Eartec hiss

[RedRascal]

I pulled the trigger on a set of Eartec Ultralite single ear headsets and it hasn't turned out well. I am not happy about hearing a constant hissing sound from the "main" headset. The "remote" headset is dead quiet as I expect it to be.

Does anyone else have a hissing sound coming out of their "main" headset? They still are functional but not what I would expect for $400, perhaps I have a bad unit.

 

[Simi 60]

Check for snakesssss

 

[O C Diver]

I pulled the trigger on a set of Eartec Ultralite single ear headsets and it hasn't turned out well. I am not happy about hearing a constant hissing sound from the "main" headset. The "remote" headset is dead quiet as I expect it to be.

Does anyone else have a hissing sound coming out of their "main" headset? They still are functional but not what I would expect for $400, perhaps I have a bad unit.

Do you get the noise with everything off on the boat? Wondering if it's some form of RF interference. If it's quiet with everything off, maybe you can identify the interference by turning one item on at a time.

Do you have interference when you're 10 or more feet from the other person?

Ted

 

[RedRascal]

I just did a brief test at home. I thought my wireless network may have been causing it so I went outside and no change. Tonight I'll get a chance to test them some more but I am suspicious that something is amiss.

 

[guy with a boat]

No, none of the headsets should hiss. We have used a set of 4 for multiple years and they are quiet between transmissions.

 

[NEtrawler58]

Funny but I have a constant hiss in my ears with no headsets!

 

[jimdavi]

No hiss in ours. Give Eartec a call, very helpful.

 

[AlanT]

I pulled the trigger on a set of Eartec Ultralite single ear headsets and it hasn't turned out well. I am not happy about hearing a constant hissing sound from the "main" headset. The "remote" headset is dead quiet as I expect it to be.

Does anyone else have a hissing sound coming out of their "main" headset? They still are functional but not what I would expect for $400, perhaps I have a bad unit.

No hiss in ours. Send it back for replacement.
~A

 

[Juliet 15]

A dock neighbor got a bad set a while back, too. Same issue. He sent them back, got a no-questions new set. Problem fixed.

 

[RedRascal]

Did a couple more tests tonight. No change in hiss right next to my wifi router vs. standing away from it in the middle of the street. I wanted to also get away from the wifi light bulbs we have in the house thus my testing street side. Tried the headsets close together and 60' apart, no change.

Definitely disappointed with Eartec, this set will be returned. Hassle and waste of my time yes but still just a minor 1st world problem.

Thanks for the responses, glad a working set is quite between transmissions.

 

[sunchaser]

RR
As others note, Eartec is very helpful. Give them a call, we've never been disappointed in their response.

 

[Shrew]

Definitely disappointed with Eartec, this set will be returned. Hassle and waste of my time yes but still just a minor 1st world problem.

It's a manufacturing defect on a single device. I'm not sure I'd be disappointed with the entire company for one 'wigit'. It's not like you've gone through 10 of them.

Consider reserving judgement until they've had a chance to make it right. That is really where faith in the company is built or destroyed.

 

[NEtrawler58]

I have to agree with Shrew. If they happily replace a defective unit, I don't see why it's such a hassle or waste of time.

 

[firehoser75]

While disappointing to be the person who has to deal with buying a problem "unit", I don't know of any product that has had a 100% track record!
I agree with Shrew (and the others) who say how Eartec deals with the issue will be the determining factor as to Company and product.
If the problem occurs repeatedly having tried multiple (2 or more) new units, then that could mean the product is poorly designed or built.
I am reasonably sure (based on my use of this product and talking with other owners) that overall the product is pretty good. Contact Eartec.
Good luck.

 

[Jyackussr]

Call Eartec

Had the exact same issue and started off by calling Eartec. They looked up my units and they were five years old. Helped me trouble shoot to identify the culprit head set. Out of warranty so had to either pay one price for a fix or slightly more for a new head set. Went with the new option and now have had zero issues for six months plus. Their tech support is some of the finest and helpful I have ever encountered.

