Little Dot MK2 Reviews Compendium

Compendium updated February 25th, 2021.

Aspiring tube amp owners often go one of two routes: the Darkvoice 336SE or the Little Dot MKII. Far be it from us to make the decision for you. Instead, we've compiled reviews of the Little Dot MKII from across the web to make your research easier.

What you’ll find here are the TLDR versions of the full reviews (which you can access with the provided links). We’ll continue updating this compendium as reviews come in. Happy hunting!

 

From DMS's review of the Little Dot MK2, first published on January 1st, 2021: 

“I bought this amp just to use with the 6XX because they work so well together.” 

“The sound that comes out of it is absolutely amazing. It’s extremely comfortable. It’s very cozy.” 

“For an extremely musical and enjoyable, warm, comfortable listening experience, this is an insanely good value.” 

 

From Z Review's review of the Little Dot MK2, first published on January 1st, 2021: 

“Definitely tubey. That’s a thing. Tube amps can be measured in three categories: detail-hold, low-end change, and tubeiness...and these are definitely tubey.” 

“Does the Little Dot Mark 2 fuck up the sound in a good way? The answer is yes; however, I can tell there is a loss in the fidelity of the sound.” 

 

From Audible Bond's review of the Little Dot MK2, first published on August 28th, 2012:

“All in all the the MK II is a very well built and fantastic amplifier/pre-amp for those looking for more juice while retaining an excellent warm sound signature and tonal balance.

“Highly recommended for the price giving plenty of leftover cash for tube rolling!”

 

From WCCF Tech's review of the Little Dot MK2, first published on November 24th, 2016:

“The Little Dot MK II isn’t going to win any awards for pure aesthetics, but in terms of functionality I think it’s safe to say that you won’t find any tube amp with better performance per dollar. You are getting four good tubes plus a great amp for the meager price of $133 (from Gearbest) as well as tube rolling options for future use. You can also check out their ongoing promotion on audio equipment. My experience, currently amounting to over a 100 hours, with the LD MK II was absolutely amazing.

“The only down side that I have noticed is that there were a few instances where the volume knob caused one channel to be muted. Twisting and pressing the volume knob solved the issue quickly enough although I am not sure whether this was simply a QA mishap with my unit or an overall oversight. In any case, it was innocuous enough to not warrant any further despair.

“If you are someone who is looking for a first and last Vacuum Tube Amp, this is the one for you. It will give an unprecedented amount of power to a vanilla setup and even help out as a pre-amp if you are already initiated. The only person I would not recommend these to is if you never listen to music and are not particularly interested in the tonal sound quality of the source – only its volume. In that case, you would be better off with a cheap USB DAC.”

 

From POC Network's review of the Little Dot MK2, first published on December 31st, 2018:

“We find that this is a fantastic option for everything within the 80-600 ohms range. It can go lower, but it just seems like total overkill to drive something like 32-ohm headphones with it. It does pack a decent range to it, as well as clean/crisp sound and a whole lot of volume, even within the 300-600 ohm headphone range. We tested it against a number of headphone models, covering 32, 80, 250, 300 and 600. All of which it was able to drive perfectly. The price is also pretty good for what you get and the tubes it comes with will make the average consumer quite happy. However, if you are an audiophile, you will more than likely find yourself swapping them out to play around with them to see what works best for you. We don’t have any other Little Dot models to compare it to, but for now, it sets a pretty good impression with us when it comes to the name so far.”

From Top Tube Amplifier's review of the Little Dot MK2, first published on September 20th, 2016:

“Despite its flaws and relatively higher price, the Little Dot MK2 MKII 6J1 X2 6N6 X2 still remains a preferred option for many sound enthusiasts because it is user-friendly and efficient in making warm and natural sounds. Aside from that, the product is lauded for its durable, lightweight and high-grade construction.

“It can also be conveniently taken on the go, a characteristic that makes it a favored choice for sound engineers who want to work even while travelling.”

 

Editor’s note: Emphases ours.