The Little Dot Micro+ thread!

[speedknight 0]

Would be interested in Cardas "wire" only.

 

 

so wat is so good abt Cardas??? Someone pls enlighten me!

 

xllms

Alot of ppl uses Cardas, so hearing is believing

 

 

wah like tat u very gullible leh...

 

 

 

like i siad i am now using a bleden wire with cardas plugs this set my bass improved it become tighter compare to the sucky original ones........i also try out the "pure" Cardas with cardas plug and a stylish red wire..... this one is th oppersite of the former this one enhanced to the trable side making your music sound brighter........but i listen to techno, racing music from initial d midnite max tune 2 and need for speed underground 2 music beside my regular chinese pop thus i choese the belden one

[afbug 0]

Can let me know what IC you guys are interested in and I'll try to get them. Brand, model....etc

 

I dunno know much about ICs but quite a few a quite costly and will not suit many people's budget. Got Kimber, Moon Audio, Zu Pivoit etc. Then there are those done by people at headfi; RnB, Turbo etc. I think you should have a hi-end one like Kimber or Zu for sale but not many will buy i guess?

 

xllms, the Cardas HPI is a huge upgrade to stock ICs and it is one of the cheapest aftermarket IC you can buy. DIY might be cheaper but some people prefer the polished look and construction of an aftermarket cable. Try them and listen for yourself.

 

Edit:

speedknight, its better to sel your DAP and amp to approx equal setting of volume. This way, you do not drain any batts fast and there will be no or less distortions.

Edited July 17, 2006 by afbug

[speedknight 0]

Can let me know what IC you guys are interested in and I'll try to get them. Brand, model....etc

 

I dunno know much about ICs but quite a few a quite costly and will not suit many people's budget. Got Kimber, Moon Audio, Zu Pivoit etc. Then there are those done by people at headfi; RnB, Turbo etc. I think you should have a hi-end one like Kimber or Zu for sale but not many will buy i guess?

 

xllms, the Cardas HPI is a huge upgrade to stock ICs and it is one of the cheapest aftermarket IC you can buy. DIY might be cheaper but some people prefer the polished look and construction of an aftermarket cable. Try them and listen for yourself.

 

Edit:

speedknight, its better to sel your DAP and amp to approx equal setting of volume. This way, you do not drain any batts fast and there will be no or less distortions.

 

 

noted with thanks master bug!

[replay 0]

Ya.. I set my DAP to 100% and adjust the volume from my amp too. Read it before at Xin forums..

[aaron-xp 0]

Wouldn't that wear out the DAP's battery very quickly?

[speedknight 0]

Wouldn't that wear out the DAP's battery very quickly?

 

hmmmmmm yeah....seem like it has mix feedback so i guess is up to personal prefrences ............lol and the battrey thing not to worry as i am runnig on a creative zen touch battrey can last 24hrs contiunous playback at least ......... usually it last me around 3 days

Edited July 17, 2006 by speedknight

[replay 0]

Wouldn't that wear out the DAP's battery very quickly?

 

I suppose its like using a line-out, cos u can only control the volume from a line out using an amp. But so far that's the recommendation from a few forums I've been to. Ultimately it all depends on your ears.. =)

 

[afbug 0]

Wouldn't that wear out the DAP's battery very quickly?

 

I suppose its like using a line-out, cos u can only control the volume from a line out using an amp. But so far that's the recommendation from a few forums I've been to. Ultimately it all depends on your ears.. =)

 

Oh issit? Max out will not have distortions? I dunno leh but you're pushing the player. Maybe its due to louder volume = louder dynamics?

 

Still, use line out better.

 

Wah I noticed got 2nd MO for Little Dots! lol. Popular!

[dle4e_2005 0]

wat is the diff between Line-Out ,optical-Out and Headphone-Out

[afbug 0]

wat is the diff between Line-Out ,optical-Out and Headphone-Out

 

On a portable CDP, you have a headphones out and line out.

Headphones out will have an internal amp built in to drive your earphones and all the sound processing and other circuitry.

The line out will bypass the internal amp and sound processing, very often giving a cleaner/purer sound. That also means you cannot control the volume on the player anymore. Volume control on amp.

 

Optical and coaxial out can be found on full size CD players. They can be used to connect to an external DAC (Digital to Analogue Converter) if you think the built in DAC cannot make it or to a MD recording Deck.

 

Oh issit? Max out will not have distortions? I dunno leh but you're pushing the player. Maybe its due to louder volume = louder dynamics?

Still, use line out better.

 

I guess it will still depend on the DAP, but so far Ive seen test being run on ipod, x5l, iriver h1xx, etc...the problem with these players is that even when using the dedicated lineout, the volume can still be controled by the internal amp, thus the measurements to find the optimal volume on the player itself...

 

Like that its a little like a fake line out! lol. But I dun own them these days, so din test. I'm hoping apple will build in a line out into the iPods in future. Hopefully, its the next one.

