[Azonic]

So, I got my Sparrow today and immediately noticed clicking as soon as I started playing music. Clicking noise stops when I pause playback. I've tried 3 different USB Cables of varying length and different sources (Phones. PC...) and the problem persists. Very disappointed with the experience.

I listened to some tracks ignoring the clicking and found the sound quality to be "OK". It's on par or maybe slightly better than my LG G7 with the primary difference being slightly more power and a bit more refinement. Maybe I was expecting too much from this surprisingly small device, but If you already have an LG Phone, I'd recommend avoiding this device as an upgrade. Compared to other phones and my PC, the sound quality here is a excellent. For fun I tried comparing this to my Mojo & iDSD Signature and obviously they are much better sounding than the Sparrow. The Sparrow however is an upgrade when compared to my friend's BTR5.

Another small issue I've found is that I'm unable to get a precise volume adjustment unless I stick to USB Audio Player and it's 50 Volume step setting.

Are you experiencing the EMI in both balanced and single ended mode? Get in touch with Earmen through their website and they should be able to help

 

[Ichos]

Lately I have also been experiencing static noise with my Sparrow.

 

[Johnfg465vd]

Are you experiencing the EMI in both balanced and single ended mode? Get in touch with Earmen through their website and they should be able to help

Yes on both 3.5 & 2.5 Out. Will try their website but, honestly I feel like trying out something else. The PAW S2 or W2 seem like good options with 4.4 Out (more future proof) and volume controls. Will decide later...

 

[milkdudd]

So, I got my Sparrow today and immediately noticed clicking as soon as I started playing music. Clicking noise stops when I pause playback. I've tried 3 different USB Cables of varying length and different sources (Phones. PC...) and the problem persists. Very disappointed with the experience.

I listened to some tracks ignoring the clicking and found the sound quality to be "OK". It's on par or maybe slightly better than my LG G7 with the primary difference being slightly more power and a bit more refinement. Maybe I was expecting too much from this surprisingly small device, but If you already have an LG Phone, I'd recommend avoiding this device as an upgrade. Compared to other phones and my PC, the sound quality here is a excellent. For fun I tried comparing this to my Mojo & iDSD Signature and obviously they are much better sounding than the Sparrow. The Sparrow however is an upgrade when compared to my friend's BTR5.

Another small issue I've found is that I'm unable to get a precise volume adjustment unless I stick to USB Audio Player and it's 50 Volume step setting.

My first question is which output are you using? I assume it's balanced out because the single ended has never been known to make noise very much. Next question have you tried turning the phone to airplane mode. I know you shouldn't have to because then you can't accept any incoming calls, but usually that will eliminate all but extremely faint inaudible noises. As far as the sound quality not being very impressive, if you get these issues worked out I think there's a good chance your opinion of that will change. Sound quality can actually be incredible once the undesirable sounds go away. Good luck

 

[Johnfg465vd]

My first question is which output are you using? I assume it's balanced out because the single ended has never been known to make noise very much. Next question have you tried turning the phone to airplane mode. I know you shouldn't have to because then you can't accept any incoming calls, but usually that will eliminate all but extremely faint inaudible noises. As far as the sound quality not being very impressive, if you get these issues worked out I think there's a good chance your opinion of that will change. Sound quality can actually be incredible once the undesirable sounds go away. Good luck

Yes, Airplane mode was one of the first things I tried. I also connected the Sparrow to my Samsung Tab and my PC after trying 2 different phones. Tried 4 different USB Cables of varying lengths. The clicking/crackling sound is there on both outputs 3.5 & 2.5.

I think the reason why Iwas not impressed by Sparrow's sound quality is because 1. Like you said, the noise makes it hard to fairly judge the product 2. The LG G7 is already a very good sounding device and expecting the Sparrow to outperform it by a huge margin was maybe my fault for expecting too much from this little device.

