Sennheiser RS 130 Wireless Surround Sound Headphones
by Sennheiser
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Our Price: $205.00 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: CE See more product details |
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Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Sennheiser RS 130 Wireless Surround Sound Headphones
Customer Review: Great Cans/marrage savers
Summary: 5 Stars
I recently purchased the sennheiser 130 model. Let me first start by saying that I am 46 years old and suffer from tinnitus in both ears. In my case my Tinnitus is accompanied by hearing loss. The reason I wanted a set of wireless headphones is that I did not want to disturb my wife in the early morning or if I am up late watching TV. I wanted wireless because I didn't want a cord of 25-50 feet and wanted the freedom to move around the apartment (this ruled all line of sight headsets out). I read all the reviews on this unit as well as the 140's and I was also considering the AR (acoustic research) model as well. In fact a few years ago I bought the AR's from Best Buy for my mother in law who as far as I know enjoys them. You may be asking why if I bought my mother in law the Ar's (acoustic research) why I didn't buy those for myself? The current reviews on those headphones were not that positive and there seems to be a lot of issues with the charging of the batteries. One review I read somewhere even said the headset melted in the charging cradle!
After I purchased the 130's from Amazon I did have a bit of buyers remorse because I felt because of my hearing loss maybe I should have bought the 140s. The reason I bought the 130's over the 140's was price. I had some gift certificates and I really didn't want to spend a lot on a set of headphones. With my gift certificates the cost for the 130's came out to be $30 bucks versus $89 if I bought the 140s. I felt if I really didn't like them I could always try to return them (see return section of my review)
Open ear design:
Let me first discuss the open ear design, you will either like it or hate it no real in betweens here. With the open ear system other people can hear what you are listening to especially if it is set loud, which depending on your hearing loss may or may not be an issue. It may also be a distraction for others in the room if they need complete quite to read and you are listing to them really loud. For me it really isn't since most of the time no one is in the room when I am using them. I was able to hear my wife in the kitchen one evening washing dishes and talking on the phone, so it doesn't block out background noise, if that is an issue to you then consider the 140's. Even with a closed system I don't know how much noise it will really block (dogs barking, fire trucks, neighbors, dishes, kids playing, etc). I think you would really need noise canceling headphones for that which I don't believe the 140's are.
Set up:
Very easy to set up. First you charge it up for 16 hours as instructed in the manual and then connected the audio connections and hook the power up to the power strip. I have the audio connected via my cable box rather then the TV connections. The reason I did this was some people had said that if they have it connected to the TV and turn on the headphones the TV volume turns off. I haven't tried it the other way yet to find out if this is true. The written Manuel is very poor and frankly not worth the paper it is written on. My only complaint about the base unit is I wish that it had an on off switch for the base unit power. This way I could keep the unit off and not continue to charge the headset after it has a full charge. The unit will continue to charge when the headset is placed on top of the base and it has power. I would rather have it discharge fully before recharging.
Sound:
I think the sound quality is very good, some people say in their reviews that the surround sound feature doesn't work. I tried it and when watching a TV show I could hear dialog in one of the ears and the street noise of the scene in the other so I think it does work. If you have the 140's there is also supposed to be a dialog enhancer and you can control the level of each the volume on each side of the headset, which if the price was lower on the 140's would make it much more worth while for me. Also. I read one review that said the 130's sound was "muddied" I really didn't find the sound to be bad at all, in fact I heard some things in the background that I would have missed if I wasn't using headphones, but with a closed system like the 140's you will probably get a deeper sound. Even without the dialog enhancer I have not had a problem hearing the dialog in a movie, at times you might have to turn the volume up but it really hasn't been an issue for me.
I have even used these when my wife and I were both watching TV. My wife likes to watch at low volume (she doesn't have a hearing loss problem) and I had the headset on. I don't recommend this because to me it sounded like you are in a tunnel since you hear the sound in the headset as well as through the headset. If you are buying these with that function in mind you might be better off with a closed system like the 140's.
Hiss
I have it hooked up to my cable box audio connections and I really have not noticed any hiss, I did notice some distortion one day but I just changed the channel on the headset and that cleared it up. But again please remember I have a hearing loss and tinnitus, so I constantly have a ringing in my ears.
Range
I live in an apartment it close to 1,000 square feet. I can go anywhere in my apartment with the headset on with no problem. I have also walked out of my unit to the laundry room down the hall and again no distortion in the sound.
Comfort
I have no complaints they are very comfortable. I have no problem keeping these things on for a couple of hours while I watch a show or movie. Some people have also complained about the switch locations being in the back. I agree with that complaint. This is an awkward location, it would have been better if these were on the sides of the headphones or the front, but when I leaned back in my recliner it hasn't turned off the set yet or changed the volume but I can see this happening. I just tilt the headset a bit so that these controls are not hitting the back of the pillow. I think it really is the only downside to these headphones but it's no different on the 140's.
Return policy
It seems most of these units are not sold by Amazon directly, so read the return policy carefully before you buy. Amazon may be listing this item but not selling them but only
Customer Review: My DAD loves these headphones .. they've SAVED HIS MARRIAGE !!!
