These truly are great wireless phones, particularly for those who live in open plan dwellings away from 2.4Ghz congestion. They play a game of big compromises, and you will see many negative reviews out there. That's all fine, but the sound quality does justify it in my view. Here's the Sennheiser official line on the matter:
The RS 220 do not operate on Wifi. They use a technology which is similar to bluetooth. It operates in the same frequency range (2.4 GHz) as wifi and bluetooth devices.
As there are many devices that operate in this range (like wifi, bluetooth, wireless keyboards, smart meters, etc. etc.) this spectrum can become quite crowded. All devices that operate in this spectrum have to be self power regulating to ensure they do not cause interference in other devices.
The RS 220 offers completely uncompressed audio, which gives the highest audio quality. However, to do this it occupies quite a lot of the 2.4GHz spectrum. This means it's chance of interference is much greater, so it often ends up on fairly low power, which reduces the useable range.
With all wireless devices there is always a trade off between operating range, spectrum use and audio quality... usually all three are not possible to the highest requirements, so there has to be some compromise. The RS 220 were discontinued some time ago, and the newer range (RS 175, RS 185, RS 195) all have an improved range, and although they do use compression on the audio, the quality is still very good.
If you require a pair of headphones with a very good range, then the RS 220 is maybe not the best choice of headphones for you. However, if the best audio quality is the driving factor, then maybe some things can be done to improve the range:
The RS 220 do not operate on Wifi. They use a technology which is similar to bluetooth. It operates in the same frequency range (2.4 GHz) as wifi and bluetooth devices.
As there are many devices that operate in this range (like wifi, bluetooth, wireless keyboards, smart meters, etc. etc.) this spectrum can become quite crowded. All devices that operate in this spectrum have to be self power regulating to ensure they do not cause interference in other devices.
The RS 220 offers completely uncompressed audio, which gives the highest audio quality. However, to do this it occupies quite a lot of the 2.4GHz spectrum. This means it's chance of interference is much greater, so it often ends up on fairly low power, which reduces the useable range.
With all wireless devices there is always a trade off between operating range, spectrum use and audio quality... usually all three are not possible to the highest requirements, so there has to be some compromise. The RS 220 were discontinued some time ago, and the newer range (RS 175, RS 185, RS 195) all have an improved range, and although they do use compression on the audio, the quality is still very good.
If you require a pair of headphones with a very good range, then the RS 220 is maybe not the best choice of headphones for you. However, if the best audio quality is the driving factor, then maybe some things can be done to improve the range:
- Make sure that the transmitter is not located too close to other wireless devices.
- Keep the transmitter up on a high shelf. This improves the 'line-of-sight' to the headphones, which improves range
- Keep the transmitter clear of metal objects and other cables
- Position the transmitter closer to your normal listening position