[jon_m]

Hi,

Sorry to ask about this again. I've now tried my ety 6i headphones with 1 sony MD player and 2 unbranded (but seemingly OK quality, and with low SNR ratings) MP3 players - they pick up an annoying hiss with all of them. I've only got a hiss-free sound from the headphone out of my laptop (and tbh that may only be because I use this for recording, and therefore pushed the manufacturer into repairing noise problems caused by a lack of shielding). I think I can hear the hiss partly because I've got fairly good hearing (I've also noticed that I tend to listen quieter than other people do) and also because the quality of the etys means they make this audible much more clearly than other phones.

Is there such a thing as a completely hiss-free portable player that's also fairly affordable? And, if so, what is it

Thanks,

Jon

 

[Duncan]

Ipod Nano and Radio remote...

...That is about as cheap (and as quiet) as I can see you getting

 

[jon_m]

doh, looks like the earphones might have to go back then

cost of phones plus ipod is more than I can justify for use in the gym...and if sensitive phones'll just reveal problems with my MP3 player that ain't much help...

Thanks for the suggestion, though...now, what are koss spark plugs like....

Jon

 

[bangraman]

You could just buy the Etymotic ER-4P/S adaptor. I haven't tried it but I doubt it'll make the 6i's sound any less crappy.


Oh yeah, I had one lying around. I'll try it later.

 

[The Smokester]

How about trying a Creative Labs Zen Touch?

 

[biohazard_nz]

ipod shuffle?

 

[catscratch]

You need a volume attenuator. It will reduce the sensitivity and lower the amount of background hiss. I'd suggest the Shure attenuator (with the volume control) but as I've only just ordered it, I can't say how well it will work. The UE attenuator works quite well and eliminates hiss with even very hissy sources. But, it attenuates a bit too much for some portables, and volume needs to be close to max even with very sensitive canalphones.

The Ety adapter will not get rid of the hiss, and it will affect sound quality. It will increase impedance, and unless you have a powerful headphone out on your portable, you're going to underamp your headphones.

Shure attenuator here:

http://www.earphonesolutions.com/shpaleatfors.html

UE attenuator here:

http://www.earphonesolutions.com/uleasutokit.html (can't find it separately)

 

[bangraman]

I'd suggest ignoring the above advice.


The UE attenuator adds ~210 ohms impedance.
The Shure attenuator is capable of adding a lot more.
Therefore, neither are suitable for portable use.


The 4P-4S convertor adds 76 ohms impedance and is enough to do the job... but an MD player or anything from Sony may sturggle slightly to drive this load. Most Korean players / iPods will have no problems.

 

[jon_m]

Thanks for all the suggestions. Got a creative Muvo coming (present for someone else) so may try that before passing it on to see if it's any better... If that doesn't help, may try adding an attenuator; to be honest, though, would be tempted to save a few quid by swapping for the ER6 first anyway, if I'm going to be attenuating and adding impedance... or maybe just go for different brand. Not sure if I'm being unusually picky, but for earphones designed to work with portable devices these seem somewhat awkward to get working

 

[bangraman]

Perhaps the ER-6i's aren't for you. I know they aren't for me on a sonic level despite the fact that I think they're the best IEM's for in-plane use apart from customs. However most balanced-armature IEM's do hiss with a wide range of portables. You may like to consider something like the cheap JVC HA-FX55 (£25ish from Argos and the like ~ I presume you're British) as casual in-ear phones supplemented by a pair of decent headphones, or consider the Shure E2c's... a step down in terms of precision, potential isolation and wearing comfort, but still offers isolation superior to lower-cost IEM's, less hissy certainly as well as having a more balanced sound.

 

[catscratch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bangraman The UE attenuator adds ~210 ohms impedance. The Shure attenuator is capable of adding a lot more. Therefore, neither are suitable for portable use.

D'oh! So, the attenuator is just one big ol' resistor? Is there no way of lowering a headphone's sensitivity while leaving it's impedance intact?

 

[jon_m]

thanks for all the suggestions. The 6is went back - couldn't get away from the hissing... Am now looking at gettings something like sennheiser cx300 - cheaper, and lots of people seem to like them...

 

[fongalv]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jon_m thanks for all the suggestions. The 6is went back - couldn't get away from the hissing... Am now looking at gettings something like sennheiser cx300 - cheaper, and lots of people seem to like them...

erm...sorry kinda newb here but can anyone explain why theres hiss from the er6i? I have used several pairs of sony ex71s for a long time and have been using e3c for over a year and most of the players ive come across dosent give much audible hiss...at least not when theres music coming through or when the volume is not like at max...

the only kind of hiss/interference is when my amp is switched on first, followed by the player b4 the music comes thru...thats when theres some weird beeping/wirring sounds, but its not like I switch on their player without playing music...theres also no hiss between tracks when theres silence...

ive read its got something to do with them being low impendence cans?

btw I get rather frequent interference when my mobilephone is anywhere near my amp...

hope im not OT...

 

[jon_m]

I think part of the problem was that I was listening to music playing very quietly (apparently my ears are relatively good) which meant that any background hiss was clearly audible over the music. I tried them with several portable devices and still had the same hiss (using an amp might have helped, but I didn't want to buy one). The fact the 6is are sensitive, revealing earphones may well have worked against them.

The hiss was far from the end of the world, but was annoying (and too annoying for me to put up with on a pair of earphones that are far from cheap).

 

[CookieFactory]

It's as I expected all along; Rockbox does an excellent job of reducing hiss over the Apple firmware. With the E4c it is all but silent with just the faintest hint of hiss if you want to be anal (guilty).
Now only if they could work on the battery life...