Customer Reviews

AKG Fully Digital wireless Surround Headphone System with Dolby Digital Decoder - HEARO999AUDIOSPHEREII

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

These are great for movies, where the unit directly takes the digial input from the DVD player. There definitely is a surround effect that you cant get with regular headphones. Background noise level is low and the reception quality is better than the various Sennhieser wireless systems which I have used, with less interference and dead spots.

The phones were designed for a charging stand but AKG does not offer one. Instead you must plug in a little jack into the phones to charge them.

Listening to stereo music I get better pure sound quality on my Sennheiser 650s but they are not wireless.

These are great. I am able to plug into my PS3 so that I can game while my husband works. They fit pretty snug but that is what helps prevent the sound from leaking out. The audio quality is impeccable.

Given the implausibility of a wireless audiophile headphone, these were a bit expensive at their original price, but at a steep discount they seemed worth a shot -- and guess what, they work really well. Considering their performance and how much technology is packed into the headphones and base unit, they offer a pretty good value even at full price. The difference between these and mass-market wireless headphones is ridiculous -- there's no noise, and as long as you're reasonably close to the base station, the sound quality does not suffer in comparison to audiophile wired headphones. I have (corded) AKG 701s driven by a Max Headroom headphone amp and, more often than not, I'll use the wireless AKGs even when I'm sitting near the stereo. Hooked up to a good CD player, the Hearo 999 will reveal, for better or worse, every detail in the recording.

Cons: Occasional drop-outs can occur, especially if you're far from the base station and moving. There are a lot of settings, allowing for considerable tweaking, but it's not exactly plug-and-play. Batteries have to be recharged after about 3 hours of use. While the headphones are well-made and extremely comfortable, the build quality of the base station chassis seems flimsy -- certainly not up to the sophisticated electronics it houses.

After owning numerous wireless headphones and finding them all lacking in sound (and comfort) I bought these at the closeout price listed here. I also own the Pioneer SE-DIR800C so I have two of the best for comparison. Although the SE-DIR800C sounds very good, the headphones are not comfortable. After a few hours of watching a movie I can't wait to get them off. The AKG Hearo is very comfortable and I find the sound quite realistic, more so than the Pioneer. I've enjoyed the Hearo's clear and "live" sound and recently hooked them up to my high end cd player. With these headphones on it's easy to get lost in the music (try the Sinatra Live at the Sands cd...You won't be disappointed). If you can buy them before they close out you will like them. Highly recommended!

Con...Battery life isn't the greatest but it lasts long enough for a few quality hours of entertainment (Although I found this really wasn't such a big deal as 2-3 hours it enough for any movie).