I received the Little Dot Mk I (the solid state portable version of the lot). It turned out that the "loan" from a friend of a friend became a "never-opened-package" because the guy who bought it realized too late (could not return it) that he did not purchase the tube version. So it is a brand new one I have (and WILL keep!).
I spent 5 hours with it so far, testing mostly with the iPod (3 hours), but also with the receiver (Onkyo 805) for close to 2 hours (1.5 hour music, 30 minutes Blu-ray). Testing were also done with (all Sennheisers) PXC-250 (300 Ohm, iPod headphone, for 3 hours), HD-650 (300 Ohm, home headphones, for 1.5 hours), CX-300 (16 Ohm, iPod earplugs, for 15 minutes), PXC-100 (32 Ohm, iPod headphone, for 15 minutes). Majority with PXC-250.
Some tests were done comparing the trio Direct/Boosteros/LittleDot, but rapidly--because of crystal clear difference--the iPod tests were limited to comparing the impact between direct/LittleDot with each headphone and, for the receiver, between direct/LittleDot with HD-650 only.
Some statements in no particular order (but numbered!):
1) It is now clear that the Boosteros does have some distortion. The improvement when used with iPod and 300 Ohm headphones is sufficient to forget about it, but now I know there is much, MUCH better!
2) Because of lack of rechargeable AAAA batteries (thus stuck buying, throwing away, buying, ...), the difference in cost between LittleDot Mk I and Boosteros becomes irrelevant within six months the latest.
3) With the iPod and LittleDot, there is some difference (possibly a cleaner bass with a hint more dynamics) with the 16 and 32 Ohm headphones, but not really enough to justify carrying another piece of equipment (assuming paying is not important!).
4) With the receiver, there is no difference (at least to my ears) with the 16 and 32 Ohm headphones.
5) The PX250 is now AWESOME! The lack of bass has disappeared (bass is not as strong as the HD650, but it is there and very "tight" and accurate). With the Boosteros, the bass was not improved.
6) To give an example of the overall improvement with iPod/LittleDot, tonight I went (part of the tests), for a 2-mile walk so I could treat me to a beer afterward; I was so enjoying the sound of the combo LittleDot/PXC-250 that I went for 5 miles instead (yes, that means 2.5 beers; well, 3 really if you think about it!
).
HALF-TIME CONCLUSION:
So, if you have (or are considering buying) headphones such as the PXC-250 for your portable player, then it is definitely (without the shadow of an hesitation) a must to move to something at least the quality of the Little Dot Mk I (less than 200$ shipped). I have no idea if other amps are any better, but, for my part, unless I can try one for free, I am TOTALLY satisfied with my iPod/LittleDotMKI/PXC250 and will stop looking for improvement in that area.
Also, the build of this product is amazing. It is very, very pretty. Semi-gloss encasing with brushed metal endings. Sturdy to the bone. I can't image what I would have to do to break it (the Boosteroos is a cheap plastic thing).
Now for the receiver tests...
7) The improvements when using the receiver are much smaller than with the iPod. When there is no or little dynamics, there is no improvement (except perhaps a tad better bass, but I am not sure). So I concentrated on things with big, big dynamics (Italian Baroque, Mozart, Berlioz, Xenakis).
8) The receiver had to be lowered by another 5db (-25db to have the "same sound" as the A1400 at -4db) compared to the Boosteroos. So there's pretty just the pre-amp left to the Onkyo!
9) There is a definite improvement in dynamics with music (significantly more prounced with playing SACDs or DVD-A), but not Earth-shattering (like with the iPod). As the music reaches bigger fortes and fortissimos, the bass improvement becomes clearer. So overall, it is a plus.
10) The more spectacular came when, on a whim, I decided to put some Blu-ray disks (actually, just 2 as it gets boring to rewatch the same scenes a few times!
). "Nightmare Before Christmas" sounds a bit better through the LittleDot, but nothing to write home about (just enough to post here about!). BUT, BUT, BUT, "The Incredible Hulk" provides an as clear-cut case as I had with the iPod. I never knew the HD650 could render big actions scenes like that. When connected direct, the dialog is great; there is a lot of nice details and everything. But with the LittleDot, it's like if there was a subwoofer in the headphones and all the "jump out your seat" sudden changes in loudness is rendered just like that (in the sense of "jump out your seat").
ENDGAME CONCLUSIONS (NO OVERTIME):
Again, if you own an Onkyo 805 with headphones that are 32-80 Ohms (like the Sennheiser HD-595, for example), I doubt there will be much difference; but I can be wrong.
Even if I don't get any more improvement from the incoming Little Dot Mk V (the big solid state amp of the series) currently in custom in Vancouver, it will be enough for me. I would be happy with the Mk I as headphone amp for my receiver, but it cannot be used while connected to the wall (only using the battery), which makes it more-or-less unusable for "living room" purposes.
I never realized just how utterly amazing those headphones were (both PXC250 and HD650). I am currently finishing watching Hulk as I type and I can't believe the level of details they now reveal, especially at higher volume (in the "quiet bits", it is pretty much the same with or without the mini-amp).
I could type more, but I am actually getting tired and contemplating going tp sleep by listening to a nice SACD! And I still have 0.5 beers to drink
Bottom line is: I am very, VERY pleased with this product and recommends it to anyone needing/wanting a small headphone amp but who are, like me, not particularly big fans of tubes (sorry Peter!).
Hope I did not bore too many of you!
