Strengths: Good sound. Very good battery life. Inexpensive (~$60). On-hook charging. Uses standard AAA NiMH batteries.
Summary: These headphones exceeded my expectations for wireless sound quality and actually don't sound much different than my wired headphones. Mine came with the adapter for the RCA to a mini stereo plug as well as another adapter to adapt the mini stereo plug to a large phono stereo plug. The battery life is very good on the included standard AAA Ni-MH batteries (rated at 600 mAh).
They are pretty comfortable for me. My ears did get sore after wearing them about 10 hours a day for 2 days in a row, but I've found that the ear pads are large enough that I can get my cheek bones to take some of the force off my ears. As long as I move them around occasionally, they seem to stay comfortable. They might get warm in the summer though.
There is a slight background hiss that is noticeable to me at silent/ quiet periods. I typically don't get any static when moving around in the same room. I do sometimes get static in specific spots of other rooms.
The auto-off (after 1 minute of no input) feature on the base is questionable, but the noise it creates at the headphones isn't too loud for me as long as the headphone volume level is set normal-low (where I typically keep it with normal-high input levels). The auto-off noise and even the normal background hiss can pretty loud if the headphone volume is set at higher levels though. I'd prefer if the headphones were auto-off rather than or in addition to the base.
At very low headphone volumes (not input levels), the right side volume becomes lower than the left. This balance issue can get a little annoying since I like to keep the headphone volume as low as possible and the input level as high as possible to reduce background noise. The balance evens out once the volume is increased slightly though, so it just takes a little tweaking of the volume knob for me to find the lowest setting where they are even. From there, the balance stays even all the way to full volume.
It seems like the headphones shut down automatically while they are on the charging stand and turn back on when removed from the stand (assuming the manual power switch on them was left on). This is a nice feature, but I wish it was documented in the manual so I knew for sure if it was going to cause any problems. The charging stand works great for me, but I do wonder if the contacts on the headphones will corrode over time since they will likely get some sweat & oil from my hair where they are placed.
Reviewed by: makarka on 20-Jul-05Rating:
Strengths: Sleek design. Easy charging. Good brand
Summary: This is the 3rd set I am trying and so far I believe it's the best one. There is still a little static audible, but not as bad as some other ones. One thing I would prefer to have that these headphones don't offer, is either automatic tuning, or at least some sort of led coming up, when optimal tuning is achieved. Other than that I am very happy.
Reviewed by: hkemp on 13-Feb-05Rating:
Strengths: Good sound, good range, low static, easy to use, good value for money
Summary: I am quite satisfied with this purchase. I did a lot of reading before buying to find the best deal in my lower price range and now that I have received the heaphones, still think this is a good value for money. Sound quality is good. I mostly use them to watch TV. NOTES to the unwise - if like me you tend to jump ahead of reading the instructions (which by the way, are pretty meager in this case) - I will share obvious tips for this particular product. 1. Insert the batteries and charge the headphones 24h as recommended before using. They will not work until charged. 2. Make sure the prongs that insert into the headphone jack is in ALL the way. There is a moderate positive stop and if you don't go in all the way there's significant static. 3. Tune the reception for best sound by playing with the triple setting on the base and the tune dial on the headset.
Then, VOILA, you should get good sound with just the faintest trace of background static hiss when the volume is off (I'm very very sensitive) - it's really barely noticeable and much less static than I got using the expensive sony corded phones we had been using before. I walked all around my house and never had a change in reception or encountered any interference. It's great. Charging and storage is a snap.
My only two cons about this product are 1. The headset is mildly uncomfortable and unstable. It feels at first like it's putting pressure on my cheeks tho you get used to it; at the same time if you lean forward, they slide off fairly easily. So no aerobics or yoga while wearing! 2. The adapter that converts the two wires into one that then plugs into your tv or stereo is short. It fits fine into my tv but I can't get it into the stereo socket. Will have to go looking at radio shack for a longer adapter. So an easy fix, but annoying.