IdHp.net – Style And Gadget

Sennheiser RS 160 wireless headphones

• Overall Rating No Ratings

By Cliff Joseph (via reghardware.co.uk)

Although Sennheiser does make a few to Bluetooth headsets to keep the mobile phone market happy, it has never been terribly keen on this technology. Indeed, the company has just launched a new range of headphones that use its own ‘Kleer’ wireless protocol.

Sound investment? Sennheiser’s RS 160

We tested the cheapest model in the range, the RS 160, which has a recommended retail price of £140. There are also two other models, the RS 170 and RS 180, which cost £180 and £220 respectively. Expect to pay these sorts of prices too, as we could only find minor discounts on those figures when looking online. Of course, £140 isn’t exactly peanuts, but the RS 160 justified that price and proved to be the best set of wireless headphones we’ve tested so far.

The main claim for the Kleer technology is that – unlike Bluetooth – it provides lossless, uncompressed wireless audio at full CD-quality: 16-bit resolution at 44.1KHz. You can read more about the technology here.

The system consists of a fairly conventional set of on-ear headphones – nicely padded for a comfy fit and good seal over the entire ear – and the separate TR 160 wireless transmitter with a built-in pre-amplifier that you hook up to your audio gear to broadcast the playback.

Sennheiser describes the RS 160 as the ‘transportable’ model in the RS range, as the transmitter can either run from the mains or off two AA batteries, and is small enough to slip into a backpack when you’re travelling away from home. It has a volume control bolster line output levels from various sources such as CD or DVD players, and hooks up with its 3.5mm Stereo jack input.

Connect an audio source to the TR 160 transmitter to broadcast to the headset

Battery life for both the transmitter and headphones are claimed to be ‘up to 24 hours’. We actually got closer to 21 hours when we left them playing overnight, but that’s still pretty good. Sennheiser provides you with two rechargeable AAA batteries for the headphones, and the power supply for the transmitter can be used to recharge the batteries too.

Pairing the headphones to the transmitter was very easy – they both automatically go into ‘enrolment’ mode when they’re turned on and we were listening to our music within seconds of inserting the batteries.

The 2.4GHz MSK transmission signal works at a range of up to 20m

We tried out a selection of audio CDs as well as AAC music from our iTunes library, and we really couldn’t dispute Sennheiser’s claim to providing true CD-quality. The headphones picked out all the textures of the multi-layered harmonies on some old Queen epics, and produced good, strong bass on tracks such as Kylie’s Can’t Get You Out Of My head.

There are separate volume controls on both the headphones and the transmitter, and the maximum volume was fine for our taste although drum ‘n bass aficionados might prefer something a little more ear-splitting. Our only real criticism is that a little distortion does creep in on the bass when you turn the volume right up to max.

Verdict

That minor complaint aside, the RS 160 headphones were a delight to use. They’re not exactly cheap, but the audio quality was the best we’ve heard from any wireless headphones. Bluetooth headphones might be cheaper – and, of course, you can make mobile phone calls with them too – but the Kleer technology used here is definitely superior, and makes the RS 160 the first set of wireless headphones that we would happily use to replace a conventional set of wired headphones when listening to music at home.

A bit pricey, but these wireless headphones are genuinely good enough to replace a conventional set of wired headphones.

Suggested Price: £140

Top incoming search terms for this post