Question: SE530's, Hiss & attenuator
Aug 16, 2009 at 8:42 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 13

psikey

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Have previously used my Shure SE530's with a 4th Gen Nano & Touch 2nd gen and no background hiss, but thought I'd try out the Walkman A829's and there's a lot of hiss.

The supplied Volume attenuator that came with the Shures will totally remove the hiss by only having it set around 20% from max volume, but it isn't a neat solution.

Is there a small fixed inline attenuator (or something) that will reduce the hiss (without volume knob)? To my ears the attenuator does't affect the sound quality, just removes the hiss. What is the attenuator anyway & how's it work to remove the hiss?

Shure do list some inline attenuators but they look to be for microphones.
 
Aug 17, 2009 at 8:17 PM Post #2 of 13
Just an update. I managed to get the UE Toolkit for only £10 delivered which includes as inline attenuator so will give that a try when it arrives.

Will most likley be getting a 3rd Gen Touch if its 64GB and if anything like the current touch has no hiss with the SE530's

Also, I had a reply back from Shure regarding any SQ problem using an attenuator and they said there is a slight drop in SQ. With the Shure attenuator I can percieve a drop in SQ in the form of less "sparkle" to the sound.
 
Aug 18, 2009 at 12:58 PM Post #5 of 13
Quote:

Originally Posted by Beyerfan70 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Less sparkle from the 530?
As if it has any to begin with lol.
Seriously though hope the ue kit works for you.



Haven't got a clue at how to describe sound
tongue.gif
Maybe "flat" should have been the word! Its as if the room the music is playing in got smaller, less echo if that makes sense.

Wish some of you audio-heads would create a glossary of common terminology for us novice chaps.

Anyway. The Ultimate Ears one is a nice neat inline unit which totally reduces hiss, and to my ears minimal perceptable change in audio quality (unlike the Shure one where something was altered).

Only downside is that it attenuates a bit too much so have to have the A829 volume at 20-30 rather than 10-15. Suppose this will have an impact on battery life
confused_face(1).gif
 
Aug 18, 2009 at 1:45 PM Post #6 of 13
Idk... the UE inline unit is more meant for airplane or other loud low-fi use and is apparently not of that great quality sound-wise.

Dang and I just ordered the shure volume control to reduce noise... 20 dollars down the drain.
 
Aug 18, 2009 at 7:35 PM Post #7 of 13
Quote:

Originally Posted by A_Dying_Wren /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Idk... the UE inline unit is more meant for airplane or other loud low-fi use and is apparently not of that great quality sound-wise.

Dang and I just ordered the shure volume control to reduce noise... 20 dollars down the drain.



Maybe your experience will be different to mine. I'd read on these forums the UE inline attenuator was better that the Shure volume control one and apart from the sound level being reduced a bit too much, I'd say the UE's one doesn't impact the SQ as much as the Shure.

The Shure volume one I got with my SE530's is still meant for airplane use just like the UE one.
 
Aug 18, 2009 at 11:01 PM Post #8 of 13
Quote:

Originally Posted by psikey /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Maybe your experience will be different to mine. I'd read on these forums the UE inline attenuator was better that the Shure volume control one and apart from the sound level being reduced a bit too much, I'd say the UE's one doesn't impact the SQ as much as the Shure.

The Shure volume one I got with my SE530's is still meant for airplane use just like the UE one.



Ah thanks. Haven't really heard either, just the ER4s to p adapter which was flawless (and expensive).
 
Sep 14, 2009 at 10:35 AM Post #9 of 13
Just to complete this thread.

As I said earlier, the Shure volume attenuator affected SQ to my ears and I wanted an inline fixed adapter.

Went for the UE Aircraft attenuator which was much better not greatly affecting SQ but had to have volume at nearly max even with the Shures. Tested the resistance and its around 200 Ohm so too much.

Then found this seller on ebay

ETYMOTIC ER4P TO ER4S RESISTOR ADAPTOR (3.5MM PLUG) on eBay (end time 11-Oct-09 03:53:01 BST)

Finally found the ideal solution. This is a 75 ohm attenuator and I can't notice any drop in SQ, just completely removes the hiss. Without the attenuator I'd listen on about 9-12 (Max 30 for the A829), with this only slightly higher at 12-15.

Thanks to Mark2410 for pointing me in the right direction. Not an OEM version but this is top quality at a reasonable price.
 
Sep 14, 2009 at 1:31 PM Post #10 of 13
just be careful using such adapters in your pocket; the added weight and torque can damage the output jack.
 
Sep 14, 2009 at 4:35 PM Post #11 of 13
Quote:

Originally Posted by qusp /img/forum/go_quote.gif
just be careful using such adapters in your pocket; the added weight and torque can damage the output jack.


The SE530 can disconnect at the Y split. If you can handle the extra weight up there you can avoid the additional torque on the output jack.
 
Sep 14, 2009 at 4:40 PM Post #12 of 13
Adding resistance will change the sound guaranteed. There is a crossover network inside your earphones which will be rendered almost useless.

I've tested this with my UM2 and resistor values from 10-150 ohms. The more resistance I added, the more it affected the sound. The bass and treble were rolled off, leaving a disgusting midrange.

Maybe it will be different for your 530. Ymmv.
 
Sep 14, 2009 at 5:00 PM Post #13 of 13
Quote:

Originally Posted by Punnisher /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Adding resistance will change the sound guaranteed. There is a crossover network inside your earphones which will be rendered almost useless.

I've tested this with my UM2 and resistor values from 10-150 ohms. The more resistance I added, the more it affected the sound. The bass and treble were rolled off, leaving a disgusting midrange.

Maybe it will be different for your 530. Ymmv.



You could well be right, but fortunately for me my ears don't notice, where as they did with the 200 ohm adapter and Shure volume control.

And yes, it fits fine at the Y connector between the lead & earphones.

All came a bit late really as I decided to go back to Apple with the 5G Nano which has no hiss and the bass is "fuller" than the 4G so sounds nearly identical to the A829 now. I always felt the 4G was a bit weak on bass with the 530's and Apple EQ is crap and didn't want to go the AMP route.

From what I read you do need to use high quality resistors specifically for audio use but I'm sure you already know that.
 

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