[Docks]

  Probably because the xba4 are low impedance 8ohm earphones.  You can probably remove hiss by adding an attenuator which will increase the impedance and lower the volume.  Think the S4 also had this issue when it first came out.

And the S3, and the Htc M7. Oh! This one too
Hate using attenuation.
 
I'm seriously considering the next iphone (6?) or hunting down a wolfson samsung (eek) to see if it remedies the issues. I'm starting to wonder if Qualcomm's chipsets just have poor output, every one I've heard hisses. 
 
I'm bitter.

 

[kantana]

  And the S3, and the Htc M7. Oh! This one too
Hate using attenuation.
 
I'm seriously considering the next iphone (6?) or hunting down a wolfson samsung (eek) to see if it remedies the issues. I'm starting to wonder if Qualcomm's chipsets just have poor output, every one I've heard hisses. 
 
I'm bitter.

Try switching to earphones with higher impedance, if this is anything like the old S4 problem then >14ohm impedance will be fine.  I've never had the issue with my CIEM that are 21ohm on the S4 or the HTC One M8.

 

[Docks]

The problem I'm having isn't based on impedance, it seems more like sensitivity.

 

[kantana]

No

  The problem I'm having isn't based on impedance, it seems more like sensitivity.

Not sure what to recommend, I have the HTC One M8 and use it with  UE18 Pro which are really sensitive but I haven't had the issue.  My S4 was also fine without issues using these earphones.

 

[Docks]

  No

Not sure what to recommend, I have the HTC One M8 and use it with  UE18 Pro which are really sensitive but I haven't had the issue.  My S4 was also fine without issues using these earphones.

I bet, sadly that i could hear the noise floor on your UE18s on the HTC One. 

 

[live1]

my final verdict is im not feeling the m8 anymore.it sounds terrible at higher volume.i loved its sq at first.sgs5 is no better i have both .using cheapo but good bass iem jvc fx3x,101 and at .i sold my m8 now,using my nokia 808 for music.sgs5 for basic tasks

 

[live1]

rmma means not too much imo the n8 sound better than my iphone 3g 4s and 5s and sgs4 and even my htc m8 and sgs5.im serious.please check the hp out on a 808 u will be amazed ill eat my words if wrong hp out wonderful rich deep slightly dark smooth sound.perfect balance.h,m,b.my friend mj cole was shocked

 

[Duncan]

I do like the M8 / IE800 mids, but will confess with the various issues I've had / tried to work around, I've now gone back to two box (One M8 & HiFi M8).

 

[Duncan]

In a last ditch attempt to be happy with the headphone out of the HTC, I am 'EBU R128' normalising my entire 64gb card full of music (3275 tracks, so - hopefully won't take too long - DB Batch converter estimates 8hrs)...
 
If anyone is interested, I will post my thoughts when complete...

 

[heatofamatch]

  For those of you guys who think the phone is a little hissy and distorted at higher volumes, do you think this is a phone that will over time will have its DAC hacked and manipulated to take full advantage of the extra juice without the negative effects? Also has anyone found exactly which DAC is being used in our beautiful devices.

 
Have seen a chinese-langauge review that suggests Qualcomm's audio chip WCD9320 may distort on the left channel when volume is set above -20dB. Caveat, this is their observation not mine...
http://www.soomal.com/doc/10100004781.htm
 
The WCD9320 is standard issue with the Snapdragon 800 and possibly also the 801. Obviously phone makers can do their own fine-tuning if desired, so the popping & distortion may or may not be related to the Qualcomm chip...I'm just used to perceiving Qualcomm as one of those evil dark corporations of old, like ITT
 
As for me, I still need to re-audition the M7 and M8 multiple times. Or just pick up a base 16GB ipod touch for streaming audio...yep that would mean tethering.

 

[h-man]

Well I'm reporting back after 3 weeks with the HTC one m8. I think it is a great phone in every respect apart from audio. Just couldn't get on with baseline hiss, which is definitely worse than on my m7. Also, I'm afraid that I've concluded that no android phone over heard (both HTC one models, Sony xperias z, z1, z2, Samsung galaxy s4) can compete with the iPhone 5s in terms of clean output, timing and accuracy. Don't get me wrong I appreciate all the flexibility of android, removable storage, drag and drop etc, but the phone I keep coming back to for listening enjoyment is the 5s. Can't be doing with having to carry an attenuator around all the time, and don't feel I should have to to get rid of hissing and cracking. Why can apple manage this and it seems to evade most android manufacturers?

I'm in no way a fanboi and if someone can make a hiss free android handset with one of those gorgeous 1080p screens, I'm totally sold.

Just my humble opinion

Sent from my GT-I9505G using Tapatalk

 

[h-man]

PS, sold my one m7 and m8 and am still using sgs4 for android.

Sent from my GT-I9505G using Tapatalk

 

[Duncan]

For those interested, my EBU R128 experiment has worked flawlessly...
 
Now no pops, clicks or otherwise (other than a loss of the 'hot' headroom)...
 
Info on EBU R128 (DSP via DBpoweramp) can be found on this link - https://auphonic.com/blog/2012/08/02/loudness-measurement-and-normalization-ebu-r128-calm-act/
 
h-man, do you use the SE530 for portable? - If so, will agree with your thoughts / findings for that combination...

 

[h-man]

Yep Duncan, se530 or even through venerable e4c and through Klipsch s4i, hiss and crackles are so annoying.

Sent from my GT-I9505G using Tapatalk

 

[ryanjsoo]

I get a bit of hiss, but no popping or crackling like you guys are reporting, the hiss is softer than on my evo 3d, one x+ and ipod classic 5.5g so its acceptable at least, I also use se535`s and the hiss is definitely present but after listening for about 15mins, it just fades out. Actual sound quality is very good, the sound is much clearer and dynamic than my one x+ (which isn`t saying much since it had a realtec dac) and similar if not a tad better to my ipod touch 3rd gen, driving power is amazing though, definitely the highest of all portable devices i`ve tested. This is most apparent on my dynamic FX800 iem`s and on ear headphones. The FX800`s usually sound a bit sloppy without an amp but on the m8, sound is clear and fine, hiss is not so bad as they are not as sensitive as my se535`s or Klipsch S4`s which hiss on all my sources regardless of amp usage and volume.