Question on UM2

[tassardar_ 0]

Recently aquired the UM2. I just wanna ask smth, why doe the right earphone have more hiss then the left? I notice that when Im using my Zen vision, the right side has a slight hiss while the left is silent. testing on an amp also shows that the right side has slightly louder hiss? Is the earphone faulty or is it me?

[solo2 0]

Not that I have noticed on my pair. The hissing's largely from my source and can be minimised with a sound attentuator or a pair of triflange sleeves. I didn't encounter hissing specifically on one earphone only. You might want to try other sources.

[tassardar_ 0]

Hmm i doubt its the source. Via a hornet the hissing dies down at low gain. But at other rate, there will be a louder hiss on the right side. As off now its only bad cause i dont always lug around my hornet even though its small

[iynaix 0]

Perhaps it could be your ears? My left ear has always been a real ^*^%%&(* to get a good fit, even when i do, it never feels as snug as my right ear. I own a pair of UM2s as well, and I had always felt that the sound was not very well balanced, (ie the left side has less bass due to a poorer seal) The problem was irritating enough that i did eventually get custom earmolds, which solved the problem.

[Guest Cruise]

I think the problem might be the ears, i dont know how true it is (audiologist, correct me if Im wrong) but our ear canals might have different size

 

I own a UM2 and have the same problem of not having a balanced fitting between two of my ears, which attributes to different sound inputs to my ears..

 

Seems like custom is the way to go (longing Sensaphonics 2X-S)

 

If its not the fittings, my advice is to let ur peers try them and see if they experience the same thing.. Change them if its really the drivers..

Edited January 10, 2007 by Cruise

[tassardar_ 0]

Hmm I just use my amp and it goes away . Dont have much time this days to rectify the problem also lol. Ill test it for somemore time then will see how lol.

[artemov 0]

Hi. Sorry to revive this thread.

 

I just got my UM2. Like the thread starter, I also notice more hiss, or "static", with my UM2 than my previous UM1. It is quite faint, but I can still hear it during quieter passage. It is quite irritating I must said.

 

When i deliberately turn up the high treble (14 kHz) in the equalizer, it became very very clear, something akin to radio static, so I don't think its my ears ....

 

Can anyone help? Is it just my UM2, so maybe I can go back and change?

Edited May 17, 2008 by artemov

[radioactive28 0]

EDIT: (didn't read properly)

 

It's possibly just your player, since the UM2 is supposed to be slightly more sensitive.

Try adding some impedance between your player and the 'phones.

 

The part about more hiss with EQ, it might be that the EQ implementation on your player is bad.

The iPods were like this.

Edited May 17, 2008 by radioactive28

[artemov 0]

I have tried the UM2 with my iBasso D2, same noise.

[Stereo_Electronics 0]

Perhaps you can try a UE attenuator plug or Shure volume attenuator to reduce the noise issue.

 

By the way, did you adjust the D2 to low gain?

[Darkkopi 0]

Perhaps you can try a UE attenuator plug or Shure volume attenuator to reduce the noise issue.

 

By the way, did you adjust the D2 to low gain?

 

 

the UE attenuator changes the UM2 sound signature by a bit. The P>S converter changes the sound signature by alot its like day to night different. I havent got to try the Shure volume yet

Edited May 19, 2008 by Darkkopi

[rkivie 0]

I have, or have had, the Westone UM1, UM2 and the ES2. My experience with them is that the hiss you're hearing is a combination of the high sensitivities of these earphones as well as the "inherent" noise floor of the device to which the earphones are plugged into.

 

I have tried to completely eliminate this hiss by sticking something (e.g., attenuators and good/bad/cheap/expensive portable amps) in between the phones and the source device but, in truth, I was never really satisfied with the result.

[artemov 0]

Thanks for all the replies.

 

I think I will just stick with the UM2, no point buying more stuff when you don't even know if they will work.