Wireless Headphones Claim Equality With Cable Counterparts
- 100 metre range
- Come in at just under $650
- Has transmitter to add extra pair
High-end audio fans attach importance to loss-free transmission of the sound signal between the source and the ears. In the past, wireless audio transmission has come up against its limits. Sennheiser’s new RS 220 wireless headphones are wireless and have a full, detailed sound while offering total freedom of movement, claims the manufacturer.
Headphone development is driven by the challenge of reproducing sound that is as lifelike and direct as possible. Up until now, cabled headphones had a better audio quality than wireless headphones.
Many years of experience in the field of wireless transmission and audio technology have gone into the development of the new digital headphones. Dynamic transducers with neodymium magnets ensure clear, lifelike audio reproduction with a frequency response of 19 to 21,000 hertz.
The maximum sound pressure level of the open, circumaural headphones is 106 decibels. In the RS 220, the transmitter sends the audio signals to the headphones without compression via a stable 2.4GHz connection using the so-called Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS) technique. The headphones have a range of up to 100 metres without the need for the transmitter and receiver to be in the same room. A further advantage of the transmission process is the low latency and thus minimum delay of the audio signal.
The sound quality of a set of headphones is decisively dependent, among other things, on the connection between the audio source and the headphones. As the data between the transmitter and receiver is transmitted wirelessly in the RS 220, the feeding of the data from the audio source to the transmitter is important. For this reason, the headphone system has an analogue, a coaxial digital and an optical digital input. Discerning users can decide themselves on the type and quality of the audio signal being fed in. Sensor buttons on the transmitter or directly on the headphones enable users to switch back and forth between the sources.
An on/off switch, controls for selecting the audio source and tracks, as well as a volume control are directly integrated into the headphones. There is also a control to individually adjust the volume balance between right and left. Setting up the wireless headphones for the first time is easy. Simply connect the transmitter to the audio or video device using the chosen connector, put on the headphones and switch on. The headphones come with rechargeable batteries that guarantee up to eight hours of listening enjoyment and which can be conveniently recharged while still in the headphones. As an added feature, the transmitter can also be used to supply a second optional set of headphones.
RRP
$649.95
