[twister6]

Thanks for the suggestion. Turbo mode was off and it was in low gain.

My hearing is quite good for my age. I'm approaching 50 but can still hear 16k hz. That's the only explanation I can think of, why I hear it and others don't. Or unit variation, but that is less likely I think.

In quiet parts of song it is very present. I know it will annoy me. So my adventure with the R8 ends here, after two hours... Big bummer.. It will be up in the classifieds soon.

I guess we all have a different tolerance threshold. But out of curiosity, since at least your 64audio iems come stock with 3.5mm cables, did you try using the same iems with single ended cables and do you hear the difference?

 

[MatW]

I guess we all have a different tolerance threshold. But out of curiosity, since at least your 64audio iems come stock with 3.5mm cables, did you try using the same iems with single ended cables and do you hear the difference?

Yes, it's much less pronounced with 3.5 mm, but all my good cables are either 2.5mm or 4.4 mm. I considered working with adapters for a minute, but that is not the way I want to go.

 

[twister6]

Yes, it's much less pronounced with 3.5 mm, but all my good cables are either 2.5mm or 4.4 mm. I considered working with adapters for a minute, but that is not the way I want to go.

Yep, iEMatch is only 2.5mm so you will still need to use 2.5mm to 4.4mm connecting to R8. And I guess it goes without saying, stay away from Campfire Audio iems

 

[gLer]

Thanks for the suggestion. Turbo mode was off and it was in low gain.

My hearing is quite good for my age. I'm approaching 50 but can still hear 16k hz. That's the only explanation I can think of, why I hear it and others don't. Or unit variation, but that is less likely I think.

In quiet parts of song it is very present. I know it will annoy me. So my adventure with the R8 ends here, after two hours... Big bummer.. It will be up in the classifieds soon.

EDIT: the listing is up now.

Sorry to hear this. I hear zero hiss with Fourte or LX on high gain Turbo. I guess I'm just lucky or can't hear those frequencies. Or my tinnitus is louder than the hiss...which is always a possibility.

Personally I would have given it a few days' burn-in time.

 

[tawmizzzz]

Or my tinnitus is louder than the hiss

I wouldn't be surprised if that were the case for me too

Yeah I heard no hiss off LX & R8, whereas slight hiss on Erlkönig and Infinity2. Odin a touch of hiss too (all turbo mode).

 

[MatW]

Sorry to hear this. I hear zero hiss with Fourte or LX on high gain Turbo. I guess I'm just lucky or can't hear those frequencies. Or my tinnitus is louder than the hiss...which is always a possibility.

Personally I would have given it a few days' burn-in time.

Thanks. It is so clearly audible for me. I feel betrayed somehow... how can this be, in a high end audiophile device? As to burn in, do you really think that will help? I have gone back in this thread and saw multiple mentions of this issue, and also Twister mentions it in his review.

EDIT: I guess the good news is that apparently my hearing is excellent for my age..

 

[gLer]

Thanks. It is so clearly audible for me. I feel betrayed somehow... how can this be, in a high end audiophile device? As to burn in, do you really think that will help? I have gone back in this thread and saw multiple mentions of this issue, and also Twister mentions it in his review.

EDIT: I guess the good news is that apparently my hearing is excellent for my age..

I don't think it's as much about hearing as it is about sensitivity to certain frequencies. Oddly I can easily pick up (and greatly dislike) analogue hiss in a song recording, especially with vocals, but try as I may I can't hear any hiss whatsoever with the R8 (and as mentioned I only use balanced out, high gain, Turbo). That said I don't think the overall noise floor of the R8 is as low as some other much less powerful DAPs and sources, but that comes across as less obvious detail in some frequencies as opposed to actual hiss.

I know Alex is also super sensitive to hiss. Sorry guys, must be very frustrating.

 

[tawmizzzz]

Thanks. It is so clearly audible for me. I feel betrayed somehow... how can this be, in a high end audiophile device? As to burn in, do you really think that will help? I have gone back in this thread and saw multiple mentions of this issue, and also Twister mentions it in his review.

EDIT: I guess the good news is that apparently my hearing is excellent for my age..

I don't think hiss issues will resolve with burn-in sadly, sorry friend. But staging and layering and smoothness do increase over time. I found R8 a touch bright in lower treble out-of-box. But again, nothing to do with hissing outside of potential brain burn-in

 

[MatW]

I don't think it's as much about hearing as it is about sensitivity to certain frequencies. Oddly I can easily pick up (and greatly dislike) analogue hiss in a song recording, especially with vocals, but try as I may I can't hear any hiss whatsoever with the R8 (and as mentioned I only use balanced out, high gain, Turbo). That said I don't think the overall noise floor of the R8 is as low as some other much less powerful DAPs and sources, but that comes across as less obvious detail in some frequencies as opposed to actual hiss.

I know Alex is also super sensitive to hiss. Sorry guys, must be very frustrating.

Frustrating Is the word... as I like it so much otherwise... And the lack of decent alternatives. Big bleh.

 

[gLer]

Frustrating Is the word... as I like it so much otherwise... And the lack of decent alternatives. Big bleh.

Yep, spec and sound wise it's probably the top dap in town right now. Unless you have supersonic hearing that is

Maybe the next round of flagships will focus more on noise floor and less on power output. I wish DAP designers would stop trying to power full size headphones and just focus on optimising sound for IEMs.

Edit: incidentally @MatW what's a comfortable listening volume for you with the OG Fourte out of the balanced out? I'm hovering around 30 HG Turbo as a moderate volume. Gets loud around 35 with most tracks. LX needs 40+.

 

[MatW]

I don't think hiss issues will resolve with burn-in sadly, sorry friend. But staging and layering and smoothness do increase over time. I found R8 a touch bright in lower treble out-of-box. But again, nothing to do with hissing outside of potential brain burn-in

Exactly, which is why I packed it right back up... as much as it pains me I know I will hear the hiss on a daily basis, and be annoyed by it... As difficult as it is, in the face of my excitement and anticipation about this DAP, it is the only way to go for me.

 

[aaf evo]

Frustrating Is the word... as I like it so much otherwise... And the lack of decent alternatives. Big bleh.

DX300 is a great alternative with a better noise floor. That and the R8 are the top android daps right now IMO.

 

[MatW]

Yep, spec and sound wise it's probably the top dap in town right now. Unless you have supersonic hearing that is

Maybe the next round of flagships will focus more on noise floor and less on power output. I wish DAP designers would stop trying to power full size headphones and just focus on optimising sound for IEMs.

Yeah, there will be other great DAPs in the future... As to alternatives available right now, maybe DX300, R6 pro? M8 after all? Or just wait for new products...

 

[gLer]

DX300 is a great alternative with a better noise floor. That and the R8 are the top android daps right now IMO.

AFAIK several users have reported hiss from the DX300 with some IEMs, so it seems no (powerful) DAP is completely immune.

 

[MatW]

AFAIK several users have reported hiss from the DX300 with some IEMs, so it seems no (powerful) DAP is completely immune.

Thanks, good to know. I know that before I buy any DAP I’ll be scouring every review out there from now on with regard to this issue ... Neither the SP2k nor the M11 Pro, my previous and current DAP, have this issue, so this is new to me.