Sennheiser RS120 926 MHz Wireless RF Headphones with Charging Cradle
by Sennheiser
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Sennheiser RS120 926 MHz Wireless RF Headphones with Charging Cradle
Customer Review: So far so good - but classical music fans beware.
Summary: 1 Stars
10-6-2010 Update
Well these just died so they are going back to Amazon. They worked great for about 3 days then I came into work this morning and the power was off on the base unit. I tried changing surge protectors, etc. but I guess the power supply in the base died or shorted out. Bummer - not bad wireless can for the $$. I never completely got rid of the static and interference so I will probably not order a new set. I loved the wireless aspect, but I was not expecting to hear a lot of analog hiss and occasional buzzing.
Anyone know of a pair that doesn't have these issues?
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These are my first ever wireless headphones. I ordered these for my home AV system but tried them out at work on my laptop listening to my iTunes library. I was so impressed I am considering keeping them at work and buying a second pair for home. Setup is dead simple, unpack it, plug in the power and plug in the audio cables to whatever source you want to listen to.
Included is a dual rca to mini jack, very handy - this allows you to plug them into just about any device from a full AV system to a laptop or ipod. Charging is a breeze, you set them on the base, allowing the metal contacts to touch and a light comes on telling you they are charging. How cool is that? Now I can reduce the wires and clutter on my desk and I can use these on my laptop or iphone at work. Sound quality seems very good. I compared them to my tried and true Grado SR60's and dang it if they don't sound almost or just as good. Consider that cost about that same that's pretty fantastic.
Only downside is occasional static pops. I have the base 3 feet away so it can't be a range issue. I will continue to adjust the tuning and see. So far the drops & static aren't enough to worry about. I had to play with the channels and tuning a little bit, the headphones were freaking out every time some called the phone here at the office - weird.
A note to classical music fans, these are basically analog headphones - so there is some background "hiss" or noise - you will never notice it with the average pop, rock, jazz tune but with some classical music that have very quiet, subtle passages, you will hear a little ssssssss in the background using these. I was able to turn down the volume on the cans and minimize it mostly. Just a note. At first I was really put off by this but I think it's manageable.
Customer Review: Pretty good for everyday use
Summary: 4 Stars
I bought these today (early September, 2004), and I'm pretty happy with them. The headphones themselves are light and fit well.. and the sound (to these non-audiophile ears) is good. There's excellent high frequency definition and good, solid bass without distortion.
There was no trouble in setting them up... plug them in and away they went (I had all the required adaptors and plugs in the box). I needed to tweak the headset-based tuning knob a bit, but since then it's been rock steady. I've had none of the drop-off or position-sensitive behaviour which I've read in other reviews. Still...it's early days and who knows what will happen when I start exploring the nether regions of the house and yard!
The thing I really want is a second set of headphones so that someone else can share the music or movie. I'm assured that they ARE avalable, but don't have a price yet.
So far, so good!
November update:
After a couple of months, I'm still happy with the sound. However, I HAVE discovered those annoying interfence sounds appear sometimes when I move around. Things get worse in my single story, metal roof house if it's raining.. in fact, at the moment I'm sitting at my desk about 15m from the transmitter, it's wet outside and there's an irritating level of intermittent interference. But I suspect that's just physics - maybe not even Sennheiser can do much about it!
Anyway.. we use them all the time, and they still sound good, so I'm retaining my 4-star rating.
July 2006 update:
It's nearly 2 years since I bought these headphones. I have them on at the moment - very loud - listening to to Roger Waters' "In the Flesh" DVD. They're still working well - the sound remains terrific. Friends who've been visited me have tried them and remarked on the quality of the sound. One of my better buys. I use them at least 2 - 3 times / week.
November 2009 Update:
Still going strong! I'm listening to the Eagles Farewell I concert DVD (recorded right here in Melbourne, Australia!) as I write this using these great headphones. I use them at least once a week and they still sound great. So what's that.. 5 years? In the meantime I bought some Philips equivalents to use while exercising on my treadmill (a VERY short-term thing!) and they, in comparison, are junk. So, hats off to Sennheiser.
Customer Review: Not as Bad as a few feel - In fact Very Good
Summary: 4 Stars
Lets revisit some of the issues others have discussed:
1. Hiss - yest there is hiss, BUT only when I get almost out of range. I have not found it necessary to hold my head rigid or in strange positions. Hiss is not really a problem for me or the wife. (Note: you will get lots of hiss if the input level is too low. Try using line out instead of audio out)
2. Volume control too close to the tuner. Well, since I can shift and clutch while chewing gum, I have not yet found this to be a real problem. Takes almost no practice to get it right - just start high and work down for the volume.
3. Range - I lost the signal completely at about 300 feet thru walls and trees. Sound quality began to deteriorate and hiss increased at around 250 feet. Even had to face the "right" direction and hold my head in funny positions to get good sound past 250 feet. Working in the garage or most of the yard, I had really good sound. Since some of my yard is well beyond 300 feet - I could not get good reception at all times and places - not at all a deal breaker for me.
