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Watching TV at night without disturbing others is probably the prime application for wireless headphones. Not being tied to a headphone cord is one of the biggest reasons for the popularity of wireless headphones. Yet in the past these headphones never really compared with traditional corded headphones in terms of sound quality and reliability. Mostly the transmission technology would degrade the sound and be susceptible to interference. Are new advances in wireless transmission technology able to cope with the drawbacks of the previous generation of wireless headphones? We will take a look at some of the most recent models of digital wireless headphones to see how they stack up compared to traditional corded models.

In this review, we will take a look at the Sennheiser RS180 and the Amphony Model 2500. Both of these models utilize digital audio transmission. Simply put, the wireless signal that is broadcast by the transmitter will undergo a conversion process. Then the resulting information is broadcast to the digital wireless headphones and converted back to audio. Using this new wireless technology, none of these models exhibited the noise that we are used to from previous generation wireless headphones. Both models claim to transmit CD quality audio.

Looking at the headphones, we immediately noticed that the Sennheiser headphones are designed as open headphones which means that sound from the transducers can easily penetrate to the outside while the Amphony headphones are closed. Choosing between an open and closed design is a matter of preference and there is no way to state that any particular design is better than the other. A closed model will tend to reduce the sound level heard by others which is useful when listening at loud volume. At the same time a closed design will tend to attenuate exterior noise more. Both models are equipped with soft velours ear cushions and fit snugly.

The RS180 transmitter acts as a cradle for the headphones while the headphones are not in use. It offers one analog audio input, yet no digital audio inputs. The Model 2500 transmitter offers three audio inputs: one analog input, one coaxial digital input and one optical digital input. This is particular important since most modern plasma TVs no longer have analog audio outs. The transmitter has an auto-switch mechanism which will select the correct audio input depending on which input has a valid signal.

Judging the sound quality of both models, the sound of the RS180 is on the light side with good mid range but a little low on bass. As such we feel the RS180 is suited for listening to vocals and light music. The bass response of the Model 2500 is more pronounced than the RS180 but still well balanced and not overly aggressive in any way. The wireless transmission itself no longer suffers from the drawbacks of previous generation models and the sound quality of both models rivals the quality of corded headphones. One limitation though is since wireless models are battery powered, they will never be able to achieve the same loudness as corded headphones hooked up to a good headphone amp. Having said that, both models achieve plenty of volume though, the Model 2500 more so than the RS180.

The RS180 transmits it’s signal at 2.4 GHz. Up to four headphones can operate simultaneously per transmitter. The Model 2500 transmits at 5.8 GHz and supports an unlimited number of headphones. The operating range of the RS180 is specified by Sennheiser at 300 ft. During our indoor testing we were able to get a clean signal up to around 100 ft with both models which should be sufficient for most users. The Model 2500 transmitter comes with an extension port though that allows connection of secondary transmitters for cases where you really need to have reception all over the house.

The RS180 offers a battery life of 15 hours. The Model 2500 will work around 30 hours per charge. Pricing is around $300 for the RS180 wireless headphones and $200 for the Model 2500.

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