Edited July 17, 2006 by afbug

[rkivie 0]

Apple is unlikely to bring built-in lineouts to their iPod line bcos the average iPod user does not care much for fidelity like we do. that is also partly the reason why the iTunes music store sells music encoded at only 128kbps.

 

and with the ongoing mp3 players war, you can bet on Apple to cut back on such features that the average user do not make use of. an excellent example will be firewire support on the current gen iPods.

[replay 0]

I'm thinking maxing the volume is similar to using a line-out. A real line out volume cannot be controlled by the DAP itself and will require an external amp. So I just max the volume and use the volume knob on the amp.

 

Anyway the H120 line out is fake!!! The EQ and volume settings on the DAP affects the sound.. so I just use the headphone out instead.

[afbug 0]

My LDM+ has been burning in continuously non-stop since Sunday and had approx 15hrs in them from the first 3 days. The batts are still going strong! I've yet to charge them. Trying to run down the batt and a longer burn in at the same time.

 

Not much comments from other owners, so i guess they must be happy with it.

Edited July 18, 2006 by afbug

[rkivie 0]

background

i'm using a 4G iPod as source. the LDM+ (low gain) is connected to the iPod via a silver lineout cable from audiolineout.com. all listening was done using a set of UM2. i must state that this is actually the first time i'm using an amp in my setup. before it was just the UM2 out of my iPod/MPIO FL100 headphone out. so i'll be absolutely honest that any improvements that i have noted may be due either the usage of the lineout or the usage of the LDM+, or both.

 

why i decided to get the LDM+

bcos it could be had for so cheap. really. i mean how wrong can i go? and with all the promising reviews that i read on head-fi, as well as the convenience of an on-going MO, i saw no reason not to get one hehe.

 

there was also some disatisfaction that i have with my iPod/UM2 set up. i was, of course, secretly hoping that the LDM+ will correct some of these issues. i had hope that the additon of the LDM+ will:

 

1. bring out the sort-of recessed mids/treble on the UM2.

2. clean up the bass a little; the bass could use some tightening

3. eliminate the hiss i was hearing from the headphone out.

 

impressions so far

1. i'm quite delighted with the LDM+ performance in this aspect. the mids/treble have come forward noticeably now. and without the artificiality that accompanies the EQ's treble booster which i had always hated and refrained from using. but still i thought that if the effect could be a wee bit more pronounced it would be most perfect. anyhow, i'm extremely satisfied nonetheless.

 

2. the LDM+ accomplishes this quite well too. it's not like the UM2's bass was uncontrolled/muddy to begin with. in fact when i listened with the LDM+ for the first time fresh out of the box before any burn in, that was one thing that i noticed immediately. with all due awareness of hyperbole, after some 60 hours of playtime, i'm feeling that the bass is now capable of going even deeper than before without the LDM+. i cant say for certain, for such fleeting moments simply occur when i didnt expected it and i would think wow.

 

3. hiss got worse. i actually asked for the low gain LDM+ so as to minimise the possibility of hiss. ok perhaps total elimination of it was never gonna be on the cards. but the LDM+ contributed so much hiss it really annoys me sometimes. however i do acknowledge that the UM2, being ultra sensitive, errr amplifies the hiss problem. in fact, i tried on my sis old HJE50 and that was minimal hiss. same goes for the SR80 that i played with at Stereo. so i would say that only UM2 users should be concerned with this little peeve.

 

what i didnt expect (good things of course)

4. i'm simply amazed by the dynamics offered even when playing on very low volumes. the bass goes deep and with impact even when on low volumes. this was never possible before. absolutely not. before i've always had the urge to turn up the vol bcos i couldnt hear stuff clearly enough. the LDM+ changed that. at least i dont have to turn up my music loud and feel guilty after that anymore heh.

 

5. subtly, but again, noticeable. the soundstage has widened. there is more air now. it sometimes feel like the singers have moved out of a tiny recording studio to a more spacious one.

 

conclusion

money well spent. although the hiss was lamentable and annoying, i would now hate to listen without the amp. and if i could do this again, i would go for the normal gain version too, for more versatility in the future, since the hiss will be there anyway.

Edited July 20, 2006 by rkivie

[afbug 0]

Nice impressions! I had the same thinking as you. How much wrong can I go with a $55 amp? haxyer's MO was for LD2+ only actually as per his title thread and post. I then asked for the LDM and LDM+ price..... if LDM was avaliable, i'll buy it just for fun too!

 

When matched with a suitable amp, the UM2 can be a blinder. Thats why I don't want to amp them. Scared I get used to the sound, I'll have to bring an amp out in future. UM1 will improve too.

 

My set had been going almost non-stop since Sunday and it is still going strong. Can't seem to drain its batts. I've yet to charge them. When the batts KOed, i'll consider my set burned in.

Edited July 20, 2006 by afbug