Hissing from Audioquest Dragonfly and sensitive earphones (Shure SE215)??

[admin_exported]

Hello All!

I'll appreciate some help here:

Just got my new Audioquest Dragonfly. When used with Shure SE215 I can hear hissing noise that becomes more audible after 20% volume (though I can distinct it in lower volumes). I compared it with my Creative X-Fi HD usb soundblaster, and the X-Fi didn't produce hiss in any volume. Same problem when used on 2 machines: MacBook Pro 13" 2011 and Mac Pro 2008 with bootcamp. Just to note: the onboard card on the 2 machines produces more hiss than the Dragonfly in the USB, and the X-Fi produces no hiss. The Dragonfly noise is not constant but after some seconds there is a clicks and it changes amplitude, strange because the hiss on the 2 onboard cards is constant. When music is played, the hiss cannot be observed because it is much more silent than the music (but that is right also for the onboard cards).

With Sennheiser 598 the hiss/clicks are not audible (but, OK, these headphones dosn't produce noise even on low end onboards..)

Does it happend because:

1) The unit is defective and I have to replace it :-(

2) The Dragonfly uses analog amplification that normally produces hiss, but the X-Fi uses digital so there is no hiss.

3) Hiss/clicks are normal with sensitive headphones and high end DACs.

4) Other reason..

Thnaks,

Yarph

 

[quadpatch]

I'm not sure what is causing your problem but I would have thought that your second point should read the other way around. It's the Dragonfly that doesn't have any analogue amplification and uses manipulation of the digital data to control the volume, as far as I know anyway. I thought that was how they kept it so small, but they are not the only people to do this. Could this cause your issue? Perhaps

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks Quadpatch for your replay.

Did anyone have such a hissing from the Dragonfly & sensitive headphones?

Can someone confirm (or have a clue) if my unit is OK or must be replaced?

Thanks again,

Yarph

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Yarph,

I only just came across your post, so I guess you may have already resolved your problem, however if not:

I also have the Audio Quest Dragonfly DAC and have used it extensively with both the Shure SE530 earphones and the AKG K550 Headphones, I do not experience any form of hiss. I would be guessing as to what may be causing the problem with your setup, however you may find the link below to be informative regarding an optimal configuration for the DF that takes advantage of its analog volume control:

http://www.computeraudiophile.com/content/487-audioquest-dragonfly-review/

If following one of the above setups does not resolve your problem I would say you have a faulty DF.

Cheers,

Jody.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Jody and really thanks,

Can you tell if the hiss level is not changed in comparison to when the earphones are disconnected or connected in low volume (My unit hisses a little even in low volumes)? Don't you get hissing at high volumes also?

Thanks again,

Yarph