Dateline: July 1, 2004 - iRiver Speaks Out

[jeff]

I've gotten some information from iRiver regarding the "White Noise" issue. I will post it here verbatim.

As for the "White Noise" issues, we have found this to be exreamly
minor. It is being blown way out of proportion in the Korean market
because of the fanatical community they have over there. Much like the
iPod gets drilled every time some minor item comes up.

We have exactly one case of the "White Noise" issue here in the US. If
we get more or it become a major issue (it won't) we'll take action at
that time. Opening up a "recall" or "trade in" based on one documented
case in the US is sort of silly if you ask me. Here we will treat this
like any other product defect (buttons, USB ports, whatever). If any
customers feels their product is not fully functional for any reason,
they can contact Customer Support were the issue can be diagnosed and
resolved.

Please notify iRiver America support if you feel that your player is experiencing the "white noise" issue and they will evaluate and hopefully remedy the situation for you.

[mspec]

what is white noise??

[SemiLOOSE]

its a mixture of all frequencies...

like how all colours combine to make white colour, all noise combines to make white noise

(any1 scientific? i hope i'm right)

[winty]

You are right, yes. It sounds like static or a loud hissy sound. There are also a few sub-flavours of white noise, such as pink noise White noise is an equal amplitude of all frequencies.

[Nick114]

mspec, turn your television on to a channel that you have not programmed in, and you will see the static. Turn the volume up - that is whitenoise

[meowsqueak]

Is it gaussian?

[seadzz]

Not that it is really that important but noise is available in a number of flavors, really!

You have the normal "white" but it is also available in pink, brown, blue and of course violet....I kid you not!

here is a link where you can get a sample of each:

http://www.dogstar.dantimax.dk/testwavs/

enjoy the non-music,

sdz

[jelly]

Wow, thats really cool! And they're right about the pink noise being the most common in nature, listning to it makes you think of a stream or summat :P Weird...

Jelly

[henrybucks]

I dont know about Iriver(America) but the noise floor on the iFP-780 measures about -65 if I juggle the record and playback levels. If I dont the noise runs at about -80 which is as bad a tape hiss. I suspect the problem is not only the headphone amp but the whole input stage.

Is the problem noticable on the USB 2 series and has any one noticed the noise on the HDD versions

Cheers

Henry

[jelly]

has any one noticed the noise on the HDD versions

never had a problem with hiss on my H140, but there may be some defective units...

Jelly

[SemiLOOSE]

http://news.com.com/Briefly:+MP3+pla...3-5219580.html

MP3 players recalled
Reigncom, the No. 4 MP3 player manufacturer worldwide, has agreed to allow consumers to exchange malfunctioning iFP 700, 800 and 1000 players. The company has confirmed that the players can emit white noise, although the problem occurs only in a fraction of the devices. Reigncom posted a video of CEO Yang Duck Jun apologizing for the problem. The Korean company, mostly known for the iRiver line of players, holds a 7 percent market share worldwide, according to NPD Group, and is ranked fourth in shipments.
July 22, 2004

is this the old news cnet is re-cycling?

[FlameGrilled]

White noise is quite intrusive if it's too distinct - try sitting in a room with a VHF FM tuner set to an empty frequency and listen - and if it don't drive you nuts.. you aint human :P

Unfortunately, it tends to bleed into other audio and, even if it's not actually doing so, seems to have a modulating effect on audio it's mixed with.

In the case of FM mode transmission, it indicates a poor received signal level and hence the readability of audio in FM transmissions gets worse as the white noise gets more distinct.

The reason, to highlight on the TV example mentioned previously, you get white noise on analogue TV is that the audio transmission (which is not carried on the same carrier as the vison) is FM.. as opposed to the vision components which are AM and on a different carrier sent on a different frequency.

Funny to add it, but it's interesting to see the effect of white noise on a vision signal (i had the opportunity to see a FM transmission of video some years back on a test rig). Sadly, it was too long ago now for me to recall the effect of the disruption when white noise indicated a poor S/N ratio occuring.