iFi iEMatch 2.5mm Audio Attenuator for Headphones and In-Ear-Monitors Compatible with 2.5mm Headphone Jack - Travel Kit Includes Accessories

First of all, I needed something to help me solve my hissing/noise problem for my Dunu SA6 IEMs. These are really sensible and when I bought the goxlr mini for streaming use, I was really disappointed. The amp inside has a really loud floor noise so that even with a ground loop isolator, I would still hear the hissing constantly. That problem was making me mad.Then I saw that product, the iematch+ 3.5mm. Honestly, my unit was well constructed, weirdly shaped,(L-shape) for my usage but still, it did solve my problem and created another one. It did stop my hissing problem but with the switch to -16db wasn't masking the noise enough and at -24db to stop completely the hissing from being audible, my volume slider on the goxlr mini was on max and I could barely hear something.I did request a refund since for me the product was not the perfect solution for my problem, the seller was a 3rd party, so I had to communicate with them for the refund and all went great.Overall, do I recommend that product? Yes of course, it does what it says! My needs wasn't what the product was designed for. It works for sensible iems/headphones paired with a dap or phone or a noisy amp with high floor noise. I still think it's a bit overpriced for what it is.

Before I explained why I like this gadget, let me first go through my initial scepticism about iFi’s concept of IEMatch. Such scepticism has now been dispelled.My iFi Gryphon has built in IEMatch, so I tried it out. It seems to have added some resistors to the output power so that on my Shure SE826 (9 ohms) I need to turn up the volume control to 100%. If IEMatch is off, I needed to turn down to 86%. For my Astell & Kern AK T8 (16 ohms), it is 97%/86%; on my Aurisonics ASG2.5 (41 ohms with built-in 22db noise attenuator), the control has to be turned to turbo (more than 100%) before it is loud enough. (The results are similar either on Apple Music or on dff or dsf files, all playing through my android phone.)I do agree with one other reviewer that when IEMatch on my Gryphon switched off, the low is boomy (monotonous) and the mid is exaggerated (irritating) but how do I know if this is not just their marketing trick: make it sound less ideal when IEMatch is off so that people think IEMatch works. After all, before I got my Gryphon, I have been listening via these IE headphones on my AK240 with 2/3 volume and do not have a problem.Then my legacy Grado RA1 headphone amplifier came into the picture. Connected to the AK240 and Grado RS1 (32 ohms), the volume is deafeningly loud if the volume control is turned beyond the 9 o’clock position (AK240 in line-out mode). If turning the volume control of AK240 down and the RA1 up, the low is lost and the mid is too bright. So I bought this gadget to dampen the output of my AK240. The result? I give the gadget 5-star because it allows my legacy Grado to pair with HiRes players instead of just CD players. I can now play my RA1 with output control at 9-12 o’clock and gives very pleasant sound.My Aurisonics ASG2.5 (41 ohms) has been OK with my iFi Go Blu. Unlike the Gryphon, it does not have IEMatch built-in, so the volume control needs to stay below 80% or the sound will become irritating. And so I thought Go Blu can only give OK but not good sound. Adding this gadget? I again agree with the other reviewer who said “the entire presentation became coherent with instrument separation, transparency, details (no sibilance or harshness in the top end) and a punchy bass.”Is this gadget for you? If the sound levels change excessively when your device’s analogue volume control barely turns, this gadget should help.For devices with digital volume control, my AK240 does not need it but my Go Blu performs very well on my Aurisonics 41-ohm headphones. It also sounds different on my Shure and A&K but not as significant as the Aurisonics.Anyway, if you find your mobile set up does not sound good when turning the volume control up, do not blame them until you have tried this output impedance attenuator.

First of all, I purchased this item in order to tame a little high frequency grunge that my LG V-20s produce when they feed Drop’s e-mu little purple heart wood headphones. But alas, the iFi iEmatch is an attenuator and so the volume suffered on the PH woodies. There was some satisfaction when I connected the iEmatch+ to an Atom Pro usb-c dongle connected to a 2019 iPad Pro. The sound was absolutely pristine using Qobuz as a source, but it still had a hard ceiling in terms of volume. However if that was the end of the story, as Paul Harvey used to say, I would’ve been quite happy to have kept the iEmatch+ as a simple answer to lower late night listening.But I have two other components that I purchased here on Amazon a few years ago, a Meridian Explorer2 USB DAC and the Oppo PM-3 planar magnetic headphones. The Meridian DAC sounds great when connected to a dedicated amp but its headphone out was always too shrill for me. The PM-3s never satisfied me either because of the same reason. I must be real sensitive to high frequency artifacts or something. Anyway, neither has received any playing time in several years. For me, it’s been the LG V20s and the little purple cans that can exclusively since late 2016.So, I do not know what in the world possessed me to take the Meridian DAC, connected to a 12 year old MacBook Pro running Audirvana software, and then to insert the iEmatch+ to the heretofore unsatisfactory headphone out of the Meridian DAC, and then from there to connect the PM-3s. Probably just sheer proximity as they were in the same room. But this combo caused the hair on my arms to stand straight up. I hear magic from the Meridian/iEmatch+/PM-3 combination. And it’s not just one or two genres. It’s everything. I’ve been using Hi-Rez files from disk, Master tracks from Tidal, and Hi-Rez from Qobuz. Just WOW. I started with Fleetwood Mac’s Rumors and it just rocked my boat. Since then I’ve gone back years on Qobuz and songs that were etched in my mind but never sounded right on digital sang again sending me into bliss. My wife’s jaw hit the floor when I played her Nillson’s Coconut. Clear as a bell. Almost LP like. Incredible combo. I never expected much from the iEmatch+, but I regained so so much that I had discarded.Now the old laptop is back downstairs and using the Audirvana remote app on my iPad, I just call the tune and smile smile smile.I don’t know if you have some great gear, just lying around, that always sounded too bright for you. But I guarantee you that at this price the iFi iEmatch+ is a versatile performer and I’ll just bet it will help you find magic in that most special of places. That Closet of What You Already Have.HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!

This item was bought on faith that it would solve the problem I came to understand I had, and it does. If I lost this one, I would instantly order a replacement and wait by the front door for it.(I am using good quality gaming headphones plugged into a ham radio. By nature-of-the-beast output audio ranges from faint to painfully loud. That occasional pain kept me from cranking up the audio gain and with that I was missing out by not attempting to work the weak ones.) This inline tool attenuates the high volume and lets the low volume's power pass through. High level hiss and pop have been nearly eliminated. By the way an inline volume control will not give the same results. And before you ask, this supplements the rigs AGC and NB. I have not addressed the inner workings of the item. If you need that, search the web. KE5UYX

I’ve been using my Ultimate Ears UE 18 IEM’s (In-Ear Monitors) for years. But every time I use them with a Sennheiser EK IEM G4 receiver (body pack), the hiss is very loud, which I’ve now learned is due to the low impedance of the UE 18’s. (10 ohms) If I try a set of higher impedance monitors or headphones (like the 63 ohm Sony MDR-7506) with that receiver, there is no hiss. Now I put the iEMatch+ (set to Ultra) between the monitors and the receiver, and the hiss is gone! The volume control on the receiver also has a much finer range of adjustment, which makes it a lot easier to set just the right level, and the sound quality is identical to how the monitors sound normally, except there’s no hiss. I’m extremely happy with the iEMatch+. I wish I would have discovered this little gem sooner.Lastly, I found that the Maxpedition 0112K pouch (pictured) is the perfect belt pack pouch. There’s a little flap that holds the iEMatch+ output port snuggly while performing.