Sennheiser RS 180 Open Digital Wireless Headphone

Because I wasn't able to find them in stores to try out, I purchased the RS-170 and RS-180 together for a side-by-side comparison. The theory being that if both were okay, the 180s would be mine (the hifi freak) and the 170s would go to the wife (the hifi luddite).

Sound:

Both have good highs but that's where the similarities end. The 180s have a much more robust sound stage (the 170s sound tinny by comparison) and the bass response is head and shoulders above the 170s. Some reviews have classed the 180s as hifi-snob worthy and I'd say that they're almost right. For a set of wireless cans, the sound is really really good. Anecdotally, the 170s received about 90 seconds of 'testing' between the wife and I before deciding that the gain in sound quality of the 180s was well worth the extra 40 quid.

Reliability of Signal:

Some have complained of issues with signal. I have one dead spot in the house (metal door frame as I exit the house to BBQ my steaks) but that's it. If I take them upstairs and close the door and move around a lot, do I experience the occasional drop out. But everyone knows that "100 ft range" means "line of sight". When you start to put walls/doors in there, of course that degrades your range.

User Interface:

They're generally pretty simple to operate but I find the process of mating the cans to the base to be a really tedious process. Because we have two sets running from the same base station, the way in which Sennheiser has you mate multiple cans is really stupid. Esp when you have to re-mate them. (We have two transmitters so I periodically mate one set to the base station in the computer room and growl at Sennheiser when I have to re-mate them to the transmitter in the TV room; it's a real faff).

Other Complaints:

The base stations can control up to 4 headphones but the extra cans are not yet available for you to purchase in the UK (as of June 2010). I was going to buy them 6 months ago, but ended up waiting on Sennheiser to offer the headphones (HDR 180s) on their own (I did't need the other base). IMHO, Sennheiser really dropped the ball here because while the system can support extra 'phones, you simply can't buy them without the base station (yet).

Also, I share the complaints about the position and design of the volume control buttons; A dial or rocker would have been much better.

Summary:

All in all, I really like the 180s. They give me quality sound and allow me to listen to music on the move or watch movies at unreasonable volumes during the evenings, all without waking the neighborhood (or the baby).

======== Update: Nearly a year later.... ========

When I first wrote this review, I gave it 4 stars. Now that I've settled into them, I'm happily upping them to a 5 star and I wish I could give them 6 stars.

Headset Mating:

Shortly after the first review, I found that I was re-mating the cans unnecessarily when changing base stations. This isn't documented in the manual but it appears as though the cans remember the mating settings for multiple base stations. That's really cool because when I want to mate them to my upstairs station, I just put the cans in the upstairs cradle, lift them, turn on the station and then turn on the cans. Viola. Mate them to downstairs (TV)? Put them in the cradle upstairs (which turns off the cans) and turn off the station. Then walk downstairs, turn on the cans. Voila.

Volume Buttons:

I don't use them and I don't care. In all honesty, they are useless for anything more than setting your relative listening volume. The wife and I have our dedicated headsets and we've set our relative volume levels to each other. When something is too quiet, chances are it's too quiet for both of us (if we're on the same source) so we just turn it up (or down) on the source [ie - with the remote]. On the computer, I have a multimedia keyboard that I use the adjust the volume. Simple.

Wireless Problems? - Nope:

I've read other reviews that these headphones interfere with wireless internet; I don't have that problem. I'm running two base stations. One is close to my wireless router (4 feet), the other is close to a couple of computers that use wireless (802.11g) and I never have a hiccup, and that's running two base stations.

I suspect that the people who have wireless issues are surrounded by other people who also have wireless internet and so the frequency band that it all runs at is saturated. I used to get this at my old flat. Between 6-8pm, it was unusuable because everyone else was trying to use it too. The base stations are basically going to act as another wireless router so I can see it causing interference. The solution is to live close to some Luddites.

Battery Life:

Awesome. I've had them run out of juice once and that was because I just forgot to put them back on the charger several days in a row. When my daughter goes to bed (7pm), the headphones go on and they come off around 1am. If I forget to put them on the charger for a night, no biggie.

Seriously, now that I've gotten used to them, I wish that I could afford to buy one set for every member of my family. They are just that good.

First things first. I absolutely love these headphones! Freedom to cook while listening to the TV or music, no wires when using my PC, grab a coffee without having to remove my headphones. Once you've gone wireless you won't want to go back.

Build Quality:
Lots of plastic and very plasticky. Not a hint of metal in sight. However, it feels like a quality product, the metallic smoke grey finish has a slick varnished coating to it like a new car, its nicely built and the pieces fit very well together. The headband can be twisted a bit too, but feels delicate. Overall they do not have that rugged, durable build to them like professional studio monitors might have, fragile even, and should be handled with care. Leave them on the floor or on the sofa at your peril.

