[mtd]

I'v got a problem and I don't know whats causing it. Whenever I use IEM's it sounds horrible. Could be my ear, or just the ones i'v tried. But what I listen to them, I hear a horrible Hissing noise when the singer (in the song im listening to) makes an S noise. Listening to SHE SELLS SEA SHELLS would be a nightmare. It gets distorted, and 100% louder. Does the S noise represent a frequency perhaps? Maybe if i turn down a certain band of highs (19k?).

 

[bashot]

AKA sibilance. Some headphones cannot control 's' at all (or often 'th' 'f' or anything similar sounding). Some recordings have the sound in the master. Some equipment can't deal with the 's'. Some people hate it, others dont mind it much. Once heard, though, it cannot be unheard. I'm in the latter category (not terribly offended by it) so I can't offer many tips other than this google search of head fi for "fix sibilance" or causes of sibilance

edit: sorry for all the edits.

 

[intoflatlines]

What IEM are you using?

 

[mtd]

UE super 5EB, and senn cx300.

 

[DJGeorgeT]

the sf5EB is not really sibilant in my experience. Maybe a bit harsh on the top end. What is your source? Are you playing lossless or mp3s?

 

[mtd]

Source was just an mp3 player, or my soundcard. Lossless. I thought it took nothing to drive them though.

 

[espire]

Your best bets are either getting used to the sibilance, which isn't too hard, or EQing.

 

[intoflatlines]

The SF5 don't have much sibilance.. They are kind of have a treble roll off even.

 

[barmar46]

I highly recommend you have a hearing test just to get a base level of where you are at physically and to rule out any things like sinus infections. I had all kinds of problems with sibilance and went through various headphones and amps finally finding out the I had an infection among other things. I'm not comparing circumstances because I also had ear pain and I'm not trying to alarm you. The thing that really struck me once I got to the doctor, however, was how easy it would have been for me to have gotten my hearing checked out early on. And how we headfiers can talk on and on about gear in great detail and often pay such little attention to our own ears. You're probably just fine but I'd still check it out.

 

[Klisk]

Sure it's not just the recordings? I can't imagine it being those headphones....

Likewise, I can't imagine many recordings NOT having a windscreen and compressor to defeat sibilance nowadays, either... Even at-home garage recordings!

If it's happening with both of your phones I'd blame either your own ears, your EQ settings, or the actual recording at hand (which at least means you can take the blame off yourself, haha.)

 

[Fitz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bashot /img/forum/go_quote.gif Once heard, though, it cannot be unheard.

So very, very true.

 

[mtd]

It's only with IEMs. My sr60's are not sibilant at all to my ears.

 

[bashot]

Any physicists/engineers out there? The human ear canal is about 25mm in length from pinna to eardrum. If the canal was blocked off at the end by a canalphone, this length corresponds to a 'fundamental' resonance frequency of ~3-4kHz. Maybe these frequencies are being amplified with canalphones to contribute to sibilance on earphones but not headphones. Your canals may be more resonant than some others.

 

[mtd]

LOL. That's fun.

 

[JasonK]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bashot /img/forum/go_quote.gif Any physicists/engineers out there? The human ear canal is about 25mm in length from pinna to eardrum. If the canal was blocked off at the end by a canalphone, this length corresponds to a 'fundamental' resonance frequency of ~12-13kHz. Maybe these frequencies are being amplified with canalphones to contribute to sibilance on earphones but not headphones. Your canals may be more resonant than some others.

Not bad. The typical ear canal also ranges in diameter from 8mm to 12mm and the length of the ear canal from the tip of the driver to the eardrum is significantly different from person to person. This creates a resonant frequency from ~2k - 4k.

We can run a tympanometry test and measure the volume in the ear canal from person to person. What we found in our studies was around .5 - 1 cc of volume with an IEM inserted. That chamber can have an affect on sound. Additionally, if your "eardrum" has low mobility it can change the way you hear high frequencies. Think of having a sinus infection with stiff eardrums, everything sounds dull.

I too have a problem with sibilance in IEM's. This is generally caused by being over-amplified around 6k. I use the word around because it can vary depending on the seal and canal size and shape as well as your particular hearing loss. Some companies create a small dip in the frequencies around there by using a damper or acoustic modifications. They reduce the sound in those frequencies. Others heavily amplify those frequencies, it depends on the company.

The bottom line is what is "sparkle" to me might be "bright" to you and "raspy" to another. Our ear canals should be thought of as acoustic chambers. Everyone is different and they vary from person to person.

Jason