Sennheiser RS 140 Wireless HiFi Headphone with Dynamic Compression System
by Sennheiser
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List Price: Category: CE See more product details |
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Customers in the UK,
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Sennheiser RS 140 Wireless HiFi Headphone with Dynamic Compression System
Customer Review: Surprisingly good! Still going after 1+ year!
Summary: 5 Stars
I should start by explaining that I have never liked Sennheiser headphones. Several radio stations where I worked as producer and announcer had various sets of Sennheisers, all of them on-the-ear types instead of around-the-ear, (which is the design that the RS 140's incorporates,) and they all were lifeless, annoying POS's.
Sony 7506's are my favorite mid-priced phones, and I hoped that in some ways these RS 140's would come close. They DID!
The sound is surprisingly full-range, with satisfying but not over-hyped bass, and smooth highs. I doubt if they go much above 12KHz but for TV listening and casual CD enjoyment they are very good.
One side-benefit I didn't expect is the ability to keep track of a movie or TV show while raiding the icebox. Though there is some increased hiss when more than 3 walls away from the transmitter, it's still possible to hear the dialog. Very cool.
I had bought these for late-night Home Theater use and for this purpose they have been about perfect.
Pluses:
-Hold a charge for many hours of use.
-Recharge automatically on the stand.
-Great noise rejection from nearby equipment such as CRT and amplifier transformers.
-Comfortable for normal vertical wear, extended periods.
-Get really loud if you want 'em to.
-Nice, well-balanced response and relatively low noise floor.
-3 selectable Channels for best reception or using different units in same house.
-You can use normal rechargable "AAA" batteries when the originals wear out (Powerex Imedion recommended,) so no need for any propriatory replacement battery cells.
Minuses:
-Volume knob susceptible to unwanted changes by accidentally brushing against pillows (-a strip of blue painters tape will cure this).
-The warning beeps that the transmitter is turning off are unnecessarily loud.
-They are HUGE. They stick out like a Roger Ramjet helmet.
-Not that comfortable to wear while laying on your side. (waa waaa, I know).
All in all for the price this setup is a definite "go" and I'll wager most users will be very happy with these.
Update: 10/13/2008, seven months later- Still running fine with no problems. A solid purchase.
Update #2 04/04/2009 Over one year of use and still not a single problem, using them several times per week, ear cups are holding up well, sound quality is still much better than most typical sound systems. No new noise artifacts, built for the long haul!
Customer Review: The best that I could find..
Summary: 5 Stars
Overall, I like these headphones a lot. Here's what I really, really like and one thing that I don't:
1. In order to charge them, you just set the headphone band on top of the base station. Two metal strips inside the headband sit on top of two metal bars on the base station and it immediately begins charging. It is very, very easy.
My old JVC headphones required me to hook-up a separate cable by plugging it in and unplugging it.
A pair of sony headphones that I tried required you to set the headphones on the base station in a very particular way, or it wouldn't make contact.
2. It has a smart charging system. This means that when the battery is full, it slows to a trickle charge, and you don't have to worry about overcharging and killing the batteries.
3. The sound is quite good. No, it is not as good as a set of top quality wired headphones, but that is not what these are for. And the sound is still much better than listening to the audio from the TV speakers across the room. In using the headphones, I've noticed a lot of details that I would have otherwise missed.
4. The headphones do a fairly good job of blocking out other room noise. This makes them excellent when my daughter and wife are chatting and I just want to watch TV.
5. They make cool beeping sounds. When the battery is low, when the TV is not providing an audio feed, or when you turn them off, they produce a distinct series of three beeps. The unit offers an option to turn these noises off, and I originally assumed that I would do so. However, I came to find the beeping noises quite helpful. For instance, if you turn off your TV and forget to turn off the headphones, a short series of beeps will remind you. Likewise, if you inadvertently turn them off, another short series of beeps lets you know that is what happened. The beeps are not intrusive and are generated inside the headphones. They aren't loud enought to disturb anyone, and you can turn them off if you don't want them.
Here's what I don't like about these headphones:
1. The balance control is too easily bumped. If you're lying in bed and your head is against the pillow, it is too easy to bump the left to right balance knob. The knob is located on the lower rear of the right headphone. It should be on the front, so that it won't get bumped. However, it doesn't happen very often, so its really a minor complaint.
Customer Review: WIreless means having to sacrifice quality
Summary: 3 Stars
Hi all,
I purchased the RS140 model headphones about 2 months ago and am happy with them, however the quality of these headphones is still not up to par with wired headphones.
There are "channels" that you can scroll through to adjust and maximize the signal strenght but no matter what I try to set it at, I always hear a backgroud hiss that is only noticeable when the volume is turned down to a low level. Once you turn the volume up, the hiss pretty much is drowned out by whatever you are listening to.
