Wireless and Useless
Pros:
They don't work so I can't give any.
Cons:
They don't work.
The Bottom Line:
Don't go near these! I am disappointed with Sony who I thought did quality products.
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Overall Rating:
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Author's Review
What are they?
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I now live in an apartment and wanted to listen to TV late at night without annoying the neighbours. I thought this was the way to go.
Wireless headphones run by 2 supplied nickel-metal hydride batteries (supplied).
The base unit plugs into your TV, DVD, PC, etc using the supplied cable which has and end with 2 phono jacks and one with a stereo mini jack (an adapter for the larger Unimatch plug is also supplied). The base unit is powered by the supplied A/C adapter.
The base unit transmits at 900Mhz and the headphones allow you to listen, theoretically, to the stereo sound.
The base unit has 3 manually selectable channels and the headphone has a Tune button which automatically retunes for the best reception. Again, theoretically.
Installation
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The plugging in is quite straightforward. The manual says you can use standard AAA batteries but I couldn't get that to work so I waited for the 16 hour charge cycle of the supplied batteries. You insert the batteries and rest on the base unit for recharging of the batteries.
Operation
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The Volume control on the headphones is flush with the earpiece so it is VERY fiddly to try and adjust if you're wearing them.
The base unit has a noise filter switch. I found this essential otherwise I just heard static.
The headphones have 2 bands across the top. You must keep the bottom band pressed towards the top band or it turns the headphones off. While this is intended to save battery time it is annoying.
The base unit will stop transmitting after 10 minutes if it doesn't sense a LOUD signal from the device (TV, stereo, PC, etc). This is kinda crazy as it means you have to have it turned up loud and if you forget when you unplug it YOU WILL BLAST OUT LOUD NOISE which is what you were trying to avoid in the first place. This cutout kept happening to me and was extremely frustrating.
I tried the 3 Channels, noise filter on/off, retuned and moved the base unit several times but could never receive a clear signal. Hiss, crackle and pop all the time.
What do I like about them?
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Um? Er? I can't think of any redeeming qualities.
What don't I like?
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Pretty much everything:
- Expensive (I thought I was paying for quality with Sony)
- Annoying headband on/off function
- Annoying cutout from the base unit
- Fiddly volume controls
- Couldn't get a decent signal after an hour of fiddling around
I went out and bought Acoustic Research wireless headphones instead which are MUCH better.
