Sennheiser RS 130

Sennheiser is a serious name in consumer and professional hi-fi, well renowned for its quality hardware, and the RS 130 surround sound wireless headphones don't disappoint. The kit includes a silver and black base station and matching headphones.

The base station only ships with an RCA connector, but a 3.5mm adaptor is included, providing compatibility with just about any analog device. The kit can cycle between three channels, so you should be able to set them up free from interference, too.

The base station offers a channel selector, surround sound switch, and a hook to hang the headphones when they're not in use. Three LEDs are also present to indicate charge, power and surround sound status. It is possible to switch between stereo and surround (SRS Headphone) sound modes. Metal tabs in the headphones interface with the hook to charge the batteries. The kit includes internal rechargeable nickel-metal hydride batteries (NiMH), which offer up to 22 hours of battery life.

The headphones themselves feature a power switch, volume adjuster and a tuning option. The large earpieces are relatively bulky, but lightweight (280g). The shape allows the headphones to grip the head tightly and form a good seal around the ears. The vented cans offer outstanding bass response and are extremely comfortable to wear for long periods of time thanks to the padded arch at the top of the headphones. Sennheiser claims a range of up to about 100m; however, we found the signal was prone to interference whenever we walked past a solid object like a wall. The headphones did operate flawlessly at short distances--up to around 25m--and offer a sound pressure level of 104dB and frequency response of 18Hz to 21,000Hz.

A comprehensive manual is bundled with the headphones, along with the portable music player/RCA adapter, base station and power adapter. The kit ships with a two-year warranty and offers good quality audio at a reasonable price.