Summary: 5 Stars
MY Dad just made one of those once in a lifetime
purchases. He also somehow managed to detour on his
trip to Home Depot and managed to find himself
in his local electronics store ..
Well ... No one was more surprised when he pulled
up the family van with a tub-sized, plasma
Flat screen tv.
Dad spent 4 grand on this new family heirloom
... and .. well .. we all certainly
have to admit ... the picture is awesome
and the sound is exceptionally .. well ...
LOUD .......
And not everyone is as excited about Dad's
purchase ...
My Stepmother wants to toss my dad and his new toy
out the door ...
She said the so-called surround sound is
shattering her ear drums and also cutting in
on her lengthy all day phone conversations to
her relatives in Nicaragua ...
but my dad is filled with childlike
enthusiasm with the High Def broadcasts and
being able to hear each chirp on the Discovery channel!!!!!
To help keep stability in the family and another
family court case off the docket... I picked
up a pair of the Sennheiser RS 130 headphones
for my dad ...
Sennheiser has come a long way from my early
pair which was static-ky and you
had to manually remove the battery every 2
hours to recharge it.
And these babies have a special feature which
retain the explosive, room-filling, surround
sound quality.
For example:
My dad clicked over to the high def station...
with the Sean Connery / Alec Baldwin
submarine flick - Red October - on,
and IT WAS AMAZING ...it was so real ..
you could hear the subtle 'gurgling' of the
underwater current against the submarine's
hull that even the expensive flat panel
speakers built into the tv could not enunciate ....
So real in fact was the sound ...that I
had to check to see if the LAZY BOY I was
sitting .. whether if a pipe was gushing
up from the basement beneath me.
And DAD COULD RAISE THE VOLUME ON THE
HEADPHONES AS LOUD AS HE LIKED .. while
the Flat panel speakers were set at low.
I have to admit ... I'm VERY IMPRESSED ..
And I have a sneaking suspicion that I'll
be moseying over to my local electronics
store for a pair for myself.
Some people may not appreciate these head
phones ... as with all consumer products ...
Some people just have pedigree ears ...
And I have to admit ...I may have subjected
my ears to one ear-deafening,blaring amplifier
blast too many ... and just one to many, hang
on to your seats,too close for comfort,
I have the best seats in the place ... ..
Rock Concerts in my time ...
But I like em'.
For the money ... they're a 5-thumber UP !
And you are certainly not going to be able
to tell from a review unless you give em'
a try ...
Some people just like caviar and find them
an elegant treat ... while others just think ..
hey ... they're just smelly fish eggs ...
Let your ears be your judge.
As always ... it is ...
Just my two cents worth.
John Petrocelli
The New York Hypnosis Center
Customer Review: Watch out for the negative reviews!
Summary: 5 Stars
I've used my RS-130 for a month now and have no bad issues for this wireless headphone. I was a bit concerned about some of the negative comments posted here by a few, but after reading the "Lengthy" review given by one reviewer, I went ahead with the RS-130 based on that review.
I'm NOT disappointed! This reviewer was on target and accurate. The issue of "annoying beeps" is a bit ?retentive! The beeps can be deactivated in 2 seconds, and they are definitely informative.
The range IS NOT as advertised! I wall mounted my unit about 6 feet high on a wall after I placed it 2 inches from a media center USB drive and fried the 750 Gig WD drives firmware... Expensive lesson. Keep this wireless transmitter away from external USB drives! My range indoors on ground level separated by a kitchen full of metal appliances, a 10 inch concrete wall, a living room, bathroom, bedroom and Master bathroom (about 40 feet) is OK, but I must be in the right orientation. Anything less works without issue.
I READ the instructions on how to setup the sound level to the base! Leave the "SRS" switch off for this, otherwise it is difficult to determine if you are overdriving the input. Again, those posters with issues about this should have bothered to read the setup instructions.
The question about RS-130 VS RS-140 is pretty simple. Open ear Vs closed ear! If you want to hear surrounding sounds, go with the open ear RS-130. The 140 is a closed ear design and quiets surrounding sounds more than the 130.
Sound quality: This IS NOT an Audiophile quality headset! Period. The sound quality delivered via TV broadcast even in Digital Satellite quality is not very good! I would NEVER buy any wireless headset expecting Audiophile quality performance from TV broadcast sound. TV broadcast + $1000,00 Audiophile headset = stupid.
The TV sound via this wireless headset is Very Good! No hiss, no static, no popping, and a very occasional click that's BARELY noticeable rarely. I use mine regularly at 30 feet out. I'm pleased with this decision.
Sound quality from DVD or Sirius Sat. Radio: Excellent! But not Audiophile quality. If your used to listening to MP3's or whatever on < $50.00 ear buds you'll find this wireless headset very nice. Don't even try to compare this headphone to a wired "Sure" > $400 set of ear buds! (Or anything else)
Wireless headsets are task specific. The key feature is wireless, private listening! As such, the RS-130 does an outstanding job!