 

[milkdudd]

Yes, Airplane mode was one of the first things I tried. I also connected the Sparrow to my Samsung Tab and my PC after trying 2 different phones. Tried 4 different USB Cables of varying lengths. The clicking/crackling sound is there on both outputs 3.5 & 2.5.

I think the reason why Iwas not impressed by Sparrow's sound quality is because 1. Like you said, the noise makes it hard to fairly judge the product 2. The LG G7 is already a very good sounding device and expecting the Sparrow to outperform it by a huge margin was maybe my fault for expecting too much from this little device.

If even airplane mode doesn't stop these annoying sounds I think you might have a defective unit. If that's not the case I don't blame you for swapping it out for something else. Actually in my case the sounds were more buzzing than clicking. So what you have going on might be different than what I experienced. I'm sure you'll wind up with something you're happy with

 

[Johnfg465vd]

If even airplane mode doesn't stop these annoying sounds I think you might have a defective unit. If that's not the case I don't blame you for swapping it out for something else. Actually in my case the sounds were more buzzing than clicking. So what you have going on might be different than what I experienced. I'm sure you'll wind up with something you're happy with

The sound I get is something like this


but with longer interval, ranges from 500ms to 1.5s, almost similar to first few seconds of the video. This noise stops immediately as soon as I pause playback. The noise is not very loud, it's about 15% of the overall volume but gets really annoying at quiet parts of the music.

 

[milkdudd]

The sound I get is something like this


but with longer interval, ranges from 500ms to 1.5s, almost similar to first few seconds of the video. This noise stops immediately as soon as I pause playback. The noise is not very loud, it's about 15% of the overall volume but gets really annoying at quiet parts of the music.

Just to be clear when putting the phone in airplane mode is there no change at all or is it still there but not as loud? If there's no change at all I can't help but think the unit is defective and you should exchange it for another. Did you buy it new? The company has been great to deal with for me, and others have mentioned the same thing

 

[Johnfg465vd]

Just to be clear when putting the phone in airplane mode is there no change at all or is it still there but not as loud? If there's no change at all I can't help but think the unit is defective and you should exchange it for another. Did you buy it new? The company has been great to deal with for me, and others have mentioned the same thing

Airplane mode or not, that sound has the same volume.

I bought it used and have 2 days to notify the website I purchased it from (which I did). Pickup has been arranged and the unit will be picked up tomorrow.

 

[JimmyD79]

Got the Sparrow here too.
Amazing little device!
I replace the OTG cable with OEA OTG and all the problems are gone. yes it is not cheap cable but worth the price.

Thanks for posting this!
I've had the Sparrow for over a year and tried so many different cables and adapters. Even got the replacement cable from Earmen after many months but nothing fixed the interference issue so I ended up putting it in a drawer and stopped using it. When I read your post about the OTG cable I thought I'd give this one last try to see if I can finally fix it once and for all... and it did! I can finally enjoy listening to the Sparrow the way it was meant to be heard and it sounds amazing. Thanks again.

 

[Miroslav EarMen]

Dear members,

We would like to inform you that we have been working on the improvement of our best-selling Sparrow model, to which we have added a High-fidelity audio operational amplifier Texas Instruments INA1620 with the main Features:

• High-Quality Thin-Film Resistors
• Integrated EMI Filters
• Ultra-low Noise
• Ultra-low Total Harmonic Distortion + Noise
• Low-Power Shutdown Mode With Reduced Popand-Click Noise
• Short-Circuit Protection

The INA1620 integrates 4 precision-matched thin-film resistor pairs and EMI filtering on-chip with a low distortion, high output current, dual audio operational amplifier. The INA1620 also has a shutdown mode, which is specifically designed to eliminate click-and-pop noise when transitioning into or out of shutdown mode. The INA1620 has a unique internal layout for lowest crosstalk, and freedom from interactions between channels, even when overdriven or overloaded.

