[GiacomoHoldini]

Awesome.  Thanks Jeff.  Here's hoping we get a review (or several) soon.  What do you say, Jude?

 

[Ahzari]

this seems pretty cool... will wait till its available on amazon though and to hear more impressions of head-fiers that had used it... really like the idea of no cords.

 

[GiacomoHoldini]

I've been following the HD700 thread.  I don't suppose I should be surprised at all the excitement over a new high-end Sennheiser headphone, and I understand wireless cans just don't have the same 'cred' as wired phones.  Still, I am a little disappointed that the RS220 hasn't even been mentioned in all the CES talk, as far as I can see.  Is that because Sennheiser didn't do a preview program like it did with the HD700, or is it just because wireless cans don't get any respect?  Or both?  Given that the HD700 isn't due out until March, but we should be seeing the RS220 in another few weeks, it would be really nice to get some input from those who have had a chance to check it out. 

 

[GiacomoHoldini]

Looks like I may have spoken too early.  Just saw that Jude posted a little bit about the RS 220 yesterday on his Youtube channel.
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KQIEAXxmXk&list=UUWmO1afpreRxiVw5N0Oqmyg&index=1&feature=plcp

 

[mcnoiserdc]

Wow, The guy in the video says "We took the sennheiser hd 650 transducer...", does it mean RS220 has hd650 transducer? If so I wonder why 150 ohm like hd700 and not 300 ohm like hd650 of impedance

 

[nonsupremous]

BH PhotoVideo has them scheduled for an approximate arrival of March.  =(  Maybe that'll change. 

 

[GiacomoHoldini]

Quote:

BH PhotoVideo has them scheduled for an approximate arrival of March.  =(  Maybe that'll change. 

Hopefully it won't be that long.  Then again, in the video Quarre said that although "it will be here in the next couple of weeks," it could take up to six weeks to make its way through the distribution channels in the U.S.  That would be late February, early March.  On the bright side, they are currently producing it, so at least there won't be any more production delays...hopefully.  At the current time, Amazon doesn't even acknowledge its existence, and Crutchfield lists the ship date as 'uncertain.'  The wait's not over yet, obviously.

 

[stuckonsound]

I wish they would release some more info on the headphone. They have described the wireless technology, but what about the batteries, amp, and dac?

 

[Ahzari]

Quote:

I wish they would release some more info on the headphone. They have described the wireless technology, but what about the batteries, amp, and dac?

same questions here..

 

[GiacomoHoldini]

Quote:

I wish they would release some more info on the headphone. They have described the wireless technology, but what about the batteries, amp, and dac?

The user manual is posted on their website in PDF format.  The batteries are NiMH rechargeable AAA.  They are replaceable, and standard AAA batteries can also be used.  It doesn't provide much information about the amplifier, other than basic power consumption specs, and there is nothing about the DAC.
 
One thing I'm curious about is where the actual D/A conversion is taking place.  Obviously since the transmission is digital, the headphones themselves are converting a digital signal into an analog one.  However, is there a separate D/A conversion happening in the transmitter?  In other words, if you are using a digital input (co-axial or optical), does the transmitter send the unconverted digital signal directly to the heaphones, which then convert it?  Or does the transmitter do the D/A conversion of the input signal, then do a separate A/D conversion for the purposes of transmission, which then results in a second D/A conversion by the headphones? 
 
The manual doesn't address this, although it does say that the system modulation is digital at 16-bit/48kHz, suggesting at the least there has to be some upconversion of a redbook signal prior to transmission.  It also indicates the headphones might not be ideal for formats like SACD or hi-res FLAC, since ultimately the signal will have to pass through a 16/48 bottleneck.  That doesn't personally matter to me, since most of my listening is on CD, or lossless files ripped form CDs.  But I could see how it might be a turnoff for some people.
 
http://www.sennheiserusa.com/media/productDownloads/instructionManuals/RS_220.pdf
 
 

 

[Monsieur]

Well the original retail price of the HD 650 was $649 so I'm expecting the RS 220 to go down under $400, but then the RS 240's will be out by then. Meh.

 

[derbigpr]

Quote:

Well the original retail price of the HD 650 was $649 so I'm expecting the RS 220 to go down under $400, but then the RS 240's will be out by then. Meh.

Why would RS220 be cheaper than HD650?
 
Anyway, in my country it costs exactly the same as HD650.   Around 470 euros.

 

[nonsupremous]

Not sure if this question has been asked yet...but would the RS180 and 170 be able to pair with the receiver for the 220 or is the Kleer technology not compatible here? 
 
 

 

[Javierelizondo]

A very interesting question.   I have the sleek audio kleer transmiter and works great with the sennheiser RS-180 on the go, even though you look awkward wearing them.    It would be a shame to loose that portability with the new RS-220

 

[Monsieur]

Quote:

Why would RS220 be cheaper than HD650?
 
Anyway, in my country it costs exactly the same as HD650.   Around 470 euros.

 
You can find the HD 650 for under $400 easily. I bought mine directly from Amazon for $359.