Hammy
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Sennheiser RS 165, RS 175, RS 185, RS 195 - Impressions thread
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Snowflake2
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...and I'm another newbie but have been finding this forum very informative in helping me to choose my first pair of wireless headphones.
I've been at the point of choosing either an RS 175 or RS 185 but now realise that one of each would best meet my
needs; both open and closed earphones would be good at different times. I will be using them mainly for music but also TV and live with my family.
I gather that it's possible to put 185 ear pads on HDR 175 and with TR 175 resulting in a more open sound but with increased sound leakage. My query is would the opposite be true: if I were to use the HDR 175 with the RS 185, would that produce a more closed sound and with less sound leakage. This would be appreciated when the rest of the family need some quiet.
Is it the case that the headphone can influences both both the open/closed quality of sound as well as the amount of ambient sound in the
surroundings.
Many thanks, Rosmadi Mahmood, if you have the time to reply.
I've been at the point of choosing either an RS 175 or RS 185 but now realise that one of each would best meet my
needs; both open and closed earphones would be good at different times. I will be using them mainly for music but also TV and live with my family.I gather that it's possible to put 185 ear pads on HDR 175 and with TR 175 resulting in a more open sound but with increased sound leakage. My query is would the opposite be true: if I were to use the HDR 175 with the RS 185, would that produce a more closed sound and with less sound leakage. This would be appreciated when the rest of the family need some quiet.
Is it the case that the headphone can influences both both the open/closed quality of sound as well as the amount of ambient sound in the
surroundings.
Many thanks, Rosmadi Mahmood, if you have the time to reply.
oz10426
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Hi I had my RS175 during Christmas and ordered ear pads from 185. I didn't try your strategy for the opposite way (good thinking!), but a few things can share with you:
1. use 185 ear pads do make more comfortable, but lose a bit base and resulting acceptable open sound if you just sit beside with 1M
2. I don't feel virtual surroundings make much different, there are 2 value you can set either "High" or "Low", I always set "High" with base if using 185 ear pads
3. Wear the earphone is a bit warm in summer or in the room without AC
4. If you get frequent signal drop off when you watch HD videos, you need to adjust your wifi router to different channel. This seems a known issue for current RS models, I found the solution through Amazon reviews and also helped from @swire
5. Expecting some power noise when connect with 3.55mm cable
I may talked some down points when I am using them, but overall it still a good headphone!
1. use 185 ear pads do make more comfortable, but lose a bit base and resulting acceptable open sound if you just sit beside with 1M
2. I don't feel virtual surroundings make much different, there are 2 value you can set either "High" or "Low", I always set "High" with base if using 185 ear pads
3. Wear the earphone is a bit warm in summer or in the room without AC
4. If you get frequent signal drop off when you watch HD videos, you need to adjust your wifi router to different channel. This seems a known issue for current RS models, I found the solution through Amazon reviews and also helped from @swire
5. Expecting some power noise when connect with 3.55mm cable
I may talked some down points when I am using them, but overall it still a good headphone!
...and I'm another newbie but have been finding this forum very informative in helping me to choose my first pair of wireless headphones.
I've been at the point of choosing either an RS 175 or RS 185 but now realise that one of each would best meet my
I gather that it's possible to put 185 ear pads on HDR 175 and with TR 175 resulting in a more open sound but with increased sound leakage. My query is would the opposite be true: if I were to use the HDR 175 with the RS 185, would that produce a more closed sound and with less sound leakage. This would be appreciated when the rest of the family need some quiet.
Is it the case that the headphone can influences both both the open/closed quality of sound as well as the amount of ambient sound in the
surroundings.
Many thanks, Rosmadi Mahmood, if you have the time to reply.
Hi @Snowflake2,
Yes, you are correct. It's true that putting the RS 185 earpads on HDR 175 (with TR 175) will result in increased sound leakage and loss of bass; while the HDR 175 and RS 185 combi will lead to a more closed sound with less leakage.
All in all, both RS 175 and RS 185 are different products hence you may choose to use them in different environments
Snowflake2
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Thank you for your replies. It has helped me to make a decision and I'm looking forward to joining you in wireless freedom. 
footplate
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Hi
I have just bought the RS 185 wireless headphones as an upgrade for my previous wireless headphones (PX 210 BTs). There doesn't seem to be much commentary around for these headphones, so I thought I would document my initial impressions.
Two declarations up front:
1. I have big ears. They say ears keep growing as one gets older, and I am certainly not young
2. I am a cool dude, and like to move around while I listen to music (which means cables can be annoying, and dangerous).
