[Rebecca H]

Hi
 
I've been a heavy user of wireless headphones in the past. I've had a Sennheiser RS-180 for three years and now it's the final days of its life

, so I need a replacement. I need it to be wireless as I need the convenience of moving a lot between a few rooms without disruption (RS-180 did this to perfection).
 
As it seems there are not a lot of options for me (I really couldn't find anything compelling but I only know a handful of brands). Obviously there are gaming wireless headsets but I keep hearing horrible things about their low quality sound and unjustified price.
 
So any recommendations for me? Ideally I'd like it to be light and comfortable, sound quality in the region of RS-180 or better, and good battery life (something that gives me at least a day of use), and good range (freedom to move between a few rooms and walls). I'd be happy to pay over £300 if I'm getting quality for the money.
 
 
Thanks in advance
R H

 

[SteveHiFi]

Are you sure the RS180 is finished? Spare parts in the UK - http://headphonespares.sennheiser.co.uk/wireless-headphones/rs-180
 
The next up in the Sennheiser range is the RS220 but you might be spending a bit more than £300 (not much more though).
 
 

 

[Rebecca H]

  Are you sure the RS180 is finished? Spare parts in the UK - http://headphonespares.sennheiser.co.uk/wireless-headphones/rs-180
 
The next up in the Sennheiser range is the RS220 but you might be spending a bit more than £300 (not much more though).
 
 
 

 
Thanks. Yeah the RS180 is finished. The stand is broken on two parts and the charger on the stand doesn't work (I swap batteries), and the headphone is now giving me noise on the left side. RS220 is not that impressive to me really. The battery life is not as good as the 180, , it's far more expensive than the 180. On the Sennheiser range the RS180 still makes most sense to me.
 
What about other brands? I dont know a lot of decent audio brands, I looked at Shure and Audio Technica but they don't seem to do comparable wireless headphones.

 

[SteveHiFi]

Wireless headphones generally seem to be going down the portable/bluetooth path, the 'stay at home' stuff that Sennheiser do is likely to be the best as wireless gear goes - unless you just make do with bluetooth. No other brand has the same selection of this type of gear.
 
There's the SoundMAGIC WP10 which is pretty good - the transmitter is a little thing which can be mains or battery powered - also it can go in your pocket if you fancy a walk.
 
Other than that there's the RS160 and the RS170 by Sennheiser which are much like the RS180 - just keep your 180 headphones in case, as they will work with the 160 and 170, and the fault with your RS180 might be the transmitter only.

 

[Rebecca H]

I see that there's no love for 'stay at home' wireless stuff, I found that Sony does them too, these two models:
 
http://www.sony.co.uk/electronics/headband-headphones/mdr-ds6500
http://www.sony.co.uk/electronics/headband-headphones/mdr-hw700ds
 
They're within my budget, and the DS6500 looks interesting, it's surround (not sure if that matters really), has higher impedance (it's good, right?), AAA batteries and good battery life, but it's a bit heavy (the RS180 is 204g, this one is 320g).
 
The SoundMagic one is also interesting, I use the E10 with my phone and it's brilliant but its battery life and weight are a bit annoying. Maybe I should just get another RS180.

 

[SteveHiFi]

I can't comment on the couple that Sony do but the price should mean they're pretty good - I see the surround function is 7.1 rather than a 'virtual surround' which the RS170 has.

 

[pickyear7]

I haven't tried the RS180. Are they as good as they seem?

 

[SteveHiFi]

I have the RS170 at home; the RS180 is open-backed while the RS170 is closed. I like the 'bass boost' feature on the 170 which the 180 doesn't have. The 180 is good for music of course but seems more for TV and films given the features available. There's a balance control on the 180 so might be aimed at older people with uneven hearing.
 
Other than that, they're likely the best wireless set you can get for £200 in my opinion.

 

[Rebecca H]

Just ordered another RS180. It's been pretty good for 3 years and they still seem to be the ones to beat for the "home wireless" category. No risks taken.

 

[SteveHiFi]

And hopefully you'll have some spares salvaged from the old set!