Hi, I'm radraddude, and I need some headphone buying advice

[radraddude]

Hi,

I'm radraddude. I've owned Android devices since getting a MyTouch a few years back, moved to a Samsung Vibrant, and I currently own a Galaxy S 4G. My contract is up in July and I'm starting to think about my next phone. I'm a 2nd year veterinary student in the US and I use all sorts of apps (mostly Google Calendar, Mail, ThinkFree Office, etc) to stay on top my studies and schedule, but I love playing de Blob, Pocket Legends, and Words With Friends when I feel like goofing off. Android has made me incredibly productive while also giving me a fun outlet, since I sold my Nintendo DS a few years back to get a console gaming system.

I just bought a pair of Skull Candy headphones w/inline mic from RadioShack and immediately realized that there was background hiss on my Samsung Galaxy S 4G when playing a game or listening to podcasts on Google Listen. The hiss becomes noticeable in between tracks, or after I've played a move in a game like Words With Friends during a pause or silence.

When I use regular headphones without a mic, like the ones from my iPod, there is no hiss. The problem is that I would like to have one set of headphones to both listen to music and answer calls with. I'm going to return these earbuds sometime in the next week, but I don't know which other pair to get. There was a Sony pair for $29.99 (Sony DR-EX14VP/BLK Smartphone Earbuds (Black) - RadioShack.com), the iPhone pair for 29.99, a cheaper Phillips pair (Philips In-Ear Headset with Microphone (Black/White): Headsets & speakerphones | RadioShack) for $20, and a budget set from a no-name company for around $15. There was also a pair from V-Moda on clearance for $40 that had noise-cancelling, but I don't know if it's worth the extra price, especially if it doesn't eliminate hiss. I have to go back to RadioShack as I used a giftcard to buy my current pair.

What do you all recommend?

 

[Verdes8891]

Hello and welcome to the android forums.

I use the skull candy headphones religously. Maybe you just got a bad pair to be getting that hiss sound there. I have used a few different models of the skull candy for both listening to music and calls and never have had the hiss sound.

 

[radraddude]

Maybe you're right. I've confirmed the hiss on my roommate's HTC Aria, so it's either the headphones themselves or a problem with Android devices in general.

 

[Verdes8891]

Maybe you're right. I've confirmed the hiss on my roommate's HTC Aria, so it's either the headphones themselves or a problem with Android devices in general.

I would suspect its the headphones and not android. I currently have a pantech burst, and a galaxy s 2. I have also used the same headphones that i have had for over a year on an evo, captivate, inspire, atrix and an evo shift with no hissing sound.

 

[radraddude]

New replacement headphones (Auvio) have noticeably less hiss. I think I just notice very minor things very easily. For example, in playing any game with sound or playing a podcast track/song, I notice after I've paused a track or played a move that had an audible sound, there is about half a second of a very low "staticky"/hiss sound before there is complete silence out of the headphones. It doesn't sound like there's anything terribly wrong, but it's as if there's a "lag" in the transmission of sound and the cessation of an audio signal. I wish I could try out a much more expensive set like the Klipsch just to compare the audio behavior of other earbuds w/inline mics with different apps, but I'm satisfied enough now.