 

[SunnyHF]

Dear members,

We would like to inform you that we have been working on the improvement of our best-selling Sparrow model, to which we have added a High-fidelity audio operational amplifier Texas Instruments INA1620 with the main Features:

• High-Quality Thin-Film Resistors
• Integrated EMI Filters
• Ultra-low Noise
• Ultra-low Total Harmonic Distortion + Noise
• Low-Power Shutdown Mode With Reduced Popand-Click Noise
• Short-Circuit Protection

The INA1620 integrates 4 precision-matched thin-film resistor pairs and EMI filtering on-chip with a low distortion, high output current, dual audio operational amplifier. The INA1620 also has a shutdown mode, which is specifically designed to eliminate click-and-pop noise when transitioning into or out of shutdown mode. The INA1620 has a unique internal layout for lowest crosstalk, and freedom from interactions between channels, even when overdriven or overloaded.

That's nice and all, but I have very little confidence in your products after the Sparrow. I've had terrible EMI problems with the device since I bought it, and I've pretty much given up on it as the only way I can use it is to set my phone to airplane mode, which is not practical at all.

I bought the OEA OTG cable to try and alleviate the problem, but while it is a quality cable, it didn't fix the EMI problem. I did also receive the longer replacement cable from you, but it was pretty much the same in performance as the original cable.

It's really a shame as I've just recently updated my phone and I no longer have a 3,5mm plug on it, so I desperately need a dongle of some sorts for the usb-C.

I've tried my Sparrow on 4 different phones and all have had the same EMI problem, so problem is with the device itself.

It's really unfortunate because it would be a nice device if it worked properly - now it's more like an expensive paper weight, although it doesn't really do well at that either because of its light weight.

 

[Alan Billington]

Dear members,

We would like to inform you that we have been working on the improvement of our best-selling Sparrow model, to which we have added a High-fidelity audio operational amplifier Texas Instruments INA1620 with the main Features:

• High-Quality Thin-Film Resistors
• Integrated EMI Filters
• Ultra-low Noise
• Ultra-low Total Harmonic Distortion + Noise
• Low-Power Shutdown Mode With Reduced Popand-Click Noise
• Short-Circuit Protection

The INA1620 integrates 4 precision-matched thin-film resistor pairs and EMI filtering on-chip with a low distortion, high output current, dual audio operational amplifier. The INA1620 also has a shutdown mode, which is specifically designed to eliminate click-and-pop noise when transitioning into or out of shutdown mode. The INA1620 has a unique internal layout for lowest crosstalk, and freedom from interactions between channels, even when overdriven or overloaded.

As per the previous post, this is an amazing device. … but flawed by the IEM. More buzzing than crackling or popping but I used it in a car last weekend for the first time ever and it just buzzed constantly. Jeez such a pity as the sound is so damn good

 

[milkdudd]

Dear members,

We would like to inform you that we have been working on the improvement of our best-selling Sparrow model, to which we have added a High-fidelity audio operational amplifier Texas Instruments INA1620 with the main Features:

• High-Quality Thin-Film Resistors
• Integrated EMI Filters
• Ultra-low Noise
• Ultra-low Total Harmonic Distortion + Noise
• Low-Power Shutdown Mode With Reduced Popand-Click Noise
• Short-Circuit Protection

The INA1620 integrates 4 precision-matched thin-film resistor pairs and EMI filtering on-chip with a low distortion, high output current, dual audio operational amplifier. The INA1620 also has a shutdown mode, which is specifically designed to eliminate click-and-pop noise when transitioning into or out of shutdown mode. The INA1620 has a unique internal layout for lowest crosstalk, and freedom from interactions between channels, even when overdriven or overloaded.

I'm very interested in this. Is there any chance those of us that have the current Sparrow could exchange that for the new one? I would expect to add some money along with returning my current Sparrow. For the record I don't have nearly as much problems as some do with noise and such. I love this little device

 

[JimmyD79]

I'm very interested in this. Is there any chance those of us that have the current Sparrow could exchange that for the new one? I would expect to add some money along with returning my current Sparrow. For the record I don't have nearly as much problems as some do with noise and such. I love this little device