Customer Reviews

Sennheiser RS40 HiFi Wireless Supra-Aural Headphone

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

If you're going for audiophile quality sound, then these probably aren't for you. If you want a convenient wireless headphone system to watch TV or casually listen to music while moving about the house, then these are great. The sound quality is comparable to most inexpensive corded headphones and these sound better than other wireless headphones I've tried. They're light and comfortable and you just stick them back into the base to recharge. Supposedly the batteries last 4 hours per charge, but I've never tested that. The base features a slot to charge an additional battery (that can be purchased ...) and you can swap batteries quite easily.

This model has 3 frequencies that you can choose from by pressing a button on the base. If you have two of these, then you can use them both by leaving the bases on different frequencies. The headsets can then be tuned to either frequency (so both headsets can be tuned to listen to the same base signal). Unlike a cordless phone, where the handset switches frequency channels simultaneouly with the base station, this headset requires you to tune the headset to the frequency of the base station. This isn't hard at all, but this might explain why that other reviewer couldn't get a signal out of this (so read the manual). Along with the tuning dial, the headset also has a volume dial built-in.

I don't know what the guy from San Francisco did, but he is mistaken about the Sennheiser RS40's. They are a great wireless headphone. I get great sound throughout my home (even through walls). They are light and easy to use. I think SF just hooked them up wrong. These headphones are very very good. Try them if you're interested in good sound and light weight.

I was in the market for wireless headphones since I recently moved into a condo. I was all set to buy an inexpensive set of wireless Jensen headphones at a local CompUSA for $.... Well the reviews on Amazon were pretty unanimous, don't waste your money, and spend a little more to get either the Advent or the Sennheiser RF wireless headphones. I liked the style of the Sennheiser built in charger better and the reviews were a tad better. So I followed the reviews here and I am totally satisfied.

There are multiple jacks so I've hooked them into my Motorola Digital Cable box RCA jacks and I am thrilled with the quality. I can move from room to room with no interference whatsover. Someone here said they had trouble adjusting the frequency, I found it to be a breeze. I bought an extra battery since it can charge a spare. This is a five star unit if you are looking for good TV quality sound. It's not studio, but you aren't paying for studio quality. This is a great buy. And Amazon treated my order VERY professionally. Emailed me on the ship date, and gave me a UPS tracking number. I got it in 4 business days. I'm glad I looked here first. Thanks everybody!

These headphones are good, though not amazing. I got them primarily for listening to the TV late at night when my fiance has to be asleep (She works early in the morning). We live in a small studio apartment in NYC, and figured this would be a great solution. And it is! There are a few tricks however, that I discovered. Actually, I didn't really discover them at all; another reviewer had this suggestion, and it was a good one. When tuning the headphones, you'll find the strongest signal may have some distortion or interferance. Go to one side or the other of the strongest signal with the tuning dial, and crank up the volume on the receiver and headphones. It's a quieter signal with less interferance. This is GREAT for watching TV, but for listening to music it's not as good because you can hear the lack of full spectrum of treble and bass. Use the stronger signal for music. The on/off button is a little small and annoying, but overall I'm really enjoying the headphones, and they're one of the less expensive ones too. Good luck!

I have tried a lot of wireless headphones. These sound as good as any and are more comfortable than most. They are light, have a nice balanced range with more bass than I expected with open air headphones. I haven't tested the extreme range, but they reach across my backyard. What more do I need? You can pay more and get more features. If I want really hi-fi, I have studio phones, but for listening to tunes or books on tape while I do yardwork I couldn't ask for more.

The product is quite economical at $99. The sound quality is quite good - but not exceptional. This product is not good for office use - as it let's out a lot of sound through these 'sound vent' kind of thing. So if you like listening at a high volume don't use this. The broadcast quality is good if you're at close range or in adjoining rooms. But if there is a door in between anywhere the headphone will stop receiving. For home use this product is ideal. The cloth ear pads are real lint attractors. The product looks and feels quite sturdy. The headphone is quite light and very comfortable. Sound response is quite good. It actually seems to depend a lot on the kind of input the base broadcast station gets. So if you use some kind of amplification mechanism - the sound should be quite good.

Excellent product. I bought it because I love music (classical, rock, blues) and also listen to some radio online AND live in a small apartment in New York, so I can't play loud whatever I am listening to. This product will not give you absolutely hi-fi sound you get through regular "wired" headphones (this is why I have a pair of those as well). However, it carries sound nicely and without much static at all. I you love music as much as I do, and you want to listen to it when you are moving around the apartment, doing chores and stuff, you will enjoy this product.

piece of advice: DO CHARGE THEM 24 HOURS WHEN FIRST IN USE!!!

I use these for almost a year now and I am very happy with them. I use it mostly for listening to the TV when my kid is sleeping around and for this purpose it is just great. Occasionally I get a little static when I move around but since it happens rather rarely it doesn't bother me that much. One of the features that I really like is having the volume control in the headphones. Also they are convinient to wear on my head - I rememebr I tried several other in the store before I bought and the others didn't have such a good fit for me.

I bought these for listening to classical music late at night without disturbing my apartment neighbors. I use a computer to play all my music, and hate being tied to my workstation while listening by a cord, so I was willing to compromise on audio quality for the sake of wireless convenience. In fact I was pleasantly suprised by the sound, which is rich and full, and not at all lacking in bass. Range is adequate for my small apartment, and interference noise has not been any problem for me.
But, there is one problem which makes them almost useless; they have Automatic Gain Control (AGC), which compresses the dynamic range of the output. To explain a little -- popular songs are recorded at a near-constant level, so setting the output amplification automatically to give a constant average signal is not noticeable, but most classical music varies very widely in audio level. A big orchestral climax, with every instrument going full blast, might be followed by a solo flute playing very quietly. Or, a long diminuendo in a piano sonata might fade to a brief silence, and then, for dramatic effect, comes a big fortissimo chord. What happens here is that the volume automatically cranks up during the diminuendo keeping it almost as loud as the loudest of passages, then I hear hiss during the silence, as the gain is too high, and then the loud chord that follows is momentarily deafeningly distorted, and then very quickly the AGC cuts down the volume to be about the same as the overly amplified preceding very quiet passage. This largely ruins the music for me.
If I could only turn the AGC off, these headphones would be fine for me, but it is not even mentioned anywhere in the tech specs nor in the user manual.
I believe in fact all wireless headphones have this feature, although it is seldom mentioned. I now wish I had bought the AKG brand, because I found in their user forums a hack to disable the AGC on the transmitter unit, although this requires soldering on the circuit board. Unfortunately Sennheiser does not seem to have forums, so I guess I'm out of luck with these.

At first I was a little disappointed as I thought the sound had way too much noise - but then I figured out the quirks of the beast and I've been exceptionally satisfied. Tip #1: Crank the volume on the audio source - there is a direct relation between the volume at the source and the strength of the signal being broadcast. With my Sony amp set to around 25 (10 is normal listening volume) I can listen to these anywhere in my house without an issue. Tip #2: play with the tuning wheel. The location on the wheel with the strongest signal is not necessarily the place for the cleanest signal - I've got no idea why but I've noticed that which room I'm in makes a difference as to how the tuning should be set.

As said by someone else, these aren't studio, but with that caveat in mind they are great.