Overall, the quality of the sound is 3 1/2 stars since you can still listen to clean music and movies, however depending on how you even move your head, the signal strenght can weaken and decrease the sound quality dramatically until you "adjust" your head - this can get pretty aggravating. When walking around the house, I still hear the audio that I am listening to, but will hear hissing and static on occassion.
Placement of the base is very important and according to the instructions, you need to try and keep it away from televisions and other devices that may interfere with signal strenght. This to me is kind of silly since the cord that connects from your base to the equipment you are using is only about 5 or 6 feet long and that's not including having to fish the wire around potential obstacles that will shorten the distance even more. So, realistically, if you have your audio device close to a television and other electronic devies (which most of us probably do), then chances are the sound quality will be compromised somewhat.
If you want a wireless headphone set up that does what it is intended to do with some hissing (depending on set up), then you will he happy with it but don't expect crystal clear audio as again, for the most part, wireless headphones will pick up interference from other devices in your home which will cause a little static or hissing.
If you are an audiophile that demands crystal clear audio out of your headphones, then I would stay away from these and purchase higher end equipment or go for a wired set up.
I am happy with mine overall but wish that I can do something to minimize the hissing (thus the average rating); On the other hand, I am still glad I purchased these and have no regrets.. for the money, they are an avergage but good headphone that definitely does get the job done.
Customer Review: Extraordinary sound and comfort, but not perfect....
Summary: 4 Stars
These headphones are very sturdy with a professional look and feel. They are comfortable, and not too tight. They charged overnight (I let them go for about 18 hours). Charging is as simple as sitting the headphones on the cradle.
Tried resting my head on my padded back office chair and, yes, it takes very little head movement to sharply change the volume. For a fairly very well designed device, this is a pretty surprising and disappointing oversight. I knew this when I bought them, but didn't/don't see it as a big problem, since I don't plan to use them except while sitting upright. This is the reason I rated 4 stars instead of 5.
I've used these on my computer sound card, TV and iHome/iPod. The sound quality of music and speech is incredible. You'll hear all instruments in each song with stellar clarity!
I have a wireless network and wireless phones in my house, so there is always a little hiss in the "dead space" between songs. It's easy to push a button on the headphones to have it switch "channels", but each channel has some level of noise. Not bad, but it's still noticeable. I can walk around the house while wearing them, but experience additional noise. This is expected in a house with so much electrical activity, and I also knew this from reading other reviews, so I was prepared.
The closed design makes these headphones very quiet, but the sound of people talking normally around you still bleeds through.
Even at fairly high volume, my wife couldn't hear my music playing, even when I stood six inches from her.
I have been wearing them for about an hour and a half, but they're not hot, nor have they made my head sweat, as others reported.
Bottom line: My title says it all - "Extraordinary sound and comfort, but not perfect." I highly recommend them, if you can accept the volume control issue.
9/17/08 update: Still using these headphones every day and still love them. I have also purchased three other pairs of Sennheiser headphones. They are all fantastic. Sennheiser makes truly stellar products!
12/25/10 update: Still using these headphones every day and still love them. I will not buy headphones from any other manufacturer as long as Sennheiser continues to produce products of this high quality!
Customer Review: ahhh - am able to hear again!
Summary: 5 Stars
I've been using a set of Sony infra-reds that came with my crt tv - some 10+ years ago. Well, first the headset died: then the tv died. With the new Sony LCD tv, I was forced to actually research headphones. So, I came to ol' faithful - Amazon - and read comments on several headphones. The comments here wrt Sennheiser RS 140 impressed me. And so have the headphones. I received them yesterday and just couldn't wait for the first 16-hour charge. After 3 hours, they worked - and just beautifully!
I was expecting some problems with the adjustment buttons that many people complained about - their location in the back, etc. Well, there is a remedy for most everything - turn them around! In fact, they fit my ears so much better that way, that I am convinced that is the way they are intended to be worn.
For me, these headphones are just perfect. I find the sound to be clear, sharp - I can actually hear things that I couldn't hear with my older set. And it is such a plus to be able to walk in and out of the room and not miss anything. I did walk outside and down the block to see how far I could go. I could tell, from house to house, how some other electronic gadgets were interfering - but who cares? These earphones are perfect in front of my tv, where they belong.
I am very pleased with this headset, so far. And Amazon (and J&R Music and Computer World) make the experience easy. If I have any problem in the future, I'll edit this comment to report it.
OH - I just have to say this - I had a $100 gift card that I had intended to use to buy these headphones. And I wanted to actually SEE them before I bought them. So, I went to Best Buy, Target and Frye's - actually, I went to their web-sites first. Frye's "might" have them in-store, according to their web-site - call first. Of course, no one answers the phone there so I never got an answer. Best Buy and Target ONLY sell these earphones on-line, and all three want anywhere from $70 to $100 more, plus tax and shipping. Although they would accept the gift card online, using it completely defeated the purpose. I've used Amazon for years and, maybe I'm just lucky, but I have never had a problem with anything I've purchased from them.