With this latest purchase, of the Sennheiser RS 185s, I hoped to finally find a set of cordless phones with sound quality close enough to my much loved HD 600s to allow me to be cord free without feeling like I am missing out on too much.
BATTERY: Just as the manual predicted, the initial charge (up until the battery indicator went green) took just under 16 hours.
COMFORT: When I first placed the phones on my head, I found the RS 185s to be quite comfortable, and this opinion did not change after a lengthy session, with 12 hours of almost continual listening. Certainly they are not vice like, as has been reported else where. They are not even as clampy as my HD 600s were when I first got them. I would rate them as slightly more comfortable than the HD 598s (which I also own, and which tend to annoy my big ears after extended listening). However, they are not as comfortable as the HD 600s, which have bigger earpads.
DESIGN: Well thought out, although cosmetically a little unexciting. I like that when you put the phones back on the cradle they automatically turn off and start charging. I find the headset based power, balance and volume controls easy to use, although I miss the additional functionality that my Bluetooth PX 210 have - the pause, and skip functions.
SOUND QUALITY: I will be using the new headphones for mainly music listening, and was initially quite disappointed with the sound quality, but decided to delay judgement to allow a little driver 'burn in'. I have read that the 185s have less emphasised bass than the 175s, however to my ears the bass is STILL overly prominent. This tends to muddy the rest of the frequency range, and the vocals seem to be a bit distant. Having said that, with a little judicious equalisation I have been able to tailor the sound to my preference. After 20 hours or so of listening I still find them to not be in the same ball park as my HD 600s, but I am quite enjoying them. They are a definite upgrade from the closed back PX 210 BTs.
CONVENIENCE: No wires !!! I can roam all over my two story house without dropouts (although if I step outside I loose signal). Gotta love that !
SUMMING UP.
I think the RS 185s and I are going to be very good friends. Although not up to my best headphones in terms of sound quality, they are quite enjoyable, and their wireless convenience will probably mean I will select them in preference to the HD 600s for all but the most serious listening sessions.
I have just bought the RS 185 wireless headphones as an upgrade for my previous wireless headphones (PX 210 BTs). There doesn't seem to be much commentary around for these headphones, so I thought I would document my initial impressions.
Two declarations up front:
1. I have big ears. They say ears keep growing as one gets older, and I am certainly not young
2. I am a cool dude, and like to move around while I listen to music (which means cables can be annoying, and dangerous).
With this latest purchase, of the Sennheiser RS 185s, I hoped to finally find a set of cordless phones with sound quality close enough to my much loved HD 600s to allow me to be cord free without feeling like I am missing out on too much.
BATTERY: Just as the manual predicted, the initial charge (up until the battery indicator went green) took just under 16 hours.
COMFORT: When I first placed the phones on my head, I found the RS 185s to be quite comfortable, and this opinion did not change after a lengthy session, with 12 hours of almost continual listening. Certainly they are not vice like, as has been reported else where. They are not even as clampy as my HD 600s were when I first got them. I would rate them as slightly more comfortable than the HD 598s (which I also own, and which tend to annoy my big ears after extended listening). However, they are not as comfortable as the HD 600s, which have bigger earpads.
DESIGN: Well thought out, although cosmetically a little unexciting. I like that when you put the phones back on the cradle they automatically turn off and start charging. I find the headset based power, balance and volume controls easy to use, although I miss the additional functionality that my Bluetooth PX 210 have - the pause, and skip functions.
SOUND QUALITY: I will be using the new headphones for mainly music listening, and was initially quite disappointed with the sound quality, but decided to delay judgement to allow a little driver 'burn in'. I have read that the 185s have less emphasised bass than the 175s, however to my ears the bass is STILL overly prominent. This tends to muddy the rest of the frequency range, and the vocals seem to be a bit distant. Having said that, with a little judicious equalisation I have been able to tailor the sound to my preference. After 20 hours or so of listening I still find them to not be in the same ball park as my HD 600s, but I am quite enjoying them. They are a definite upgrade from the closed back PX 210 BTs.
CONVENIENCE: No wires !!! I can roam all over my two story house without dropouts (although if I step outside I loose signal). Gotta love that !
SUMMING UP.
I think the RS 185s and I are going to be very good friends. Although not up to my best headphones in terms of sound quality, they are quite enjoyable, and their wireless convenience will probably mean I will select them in preference to the HD 600s for all but the most serious listening sessions.
