I have a Sennheiser CX 485 that I use through the headphone port of my laptop. The IEM has an inline volume control module, which, as far as I can tell (from Googling), is a variable resistor.
If I turn the IEM's volume up all the way, and turn the volume down on the laptop, I can hear a slight hiss, which I assume (perhaps incorrectly) to be some sort of electrical noise. When I turn the IEM's volume control all the way down, which is still a non-zero volume level, and turn the volume up on my laptop, that hiss is gone.
Why does increasing the resistance effectively eliminate the line hiss?
What other effects, positive or negative, should increasing the resistance have on the sound quality?
If I turn the IEM's volume up all the way, and turn the volume down on the laptop, I can hear a slight hiss, which I assume (perhaps incorrectly) to be some sort of electrical noise. When I turn the IEM's volume control all the way down, which is still a non-zero volume level, and turn the volume up on my laptop, that hiss is gone.
Why does increasing the resistance effectively eliminate the line hiss?
What other effects, positive or negative, should increasing the resistance have on the sound quality?