Wireless Headphones

Shawn

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Hey guys, I'm looking for a pair of cheapish headphones sans fils.

I don't wanna spend much over $100, but I also don't require the highest audio quality. It's gonna be hooked up to a PC so it won't get the highest quality audio fed to it, but I still want something decent (maybe akin to my Shure E2c earbuds).

Any recommendations? I'm up very late and I'd like to be able to pump my audio/video without disturbing my other 140 neighbours... also wanna watch porn without alarming them, if I'm honest. :p
 
Sennheiser RS130


they are around $140 or so, a little bit out of your price bracket, but its really worth it.
 
Thishttp://www.jr.com/JRProductPage.process?Product=4063261 if you don't have a Bluetooth adapter it comes with an audio-to-bluetooth. If you do it will also control your playback from the headphones. One nice feature is that they can pair to your cell phone at the same time and they will mute (and pause*) w/e is playing so you can asnwer.

*Not sure if it would pause the PC I only tested it with playing music from my cellphone.
 
If I'm paying over $100 I'd go for Sennheiser... Plantronics reminds me of computer headsets.

The SR130 is actually only $115 on Amazon... but I read because it works on RF, if you put the base near your computer it will cause interference. Is this true? Because that would be an obvious problem given I want to use it with my HTPC. :D
 
If I'm paying over $100 I'd go for Sennheiser... Plantronics reminds me of computer headsets.

The SR130 is actually only $115 on Amazon... but I read because it works on RF, if you put the base near your computer it will cause interference. Is this true? Because that would be an obvious problem given I want to use it with my HTPC. :D

Haven't used those, not sure that RF is the way to go, unless it's digital RF. There might be a bit too much interference with it. The Plantronics ones while nice if you are using them with the stereo-to-BT adapter will have lag, not very good for movies :)

Better price for them http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826106067

If you already have a BT adapter http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16875978010

Here is another one, also requires to have a BT adapter. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16875978056

Not sure of the latter, I can vouch for the former since I've used them :)

Also I suggest browsing www.newegg.com in general they have good stuff and user reviews.
 
So I bought a pair of Sennhesiers... and they sound like absolute shit. They're so bad that I feel embarrassed I even bought them.

First of all, they feel very cheaply built for a pair of headphones costing $200. Second, you either get very low volume and no hiss, or higher volume with lots of hiss and crackling sounds.

If I tune it so there's no hiss, the volume is so low it's almost inaudible. If I tune it properly, then the hissing and bopping is way too distracting.

Seeing as how Sennheiser are supposed to be a reputable brand, maybe wireless headphones are just shit. I knew they wouldn't be as good as wired ones, but I wasn't expecting this either.

So... what should I do? Do they make wired headphones with long wires, like 6 feet or longer?
 
Seeing as how Sennheiser are supposed to be a reputable brand, maybe wireless headphones are just shit.

Pretty much. Wireless headphones suffer greatly from interference.

As far as long cords go, none of the Sonys linked are really good headphones. My recommendation is the AKG 240 Studios because 1) they sound awesome, and 2) the headphone cable is detachable via mini-XLR plug, thus you can just build cables the length(s) you want and swap them out for whatever length you need at the moment. The stock cable is pretty long to begin with. Also, building custom cables is easy.
 
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^ Is there a reason they haven't made any advances in wireless headphones? Or are those Bluetooth devices linked above it?

Anyway, now that I think about it a wired headphone wouldn't really solve my problem. I want to be able to wear them around my tiny apartment and listen to music. A wired headphone with a long cord would allow me to listen to the computer from my couch, but that's about it.
 
Bluetooth is indeed a better transfer device, but if I'm not mistaken the range is rather limited. (~33 feet). Also, your device has to be set up for Bluetooth audio integration. It's more or less designed for cellphone MP3 players.

I'm kinda surprised that you're having such a bad experience with your Senns, wireless cans can't match the sound quality of wired ones but they shouldn't be unlistenable. I would re-read the manual, walk through setup and if the problems persist have the unit replaced. You could just have a dud.

If that fails, try out the AKG k506 AFC's, this review sounded quite positive. Can't say I've tried them myself.

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f4/my-new-wireless-akg-k506-afc-arrived-54167/
 
^ Thanks for the help BCS.

