Heard about the moondrop chus when they dropped and how they were a great budget options, but decided to wait until my old random $10 earbuds (I think were amazon choice or smth) died first. Then, a few weeks ago, they finally did, and I looked at things again and saw the Salnotes Zero basically outclass the moondrop chus now. So that's all to say I'm very new to this space and dipping my toes into the water still. But I have a question with what I'm assuming is the passive noise cancellation?

At first it wasn't too bad, barely noticeable, and overall I'm pleased with the comfort and sound quality of these, I like them better than my old earbuds that's for sure. Though an hour in I'm just kinda sick and tired of the buzzing and would rather focus on the actual pleasant sounds instead. I'm pretty sure it gets louder when my heater or AC kicks in or when I type, so I'm pretty sure its the PNC.

Anyways, is there a way to turn the PNC off then? Should I just suck it up and see if I can get used to it in the following weeks first? Am I supposed to have my overall sound higher to better drown out the buzzing, and just accept I won't be able to make out the words people say when trying to talk to me?

I tried googling but to no avail, maybe I'm just bad at googling or too impatient, so I hope I'm not repeating anything that's already covered somewhere and forgive me if so. I'm hoping I didn't get faulty buds or something but yeah, would appreciate any help or advice I can get here, thank you

EDIT: The way it's fluctuating around, such as when navigating menus in my game, is making me think it's a problem on my end and I was too hasty in my desperation to making this post. Should probably test it on different devices at this point

~~EDIT 2: Yeah ok. Even a quick test on my Switch highlights that there is something wrong with my PC I guess. So does this even have PNC? If so is there a way to turn it off?~~

EDIT 3: Ok yeah I've just been a panicky dork I'm pretty sure they don't even have any noise cancelling and I apologize for making this post in my panicked haste to begin with, they have no static or buzz or anything when I use it on any other device that isn't my PC itself. For some reason using a splitter helps neutralize most, but still not all, of the weird static I get. Guess before I even consider jumping into a higher price range earbuds/headphone in the future I'd need to get a new PC case, ha... anyways 'problem solved' I guess, at least my question is irrelevant now sooo yea. My bad.

EDIT 4: Okay so comments have enlightened me more about how IEMs and PCs work together and that static is pretty inevitable, using a dongle or something fixes all my problems. Thank you so much guys I appreciate it all, you've been a massive help

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Comfortable_Bowl_448 t1_j94in4m wrote on February 19, 2023 at 4:26 AM

Passive noise cancellation is just that. Passive. It's because of the shape of the earphone itself that it is blocking out sound. It's like plugging your ears. There is no way to turn it off so to speak. You could try to not put it in all the way but that will absolutely ruin the sound quality.

Feolathanos OP t1_j94ji3f wrote on February 19, 2023 at 4:34 AM

Ooh okay my bad. Well, there was static practically chewing through my ear so yeah seems to be a problem on my end then. Plugged into other devices and no longer had static at least, so it's not the earbuds themselves. Anyways good to know, thanks for the help

layer11 t1_j94hm8z wrote on February 19, 2023 at 4:17 AM

I was looking into these a bit before you made your edits and I couldn't find anywhere that these headphones had any sort of noise cancelling.

Feolathanos OP t1_j94it18 wrote on February 19, 2023 at 4:28 AM

Yeah, I think that's why my search results came up empty handed. I didn't remember hearing that they had any sort of noise cancelling, but even after a few weeks since last looking into them I didn't wanna rely on my memory. There's like NO static or buzzy sound AT ALL when using it on different devices though, so sadly it's just an error probably something with my PC case or motherboard. Oops. Oh well. I plugged them into a splitter I had lying around it and for some reason it mostly neutralized the static problem I had at least.

Anyways, thanks for trying to help me out and sorry for wasting everyones time. I feel like I should probably just delete this entire thing lol? There's no way to like, resolve or lock it on my end is there?

layer11 t1_j94khw5 wrote on February 19, 2023 at 4:43 AM

Not that I know of, but you never know who might find this useful when they have any sort of noise or buzzing in their headphones.

