Hiss?

[Pete7]

I'm using UM2 phones with a Headroom Total Airhead and notice that there's a lot of hiss between songs and during 'soft' parts of songs. I'm really not sure if this is caused by the headphones, amp, or the mini-to-mini cable going from my NW-HD5H to my amp. The cable is the stock cable that came with the amp. I was wondering if a better cable would cut down on the hiss and/or deliver a better quality sound.

 

[go_vtec]

I've noticed a bit of hiss on mine as well. Are you using rechargeable batteries? It appears hiss is lessened with akaline batteries and virtually dissapeared with the high quality DC.

 

[Pete7]

No- I use regular Energizers. Tried changing them to no effect. It's the hiss of the headphone anyway. I tried the UM2 directly in my source. The hiss is still there, its just not amplified anymore. Turns out these UM2's don't need an amp anyway- they have a high impedance-27- so amping only affects them 5-15%. They seem to sound just as good, maybe better, without an amp.

 

[go_vtec]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pete7 It's the hiss of the headphone anyway. I tried the UM2 directly in my source. The hiss is still there, its just not amplified anymore. Turns out these UM2's don't need an amp anyway- they have a high impedance-27- so amping only affects them 5-15%. They seem to sound just as good, maybe better, without an amp.

I would thought 27 ohm would be considered as a LOW impedance

Anyways, you might want to check out your source as well. Believe it or not, lots of sources (including some home CD players) produce hiss.

 

[Pete7]

Your absolutely right. My short-term memory failed me again, darnitall!!!! It's because they have such a low impedance. I remember'd this other person's post incorrectly.