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TagalogON t1_j94o1j7 wrote

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/

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Feolathanos OP t1_j95fjgq wrote

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!

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