bcass Posted January 9, 2007 Report Share Posted January 9, 2007 I remember reading on this forum a while ago that hiss could be heard during silence when using certain types of headphones with the NW-HD3. I'm assuming that it is headphones of a certain rating that cause this hiss. Does anyone remember what this rating is so I can avoid it? I need to replace my old in-ear headphones and would like to avoid this issue.Thanks in advance for any help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pata2001 Posted January 10, 2007 Report Share Posted January 10, 2007 It's called impedance. Low impedance ear/headphones mean efficient headphones that don't need a lot of power to drive them (eg. portable players). However, getting a high-impedance ear/headphone means you have to give more power (increase volume) to drive them. Some portable players have problem with this if the headphone output is not powerful enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcass Posted January 10, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 10, 2007 (edited) Thanks for the info. I think I remember this being discussed on the old forums, so presumably all those old posts are lost since the update... Does anyone have any further advice? I won't be buying Sony headphones (not durable enough) if that helps narrow it down a bit. I'll be needing in-ear ones too. Edited January 10, 2007 by bcass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
navsimpson Posted January 10, 2007 Report Share Posted January 10, 2007 If you're looking for in-ear headphones, then the Sennheiser CX300s might be worth a look. They're reasonably priced and Sennheiser ususally make quality stuff. You could always think about Shure or Etymotic headphones if you wanted to go further up the price scale.-Nav Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcass Posted January 10, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 10, 2007 My budget is £200 (approx $400). The only caveat is I don't get on with the fontopia-style ones that go further into the ear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
giki Posted January 12, 2007 Report Share Posted January 12, 2007 Hi bcass,if you wanna spend on headphones that the HD3 can power and provide good sound i would suggest MDR-V700 or CD580 and if you wanna go for regular bud earphones then i would suggest MDR-E888 as they sound really well balanced and open.no fatigue after 8 hours on a train.they are well built and sound great too.I would suggest the MDR-EX90 but to me they sound a bit hollow on the hd3 but rock on my R909.funny aint it!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Stuge Posted January 12, 2007 Report Share Posted January 12, 2007 I would suggest the MDR-EX90 but to me they sound a bit hollow on the hd3 but rock on my R909.Off Topic :Hi Giki How does Ex90 sounded on NW-1000/3000 & NW-S706F? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcass Posted January 12, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 12, 2007 Thanks for the recommendations giki. However, despite having bought Sony earphones all my life, I won't be buying Sony models again. Great quality, yes, but they are not built to last. I decided to go with a pair of Shure earphones this time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pata2001 Posted January 13, 2007 Report Share Posted January 13, 2007 bcass: Your problem is hiss. In order to minimize that, you need to find an earbud that has a little bit higher impedance, but not so high that your HD3 cannot drive it. The EX90 and Shure E2C have 16ohm impedance, which means they might exhibit the hiss the you describe, simply because they are very efficient. You might want to get something with higher impedance like the Shure E3c or Ety Er4P. Unfortunately, many earbuds have low impedance, because most portables have weak output.Another thing is maybe the HD3 output itself is noisy. I don't have the HD3, so I cannot verify this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
giki Posted January 13, 2007 Report Share Posted January 13, 2007 Hi stuge, well EX90 sound good on HD5,NW-A but when compared to the NC-022 bundled with the 706f it pales.Mind you i fed my EX90 pink noise for 2 days so as to open them up and they sound great.Balanced but can pump up the bass due to larger diameter drivers.As for you bcass, theres nothing wrong with the HD3 regarding noise in its output and with the V700 it sounds great and punchy with the right amount of everything.The bass is there but not overwhelming.Sounds alright for just about everything.You could also try SENNHEISER hd555 or hd25.they should compliment the HD3 well cause i am also consideing buying a pair of HD25.Get the HD25 only and not the 1 or SP version as they are cheaper versions of the HD25. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Damage Posted January 15, 2007 Report Share Posted January 15, 2007 The HD3, from what I recall, is no more or no less noisier than other Sony gears from that era. So go accordingly from there.I've had a change of thought on Shure E3s, and I still won't recommend these to average users. Too much vocals, way too less of anything else. However, this makes it perfect for monitoring recordings and what not (which I did use briefly). When the instrumentals dominates the vocals with the E3s, you know you have problems in your recording materials. If you're really looking for IEMs that are slanted more for casual goodness, the Super-Fi (3s or 5s, 5s offering better balance overall though the 3s are good for what they are) or the EX90s are recommended. If you have extra $$ to break, then you can venture into E4c area which has more friendly sound flavor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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