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Thanks for great service! One question though...

post #1 of 10
12/4/08 at 4:50pm
Thread Starter 
This is my second post here at head-fi. This is really a great resource for information on all things headphone! I recently purchased a ultra micro stack that I enjoy immensely (right now, in fact). First off, the people at Headroom are fantastic. So fantastic in fact, that while I was within my 30 day money back guarantee period the ultra stack went on sale. I emailed sales asking if it would be possible to honor the sale price. Jorge (fantastic guy) emailed me back and said sure no problem. I almost fell off my chair!! I couldn't believe that they actually refunded the difference to me (to the tune of $400, not by any measure a small amount). I have been enjoying the ultra stack ever since!!!!! I will definitely look to headroom first for any other headphone related purchases!!
I listen to primarily classical using the Shure SE530's. One thing I notice when I'm listening carefully at night is hiss in the background. It is always there, I just think that it is more noticeable when I'm only listening and not working at the same time. I have the astrodyne power supplies and run them through a Furman AC215 power conditioner. Is this normal? Am I expecting a completely black background when in reality it does not exist?
I appreciate any feedback.
Thanks again for truly great products and for lightening my wallet!!!!
Tom
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post #2 of 10
12/4/08 at 5:39pm
This high pitched hiss is due to the low impedance and high sensitivity of the Se530s triple armature design. I have a micro stack(not the ultra) and heard the same thing. Larger headphones, such as the HD650s, D5000, or AKG701s will not have this problem because of their higher impedance rating. I did however notice an improvement when I upgraded my USB cable and mini-mini cable. To hear the hiss now I must turn the volume up to a most uncomfortable level.

Kevin
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post #3 of 10
12/4/08 at 5:59pm
Thread Starter 
Kevin,
Thanks for the reply. I forgot to mention that I'm using a glass toslink cable(impact acoustics) and a panorama mini to mini interconnect. I really love the sound of the ultra stack and just want to optimize and enjoy the music to the fullest. Do you suggest that I look into getting a set of AKG701/702 (he! he!)?
Tom
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post #4 of 10
12/4/08 at 7:45pm
A higher impedence headphone (almost anything other than IEM's) will get rid of the hiss. I notice this with my airhead using an ac adapter (SILENT with batteries!)
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post #5 of 10
12/5/08 at 1:12am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bubu1 View Post
Kevin,
Thanks for the reply. I forgot to mention that I'm using a glass toslink cable(impact acoustics) and a panorama mini to mini interconnect. I really love the sound of the ultra stack and just want to optimize and enjoy the music to the fullest. Do you suggest that I look into getting a set of AKG701/702 (he! he!)?
Tom
Hello Bubu1,

Thanks for the kind comments -- and for your HR purchases!

I believe the fellas have correctly sussed out your issues with the hiss in the posts above. One more thing concerns me: Our HeadRoom DACs typically perform / measure better with 'non-glass' types of optical cabling so you may wish to see if changing optical cables helps at all... ?


Cheers,
Jorge
HR Sales/Product Manager
HeadRoom was founded in 1992 & manufactures headphone amps, DACs, and accessories; and sells headphones & related personal audio gear. We offer exceptional products, customer service, & information.
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post #6 of 10
12/5/08 at 10:11am
Dudes,

I have the hiss through my IEMs (SE530/UE11) from the Ultra Micro Amp. I can hear it in low gain with the volume at 0 and NO SOURCE CONNECTED. (I've also tried multiple PSU's and power outlets.)

I would not recommend these amps for IEMs... Even though HeadRoom seems to in their product images.
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post #7 of 10
12/9/08 at 12:25pm
Thread Starter 
Jorge,
Thanks for the reply and for the suggestion. As luck would have it, I am waiting for a Van Den Hul Optocoupler optical cable (I use a macbook) so lets see if that helps when I introduce it into my system.
I don't mean to be nitpicky about the hissing. I just wanted to know if it was normal. I thoroughly enjoy all of my Headroom products! I started with the Total Bithead in February and then moved up to the micro stack and now to the ultramicro stack. I am impressed with your products and great customer service. Most importantly, I enjoy listening to my music with all of the gear I have purchased from Headroom!!!!!
Over the weekend, I dug up the attenuator supplied with the SE530's and tried it with the ultra stack. It helps alleviate some the hissing and does not horribly affect the sound quality. This is by no means the best fix, but it will do in a pinch.
On another note, since you do carry so many headphones, do you have any suggestions for headphones that would work well for classical music?


Thread, do you still have your attenuator? Give it a shot and see how it works for you.

Thanks,
Tom
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post #8 of 10
12/9/08 at 12:59pm
I didn't really like what the attenuator did to the SQ... Seemed to dull it down. I lost some excitement factor. I'd rather use the SE530's straight from the UMAmp over using the attenuator.

It's moot now, though, since I no longer have the UMAmp in my possession.
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post #9 of 10
12/10/08 at 12:01am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bubu1 View Post
On another note, since you do carry so many headphones, do you have any suggestions for headphones that would work well for classical music?

Thanks,
Tom
Sure Tom -- Please shoot me an email & we'll discuss a few headphones we feel are especially well-suited for classical!

jorge@headphone.com

Cheers,
Jorge
HR Sales/Product Manager
HeadRoom was founded in 1992 & manufactures headphone amps, DACs, and accessories; and sells headphones & related personal audio gear. We offer exceptional products, customer service, & information.
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post #10 of 10
12/10/08 at 12:07am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bubu1 View Post
Jorge,
I don't mean to be nitpicky about the hissing. I just wanted to know if it was normal. I thoroughly enjoy all of my Headroom products! I started with the Total Bithead in February and then moved up to the micro stack and now to the ultramicro stack. I am impressed with your products and great customer service. Most importantly, I enjoy listening to my music with all of the gear I have purchased from Headroom!!!!!
Thanks,
Tom
Thanks Bubu1 -- i don't think that its being nit-picky in any way!! ... But as i mentioned elsewhere it goes against some of our own listening experiences so i'm slightly concerned something may be up with the amp if the hissing issue is that plainly audible & prevalent.

Of course, we're always happy to analyze any HeadRoom amp at no charge on our audio lab test bench to ensure its working perfectly and 100% up to specification -- so if you feel there may be ANYTHING wrong with the unit, please don't hesitate to send it in to us for complete analysis!!

Cheers,
Jorge
HR Sales/Product Manager
HeadRoom was founded in 1992 & manufactures headphone amps, DACs, and accessories; and sells headphones & related personal audio gear. We offer exceptional products, customer service, & information.
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