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IEM noise/sibilance?

zenki

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Hi,

Been using the following equipment:
Topping D50 -> JDS Atom

However, some IEMS (cca c10/kz zs5) have sharp, spiky 'ch/th/s' in the high pitch? vocal.
Not sure why they sounded like that.
Are those background noise due to their sensitivity? (~123dB and above)
How to fix this?

TIA
 

solderdude

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You can fix audible noise levels with an attenuator
Sibilance can be caused by several things.
In most cases EQ will help.
 
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zenki

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Are those counted as sibilance?
Because I thought sibilance is prolonged 'sssss'
Hmm I thought d50->atom would not have this issue.
 
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majingotan

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Are those counted as sibilance?
Because I thought sibilance is prolonged 'sssss'
Hmm I thought d50->atom would not have this issue.

No DAC and amp would ever cure that unless it’s broken (over 1% THD and terrible impedance matching)

Your IEMs just have those nature and you would need to EQ the peaks to eliminate them. Check out Crinacle database for EQ plots so you can specifically target the sibilance. They’re usually at 6-10 KHz peaks. My CA Andromeda never has this sibilance issue since the peaks are smoothed out at those 6-10 KHz ranges without EQing
 
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zenki

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Found out that the actual tracks are the issue.
Any way to remedy this beside EQ?
 

majingotan

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Get an IEM with high frequency dip like the Shure SE 215 or Simgot EN700 Pro. You’ll never hear sibilance from those IEMs
 
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zenki

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Foobar2k can do?
or are there better alternatives?
 

majingotan

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APO Peace EQ is your solution
 

bennetng

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Foobar2k can do?
or are there better alternatives?
https://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=Foobar2000:Components/VST_adapter
http://www.digitalfishphones.com/main.php?item=2&subItem=5

Capture.PNG
 

Tks

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What are the tracks. I don't think you can fix this with just EQ, it might be base-line noise at some frequency, or multiple.
 
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zenki

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I think you're right. EQ/de-esser can fix it to a certain degree but not totally.
For the tracks, there're quite a few really. For starters:

I Can't Go for That (Remastered)
~1:23-26

Gundam Wing Opening 1 JUST COMMUNICATION + LYRICS
~0:33
0:50~0:55
~1:10

The Jacksons - Can You Feel It [Audio HQ] HD
~2:05-10
 

majingotan

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I just listened to all three of them. No they're definitely not sibilant (aka emphasized lower treble) sounding to my Yamaha HS7 speakers and CA Andromeda IEM without using EQ (I never use EQ with the HS7 and Andromeda since they're tuned perfect to my subjective preferences). All of the "sss" are reproduced in a way that it's not emphasized whatsoever. Easiest way is to de-ess since KZ IEMs (except for ZS3) are known to be sibilant in the lower treble region (where all the ch and sssss are localized)
 
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zenki

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Hmm I see. Then could it be because of high volume?
or maybe equipment going bad/overheat?
 
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majingotan

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High volume is a possibility, but comparing FR graph of the KZ ZS5 to my CA Andromeda show emphasized frequencies at 2-3K which results to sibilance and that 8K spikes is that makes that "sss" sound like knife on your ears. EQ down the 8K and the 2-3K by a couple of dB to eliminate the sibilance issue

Untitled.png
 
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zenki

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The thing is it also happens with speakers too, not just IEM.
 

solderdude

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lower the volume digitally before it is sent to the DAC (say -6dB or -10dB) if you still hear it then it could be the recording (when most recordings do not sound sibilant)

an another test is connect the Atom to your phone or the phone output directly to the speaker amp and see if it still happens and with which recordings.
 
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zenki

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Done the -10dB and it still there. It only happens to a few tracks though, not all of them.
So it's probably the audio tracks.
 

majingotan

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Done the -10dB and it still there. It only happens to a few tracks though, not all of them.
So it's probably the audio tracks.

That's a given. The question is if the sibilant tracks sound "offensive" to my subjective ears then absolutely no. Even the loud K-pop music I listen to never sounded "offensive" with a relatively flat frequency response speakers such as the Yamaha HS7 despite their sibilant nature.
 
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