In any of the sound modes except for "off" (ambient sound, adaptive and active noise cancelling) I get a faint but annoying hissing/static noise in the background. Judging by some of the posts here this has been a known issue is this seriously something that I have to just accept or is it a bug in my specific buds thay I can replace? Very disappointed for the price point.
ANC actually uses "white noise" to cancel out ambient sound, so when you have no sound going through it, that may be the "hiss" you are hearing. Most people don't hear it, it almost sub-aural, but it could be noticeable if there is no other sound coming through. That's also probably what you are hearing when you let in ambient sound as, while it will let in ambient sound such as voices and sirens and such, it still filters out much of the surrounding noise (the din). That's why when I use noise cancelling headphones with no music playing, I get a minor headache. My ears don't hear it, but my brain does. It's also why when you are in a quiet office, you will hear a slight buzz. Most commercial offices use white noise generators in addition to the acoustical tiles to keep the offices from sounding like a cage match.
