Review: Sennheiser RS 175 Wireless Headphones

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

Like many city dwellers, apartment living has forced a lot of compromises when it comes to my setting up a workable home theater system. The limited amount of space and the nearness of neighbours necessitates creative solutions which wireless headphones can easily solve.

Like most home theatre aficionados, audiophiles and gamers, I like big sound to accompany my immersive experiences. I have powerful stereo speakers that are perfect for my small living room and which can deliver the punchy, surround sound that completes the experience that’s on my HDTV or projector.

The reality is that lights (and sounds) go out at our house by 8:30 as it is nighttime for the kid, which means the time I do have for enjoying my shows, games and movies has to be done in excruciating silence with the TV speakers (bleh!) turned down low.

That’s why when I got to try the Sennheiser RS 175 Wireless Headphones, everything changed. This comfortable and lightweight set of headphones delivers consistent surround sound and the clearest details that really replicate (or even surpass) what you get from a modern movie theatre.

 

Since they’re lightweight and wireless, it is now possible to get a drink refill or top up your popcorn while continuing to listen to whatever you are watching.

Unwrapping the Sennheiser RS 175 in time to watch The Godfather Trilogy: The Coppola Restoration Blu-Ray was pure magic.

This version of the Godfather was carefully restored to as accurate image and sound as it would have been if you watched it in 1972, but with the careful upscaling to Blu-Ray.

Visually, it brings the realism and character of celluloid to your screen. What was more impressive for me was the sound.

For example, the opening scene where Don Corleone grants favours to friends and family before his daughter’s wedding features a cat. Not only can you clearly hear the dialogue as well as ambient sounds in the room, you can hear the cat purring. More than that, the sound is replicated so you can almost ‘feel’ the cat purring. That’s a nuance that’s easy to miss and would have been wasted on inferior headphones.

Since the audio from the RS 175 is digital (using an optical digital connector), the sound is simply pristine and with no loss in quality. Considering that wireless has to deal with a lot of interference, Sennheiser did a remarkable job ensuring awesome sound consistently (the promise clarity and transmission range of up to 328ft/100m (line of sight).

I also liked that the volume controls were right on the headset plus there’s an option to increase or lower Bass or Treble from the headset as well. The RS 175 is rated for 18 hours use on a full charge and is easily dockable to the transmitter dock.

Enjoyed using the RS 175 so much that I am planning a Star Wars Blu-Ray marathon in the coming weeks before going out and catching the new movie. I also almost exclusively use the headphones when reviewing video games like Halo 5 and The Rise of the Tomb Raider on my Xbox One.

At $319.99, the Sennheiser RS 175 may seem a bit steep, but if you’ve already invested a ton on movies, games and shows then you owe it to yourself to enjoy them in the most immersive way possible while at the same time not annoy everyone else around you.

Not everyone can afford a soundproofed home theatre nook or a set of 7:1 surround speakers, the RS 175 does a decent job at replacing both, while offering one of the best wireless audio experiences for homes.

Rating: 4 out of 5