Customer Reviews

Sony MDR-DS6000 Wireless Surround Digital 2.4GHz RF

5 star:		(42)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

I want to love these. They sound great, are comfortable, and have fantastic range. But they absolutely kill other 2.4GHz wireless devices. In my house, they kill the signal from two wireless routers (D-Link 802.11g) and interfere with my wireless phones. I've never experienced anything like this. When the processor is off, all my wireless devices work great with the client report excellent signals. Processor on, and the various wireless clients around my house report no signal from the hosts. I'm going to have to return these and by the Pioneer SE-DIR800C.

Granted, I'm not a true audiophile, but I recieved these as a present about a year ago, and was instantly shocked at the sound quality, signal strength, and range I got from these headphones. I can keep these on while wandering around my entire apartment, and the signal is strong enough to go through two walls without frequently dropping. They are excellent at keeping ambient noise out. The battery lasts a very long time, and recharges extremely quickly.

One year on, they still work as well as they did when I got them.

The best thing about this headphones is comfortability. It's very light and can stay on for a few hours without getting a headache or feel a lot of pressure to the head like most headphones I've worn. It uses radio frequency, so the small base station could be placed anywhere and doesn't have to be in line of sight with the headphones. I've been using the DS6000 with my xbox 360 using the provide optical cable. Reading the manual actually helps-for example it tells you it cannot support 96kHz sampling frequency so you'll have to set your DVD audio output to 48kHz. I wish there were 2 optical INPUTS (one for the DVD player and one for Xbox). Unfortunately there is only one. There is an optical OUTPUT (but you'll have to buy your own cable).
Performance: With my DVD player, the sound quality is excellent. I was pleasantly suprised that unlike other SONY headphones (MDR-v700, v600), the bass is not too overpowering but rather more balanced. The surround-sound is good. The separations are clear. Volume levels are loud enough. I have no complaints.
Playing music (using DVD player): Swithching from "cinema" mode to "music" mode switches to stereo. Music sounds pretty clear and warm eventhough the headphones are still in the "break-in" period. I would assume a real audiophile would not want these headphones since the wired, super-expensive headphones will sound better. But for me, someone who DO care a lot about sound quality and has good wired headphones, I find the ds6000 still sounds great for music listening.
Now, I do have a complaint. Sound coming from the Xbox 360 isn't that clean. I own several games and on all the games, I hear static noise. It's not a continuous static noise like FM radio. It sounds more like distortion due to over-peaking. On fight night 3, the opening music has a lot of distortion. The knock out sound effects are distorted. On Need for Speed: Most wanted, loud car engines sound distorted. Only occationally, I hear distortions on Call of Duty 2, Ghost Recon and Battlefield 2. I don't know, maybe xbox 360 games output soundtracks at higher than 22,000 Hz. All in all, the distortion isn't so bad at low volume level but I can see that it can be annoying if you like to play loud. I would have given it a five star but this distortion issue cannot be ignored whether it's the game developers' fault or SONY's.

I am absolutely thrilled with the Sony MRD-DS6000 headphones. I live in the city and have a lot of interference in my area. Although I have the high end IR Sony headphones (which require line of sight but work very very well) that I use in one of my multi-media rooms, I took a chance on the RF MRD-DS6000 headphones based on a recommendation from a friend. Unlike other RF headphones I have used (such as the Sennheiser RS65s), the MRD-DS6000 seem to have no interference. Overall, the sound is very good from the MRD-DS6000 headphones and close to wired headphones. I highly recommend these headphones.

Bought this through Amazon and, unfortunately, did not pay attention to reviews regarding the headphone affecting other wireless devices. Sound quality is good but I experienced two major issues:
1) my TV room is not so large and once I step out of the room, the sound stops;
2) MOST IMPORTANT: I have an Apple TV whose wireless does not function if I am using the Sony headphone. For Apple TV users this is a major issue, since the only way to watch a rented movie is, before taking the headphone from its dock, make the movie run and get it authorized and, then, start using the headphone. No download activity will work in the Apple TV while using the Sony headphone. In 100% of the time, in my case, using the headphones is like turning off ALL Apple TV WIRELESS activities.
Besides that, I have experienced a significant signal drop in wireless for my notebook when using the phones. Therefore, I would suggest the phones (which have a good sound quality, though) only for people who do not need or do not have wireless devices around (or, at least, need them functioning simultaneously). That is not my case, and I am very unhappy with this product.

This is the worst set of wireless headphones I have ever owned. I have had both a Sennheiser T 40 and Sharper Image CT-412 in the past and they were far superior to the Sony headphones. The biggest issue I have is distortion. If the microwave oven is operating 2 rooms away or I am sitting near my computer transmitting over a wireless connection I loose the signal completely. Walk more than 30 feet from the base station - I loose the signal.
The other big problem with the headphone is the on/off switch. It is operated by a strap that is connected to a spring that is connected to the switch. When you place the headphones on your head the strap pulls the spring which activates the switch. Nice idea unless the contacts in the switch start to wear or the strap / spring arrangement doesn't pull taught enough then the headphones start to turn off and on randomly. Save your money and don't bother with these headphones... they're not worth it. If you do get a wireless headphone make sure there is a good return policy so that you can send them back if you find the range or the level of interference is unacceptable.