Congrats on your purchase, @footplate! The RS 185 is definitely an upgrade to the PX 210 BT. Enjoy!
xRei
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It's been about a year since my last headphone purchase (Senn Urbanite for on-the-go use), and I'm thinking of getting new ones yet again.
In addition to the one I got last year, I also own a Sennheiser RS180 (currently main headphones) and a Sennheiser RS160 (can't remember the last time I put these on), and later on from a kickstarter, Kakoon headphones (sleep science headphones, able to lay in bed use), also Sennheiser CX880 (in-ears, which I find I rarely use).
Also for DACs have a Fiio E7 (haven't used for a long while, still sorta working I guess), Sound Blaster Zx (in-case soundcard), Musiland Monitor2 Dragon.
After looking around once again, noticing I have yet to own a good pair of wired headphones, and lowering the budget after pre-ordering the Oculus Rift, at this point I'm torn between going for the Massdrop AKG K7xx or the Sennheiser RS185.
As in really well regarded in quality to price (not regarded in build quality though) wired K7xx ($200, +$20 if I care to upgrade audio cable) vs the final evolution of the path of high-grade wireless headphones that I've apparently been on ($280).
Anyone have any input about which I should go for?
Also is there any explanation in the large drop in prices for the RS185 in recent times? It's $280 right now from a reputable seller, and not too long ago, maybe 2-4 months, when I last checked it was $400, and if I remember correctly, they came out for $600 when they launched less than a year ago.
In addition to the one I got last year, I also own a Sennheiser RS180 (currently main headphones) and a Sennheiser RS160 (can't remember the last time I put these on), and later on from a kickstarter, Kakoon headphones (sleep science headphones, able to lay in bed use), also Sennheiser CX880 (in-ears, which I find I rarely use).
Also for DACs have a Fiio E7 (haven't used for a long while, still sorta working I guess), Sound Blaster Zx (in-case soundcard), Musiland Monitor2 Dragon.
After looking around once again, noticing I have yet to own a good pair of wired headphones, and lowering the budget after pre-ordering the Oculus Rift, at this point I'm torn between going for the Massdrop AKG K7xx or the Sennheiser RS185.
As in really well regarded in quality to price (not regarded in build quality though) wired K7xx ($200, +$20 if I care to upgrade audio cable) vs the final evolution of the path of high-grade wireless headphones that I've apparently been on ($280).
Anyone have any input about which I should go for?
Also is there any explanation in the large drop in prices for the RS185 in recent times? It's $280 right now from a reputable seller, and not too long ago, maybe 2-4 months, when I last checked it was $400, and if I remember correctly, they came out for $600 when they launched less than a year ago.
Gary Pond
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I bought a pair of RS175s on a killer Thanksgiving weekend deal but returned them due to clammy and clamping feel the headphones gave me. I can imagine switching to the 185 pads would alleviate the clammy feeling but is there also less clamping pressure with the new pads? I listen to the TV for hours and cannot stand much clamping pressure over the upper part of my jaw.
PaulMW
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Hi
I've just this afternoon gotten myself a pair of RS185s secondhand at quite a reasonable price here in Aotearoa/NZ.
Have had a pair of HD650s for a few years which I use as something of a "standard" - ie a pair to compare other cans against - and to judge changes in speakers etc etc.
The person I bought those (the 650s) from had stopped using them after he'd bought himself a pair of RS180s - much as I have eventually done with these 185s
.
Have been using a pair of RS160s for 2 or 3 years now and they've been OK - something of a step up on the RS130s I bought new 8 or 10 years ago - the 160s (and 185s) don't have such a large range as the 130s, in fact IMO it's quite restricted - but they have a cleaner sound and most importantly they have no hiss! - they just cut out when the signal gets too weak.
And the 185s are audibly quite a bit cleaner than the 160s - but, of course, that could well be due to them being "open back" as against the "closed backs" of the 160s.
Open-back being quite preferable in my - and most others' - opinion.
And, from memory, the 185s' distortion figures are a bit lower than the earlier cans.
I'm something of a baroque music nutter and expect as good a quality of sound as I can get at a sensible price - ie I don't expect to be lashing out on a pair of 800s at any time soon
.
My main amp is a Nakamichi AV-10 which has an excellent internal DAC stage for the digital feed from a matching Nak CDplayer. It also takes a 96kHz analog feed from the beautiful Asus XonarSTX soundcard in this computer beside me - which I use to capture CDquality sound for free from the digitalsteamradio at 96kHz - as the Nyquist theorem suggests.
