[thread]

A couple folks suggested I post here to bring my thread to HR's attention. I'm not really sure what good it will do as a HR rep has already confirmed a hiss through very sensitive headphones, and a couple other head-fier's have also confirmed the findings...

All the same, though, I think some of us would like to see some official comments on this...

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f5/ult...h-iems-387031/

Thanks, HeadRoom.

 

[JorgeC]

Highly-sensitive / low-impedance IEMs can indeed be slightly prone to low-level background noise floor issues when employing very powerful head-amps... Even on low gain, the Micro Amp remains pretty robust and this issue seems somewhat more pronounced on Shure SE-530s in tandem with certain portable audio sources for some reason.

This additional HeadRoom Head-Fi link also addresses this topic with varied comments from Head-Fiers:


http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f77/th...though-387699/


Cheers,
Jorge
HR Sales/Product Manager

 

[Ruahrc]

Does the desktop line of amps suffer from this same potential shortcoming? Given they use the same electronics- maybe they do. But the change in form factor may mean the problem is eliminated?

Just curious because I was thinking about maybe getting a desktop amp someday and one of the sets of cans I would use are there etymotic er-4p. I'd like to know if this might be a potential issue and if I should consider getting the 4p->4s converter cable at the same time.

Ruahrc

 

[JorgeC]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ruahrc /img/forum/go_quote.gif Does the desktop line of amps suffer from this same potential shortcoming? Given they use the same electronics- maybe they do. But the change in form factor may mean the problem is eliminated? Just curious because I was thinking about maybe getting a desktop amp someday and one of the sets of cans I would use are there etymotic er-4p. I'd like to know if this might be a potential issue and if I should consider getting the 4p->4s converter cable at the same time. Ruahrc

Hi Ruahrc,

Fwiw, we've done comparisons with all IEMs and found the SE-530 to be the worst offenders by far in this regard -- and only in conjunction with certain sources. My own UE-11s and Ety ER-4S do not exhibit any hiss or noise floor issues with any our Micro or Desktop rigs (nor do the Sleek SA-6 -- we'll have those here soon!) ...

Getting the ER4P-to-ER4S 75-ohm converter cable is likely a good idea for amplified applications although we've heard from experienced listeners that even with the very highly sensitive 4P model, the background hiss issue is barely audible at all in their Micro system and only w/o music playing!

Please feel free to reply anytime if further questions!

Cheers,
Jorge
HR Sales/Product Manager

 

[thread]

Really? I thought I had roughly the same type of hiss through the SE530 and the UE11. It's true that you won't really hear it "once the music starts" but it is definitely something I could pick out of a quiet passage or while the volume was low.

No disrespect, HeadRoom... You've treated me very well in my dealings with you, and your equipment does seem rather top notch. I just still don't quite see how you justify showing the UMAmp with the SE530's if they are likely some of the worst headphones you could pair. As for the UE11, you exhibit NO hiss or noise floor issue at all with the UE11, JorgeC? I'm sorry, but that was not my experience.

I tried my UE11 out of my friend's new iBasso D2 Boa, and while it hissed a bit, it was significantly less than the UMAmp. None of Ray's amps that I've tried (tomahawk, hornet, predator, sr-71a) have any noise anywhere close to listening volumes.

It's all IMO. Your mileage may vary.

 

[JorgeC]

With no source connected, the hiss is barely audible in any of my own ECHs.

With any source connected and music playing, i personally can not hear any hiss issues whatsoever.

Moreover, i have a player loaded with uncompressed .wav files burned from original 1st-press [mint condition] Prestige and Blue Note LPs -- To my ears, the extremely low-level recording studio ''hiss'' originating from the analog machines appears MUCH more audible in my UE11s and SE-530s than any line-level amplifier issues.... In other words, in between songs, the background is dead silent; it only (suddenly) appears as the engineer rolls tape seconds before the start of the take!

Cheers,
Jorge
HR Sales/Product Manager

 

[JorgeC]

Quote:

Originally Posted by thread /img/forum/go_quote.gif I tried my UE11 out of my friend's new iBasso D2 Boa, and while it hissed a bit, it was significantly less than the UMAmp. None of Ray's amps that I've tried (tomahawk, hornet, predator, sr-71a) have any noise anywhere close to listening volumes. It's all IMO. Your mileage may vary.

I guess i'm also a bit concerned there may have perhaps been some sort of issue with your amp since what you've described seems out of the ordinary... Please keep in mind we're always happy to examine any HeadRoom amp at any time (at no charge!) and evaluate it on our audio lab bench tests to ensure it's functioning perfectly and completely 100% up to specifications!

Thanks Again,
Jorge
HR Sales/Product Manager

 

[The Monkey]

Quote:

Originally Posted by thread /img/forum/go_quote.gif None of Ray's amps that I've tried (tomahawk, hornet, predator, sr-71a) have any noise anywhere close to listening volumes. It's all IMO. Your mileage may vary.

Have you listened to an Apache lately?

 

[Duggeh]

Thread don't you work for Ray? If I'm remembering that right then this thread is very very inappropriate.

 

[thread]

Duggeh,

It's true I help him with his website. Honestly, I didn't even consider my working relationship with Ray when I compared his equipment. I drew these comparisons because his amps are the ones I have the most experience with.

You have a good point, though, and I suppose I should have pointed out that I do have a working relationship with Ray... (but that doesn't change my opinions.) My apologies for overlooking that. (I've amended my original thread to include this fact.)

I'm not sure it invalidates this thread, however... comparisons aside, I feel the hiss with the UMAmp/Shures makes them a poor choice to pair together... and I was led to believe it was a good choice by the HR product images. (Again, I know I should have dug deeper on that one.)

 

[thread]

I was able to hear one at a meet some 6 months ago or something. I didn't spend a huge amount of time with it, and I didn't make an attempt to gauge the noise floor.

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Monkey /img/forum/go_quote.gif Have you listened to an Apache lately?

 

[Tyll Hertsens]

Quote:

Originally Posted by thread I feel the hiss with the UMAmp/Shures makes them a poor choice to pair together... and I was led to believe it was a good choice by the HR product images.

I just spent the morning listening to the UMA and 530. I could barely hear a noise floor when I turned the unit on. Joe says the noise power out from the UMA approaches the same noise floor level of the Audio Precision tester we have which is 5uV RMS, so we're guessing the unit is about 10-20uV of noise, which is a pretty small number.

It could be better, but only at the expense of making the amp less versatile.

No way I could really detect the noise without pulling out the headphones and plugging them back in. I'd characterize it as barely perceptible.

I thought the 530s sounded just fine ... no great.


Thread closed.