4. Sound quality. These are NOT as good as listening to a recording with a high quality sound system or thru my Bose home Theater System. They are intended to provide very good sound quality with complete freedom of movement.
WAIT - Solved some of the negative reviews. These headphones work great in my house. I actually purchased them for my mother - she lives in an assisted living center. When I tried to install them in her room, I found out that the wireless phones used by 90% of the residents interfere with the system. There is no way to tune the headphone system with all of this interference around. I use a newer cordless phone that operates on different frequencies, but your phones may be the problem. Electronic interference is probably the reason for the hisssssss problems.
5. Headphone comfort and fit. Not as comfortable as some other headphones I have used and/or owned. Quick moves can cause the headphones to slip off your head. Maybe it is just me, but this can cause some problems and could be fixed. Not a deal breaker, but get used to wearing them before you move around a lot. I would not wear them if I were going jogging. Overall I would still recommend these headphones. I feel that there are enough good things to offset the fit.
Customer Review: Good for Office and Home
Summary: 4 Stars
This is for RS120 and RS130 - and I eventually bought the RS130.
I work for a computer company and bought this for my cube. A key characteristic is lots of RF noise - nearly every adjacent cube has a laptop and a deskside (or two if doubled up).
Essentially all reviews were for home use. I was fortunate to borrow an RS-120 and an RS-130 at work - same floor even) I used the RS-120 for half hour and the RS-130 all day.
From overall performance, I found RS-120 and RS-130 comparable as far as susceptibility to interference. I preferred the around the ear of the RS-130 over the RS-120 and my colleage with the RS-120 indicated his ears need a break from the RS-120 after several hours.
The surround sound and auto tuning of the RS-130 were plusses but I bought the RS-130 mostly for the around the ear comfort and fit.
Overall I really like these - but I do have some comments - and those tie back to other comments - "the hiss in the background".
Some posters commented on "the hiss in the background". My RS-130s (and the one I borrowed) had this - but as Bruce Campbell said "it's a trick - get an axe".
OK, they're not tricking you - but there is a workaround.
The hiss seems to come from their on-headphone amplifier. You can make that go away by
1) setting the on-headphone volume very low. Essentially dial it down until the hiss just goes away. Or a little more if you want to adjust volume more from headphone than computer.
2) Crank up the drive to the base unit. I've got my computer Wave and Volume controls set very much higher than I used with my corded headphones. And now I get great volume out of the headphones. And I get it without any perceptible clipping or degradation.
The bottom line - the base unit likes and is fine with driving it relatively hard - and by doing that not using much of the headset amp you sill not have a hiss problem.
My last point is interference. In this very noise (ambient RF) environment at work I occasionally have a "pfft" as I turn my head or move about. Occasionally. Even with base 3 feet away. But so far, I've found no headset better and these are otherwise really sweet. [I otherwise can't say how these do with 900mhz phones]
Overall - 4 stars and in particular prime for office use.
Customer Review: Tricky at first
Summary: 4 Stars
I bought this wireless headphone solely for the use of my computer as to not disturb my wife when she's asleep. I use to have a Sony corded headphone and didn't like it for a couple of reasons the cord as it limited my mobility and added weight to the headset and also vinyl cushion for the ear. If you don't take care of the vinyl it will peel and stick to your ears. It did give me a good laugh when my grandnephew put it on and large pieces of the vinyl were just hanging from his ears. I did notice the Sennheiser had a cloth cushion and chose the RS-120 based on buyer's reviews and price.
At first, I did encounter alot of problems with the headphones suddenly blasting snow noise or shall we say switching to "sleep mode" after 2 minutes of use. It was really annoying having to unplug and replugging the headphone to get the sound back. I noticed only a few reviewers mentioned this problem so it must something on my part or otherwise the headphones are damaged. I thought maybe because of the recharging base was too close to an electronic device as the instructions warned. What I did was raise the volume on my computer (not the volume wheel on the headphone) and problem was solved. No more "sleep mode" unless I wasn't running any programs involving sound.
I read people complaint about a faint sound of snow in the background. I did notice if you adjust the tuning wheel on the headphone, there seems to be a 'noise reduction' section. Yeah, the volume does suddenly drop but the snow does disappear so your choice which you prefer.
Couple of things I did find annoying about the headphone is that it sometimes slips off your head if you're not still. Even with my big head, looking up or down would shake the headphones loose. Also the headphone does on occasion to pick up ring-tones or cricket noises. I find it kinda odd even at 3am, but I guess not everyone sleeps early not even the crickets.
I haven't fully tested how long the headphones last without having to recharge it but so far it's good for over 4 hours. Sound quality is adequate for me. The range works find at 48 feet and through walls since that's my apartment limit. Oh wow, I'm picking up a phone conversation right now while playing around with the tuner. haha
At first I didn't like the product, but with the problems solved I'm pretty happy with the it now.