In general I use the AV-10 with its tonecontrol circuitry disabled - ie I prefer as flat a response as possible.
My first impressions of the 185s are quite positive - not quite up to the standard of the 650s but I think they'll be OK for general usage - while being a lot more practical because of the wirelessness.
So: they're asgood/better than I expected and I'm not regretting the cost of them at all!
But my question is a minor one at this stage: am I correct in thinking that using the MLC setting on the 185s will give a better/flatter response than the ALC setting?
I would guess that, besides having more circuitry to go through, ALC might introduce some "volume pulsing" artefacts or similar into the soundstage - ie will running on the MLC setting give a cleaner/moreaccurate response than on ALC?
TIA
Paul W
PS (2days later - M250116) Have just realized that feeding my 185s (via a pair of quite expensive vandenHul interconns of course
- good interconns can make a helluva difference to everything audio!) from the Tape Rec (= cassettedeck feed) plugs on the Nak AV-10 amp rather than from its front Headphones jackplug gives them a constant-voltage feed - and hence removes the need to be constantly adjusting the MLC volume control on the 185's base/transmitter when changing the amp's volume.
I presume that the MLC LED flashing red occasionally doesn't indicate any potential damage to the 185s - and just indicates some audio "clipping" occurring?
I would think/assume/hope that the 185s would probably have some kind of input-overload-protection circuitry to avoid any possible damage.
I've just this afternoon gotten myself a pair of RS185s secondhand at quite a reasonable price here in Aotearoa/NZ.
Have had a pair of HD650s for a few years which I use as something of a "standard" - ie a pair to compare other cans against - and to judge changes in speakers etc etc.
The person I bought those (the 650s) from had stopped using them after he'd bought himself a pair of RS180s - much as I have eventually done with these 185s
Have been using a pair of RS160s for 2 or 3 years now and they've been OK - something of a step up on the RS130s I bought new 8 or 10 years ago - the 160s (and 185s) don't have such a large range as the 130s, in fact IMO it's quite restricted - but they have a cleaner sound and most importantly they have no hiss! - they just cut out when the signal gets too weak.
And the 185s are audibly quite a bit cleaner than the 160s - but, of course, that could well be due to them being "open back" as against the "closed backs" of the 160s.
Open-back being quite preferable in my - and most others' - opinion.
And, from memory, the 185s' distortion figures are a bit lower than the earlier cans.
I'm something of a baroque music nutter and expect as good a quality of sound as I can get at a sensible price - ie I don't expect to be lashing out on a pair of 800s at any time soon
My main amp is a Nakamichi AV-10 which has an excellent internal DAC stage for the digital feed from a matching Nak CDplayer. It also takes a 96kHz analog feed from the beautiful Asus XonarSTX soundcard in this computer beside me - which I use to capture CDquality sound for free from the digitalsteamradio at 96kHz - as the Nyquist theorem suggests.
In general I use the AV-10 with its tonecontrol circuitry disabled - ie I prefer as flat a response as possible.
My first impressions of the 185s are quite positive - not quite up to the standard of the 650s but I think they'll be OK for general usage - while being a lot more practical because of the wirelessness.
So: they're asgood/better than I expected and I'm not regretting the cost of them at all!
But my question is a minor one at this stage: am I correct in thinking that using the MLC setting on the 185s will give a better/flatter response than the ALC setting?
I would guess that, besides having more circuitry to go through, ALC might introduce some "volume pulsing" artefacts or similar into the soundstage - ie will running on the MLC setting give a cleaner/moreaccurate response than on ALC?
TIA
Paul W
PS (2days later - M250116) Have just realized that feeding my 185s (via a pair of quite expensive vandenHul interconns of course
I presume that the MLC LED flashing red occasionally doesn't indicate any potential damage to the 185s - and just indicates some audio "clipping" occurring?
I would think/assume/hope that the 185s would probably have some kind of input-overload-protection circuitry to avoid any possible damage.
Snowflake2
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Hi, Well, I'm now a very happy owner of RS 185 headphones. The sound is glorious! What I'm hearing is a completely new experience of my music Why didn't I ever know before that it sounded like this ? It's like hearing a concert played just for me. Well done Sennheiser and thanks for some help here. Signing out because I have to put them back on. 
? It's like hearing a concert played just for me. Well done Sennheiser and thanks for some help here. Signing out because I have to put them back on.