The buzzing on the PC, is that a front panel audio connector or the back panel?

Feolathanos OP t1_j95eyyd wrote on February 19, 2023 at 11:08 AM

It's on the front, by my power button. I'd need a longer cable to plug it into the back at all, but I do wonder if that would fix the problem as I suspect theres something funky with my front connectors

TagalogON t1_j94o1j7 wrote on February 19, 2023 at 5:18 AM

Okay, so a lot of people have never used IEMs with PCs before and so yes that background static situation is a normal thing to encounter. I had super loud/etc. sound whenever I'd plug it in the 3.5mm plug/port of the front panel of the computer case, same with the plugs directly on the motherboard at the back of he case.

This was before dongles became really a thing, but what I did was basically yes, just get my standalone desktop amp/etc. and use that with the IEMs. Not practical due to the near guaranteed channel imbalance that you'll get before 9 o'clock or so on the volume knob, but it works with removing/reducing the buzzing sound. I also set a negative preamp/etc. volume with (Peace) Equalizer APO to further lower the volume for better hearing health.

And yes apparently sometimes getting just a cheap $10 extension/etc. cable helps for some people too.

Anyway, long story short there's many ways for the static on the computer case to be happening (for example when gaming at high framerates/resolution, bad motherboard/etc. installation, improper I/O shield installation, PSU problems, power strip/surge protector issues, et cetera) but these days you can usually fix it with the $10 dongles (the adapters/converters that let you use 3.5mm IEMs/cables with the USB-A/USB-C ports on your computer device) and so on.

Basically try to change something with the audio chain or configuration. Like really any extra external audio device will work and dongles are usually the cheapest and these days they're everywhere too.

Try to get the dongles with physical volume control as those will further help reduce the buzzing/static/hissing/etc. Essentially you press the physical buttons to the lowest volumes possible and then adjust on your Windows volume slider and so on.

As like some dongles without physical volume control will actually make that buzzing/static/etc. noise way louder, lol, no matter what you do.

Here's a bit more info on dongles (with physical volume control) and static/hissing/buzzing/et cetera: https://www.reddit.com/r/HeadphoneAdvice/comments/100lh5a/dac_for_new_mb_asus_and_new_headphone/j2icwxm/ and https://www.reddit.com/r/HeadphoneAdvice/comments/zn88xs/help_on_iems_pc_usage/j0fns20/

For the passive noise reduction/isolation (btw if you want active noise cancellation or ANC, you'll have to get TWS earbuds as wired IEMs/earbuds/etc. do not really have that feature outside of a few old and obscure models that are not reviewed well for sound quality), you can change that by using different ear tips.

Sometimes you may want smaller ear tips so it doesn't seal at all. Sometimes you want bigger ear tips so that a quick wiggle will easily break the vacuum seal. Et cetera. Some ear tips with easy warping/wiggling are Moondrop Spring (and kinda the new TRN T ear tips), FiiO HS18, etc.

For me I always shove the ear tips and IEMs as deep as possible for better noise reduction/isolation and so I just get used to that underwater/occlusion/etc. effect. The one like where you hear your breathing more and can't really hear much when you're focused on something. Some people get something like motion sickness with that feeling and to overcome it you just have to keep trying to ignore it, lol, it's like car motion sickness. After a while you'll forget it existed.

Anyway, so when people try to talk to you, you can try lowering the volume or remove the side of the ear closest to the person so that you can hear them better. Again unfortunately wired IEMs do not really have extra features like ambient/transparency/etc. mode where you press a few times and then it uses the mics to hear your surroundings, those are really only with Bluetooth/wireless stuff.

Which reminds me, whenever there's external noises interfering with your sounds/music, do not raise the volume as it's just making it compete with those external noises and probably damaging your hearing. Basically just try to achieve the best fit so that the noise reduction is as good as it gets.

