Clarification on Setting Gain

[mrlimbo]

im getting a LTD 1+ and have been wondering about the gain settings not only for 1+ but also my soundcard , my phones are senn 600 @ 300ohm my soundcard can output @ 32ohms or 32-64ohms or 64ohms , any clue as to what my start up settings should be for the 1+ & souncards ? thanks

If there is a separate line-out jack rather than the headphone out jack then you'll want to use that. Otherwise you can use the lowest 32 ohms assuming that's referring to output impedance.

Thanks , what gain setting for the Dot 1+ ?

[TubeStack]

There is some discussion on what gain is the best used for a particular headphone.  The following rule of thumb should be used: For OTL models (Little Dot MK II, MK III, MK IV / SE):Low Gain - High impedance headphones (ex. Sennheiser HD600/650) and/or high sensitivity/efficiency headphones (ex. headphones with 100+ dB/mW)High Gain - Low/medium impedance headphones (ex. AKG K701) and/or low sensitivity headphones

I love my LD MK III, thanks for making such a great unit.

This info is the opposite of what it states in the LD manual I received with my unit. My manual says to use high gain for high impedance headphones, etc. Did this change at some point? Is it different for older models?

Thanks.

[mva5580]

I'm wondering the same thing, it's definitely the opposite of what's in the manual.

So I have my gain set at 5 for my DT 880 Premium 250ohm headphones. Is the recommendation now that that this is too high?

[Dibbs]

What is the "factory gain setting" on the Little Dot I+?

[DavidZheZhe]

What is the "factory gain setting" on the Little Dot I+?

Factory gain is always low.

[Spec-Chum]

I prefer 10X gain with HD600 for increased bass and soundstage at the expense of clarity and a bit of floor noise.

Sorry for this super late comment but I only got my MKii 3 days ago.

I have it set to gain 4 with my HD600 and I can barely push the volume knob past 8:30. I am not sure how I can go to 10.

I am actually still confused how a lower gain setting should be used for high impedance. It' seems like a reversed of what I know. The harder the headphones to drive (high ohms), the more gain i need to drive them. But it's the reverse here. It is all because it's an OTL amp?

It's to do with output power (wattage).

Power, in it's simplest form, is Volts * Amps (VA) so if you have an amplifier that can output 10W for example (this is ridiculously high for headphone amp, but it makes the maths easier lol), this can be achieved in an infinite amount of ways, such as 1V * 10A, 10V * 1A and literally anything in between as long as multiplying them together makes 10.

It's power that drives headphones, not voltage or current individually. The HD600's are fairly sensitive and don't really need that much power to drive - they do scale well though.

Since OTA tube amps aren't too great at amplifying current you'll need the lowest volts possible to get the most current (again, VA = W) so you'll set low (voltage) gain. Also, lower impedance headphones generally need more current to reach a specific power which is why, as well as the output impedance of the amplifier itself, they're not generally recommended with OTA amps.

It's the opposite for solid state amps, they're great at amplifying current but not so great with voltage, so to achieve 10W would need more volts, thus high gain - so on little dot I+ you'd want high gain for the HD600.

[juliaan]

What are the best gain jumper settings for the little dot mk3 coupled with the akg k 1000 ?

[juliaan]

Please reply to my question above. Thank you

[rockage]

10x gain would be a good choice for the K1000s. Ultimately it's up to your personal preference.

[Littledot2man]

Hi, I just got a Little Dot mk 2 and a pair of HD650 and wonder what the best gain setting is, considering all aspects?
Or put in another way, what are the pros and cons of the different options; 3,4,5 and 10 with the HD650s?

I notice that the lowest setting (3) lets me increase the volume pot to about 9 o’clock for normal listening level while the high gain barely let me touch the volume before it is loud enogh. So currently I have it set on 3 even if the manual advises higher settings. That setting gives me the possibility to make fine adjustments to the volume as well as I assume that not using the lowest part of the volume pot is beneficial, avoiding channel imbalance issues etc.

[rockage]

The gain adjustment is to make the volume suitable for your hearing, there won't be a negative side on sound quality.