[Squizz]

I have a noisy F'in player I use part-time and want to reduce the hiss. From my understanding, this can be done by increasing impedance...by getting a UE sound attenuator or SE volume control. But, can hiss be eliminated with high impedance or low sensitivity IEMs. If so, what specs should I be looking for, and does anyone have any suggested IEMs.
BTW, I don't want to have any extra accessories (volume or level attenuator, amp set up, etc.) to tote around.

 

[Squizz]

q- jays have 39 ohm impedance. Is thes sufficient to reduce a lot of hiss, or not really? Are there other decent IEMs with similar or higher impedance out there that can be effectively driven by a portable player without an amp?

 

[Acrog]

Ety er4s? They may be to hard to drive out of a portable though.

 

[digivate]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Squizz /img/forum/go_quote.gif q- jays have 39 ohm impedance. Is thes sufficient to reduce a lot of hiss, or not really? Are there other decent IEMs with similar or higher impedance out there that can be effectively driven by a portable player without an amp?

You're right ... I had q-Jays and didn't have any hiss whatsoever (as opposed to my UM2, that do hiss).

However, the q-Jays lack bass and have problems with dodgy filter IMO.

 

[qusp]

I wouldnt buy headphones based on this factor if I were you; I would buy the ones that sound good to you and have all the other characteristics you want and then buy an impedance adapter; you can get them for $20 and you can choose the impedance that you would like with some of the ebay sellers. one of the DIYers might be able to help you too. there arent that many IEM's that are high impedance so not only does it reduce your choices, it means usually that you would definitely need an amp to make them sound their best.

 

[member1982]

Hiss what hiss? i never got any hiss if your source is good... i know at work there the crappier singtel audio chipset generates alot of hissing. At home i never got any hiss from my Realtek HD audio

 

[Squizz]

If go with a separate impedance adapter, what increase of impedance should I be looking for if the phones are at ~16ohms and the player very noisy.

 

[digivate]

I wouldn't bother getting an impedance adaptor if I were you. I tried one with my Westone UM2 / Cowon D2 combo, and although it does completely remove the hiss, it also changes the sound signature to something that I didn't like. All of the warmth and depth of the UM2's was sucked out. I'd rather put up with a bit of hiss, rather than change the sound signature.

I went for a low impedance adaotor (33 ohm) as I didn't want to change the sound signature too much, but it's still ruins the overall sound.

 

[shigzeo]

impedance alone will not reduce hiss. my 55ohm ck10 still hiss and prominently with sources that are very quiet indeed: sony s639 and even 2g touch.

 

[boomy3555]

Source First!!!! if you start with F'n crap all the impedence in the world won't make it go way. It just hides it better as most sources hiss at lower volume levels. adding an attenuater or high impedence cans simply makes you turn the source up from low to moderate or high levels which in most cases will elliminate the hiss.
Try this go to radioshack or whatever and get a cheap 3.99 in-line volume adjuster. run it between the source and you cans. if you turn up the source and then adjust the volume with the in-line volume adjuster which is just a cheap adjustable attenuater and the hiss goes away the you're done. otherwise you need a better source..

 

[Squizz]

Yeah, I just got the Shure volume control and it works to rid the hiss. I don't notice any change in SQ. However, the extra attachment is annoying...."Get a better a source"...I should do that because a better source is just better for SQ anyway. I learned, from all of you at Head-Fi, that one should not F with attenuation for SQ; one should just get better sh**