Base Station and range:
Feels light and not as well built as the headphones. Offers a -8db switch for amped sources, 3.5mm analogue input. Two buttons on front, one to hold down and power on/off, and a ALC button to enhance speech in movies/TV/videos (surprisingly useful!!). Plop the headphones on top to recharge and an orange light stays on until fully charged. I like the design of the stand. It looks good wherever I put it. Power on the base, power on the headphones, thats all I had to do to make them connect and work. As for the range, the signal will not penetrate past around 2-4 walls and is liable to cut off in a city apartment like mine once I'm a few rooms away. Best used in the same or next room.

Battery life:
A single charge lasts for ages and is excellent. 12-24h of continuous battery life should be enough for anyone. Easily replaceable AAA batteries. Good quality Sanyo Eneloops were supplied with my pair.

Comfort:
Supremely comfortable. The earpads and headband is soft and plush and i can wear them for hours on end. With the open backed design, its cool and no hot ears.

Open vs Closed backs:
The RS180s are open backed. Please don't buy open backed phones if you want to complain about sound leakage and hearing the environment around you. That's what closed headphones are for, get the RS170 instead.
I'm a convert to open backed designs. Having listened to earbuds and closed backs all my life, its a revelation and I'm no longer confined to the shut off, sealed sound that is so closed I can even hear my own breathing. I don't need to take my phones off if someone wants to talk to me, I can hear my mobile ringing and frankly its useful to hear the environment around me. Open phones are as close as it gets to listening to a good hi-fi system. You get that wide, airy feel to the sound along with your environment. There is sound leakage and I would certainly not listen to these in a public library.

Sound:
Simply put, super! I was blown over by the sound quality when I first tried them out.
The RS180s will make a mockery of your mp3 collection, poorly encoded tracks will reveal flaws from your sources and suddenly become awful to listen to. Cheap headphones cover up these flaws, the RS180s bring them to the front. Instruments and sounds you didn't know existed will come out.

Put on some Vivaldi and Bach, particularly good for testing accuracy in handling complex polychordal passages. Harpsichords are crisp, cello bass is tight and the sound is clean and clear with a wide soundstage. No muddling at all.
Now for the bass. Hans Zimmer soundtracks will do fine. The RS180s will handle anything and compared to the wired Sennheiser HD598s, I would say are a touch more bassy. I prefer to watch movies on the RS180s. Thankfully its not exaggerated either, listening to the booming bass tones in Inception sounds much like what I heard in the movie theater. I dislike headphones that boost bass; cheaper ones will turn it into an incoherent nasty sounding mush. You won't get that problem here.
I picked out a couple more recordings that offer a good soundstage and a live presence. A live performance of The Eagles Hotel California sounds like I could actually be there, the twang of the guitar offers the same sharp accuracy as the Harpsichords from a Vivaldi, and the beat of the drums is tight and pleasant to listen to.

I like the sound quality. It's superb. As good as wired headphones in a comparable price range. It's a smooth sound, the highs are crisp and do not tire the ears. The bass will come out as required and will handle anything with ease.

Features:
A common criticism of the RS180 are the awful controls, and I concur. They are terrible. All located on the right side, and virtually flush with the headset. Sure it looks good but for usability it scores a 1/10. Snuggled in between the volume +/- buttons is the power button, cunningly placed there for accidental switch offs.
To use the controls, you simply have to memorize by location and feel which buttons are which. Until you've mastered these buttons, you'll have to get used to screwing up the balance by accident, switching it off and fumbling around for the volume control.

Why didn't they make the volume control a rotary knob or a more tactile rocker switch? Why did they have to make the l/r controls so close to the volume? Why do they have to virtually hide the power button inside the volume controls???? Why why why???

Value for money:
Expensive? Yes if you're used to buying cheap �20-50 phones, but this is a move into the audiophile end of headphones. I would argue these are excellent value for money. They offer comparable sound quality to wired headphones in this price range, for example the wired HD598s. And you get the Kleer, crystal clean wireless technology for that same price. You will get what you pay for. You will get excellent sound quality.

5/5

Remarks
These headphones are very impressive. The quality of sound is remarkable & I experience no drop off around the house.
Base
The base level is realistic, great for watching films. If you like over powered base in music, Dubstep, RNB etc, these may disappoint.
Volume
The volume level again is good and remains clear even at the top end. But they do have their limits, so again if you like to leave your ears ringing these are not for you.
Controls
The controls (vol, on/off, balance) are tricky to use as others have pointed out, but the on/off button is raised so you can take a bearing from that.
Fit
Each side is adjustable allowing for a very comfy fit. The padding is a soft velvet fabric, which does not 'crackle' when you move about with them on.

Overall these headphones deliver what you would expect at their price tag: top end, professional sound that look good in the home.