[Vargulf]

Hey all,
 
I got the FiiO E17 around a month ago but just as it arrived I broke my AT ESW9 headphones ***. I'm wondering if anyone can answer, I have the FiiO hooked up to lappy via usb port with brainwavz beta IEMs (only option while AT's are down) from FiiO headphone jack to mine own ears.
 
But when I play something like Chet Baker in foobar, flac lossless which I ripped from CD myself, I still hear this haggard hissing at fiio volume level of 20-25. What lol. Is this just the crappy headphones or have I missed something?
 
I am about to get Audioengine A5's and repair my AT's if this hiss is there when I hook them all up I'm gonna rage.
 
Cheers for any tips.

 

[Darkblade48]

The hissing that you are hearing is when you are using the Brainwavz Beta IEMs?
 
First, try to listen to the same songs with a different pair of headphones (any pair). Then, try the same songs without the Fiio E17. Finally, plug the E17 back in, but swap the USB cable and listen again.
 
This will determine whether the hissing sound is due to the Brainwavz Beta headphones, the Fiio E17 or the USB cable, respectively.

 

[obobskivich]

If you have the headphones in, and the amp connected, and nothing playing - do you get hissing?

If you start up the music, does the hissing start? Does it go away when you stop the music?

It's entirely possible the hissing is on the recording, and you're only just noticing it now (This isn't uncommon for recordings to have a higher noise floor than playback systems).

The other possibility is a mismatch between very sensitive transducers and the amplifier; you're hearing the amplifier's noise floor. This is common with IEMs hooked up to more desktop type devices. Do these hiss when hooked up to your portable setup? (Or is this your portable setup?). When the ESW9s arrive - do you hear hissing on them? (They probably don't isolate as well though, so even if it's there, it's probably not as apparent).

I'm skeptical that the USB cable is causing any problems, but if you've got a spare, you could always try it. I do agree with Darkblade48's troubleshooting ideas as well.

 

[proton007]

If its an old recording, its possible the noise floor is higher as obobskivich says.
The Fiio E17 reports 16 Ohm as the lowest headphone impedance it can support, so unless you've got a faulty unit, chances of hearing amp noise should be low.
But the solutions/testing is as posted in the previous two comments.

 

[Parall3l]

Set gain to 0db, then change the USB port you're plugging into. The E17 sometimes creates distortion with certain USB ports, not the E17's fault AFAIK.