This is a rather large headset! If your a small person, < 110 Lbs or so, you may find this headset doesn't fit you snugly. It fits me really well extended to it's limit! (6'5, 290 Lbs. I wear an extra large hat.)
Con: The advertising on range needs to be more realistic and damages the Sennhaiser name. Line of sight outdoors, maybe... Who lives outdoors in a field? My house is 50' x 50' and it works from corner to corner indoors (See above)
Ignore the audiophile critiques about less than quality performance. They're comparing a $30,000 car to an $80,000+ Audi A8.
Customer Review: Remarkable Sound Reproduction
Summary: 5 Stars
Having had previous experience with Sennheiser products with excellent results I came to the RS 130s with high expectations. As expected the 130s did not disappoint.
The package arrived and the attention to detail became evident with opening the box. The headset is a tad bulky but the weight gives the feeling of sturdiness. Following the directions for the battery install was a breeze and I was up and running in just under 15 minutes. I was expecting to go 30 to 35. Once I put them on my head the phones were comfortable albeit a little warm after 30 minutes or so. The warmth was from the lack of air movement not from the electronics. Wearing them for full-length features has not been a problem. To wear them properly the controls end up on the back side of the head which has caused me to inadvertently turn the volume up and down when I kick back with my head against the couch. On one occasion it caused the phones to surf channels. You can reverse the phones without discomfort if that becomes bothersome.
I purchased these phones so I could stay up late Fridays watching war movies while the wonderful wife is asleep. In that department the RS 130s have been a real marriage saver! I can walk anywhere in the house with the volume cranked and she never hears a thing. I can even write reviews on Amazon while listening to the TV in the other room late at night.
The sound reproduction is excellent. Especially for a wireless headset. With the exception of an occasional hiss when I open the refrigerator, I'd never know I was not wired. I was very impressed with the sound quality and there is no noticeable distortion even at the highest volume setting. I have mixed feelings concerning the surround sound. It seems great on some shows and just so so on others. On one occasion while viewing TV and the surround enabled there was a noticeable buzz after each spoken word. The surround seems to work best while viewing Blu-Ray quality movies. I have not listened to a lot of music with the RS 130s as that is not why I purchased them, but given the reproduction with movies and TV I feel most would appreciate the quality.
The features on this set include 3 channel manual or auto-tuning signal, 330 ft. range, automatic level control, surround sound mode, and auto recharge with trickle charge. The phones come with a 2 year factory warranty. It should be noted that my research found these phones available in 864 MHz for a longer range (150M) or 926 MHz for a shorter range(100m). The phones sold by Amazon are the 926 MHz version so you can expect the range to be under 100 meters. I found excellent sound even outside the house and up to about 50 feet away before there was hiss that would interfere with listening.
Overall these are excellent phones for watching TV or movies without the hassle of being corded. They provide outstanding value and I feel they are well worth the money.
Customer Review: Everything I Expected
Summary: 5 Stars
I've owned a set of Sennheiser HD-540's for several years and have always loved them. I never considered wireless 'phones, because the quality just wasn't up to snuff. I live in an apartment though, and stay up late at times, and don't like to offend my neighbors. Add in that I have a cat that likes to attack my headphone cord, and I have a reason to use wireless.
So, I read up on the various models available. It came down to the 130's and 140's, but I've always liked open-air cans, so I opted for the 130's.
I'm quite impressed at how far wireless 'phones have come. No, they aren't perfect. You occasionally get interference if you move around a lot, or go around a corner, but that's not what I use them for. I plant on my couch at night and play PS3 games. For this purpose they're outstanding.
I've been playing a lot of Fallout 3 lately, and even though I have a very good home theater system (I used to work in hi-fi), there are some things you pick up on head phones that you just never hear when listening to speakers. Yes, you lose the surround sound (I'm ignoring the pseudo-surround, SRS function of these, because I haven't heard a two speaker surround yet that sounds realistic), but you gain minute details, so it's a fair trade-off.
How do they sound? Well, they've got plenty of output capability. Gunfire on a video game could destroy your ears if you aren't careful! They have good balance. They are a little lacking in bass, but I expected as much from a battery powered headphone. Bass requires current. Little batteries can't provide much current. The mid-bass sounds fine though, and I respect the fact that Sennheiser opted for accuracy there instead of pumping it up to hide what's lacking in the low bass. Don't get me wrong, they have bass. It just lacks that visceral impact you get from a great speaker or subwoofer. The midrange is pleasant and voices sound natural. The high end is good, but not as airy or detailed as my 540's. I honestly expected a lot less from the treble. I expected a severe roll-off, like FM radio compared to compact disc, but that wasn't the case. There actually is a high end.
I have also listened to music on these. It sounds good, but it won't trick you into thinking you're listening to a $300 pair of corded 'phones. You're not. I paid $105 for these, which is about half what I paid for my 540's. They offer similar sound, but not the same sound. I prefer my 540's for music, so if I'm going to do some serious listening I opt for the corded 'phones.
If you're an audiophile, these won't meet your needs. People that think MP3 audio sounds good will probably think these are excellent. So, if you're a little less critical, and you want some freedom, they will get the job done.