[IemLover]

Listen when you are not plying any music... If it is total silence you are OK. Check and let us know...
It appears from the looks of the cables you have mine are different... But maybe this is because my sparrow was shipped from Europe.

I did what you said, at 2.5mm balanced output and no noise was heard at maximum volume level. I wanted to update firmware with my friend's computer, but it already had the latest firmware installed.

iemLover

 

[397324]

Does anyone know where you can get a decent Micro USB ended cable in the EU?

 

[McCol]

But I have to say that something like a "click" sounds once in the 4th or 5th seconds of the beginning of a song. I guess it will be fixed when the new firmware is installed. I hope.

iemLover

Is this with a Samsung phone by any chance?

 

[IemLover]

My Android phone is Oneplus 5, it is oldies but i am happy with my phone + Sparrow. No Any problem.

iemLover

 

[milkdudd]

I did what you said, at 2.5mm balanced output and no noise was heard at maximum volume level. I wanted to update firmware with my friend's computer, but it already had the latest firmware installed.

iemLover

Do you know if I can check the firmware version when it's hooked up to an Android device or do I need to plug it into a Windows 10 computer to check. Thanks in advance

 

[IemLover]

Firmware control is not performed with an Android phone, a Windows 10 computer is required.

In addition, I thought I would see the firmware version before installing the Firmware, but it doesn't work like that. However, once the Firmware update is finished, you can see the previous and next Firmware versions. Both versions were the same in mine.

iemLover

 

[milkdudd]

Firmware control is not performed with an Android phone, a Windows 10 computer is required.

In addition, I thought I would see the firmware version before installing the Firmware, but it doesn't work like that. However, once the Firmware update is finished, you can see the previous and next Firmware versions. Both versions were the same in mine.

iemLover

Okay thanks for giving me this information

 

[sot13]

Okay thanks for giving me this information

On their European site product page (https://earmen-eu.com/products/earmen-sparrow) right at the bottom of the page, there is the following disclaimer.

Disclaimer​

Due to the increased radiation of some phone models, as well as using the Sparrow without a GND shield cables, there may be some interference when using the device.

Our recommendation is to keep Sparrow away from your phone and use shielded GND USB C cables at least 50 cm (20") long.

To me, this defeats the purpose of the product ie needing to use a >50cm cable even if it is shielded! To me it looks that this issue of noise will stay with us because it is a design issue!!!

 

[Ebisue1212]

Has anyone who's tried the Sparrow heard the L&P W2? I'd love to see a comparison of those

 

[Dionietzscheus]

Has anyone who's tried the Sparrow heard the L&P W2? I'd love to see a comparison of those

I am also keenly interested in a comparo between these two. I have the Sparrow and I don't mind buying the W2. Unfortunately, it's out of stock in hifigo for a fairly long time now and though it's officially Sold Out, it's available for pre-order (!). ETA is dicey at best. I am not holding my breath.

BTW, it's all about implementation of course, but the dual CS 43198 dac chips used in the W2 are exactly the same as in my DX 160. I am not a fan of the 160's warm(ish) sound; I prefer my Lotoo PAW S1. YMMV. Also, the cost of the W2 is roughly the same for a used 160 in my country, and I am not sure if the W2 is a good value proposition at this price level.

 

[Ebisue1212]

I am also keenly interested in a comparo between these two. I have the Sparrow and I don't mind buying the W2. Unfortunately, it's out of stock in hifigo for a fairly long time now and though it's officially Sold Out, it's available for pre-order (!). ETA is dicey at best. I am not holding my breath.

BTW, it's all about implementation of course, but the dual CS 43198 dac chips used in the W2 are exactly the same as in my DX 160. I am not a fan of the 160's warm(ish) sound; I prefer my Lotoo PAW S1. YMMV. Also, the cost of the W2 is roughly the same for a used 160 in my country, and I am not sure if the W2 is a good value proposition at this price level.

You can get it here https://shop.musicteck.com/products...-dac-amp-headphone-amp?variant=39262697685054

On the L&P head-fi thread, people seem to thing the W2 sounds much better than the S1. I was thinking of getting a Sparrow, but since this thread seems to have more comments complaining about their units malfunctioning than singing their praises, I started looking elsewhere. Seems like a lot of people like the W2, but there aren't any formal reviews yet and no comparisons to the Sparrow so far.

 

[agonynine]

You can get it here https://shop.musicteck.com/products...-dac-amp-headphone-amp?variant=39262697685054

On the L&P head-fi thread, people seem to thing the W2 sounds much better than the S1. I was thinking of getting a Sparrow, but since this thread seems to have more comments complaining about their units malfunctioning than singing their praises, I started looking elsewhere. Seems like a lot of people like the W2, but there aren't any formal reviews yet and no comparisons to the Sparrow so far.

I’d echo this, I was keen on the Sparrow until I read about some of its challenges, so have placed an order for a W2 instead, and it’s shipping its way to me now from MusicTeck.

 

[Alan Billington]

I finally purchased the Sparrow and am very pleased with the sound. There is some static when used with an iPhone but only when first plugged in and not during playback. However, I am having an issue with the connection to the balanced output — it appears to be very sensitive to the position of the headphone plug. It doesn’t fit perfectly snugly and any lateral movement causes the left channel to cut out. I use the same balanced cable and headphones with two other DACs and have no issues with them. Is this normal or should I try to get it replaced?

Not sure if you managed to fix this? The balanced plug is slightly recessed, so to get it to work with my new headphone Jack I sadly had to file down the extruding sides around balanced. Works a treat now!

 

[JelStIy]

Not sure if you managed to fix this? The balanced plug is slightly recessed, so to get it to work with my new headphone Jack I sadly had to file down the extruding sides around balanced. Works a treat now!

I managed to completely break mine while trying to fix it — I am neither handy nor patient . Mine worked fine the first day of ownership so there was more to the problem than plug/jack incompatibility.

 

[Alan Billington]

I managed to completely break mine while trying to fix it — I am neither handy nor patient . Mine worked fine the first day of ownership so there was more to the problem than plug/jack incompatibility.

Hope you finally got sorted anyway. Still loving mine (in balanced mode)