I got these headphones about a week ago and all I can say is "WOW". The sound quality and virtual surround is amazing.

I have a HDTV and about a $7000 surround system that I love to watch movies with. The only issue I am having is I can't crank it up anymore. My wife and I just had a new baby and with a new baby in the house it is hard to use. I would keep having to adjust the volume up and down. The explosions and music would be to loud and the dialog I could barely hear. It was making me crazy. I just wanted a way to enjoy movies again.

I read a few reviews about these Sony headphones and thought I would try them out. I have to say I have been nothing but impressed. It is not the same as my surround system, but they are still great. I find myself forgetting that I have them on sometimes, yeah... thats how real the surrond is. If you are looking for away to enjoy movies, TV or PS3 without haveing to rumble the house, this is definitely the way to go.

Thanks to a couple of reviews i was able to make an informed purchase.
Particularly the wireless router issued concerned me. The manual tells you how to deal with that: Press the tune button on the base once, and the tune button on the headphones once. It worked for me.

At first i was listening to a cd with my router unplugged. However, after plugging up the router (turning it on) the music started getting very choppy. I followed those instructions then the music was coming in smoothly again.

Then i got on my computer and started browsing the internet. I noticed my router signal wasn't at full strength, but as i type now, it is at full strength. I also downloaded a 60MB+ file without interruption, and the speed was fast. All this while still listening to the headphones.

My wireless router is a low-end Belkin Wireless G Router (Model #: F5D7230-4). It's about about 10-12 feet away from the the base for the headphones. For the most part, i sit about 4 feet away from the base. But when i get up an and walk i can go everywhere in my 1 bedroom apt and hear just fine.

A nice feature for me is that i can hook up my ps3 to the base using the digital optical link (wire is included with these headphones) and can hook up my mac mini using an analog y-cable. And on the base, all i need to do is switch which to the one i want to listen to.

If the you're listening to music and it sounds a little dull, switch the Effect slider to Music.

The headphones feel so light on my head.

No regrets. 4.0 Stars. The sounds on these isn't as great as Sony's MDR-CD580 headphones, but it is sufficiently good. I use the equalizers to make the sound better for me. The main problem is getting the base to sound the way i like.

Also seeing as how you have to tune the set inorder to preserve your internet signal from a wireless router, it'd've been great if the set saved those settings.

The audio quality is decent but there are too many drawbacks. I would not recommend these to anyone nor would I buy them again. I would recommend looking for something analog in the 900MHz band. I like Sennheiser's.


The good:

It does exactly what is says on the tin. Sound quality is good although it has obviously exaggerated bass. Optical input and built in digital decoder work great. DSP is good.


The BAD:

* It is prone to all manner of interference and is prone to causing all manner of interference.

* It interferes with my wireless mouse making the movement sporadic at best.

* It interferes heavily with wifi networks.

* Turning on the microwave is like unplugging your headphones. Want to warm up some leftovers while you watch TV? I hope you have a DVR because you aren't going to hear a thing while your food is warming up.

* It gets interference from my neighbors' microwaves.

* The headband stinks. It's a wide rubber band that crushes down your hair and makes your scalp itch.

* Frequently the audio cuts out, the headphones give a small pop and then it beeps in your ears for a few seconds while it reacquires the signal as if you had just put them on. Other times they completely cut out and I have to take them off and put them back on to reset them. Keep in mind I am usually sitting less than 6 feet from the base when it does this.

* Battery life is mediocre. Using the battery pack that comes with the headphones will yield 5-8 hours of audio. That sounds good unless you have past experience with other wireless headphones that could run for days or weeks on a freshly charged pair of batteries. The base station will apparently not attempt to charge third party Ni-MH batteries. I don't know why it won't but perhaps the included battery pack has a chip or something to identify itself. So if you want to use higher capacity rechargeable batteries for longer operation, you'll have to manually swap them out on a regular basis instead of simply putting the headphones on their dock.

* They're so heavy, especially the side with the batteries, that if you lean your head to either side, the lower headphone will drop from your ear and swing freely. If you lay down flat and then sit up, there's a fair chance the headphones will remain on the couch or bed. On the upside I suppose that's better than them squeezing your head hard enough to remain on your head.


I'd like to add that I find all the positively glowing reviews to be highly suspect!


I've now (2010/Aug/04) replaced this Sony garbage with Sennheiser RS 180's.

I bought 2 of these units so me and my wife can watch movies without waking the kids. I am using the digital optical out connections from my sound system and the sound quality is as good as a high quality wired headphone. I have been using for several months with out any issues. The signal is strong and doesn't cut out even when I go to other rooms or even upstairs. The battery lasts through even the longer movies and sound volume is high enough for me (I like it loud). I haven't noticed any interference in any other devices. I would recommend this product.