[garetjax27]

Hi all. I have a Creative Zen Vision:M paired with a set of Ultimate Ears TripleFi 10. For the best music experience on the go (more detail/nuance out of my music and less hissing/background noise), do I need a DAC, an amp, or both? Maybe something else? What solution, if any, do you recommend, and most importantly, why do you recommend it?

If it helps, my music tastes run the entire gamut; I pretty much like everything, although I do tend to boost the bass and tweak the highs in all my music.

Thanks!

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Hi all. I have a Creative Zen Vision:M paired with a set of Ultimate Ears TripleFi 10. For the best music experience on the go (more detail/nuance out of my music and less hissing/background noise), do I need a DAC, an amp, or both? Maybe something else? What solution, if any, do you recommend, and most importantly, why do you recommend it?

Neither. You can't use an outboard DAC with the Zen, but if you can use one with your computer for example, portable DAC-HPamp units have both a USB DAC digital input and an analogue input for the Zen, although that's going to be via the headphone output, as it has no dedicated line output.

Still, I wouldn't expect an audible improvement with the TripleFi10 considering it has a high enough sensitivity to not need a separate amplifier.

 

[garetjax27]

Thanks Protege. So no amp and no DAC then?

What are your thoughts of getting rid of the hissing, "white noise" I hear between tracks or during a really quiet sound stage?

Also, would upgrading the cable on my TripleFi10 help with audio quality? Do you have recommendations for such a cable?

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Thanks Protege. So no amp and no DAC then?

What are your thoughts of getting rid of the hissing, "white noise" I hear between tracks or during a really quiet sound stage?

that can be an interaction between the TF10's low impedance and very high sensitivity with the audio chip of the Zen. You could try an amp, but honestly you might as well just try a Fiio X1 or M3, although of course the firmware has some bugs unlike how the software department of a larger company would have sorted those out.

Also, would upgrading the cable on my TripleFi10 help with audio quality? Do you have recommendations for such a cable?

Not really, and if you just want to try them out, it's not that simple. Even if there were easily audible changes with some cables, these are IEMs, and ergonomics plus microphonics are definite concerns. You might get an expensive exotic cable but some are ridiculously heavy just for the sake of looking like they were overbuilt, weight on your ear canals be damned. Some are just plain microphonic. Cheap cables would usually be light but harder to manage around your ears (I bought one for the mic - no adjustment slider and even if worn on the front it barely stays looped around my ear).

If what you need is an easily accessible replacement that won't break the bank nor inspire you to break them due to bad ergonomics, there's the Fiio line of IEM cables.

 

[garetjax27]

Interesting! Thanks for the in-depth info. So, let me ask this. Based on the following thread here:

https://www.head-fi.org/f/threads/ultimate-ears-airline-noise-attenuator.571502/

Would this help crack down on the hissing and "white noise" I am hearing? If so, do you have any specific recommendations on what kind and type of attenuator to look for?

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Interesting! Thanks for the in-depth info. So, let me ask this. Based on the following thread here:

https://www.head-fi.org/f/threads/ultimate-ears-airline-noise-attenuator.571502/

Would this help crack down on the hissing and "white noise" I am hearing? If so, do you have any specific recommendations on what kind and type of attenuator to look for?

It might, it might not. Can't say for sure. What I am sure of though is how clumsy that dongle will be if you'll use it with the player in your pocket while walking around.