I'm not sure why the sound is this bad. But it's plugged into a PC, right beside an LCD TV, and I haver a wireless internet router about 10 feet away (different room). Also, I live right in the middle of the city in a highrise right between 50 other highrises. Maybe one of these is the reason I'm getting interference?

I stayed away from Bluetooth indeed becasue I got the feeling they were all geared for cell phone use and would give me a hard time pairing/using it on the computer.

I dunno, haven't decided what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna return the $189 RS-126s anyway, since the RS-130 is only $115 in the States. :blink:
 
Those devices shouldn't theoretically interfere, most consumer devices use the 900MHz/2.4GHz band. RF headphones are in the area of 250MHz and thus are pretty far from that spectrum. Standing beside a large power line might do it, but normal city multiband interference shouldn't cause the problems you're describing. When you take back the headphones, ask if you can test them in the store against another set and see if they still act funky.
 
^ Hmm, I thought the Sennhesiers worked on 2.4GHz?

Anyway, I found the channel select switch at the bottom and that kinda decreases the hissing. But I still don't think the volume is very high... maybe if I could make the volume higher, I wouldn't notice the hissing so much.

Are there any tools for Windows that let you boost your volume beyound what the volume control panel allows? Because I max all my volume settings and still don't get decent sound.
 
Well, you are using onboard sound on your PC? Onboard sound is notorious for picking up extra hiss and various sounds from your PC.

http://www.google.com/search?q=pc+onboard+sound+noise&btnG=Search

And even on this forum:
http://forums.finalgear.com/technology/onboard-sound-speaker-issues-25942/

This would especially be more likely if you have the sound turned cranked up all the way on your PC.

You may not have noticed it with cheaper headphones/speakers because the nicer Sennhesiers are able to deliver a greater frequency range of sound, which therefore would reveal more of the unwanted sound that wasn't as evident with cheaper headphones with a more limited frequency range.

So I wouldn't be so quick to blame it on the headphones. You may want to invest in a better sound card, and if it doesn't remedy the problem, just return it and you won't lose out on any cash if it wasn't the issue.
 
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^ You broken record you, Jeffy!!

I'm kidding, that's quite possible. But to be honest it doesn't seem like interference from the sound card, because it changes as I move about the house, while the base sits beside the computer.

They actually sound quite rich once you get past the hissing issue, and the concept of having them on as I roam about my errands is as sweet as I thought it would be. If I find a way to boost my volume a little bit, I might just return these and order them from the US so I save like $70 and get the model with auto tuning.
 
Ahhh, if it changes when you move around the house, then yeah it's probably not your sound card, or lack thereof, hehe :D

But if it were more of a constant hiss/hum/crackle, I'd try getting a better sound card. Then like I said, just return it if it doesn't solve the problem.
 
^ Thanks for the help BCS.

I'm not sure why the sound is this bad. But it's plugged into a PC, right beside an LCD TV, and I haver a wireless internet router about 10 feet away (different room). Also, I live right in the middle of the city in a highrise right between 50 other highrises. Maybe one of these is the reason I'm getting interference?

I stayed away from Bluetooth indeed becasue I got the feeling they were all geared for cell phone use and would give me a hard time pairing/using it on the computer.

I dunno, haven't decided what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna return the $189 RS-126s anyway, since the RS-130 is only $115 in the States. :blink:
The ones I linked you to pair pretty well with PC's, no harder than cell phones. Unless of course you are using Linux in which case it's a bit of a PITA :)

I like your "get it from the US" plan ;)

Also did you post on Ubuntu forums with the same question? I just logged in there and there was someone with a nearly exact question :)
 
^ No, I'm not using Ubuntu.

I'll look into those Bluetooth headsets. My computer doesn't have Bluetooth though... do they come with one?
 
The first one I linked you to comes with a bluetooth adapter that can be plugged into the headphones jack on your box. There is an issue with slight lag (about .5 seconds) between the sound and picture using it. If you can live with that, it'll work for you.

If not you could try these along with this (or any other adapter that support A2DP)

The sound and build quality is pretty good and direct bluetooth connection would take care of the lag issue. In my apartment it seems to work pretty well, works in every room including parts where my cell phone reception is pretty bad.

Also I would suggest browsing newegg.com and jr.com to see if you can find some others. Not sure about jr but newegg has user reviews so you can see what people think about it :)
 
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