Hi Paul,
Congrats on your purchase! Yes, you may get "volume pulsing" artefacts with the ALC setting and you won't experience this with the MLC. But as you've experienced, you'll need to adjust the knob each time the LED flashes red. Do bear in mind that the frequency response remains unchanged whether you're using either ALC or MLC.
Quote:
Congrats and enjoy your RS 185, @Snowflake2!
Congrats on your purchase! Yes, you may get "volume pulsing" artefacts with the ALC setting and you won't experience this with the MLC. But as you've experienced, you'll need to adjust the knob each time the LED flashes red. Do bear in mind that the frequency response remains unchanged whether you're using either ALC or MLC.
Quote:
But my question is a minor one at this stage: am I correct in thinking that using the MLC setting on the 185s will give a better/flatter response than the ALC setting?
I would guess that, besides having more circuitry to go through, ALC might introduce some "volume pulsing" artefacts or similar into the soundstage - ie will running on the MLC setting give a cleaner/moreaccurate response than on ALC?
TIA
Paul W
PS (2days later - M250116) Have just realized that feeding my 185s (via a pair of quite expensive vandenHul interconns of course- good interconns can make a helluva difference to everything audio!) from the Tape Rec (= cassettedeck feed) plugs on the Nak AV-10 amp rather than from its front Headphones jackplug gives them a constant-voltage feed - and hence removes the need to be constantly adjusting the MLC volume control on the 185's base/transmitter when changing the amp's volume.
I presume that the MLC LED flashing red occasionally doesn't indicate any potential damage to the 185s - and just indicates some audio "clipping" occurring?
I would think/assume/hope that the 185s would probably have some kind of input-overload-protection circuitry to avoid any possible damage.
Congrats and enjoy your RS 185, @Snowflake2!
Hi, Well, I'm now a very happy owner of RS 185 headphones. The sound is glorious! What I'm hearing is a completely new experience of my music Why didn't I ever know before that it sounded like this
Hammy
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Upgraditus is back already.
I keep finding myself drawn to the RS185 and I have some quite specific questions if anyone has the time to answer. Currently we run an extension+splitter from an E10K to 2 x HD598 and the options are to either go full wireless or upgrade only my HD598 to HD700.
1) Can you charge one HDR185 headset on the base station while listening to another?
2) Do these provide a better experience for movies/gaming than the HD598 or would the HD700 be a better option in this regard? I am thinking specifically bass quantity and quality, and vocal clarity.
3) What is the depth of the earcup (driver cover to outer edge of pad)?
@Rosmadi Mahmood I know you're a busy chap, it'd still be great to hear from you
.
I keep finding myself drawn to the RS185 and I have some quite specific questions if anyone has the time to answer. Currently we run an extension+splitter from an E10K to 2 x HD598 and the options are to either go full wireless or upgrade only my HD598 to HD700.
1) Can you charge one HDR185 headset on the base station while listening to another?
2) Do these provide a better experience for movies/gaming than the HD598 or would the HD700 be a better option in this regard? I am thinking specifically bass quantity and quality, and vocal clarity.
3) What is the depth of the earcup (driver cover to outer edge of pad)?
@Rosmadi Mahmood I know you're a busy chap, it'd still be great to hear from you
bur1196
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Aside from the transmitter, what are the differences from the RS 175 and 195 headphones?
footplate
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Briefly: RS 175 and Rs 195 are both closed. RS 195 has some smarts for the hearing impaired. If you are not hearing impaired it is probably not relevant. The RS 185 is open, and more directed towards music than movies.
Regards the query about HD 598 vs RS 185. Can't speak to the gaming experience, as I use my phones for audio only. But I have both HD 598 and RS 185 (and HD 600). RS 185 definitely has more emphasis on the bass (possibly too much ?) HD 598 have very nice wide open mids. I prefer the RS 185 to the HD 598, buts that's more due to the wireless freedom than sound quality. Having got used to wireless freedom I find it hard to go back to being tethered (with apologies to my HD600, which still win over all these in terms of sound quality - pitty about the cable).
Regards the query about HD 598 vs RS 185. Can't speak to the gaming experience, as I use my phones for audio only. But I have both HD 598 and RS 185 (and HD 600). RS 185 definitely has more emphasis on the bass (possibly too much ?) HD 598 have very nice wide open mids. I prefer the RS 185 to the HD 598, buts that's more due to the wireless freedom than sound quality. Having got used to wireless freedom I find it hard to go back to being tethered (with apologies to my HD600, which still win over all these in terms of sound quality - pitty about the cable).
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