[397324]

Hi. I'm in the UK and the only short USB C to Micro USB (Samsung S7 Edge) cable I can find is an Amazon Basics one. Can someone suggest a more audiophile solution from within the EU? EarMen say they have no plans to produce one themselves, which I find strange as arguably their main competitor AudioQuest, does.

 

[zolom]

try this option (choose the Usb-C to Micro Usb)
I use their Usb-C to Usb-C cable. Did not experience any noise.

 

[397324]

Thanks, but I did want one a bit closer to home.

 

[voja]

So, after further experimenting, I was finally able to hear the EMI noise everybody was talking about. However, it took some true effort to bring it up.

The noise was only present when the phone was in a very specific position from the Sparrow (using the stock short cables). I had the Sparrow connected to my MacBook Pro, so I had the flexibility to move the phone around the it. The noise/crackling was the most present when the phone screen was in direct contact with the Sparrow.

I mentioned that I used the Sparrow for over 5 months. Well, I didn't mention that the Sparrow was connected to my Mac with the standard TR-Amp cable — on which the EMI noise isn't present unless the screen is in direct contact with the Sparrow. The cable is unbranded and it is your standard black rubber cable. It has "E319028", "AWM" and "Style 2725" written on it, but I didn't get any clear result from searching any of those.

"Lab" testing and experimenting will be required from EarMen to make sure that nothing alike happens in the future

 

[milkdudd]

Curious where those of you in the USA are purchasing the Sparrow. I purchased my Tr-amp from Moon audio but they are showing it sold out. I sent an email to them asking if they expect to get more and I'm waiting to hear back. I did a trial run to purchase it from the Earmen website but it seems to want me to approve the PayPal payment before it will tell me how much the shipping charge is. I'm guessing they ship out of Europe. Any help greatly appreciated

 

[397324]

Listen to at around 5 minutes.

 

[milkdudd]

I've been hearing sounds similar to what he describes on my Chord Mojo since I bought it two or three years ago. It's not loud and it's intermittent so I live with it. It does the same thing with two different Android sources. Now that I have the Earmen Tr-amp I'm still hearing the same noises. Can't be sure it's the same thing he's describing but it sure seems like it. We know cell phones are constantly transmitting and receiving information. I think it's the Android phone causing it and how much we hear it could be determined by which DAC/amp we're using

 

[397324]

It's not android. It's poor quality. Why has no one said this about Audioquest Dragonfly?

 

[Interceptor69]

It's not android. It's poor quality. Why has no one said this about Audioquest Dragonfly?

Because it doesn't suffer from the same issues?

 

[397324]

Yes, because its a better quality product. No EMI issues.

 

[milkdudd]

Yes, because its a better quality product. No EMI issues.

I'm sure it is high quality. When it gets balanced output and can match the sound quality of the Sparrow balanced I'll be all in. I'm not in any hurry so maybe they (or someone else) will release one like that. Or maybe Earmen will fix the problem by then. Just curious did you ever try another cable and did it make any difference. I saw you mentioned you were looking to buy a new one. I'm looking for an OTG cable with USB-C 90° connectors at both ends. I think Woo audio sells one but I'll have to see if I can get it in the length I want, approximately 8 inches long

 

[sot13]

Hi, I have contacted Earmen regarding the status of the EMI/RFI issues... According to their answer, it was affecting older batch of production units and now all issues have been resolved. I ordered a new unit, waiting for delivery in the next few days and I will report back here on my findings.
In any case, they said that if I receive an older batch product they will send me a replacement cable free of charge!
Let's see

 

[milkdudd]

Received my sparrow about 8 hours ago. It's been quite an adventure so far. Will have lots to say tomorrow but it's four in the morning and I need some shut-eye

 

[milkdudd]

Well after another couple of hours of listening today and experimenting a little I have determined the following. If you set your Android phone to airplane mode you will have none of the buzzing, crackling and tick tick tick sounds. To get 100% silent it might also require turning off Wi-Fi (still experimenting with that). By the way these are the exact same sounds I get using my Mojo or Tr-amp. The same sounds about 10 times as loud that is. Maybe the added volume of the noise is because the Sparrow is powered by the phone rather than a battery. That's just a guess. In my case how often I hear the noise or the volume of it is not in any way related to how far the Sparrow is from the phone or the screen. Not saying that couldn't be relevant to somebody else's situation. With this said, listening to my Dunu Zen iems using the balanced connection in airplane mode with Wi-Fi turned off, the sound quality is magnificent. Something I could be happy with for a long time. Maybe some people can't use airplane mode because they need the phone available for incoming calls. The letters SOL come to mind in that case. I imagine a lot of people have Android devices that are no longer being used as a phone and could use it kind of like an iPod and get great sound.

 

[Interceptor69]

Yes, because its a better quality product. No EMI issues.

Perhaps better quality build but measures far worse in most every metric, even with the Cobalt.