Try something like Spinfits for better noise reduction/isolation.

For Spinfits, usually some AliExpress storefronts or like say MTMTaudio/etc. will allow people to only get 2 pieces of 1 size for cheaper or half price of the usual price. Like some Spinfits models are often $10 with 4 pieces of 1 size and so they sell it for $5 for 2 pieces.

Here's more specific 7Hz Salnotes Zero ear tip size comparisons: https://www.reddit.com/r/HeadphoneAdvice/comments/yzryfw/7hz_salnotes_zero_ear_tips_sizes/ix211ef/

Cheap ear tips (basically FiiO HS18, Spinfit from some AliExpress storefronts, Chinese websites like MTMTaudio/et cetera, and so on) and possibly better soundstage: https://www.reddit.com/r/HeadphoneAdvice/comments/1157giz/upgrade_imaging_with_balanced_cable_iem_or/j90a003/

Here's a bit more info on ear tips (talks about narrow/wide bore ear tips, effects of sizes of ear tips, how to put ear tips on wide nozzles, et cetera): https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/10lly6d/how_to_make_sense_of_iem_tip_fit/j5xnyv2/

Also extra info on ear tips: https://www.reddit.com/r/HeadphoneAdvice/comments/10k210n/alternative_tips_for_aria/j5o2f8q/ and https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/10x7ast/suggestions_on_getting_a_good_seal_with_the_7hz/j7qrrcg/

This is how you should use Etymotics or really any IEM or TWS earbud to make sure you have that good/perfect fit for that vacuum seal (necessary for the bass to be properly produced): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KwXEqe6Gq4

More info on headphones/IEMs and PC gaming: https://www.reddit.com/r/HeadphoneAdvice/comments/1151ezm/looking_for_1st_real_pair_of_headphones_mostly/j8zm0q8/ and https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/10zxpfb/why_are_you_using_openback_headphones_for_gaming/j85vv18/ and https://www.reddit.com/r/HeadphoneAdvice/comments/10ks4tr/looking_for_iem_for_gaming_and_music_listening/j5sjhyh/

Earwax clogging issue, parametric EQ, noise reduction for your PC/room, et cetera: https://www.reddit.com/r/HeadphoneAdvice/comments/115c99b/coming_from_iems_and_looking_for_headphones_150_eu/j92mpe9/

Feolathanos OP t1_j95fjgq wrote on February 19, 2023 at 11:16 AM

Holy crap, this is a lot! Covers everything I was asking about and more, I'll have to give these links a looksie thank you so much!

And yeah, I guess that also explains why the buzzing seemed to get worse when I ran an intensive game, and why navigating menus that lowered CPU/GPU intensity lowered the buzzing. Interesting.

Again this is all great info and thanks so much for the response and work you put into it, thank you!

blargh4 t1_j94itic wrote on February 19, 2023 at 4:28 AM

"PNC"? what on earth are you talking about...

the buzz is probably coming from whatever you're driving them with.

Perfect-Grade t1_j94jq7o wrote on February 19, 2023 at 4:36 AM

If it’s not happening with your Switch, the buzzing could be interference coming from other electrical components in your PC.

I don’t have the Salnotes Zero but they might be extremely sensitive IEMs and are picking up on when your pc is and isn’t outputting sound.

A cheap USB audio dongle can fix it, like the apple USB-C to 3.5mm if your PC has a USB-C port. Lots of USB products if not.

SilentRain2496 t1_j959az5 wrote on February 19, 2023 at 9:46 AM

IEM is very sensitive so it is easy to detect any noise.
Changing cases won't help because that's not where it's coming from.
Some expensive DAC has it too, but it's only noticeable on some sensitive headphones.
A quicker option is a impedance plug/adapter.
About 30 ohms or so is enough. It basically makes your headphones less sensitive.

Unneverseen t1_j95gnsz wrote on February 19, 2023 at 11:32 AM

Seems like its from your source, using a dongle dac like cx-pro cx31993 fixed the problem for me.