Sennheiser RS-130 Wireless Headphone Review

[James Fee]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://reviews.designtechnica.com/review2554.html' target='_blank'>http://reviews.designtechnica.com/review2554.html</a><br /><br /></div><i>"The search for the perfect set of wireless headphones is often one fraught in disappointment and annoyance. First you have to decide between two technologies: Radio Frequency (RF) and Infrared (IR). At the very first step of the decision to go wireless, you are making a compromise since neither is perfect. RF is often plagued by interference and IR requires line of sight between the headphones and the base station. IR headphones tend to be interference free, since good placement of the base station can ensure a good connection. Either the connection is there and you have sound, or the line of sight is interrupted, and you have no sound. Quality is very binary: either the sound is present and at maximum quality, or it isn’t there at all. RF headphones operate on a gradient of connection quality. Depending on radio interference, your connection is almost never at maximum possible quality, but you have a more reliable connection."</i><br /><br /> <img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/sennheiser.gif" /> <br /><br />Designtechnica has a detailed review of a wireless headphone that might be a good read if you don't know much about how wireless headphones work and what the pitfalls of them are. Beyond that it appears that the Sennheiser RS-130 headphones at about $150, are a good choice for those wanting to enter the world of wireless headphones.

[Kursplat]

I bought a pair of these several months ago and love them. I use them virtually every day. I had looked the numerous wireless headsets available at Best Buy and didn't like any of them. Their construction seemed too cheap.

I wanted the headset to automatically recharge on a base instead of having to swap out batteries. I wanted RF instead of IR for greater mobility. I wanted an acceptable build quality, decent sound, and a comfortable fit.

Even though I had not seen them in the stores, numerous online reviews gave great feedback about these headphones, so I bit and ordered them online. Because of the way they sit on your head, they will tend to fall off if you, say, bend over to pick something up. But other then that, they are a great set.

I would much rather pay $150 for these then $99 for some of the junk available on the shelves.

[RenesisX]

That review seals it for me. Those are the headphones I want to use to replace my Sony IR ones which have lasted me about 4 years. Strangely enough I've only changed the single AA battery in these Sonys once in the 4 years, and that was only because I thought it was about time to replace it, rather than it actually need it. I tend to use them maybe 2 hours a day on average.

I have some Bluetake Bluetooth headphones I use for the gym with my Pocket PC in my pocket, but their range is pretty poor (about 4m clear across the room max). Plus TDK Systems can't get hold of the A2DP profile for their Bluetooth dongle, so I have to use the analogue convertor that comes in the box :(