cordless headphones

fatty

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Can anyone suggest a good pair of cordless headphones? They'll mostly be used for watching films but occasionally for music. Also, what about the pros and cons of the Philips HC8580, HC8650 and the HC8850? Any thoughts on comfort too?

I don't really have a budget. Obviously I'd prefer to spend as little as possible but would be willing to go up to about £120 if needed (i.e. if the quality was that much better).

Cheers guys.
 
Why cordless? And all that recharging too! For that price get some HD600 Sennheiser's off ebay with an extension cord it will be a whole lot better. If you must have cordless then the Sennheiser rs range are 'good' or I would say ok but don't stand a chance against corded headphones like Grado's, Senn's, etc. I did have some RS65 I think they were but they are no longer in my collection. When I compared them to some wired phones I realised just how much of the sound I was missing.
 
Thanks for the reply. I'm thinking cordless due to my 8 month old son who has a fascination with wires. Is the sound quality really that bad with them?
 
No it's not that bad ;) You will think it's fine go for the best model you can afford from the sennheiser range.
 
My recommendation is, do not even think about sennheiser RS130, I had them and next day I returned them back to the store :-(, very poor quality, now I know I'm not gonna buy RF headphones.
 
I must admit I cannot think why I would want to buy RF headphones anymore now I have owned them :) I used to sit in the garden with them on while kids played but I brought some of those rock lookalike speakers and they were a lot better. If you must then go along to the store and get some but Senn HD600 with an extension code will be so much better. Any way of running the extension under a rug?
 
It was my experience I had a lot hiss and crips sound :-( Now I own Senn HD595 and I'm
very satisfied .
 
What can I say, I tried Philips cordless headphones (of mine friend, can't remember the model, but quite cheap), and when I only put them over my head slight smile came across my face. They were so rubbish, that my Koss The Plug, let alone Koss Porta Pro (possessed as well), are "million" miles ahead.

Do not go for the cheap model, I would say do not go for wireless, but if You really must, go for something not branded by Philips.

Hope, this helps...
 
philips cordless = hiss like mad

sony 815r cordless = bliss
one charge lasts nearly 24 hours
 
I've only ever tried some Panasonic cordless headphones, they were about £40, and they were also total rubbish...

very hard to tunr in, once tuned in they sounded abysmal with lots of hiss at any volume above "quiet".

Funny thing is they sounded no worse even 40 metres from the base as they did 3 metres away.

I thought they'd be great but they are just bulky and rubbish and a gimmick
 
I have a brand new pair of RS130' in the lounge right now. They arrived this afternoon.

Without a doubt these babies are great compared to efforts ten years ago or even 5 years ago. However its a clear trade between sound quality and freedom to roam.

I've messed about with the levels, channels and antenna positioning and I have to admit that they are getting better. The auto tune function helps and improves the signal quality after 3 minutes of operation. I can get the "hiss" tuned out almost completely. These headphone must appeal to those who hate wire and don't sit still for too long. On that basis buy them - they ARE good enough.

The SRS function is interesting but not brilliant. The switch appears to give a wider sound but theres no noticeable improvements to depth. Rear effects for example don't jump out at me. More "gimmick" than anything else me thinks.

I've tried direct from source and via the amp. In my opinion the amp connection gives the better sound and remains the most flexible in tuning and connectivity to multiple sources ie, CD, DVD, TV, DAB etc.

A quick bit about the base unit. It's ugly. The lights have function both for power on / off and the input signal levels high / low & the SRS indicator is handy. The base unit has it's on power source via a step-down transformer which is small, compact and signal quiet. It will fit among the other plugs in the power board. The other wire is for the source in and comes with a jack adaptor. Again I thought it was ugly but I'm getting used to it now. I've "plumbed" the wire out of sight but the plug on the front fascia is still visible. I wonder if there's a hidden H/P outlet on the back of the amp??? Oh - you can also screw the unit to the wall it the mood takes you!

The fact that I'm in the forum tonight is evidence that I'm not entirely satisfied / convinced of their hi-fi capability.

I also have an older pair of Senns (1990) HD 480 Classics and a pair of the new 600's on hand for comparisons.

The RS130's are beating the old classics. They are more comfortable, louder & better looking . They sound richer, warmer and the bass is well balanced with good treble.

The new 600's are in a league of their own by comparison. Excellent in every way but they tye me to my listening positioning. Theres also a price premium over the RS130's.

The heart says get these while the brain and the wife says get the RS130's.

I have a couple of days to relax, listen and enjoy before having to pack one set up and post them back!

Happy listening.

JJ :)
 
Why don't you try an AKG 506 AFC. Great headphones, nice looking and very long battery life. Initially I bought Sennheiser RS 60 and returned them next day because of interference with TV and in my opinion not so great build quality. No problems with AKG whatsoever, they were a bit dearer though (around 120 EUR imported from Germany).
 
Just got a set of these and am considering whether to keep them.

Initial impressions. Light and comfortable. bulky (you don't really want to see yourself in the mirror). Sound quality is good (as you would expect). I wandered around the house listening to music with no problems. No cracks or pops. All very straight forward and easy to use, auto tuning. So a big recomendation. On the down side, there is hiss. I managed to minimise it by keeping head phone volume down and the signal from the amp up (keep the volume high as poss before compression imput level starts flashing). It reminded me a bit of recording on a tape cassette where you had to accept that there would be hiss and you have to set the iput levels as high as possible before the sound breaks up.

I love the idea of no cord bugging me, listening to music in the garden etc... but the hiss is an issue and I am a bit audio phile.

Must I accept that there will be hiss with all cordless headphones? anyone advise on alternatives I should consider?
 
Decided to return the Sennys. Too much hiss for my sensitive hearing. Got a pair of corded ones for half the price, better sound. Just won't be able to wander about looking like a Cyberman now.
 
:thumbsup:
fatty said:
Can anyone suggest a good pair of cordless headphones? They'll mostly be used for watching films but occasionally for music. Also, what about the pros and cons of the Philips HC8580, HC8650 and the HC8850? Any thoughts on comfort too?

I don't really have a budget. Obviously I'd prefer to spend as little as possible but would be willing to go up to about £120 if needed (i.e. if the quality was that much better).

Cheers guys.

Sennheiser are brand leaders in radio technology so if budget isnt a problem go for the RS140. The model is the most recent in the range and has noise reducion built in. All Sennheiser headphones have 2 year warranty as well.
The RS 130 and RS140 both enclose the ear as well , where as the cheaper RS110 and RS120 only cover the ear.:thumbsup:
 

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