone it's just another route you could go as the Little Dot is customizable. You can change the Tubes and OpAmp in it to fine tune your experience. There's tons of pages on HeadFi about different tubes and OpAmps.
if you want a tube amp, then look for a little dot:
https://www.amazon.com/Little-Dot-6JI-standard-Headphone/dp/B00A2QM5O6/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1541588044&sr=8-5&keywords=little+dot&dpID=41VfvJT3eeL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch
If you just want something cheap to properly power your headphones, get a cheap dac/amp like smsl, or the fiio e10k:
https://www.amazon.com/SMSL-Audio-M3-Powered-Decoder/dp/B019Y5TR6O/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1541588108&sr=8-13&keywords=smsl
https://www.amazon.com/FiiO-E10K-Headphone-Amplifier-Black/dp/B00LP3AMC2/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1541588171&sr=8-3&keywords=fiio
they will sound much better then that cheap hybrid or a phone, but they are obviously not the best thing ever.
The Bravo seems decent but I just don't trust cheap Chinese tube amps, especially when they don't post full measurements (I wonder what they're trying to hide?)
But, under $114, on Amazon, there isn't really much in choices. The Bravo plus a warm sounding tube, like this one, will fit the bill.
I also would recommend this. It offers more flexibility because you change tubes and opamps to mod your sound. You can also adjust gain with it unlike the Ocean.
HEY. Just by the way, I decided on this https://www.amazon.com/Little-Dot-6JI-standard-Headphone/dp/B00A2QM5O6 while tube-rolling with https://www.amazon.com/Voskhod-6J1P-EV-6ZH1P-EV-Matched-Pair/dp/B071H78DHZ. After I tube roll that, I'll tube roll this: https://www.amazon.com/Riverstone-Audio-Fully-Tested-Amplifier-Electron/dp/B01BFJDTW0
Little Dot 1+. It's a great sounding tube amp. It has a very utilitarian and functional enclosure, especially given the bulbous toroidal transformer cover on the back, but I've grown very fond of it. It's definitely a visual step up from the average solid state amp like the O2.
It's not perfect but hey, it's only just over $100 and included tubes to get you started.