 

[Caballero II]

I pulled the trigger on a set of Eartec Ultralite single ear headsets and it hasn't turned out well. I am not happy about hearing a constant hissing sound from the "main" headset. The "remote" headset is dead quiet as I expect it to be.

Does anyone else have a hissing sound coming out of their "main" headset? They still are functional but not what I would expect for $400, perhaps I have a bad unit.

I'm guessing a bad unit. I have nothing but admiration for our set (a pair), and they are quiet unless voice activated. I'd try to exchange.

 

[RedRascal]

Update on where this ended. Order a second set via Amazon from a different seller. First set via Amazon was from Solid Signal and second order was from Cellar Door Books. I thought changing sellers may get me into a different inventory bucket. Same issue on second set. Called Eartec and they said there may be a slight sound of noise but shouldn't be something that noticeable. Tech said I could send them in on my dime and they would look at them. Tech said the circuit board may need to be replaced. Not sure what to think since I had two units that sounded the same. My issue was I needed them last week and didn't have time to spend shipping back and forth with Eartec.

If I decide to order again, I think I'll order straight from Eartec and have them test them before shipping. If they we're some unbranded cheap headset for $50 I'd put up with the hiss but what I order was north of $400 so I was expecting higher quality.

 

[twistedtree]

Sorry if this has been covered, but have you tried them off the boat, or in some different environment? Since two different sets behaved the same way, it suggests an environmental issue on the boat where there can be all sorts of RF noise. Trying them off the boat might help determine whether that's the cause. If it is, then you will need to selectively shut things down on the boat until you find the source of the noise.


Based on this and other threads, we recently bought an eartech system, but the one that uses a base station rather than set to set communications. It's the first such system we have tried that works well. We are very please, which means I'm very pleased because my wife is willing to use them where she has refused on others after one or two failed tries.

 

[RedRascal]

I only tested them at home. I was suspicious of our wifi network and various smart bulbs and cameras around the house. Same hiss if I was right next to our router vs. 75 feet away standing in the middle of the street. There could still have been some wifi interference in the street from my house and various neighbors. However there is various wifi noise in a marina too so I figured they need to at least be quiet in the street. Our utility connections(water, gas, electricity) all have some flavor of wireless transmitting capability so I am not sure if that may have been it. I suppose I could have taken them to the park to get away further away from wireless transmissions.

If you are in a quite environment like sitting in a house with nothing making noise in the back ground do you hear a hiss or buzz in your set? I could see on a boat with the engine running or outside with some wind blowing you may not hear the hiss/buzz.

Did you get the "The Hub" with UltraLite headsets?

 

[twistedtree]

Did you get the "The Hub" with UltraLite headsets?

Yes. It was a package with multiple headsets (I got the single ear cup version), the hub, and a charging station. The big issue we had with earlier version eartecs was the whole master headset vs slaves. The hub solves that as all headsets are the same and all talk to the hub. Just grab a headset and go. We have used them for perhaps a dozen docking/undocking maneuvers, and multiple trips through a lock and reception has been 100% at all times. I wouldn't say they are high fidelity, but they do the job.


The down side is that the hub drives up the price quite a bit, but I think worth it for something that works well.

 

[RedRascal]

Thanks for the feedback on their "The Hub" system. Glad you found something that works. For my next step I need to dig some old voice activated walkie talkies out of the attic and see how bad or good they are. I'd like to have something that doesn't hiss in my ear and doesn't cost an arm and a leg.

 

[Cruzer]

+1 on years of use with zero hiss. We've always been very happy with our Ultralites. For what it's worth, if you do order another pair but want to avoid Amazon, B&H Photo is a very reputable outfit we have used for a very long time. There should be free expedited shipping on the Eartecs and returns are also easy.

 

[RedRascal]

Thanks for the note that your ultalites have been good. Seems like most folks have a good experience.