Two Digital Wireless Headphones Reviewed – The Latest Trend In Wireless?
Watching TV at night without disturbing others is probably the prime application for wireless headphones. Not being tied to a headphone cord is one of the biggest reasons for the popularity of wireless headphones. Yet in the past these headphones never really compared with traditional corded headphones in terms of sound quality and reliability. Mostly the transmission technology would degrade the sound and be susceptible to interference. Are new advances in wireless transmission technology able to cope with the drawbacks of the previous generation of wireless headphones? We will take a look at some of the most recent models of digital wireless headphones to see how they stack up compared to traditional corded models.
We will review the Sennheiser RS180 and the Amphony Model 2500 both of which use digital audio transmission. In other words the headphone transmitter will convert the audio signal into digital data which is transmitted to the digital wireless headphones. The headphones then convert this data back to audio. Using this transmission technology, none of these headphones showed the static or distortion that we have gotten used to from previous wireless headphones. Both of these models claim to transmit true CD quality audio.
At first glance, the Sennheiser headphones are constructed as open headphones, i.e. sound from the headphone transducers will penetrate to the outside while the Amphony headphones are closed. Choosing open or closed headphones is a matter of personal preference. A closed model, such as the Amphony, will lower the sound level heard by others which is good when listening over headphones without disturbing others and also will block exterior noise more. Both models come with comfortable velours ear cushions and fit snugly.
The RS180 transmitter acts as a cradle for the headphones while the headphones are not in use. It offers one analog audio input, yet no digital audio inputs. The Model 2500 transmitter offers three audio inputs: one analog input, one coaxial digital input and one optical digital input. This is particular important since most modern plasma TVs no longer have analog audio outs. The transmitter has an auto-switch mechanism which will select the correct audio input depending on which input has a valid signal.
Comparing both models in terms of sound quality, the RS180 has a light sort of quality and excels at the midrange but is low on the bass. As such the RS180 is most suitable for listening to vocal racks and light music. The Model 2500 has a more pronounced bass response, but in no way aggressive and is well balanced. The wireless transmission no longer has the problems of older headphones and the sound quality of both models rivals corded headphones. The only limitation is the fact that wireless headphones are powered by batteries and thus will never be able to blast the same volume as corded headphones connected to a good headphone amp. However, both models were able to achieve reasonably loud levels, the Model 2500 more so than the RS180.
The RS180 sends it’s signal at 2.4 GHz. The transmitter supports up to four headphones. The Model 2500 operates at 5.8 GHz and supports an unlimited number of headphones. The RS180 operating ranged is specified by Sennheiser as 300 ft In an indoor test environment, we were able to get a clean signal up to around 100 ft with both the RS180 and the Model 2500 which should be plenty for most users. The Model 2500 transmitter can connect to secondary transmitters which are called RangeBoosters that allow expanding the headphone operating range even further.
The RS180 offers a battery life of 15 hours. The Model 2500 will work around 30 hours per charge. Pricing is around $300 for the RS180 wireless headphones and $200 for the Model 2500.