[GoodGucciGoo]

Hi, I'm new to the community. I just got a pair of JVC FX1100 and I absolutely love it. I tried to find a good amp/dap that goes along with it but I can always hear a low hiss sound in the background which annoys me a lot. I did some research and apparently my headphone fell into the "high sensitive iem" category. How can I tell if my IEM is sensitive or not? Is higher sensitivity better? And if anyone has a pair of IEM with high sensitivity, what would you recommend for dap/amp?

 

[jodgey4]

High sensitivity means you need less power to get loud. What's your budget for a DAC/amp or DAP? I know Leckerton does great stuff.

 

[GoodGucciGoo]

I'm kinda shaky about my budget, hopefully it doesn't go higher than 200USD line. I did get myself a FiiO X1 and I notice the hiss sound so I'm thinking of returning them. @jodgey4 

 

[jodgey4]

Have you looked and asked around the portable gear threads?

 

[GoodGucciGoo]

Well I'm new here so idk if I can post a thread in that forum.
 
Oh also I used my JVC on my phone before and there's no detectable background hiss. So why would a dap produce the hiss? Souldn't it be an upgrade from my phone? 

 

[Music Alchemist]

My guess is that it's due to the output impedance of your source. Your IEMs have an impedance of 16 ohms and a sensitivity of 106 dB/mW. Your DAP has an output impedance of something like 2 ohms. This can produce damping factor issues. My advice is to look for a source with lower output impedance. (You could also connect a well-matched amp/DAC to your DAP.)

 

[jodgey4]

That won't fix the noise floor, and damping has nothing to do with noise, really.

 

[Music Alchemist]

  That won't fix the noise floor, and damping has nothing to do with noise, really.

 
Hmm. So I guess a DAP or amp with a low gain setting could work?

 

[GoodGucciGoo]

So summing up what you two were saying. I need to find a source with lower output impedance? 
Question tough, for a source to have a lower impedance, does it mean that it has a weaker power? If so, can I say my phone is powerful enough to drive my iem, since most daps have more power than my phone does and my iem don't need the extra power?
 
And is it a bad thing for my iem to have a high impedance?

 

[Music Alchemist]

  So summing up what you two were saying. I need to find a source with lower output impedance? 
Question tough, for a source to have a lower impedance, does it mean that it has a weaker power? If so, can I say my phone is powerful enough to drive my iem, since most daps have more power than my phone does and my iem don't need the extra power?

 
I'm not certain in this instance whether you need a source with low output impedance.
 
No. There are very powerful amps out there with low output impedance. (It's separate from output power.)
 
Read this article about calculating the power requirements of headphones: http://www.apexhifi.com/specs.html
 
It's likely that your phone has enough output power if it sounds good to you and you get plenty of volume.

 

[GoodGucciGoo]

   
I'm not certain in this instance whether you need a source with low output impedance.
 
No. There are very powerful amps out there with low output impedance. (It's separate from output power.)
 
Read this article about calculating the power requirements of headphones: http://www.apexhifi.com/specs.html
 
It's likely that your phone has enough output power if it sounds good to you and you get plenty of volume.

 
lol seems I got my concept all mixed up.
 
So do you see an obvious reason to get a DAP? I mean... Spotify has pretty much everything and a phone, to be honest is just more convenient after all.

 

[GoodGucciGoo]

lol seems I got the concepts all mixed up.
So do you see an obvious reason for me to get a DAP? I mean phone is convenient and you get Spotify.
@Music Alchemist

 

[Music Alchemist]

So do you see an obvious reason for me to get a DAP? I mean phone is convenient and you get Spotify.

 
Not if you're happy with your phone. And you said you already have a FiiO X1. If you want to improve your experience with your existing DAP, you could look into a portable amp/DAC, preferably with a low gain setting to see if that removes the hissing.

 

[GoodGucciGoo]

   
Not if you're happy with your phone. And you said you already have a FiiO X1. If you want to improve your experience with your existing DAP, you could look into a portable amp/DAC, preferably with a low gain setting to see if that removes the hissing.

Aight, but like you said my Fiio X1 has a high impedance already. And I assume the difference in impedance is the cause of hissing. If I add an amp, how would that help me decrease the impedance of my DAP? Also what's a low gain setting?

 

[GoodGucciGoo]

Also I figured impedance and power are inversely related