Little Dot mk III tube pre amp
Hello all. I took delivery of a little dot mk iii tube amp on Friday. I couldn't find anything on any of the AoS forums about the firm, although they do seem to have a decent following in the US. I was slightly wary given the amp was shipping from and made in China. In the end i took a punt because the all in cost of delivery was so low. I needn't have worried, the seller was terrific in terms of his communication and the package arrived in 4 days. First impressions are very favourable. The unit is built like a tank with a lovely weighty feel to the volume control. The sound is also astonishing, although i admit I have no benchmark in terms of having listened to a tube amp or proper headphone amp before. All i can say is i'm now hearing things in recordings I've never heard before, the stereo imaging is pin sharp and the transparency is like nothing else. It's as though a layer of dust has been removed from my recordings. It's also noticeable how pleasurable listening is, there's no fatigue, i've found myself listening to stuff for much longer than originally intended. As i said, i don't have a benchmark against which to compare it, but the combination of the dot, a schiit bifrost and audio technica AD 700s seems extremely good value to me. Certainly much better than my heybrooks and musical fidelity amp. Also the dot is supposed to need at least 50 hrs burn in before it's at it's best, so things can only get better! The only slight negative is it is fussy about placement; I've noticed interference/ buzzing if it's placed near a wireless router or PC.
If anyone out there's looking for a sub £250 headphone amp, it's worth putting Little Dot on the short list IMHO. BTW, i have no affiliation or interest in the the firm.
All the best
John
