[Fastlane]

Where do you have the attenuator switch on the back of the transmitter/charging base?   0db or -8db

 

[Sennheiser]

The attenuator switch at the back of the transmitter helps to prevent clipping and provide better signal-to-noise ratio.

 

[seedyb]

ok i should have thought of this one!
i'll have to check tonight when i get home from work but i believe i have it set to -8 dB per the instructions (plugged into my receiver headphones input)
 
given the fact that i have 2 sources to play with perhaps i can figure something out here.
i have the 0 dB or -8 dB to try on both my receiver and the headphone input to my cd player.
also thinking now i should probably try using the RCA output from my receiver instead of the headphone jack....perhaps that might help?
 
 
thanks again so much for your thoughts everyone.....this at least gives me hope that there is something i can try to maybe improve my performance here.
 
ultimately i'll go back to the dreaded first disc i ever listened to as that one easily sounded the worst out of everything i've played thus far

 

[seedyb]

another quick thought.....not sure if this really comes into play or what.....
 
i'm sure many of you are aware of setting up a home theater receiver in which you select the "speaker size".
I have fairly large towers/sub/center/satelitte speakers so i've always had my receiver set to "large".
might this setting mess up the headphones?
I would imagine any decent receiver would know this isn't the case when the headphone jack is in use.....but perhaps not?
 
another hopeful thought i just had....my woman has a decent pair of wired audio technicas and i've never noticed any clipping/bass issues with those.....so maybe i need to play around with this as well and see how the two cans compare to each other with certain tunes.
 
 
 
Rosmadi really explained my issue best here and i should have originally recalled the terminology......although i hear some static associated with the bass.....the clicking sounds i'm hearing with the percussion sound absolutely what my understanding of CLIPPING sounds like
 
 
wow....yall inspired me to think harder today and give me some more hope.
truly grateful thanks again!

 

[twalkman]

FYI, I was getting a lot of hiss/bripp sound while watching movies on my RS170's, especially between dialogue. I thought it was caused by interference from something else. I flipped the attenuator and it is sounding much cleaner.

 

[romanpapush]

Hello,
 
Has author resolved his issue? I have a couple of complaints of my own:
1. I've got a new pair of RS170 yesterday, and from very start I hear high pitched noise in the right ear cup (the one that has controls). It isn't loud, but it sure is noticeable between tracks, and when there is silence. It is there even when I turn off the headphones (not the base).
2. And second: I hear a light static hiss in both ear cups when there is audio, it is especially noticeable when an audio is at very low volume.
I tried a number of thing and solutions, but they all failed.
 
I also emailed Sennheiser about this, will post their answer.
Will be grateful for any response. Thank you.

 

[romanpapush]

Well, my regional Sennheiser representative answered quite quickly and was very nice on the phone. He said there should not be any kind of problems I'm experiencing, and suggested to return them and get another pair.
I just want to try them out in another apartment, in another space, to see if the problem persists. If so, I'll try to exchange them for another pair.

 

[anonymous9765]

I also have a hissing noise with my pair regardless of what type of audio it is. It's really annoying and makes the headphones pretty much useless. Even bluetooth headphones sound cleaner. I don't know if it's because of interference, a defect or what.
 
I'll probably return my pair and avoid wireless headphones in the future.
 
I use the headphones on a Panasonic plasma television that does not have the 3.5 mm auxiliary output - only the RCA output. I have it set to -8db with the RCA output and it hisses/hums a lot. When I set it to 0db and use my ipod on the 0db setting, it sounds much better. I guess the device doesn't work well with the RCA to 3.5mm input - either that or the plasma TV or the tvs ground is causing interference.

 

[mattuk]

Just bought rs 170 and have the high pitched whine. Anyone resol e it?

 

[anonymous9765]

I contacted Sennheiser and they said to have the source audio as high as possible and to turn the volume on the headphones lower. It lessens the effect but the hissing is still there. also there is crackling noises in the base.
 
I don't understand how these maintain such a high rating on Amazon.

 

[romanpapush]

I had the same problem, tried everything I could and noise still persisted (only in one ear if I remember correctly... or both). I then returned them for a guarantee repair, and they came back sounding noise- and hiss-free. There could be still a little hiss on high volumes, but nothing compared to what I had in the beginning. Even Sennheiser representatives state that a little bit of hiss may be heard on loud volumes.

 

[TechnicGeek]

I think mine have static noise when music gets quiet as a part of soundtrack.

 

[audio1master]

I just hooked up my rs170 to the analog output from my hd tv and the sound is sonic bliss. Clean, rich full sound very happy. Movies, games and music all sound spectacular. I just do not understand why people are having sound problems all the time. Thus is so simple to set up.

 

[adamski07]

I am also experiencing the hissing of the headphone when volume is low or whenever there no audio. It happens when at the very start when you play a music or movie and at the end when you pause it. Same thing happens on a conversations on movies and other videos. It is very annoying. What's more annoying is it happened when I got this headphone, but after few hours it was gone and now after couple days the problem is back again. I don't really know what's causing this hiss/hum. 

 

[Sennheiser]

  I am also experiencing the hissing of the headphone when volume is low or whenever there no audio. It happens when at the very start when you play a music or movie and at the end when you pause it. Same thing happens on a conversations on movies and other videos. It is very annoying. What's more annoying is it happened when I got this headphone, but after few hours it was gone and now after couple days the problem is back again. I don't really know what's causing this hiss/hum. 

Hi adamski07,
 
You may want to try the following recommendations in order to minimize the faint hum/buzz: 
 
1. Please ensure that the volume setting on your source (e.g. TV) is set on a high level. This way, you won't need to set the maximum setting for the receivers. The reason for this is that if your TV is set to a low volume, your receiver will need to be set higher and this may amplify the noise level or buzz as well. 
 
2. Check your attenuation setting - switch to 0 dB (headphone out) or -8dB  (RCA out)
 
3. Route your audio cable away from other power lines for best performance. This is to avoid picking picking up additional noise from other devices.