Sennheiser RS 180 Open Digital Wireless Headphone

Because I wasn't able to find them in stores to try out, I purchased the RS-170 and RS-180 together for a side-by-side comparison. The theory being that if both were okay, the 180s would be mine (the hifi freak) and the 170s would go to the wife (the hifi luddite).

Sound:

Both have good highs but that's where the similarities end. The 180s have a much more robust sound stage (the 170s sound tinny by comparison) and the bass response is head and shoulders above the 170s. Some reviews have classed the 180s as hifi-snob worthy and I'd say that they're almost right. For a set of wireless cans, the sound is really really good. Anecdotally, the 170s received about 90 seconds of 'testing' between the wife and I before deciding that the gain in sound quality of the 180s was well worth the extra 40 quid.

Reliability of Signal:

Some have complained of issues with signal. I have one dead spot in the house (metal door frame as I exit the house to BBQ my steaks) but that's it. If I take them upstairs and close the door and move around a lot, do I experience the occasional drop out. But everyone knows that "100 ft range" means "line of sight". When you start to put walls/doors in there, of course that degrades your range.

User Interface:

They're generally pretty simple to operate but I find the process of mating the cans to the base to be a really tedious process. Because we have two sets running from the same base station, the way in which Sennheiser has you mate multiple cans is really stupid. Esp when you have to re-mate them. (We have two transmitters so I periodically mate one set to the base station in the computer room and growl at Sennheiser when I have to re-mate them to the transmitter in the TV room; it's a real faff).

Other Complaints:

The base stations can control up to 4 headphones but the extra cans are not yet available for you to purchase in the UK (as of June 2010). I was going to buy them 6 months ago, but ended up waiting on Sennheiser to offer the headphones (HDR 180s) on their own (I did't need the other base). IMHO, Sennheiser really dropped the ball here because while the system can support extra 'phones, you simply can't buy them without the base station (yet).

Also, I share the complaints about the position and design of the volume control buttons; A dial or rocker would have been much better.

Summary:

All in all, I really like the 180s. They give me quality sound and allow me to listen to music on the move or watch movies at unreasonable volumes during the evenings, all without waking the neighborhood (or the baby).

======== Update: Nearly a year later.... ========

When I first wrote this review, I gave it 4 stars. Now that I've settled into them, I'm happily upping them to a 5 star and I wish I could give them 6 stars.

Headset Mating:

Shortly after the first review, I found that I was re-mating the cans unnecessarily when changing base stations. This isn't documented in the manual but it appears as though the cans remember the mating settings for multiple base stations. That's really cool because when I want to mate them to my upstairs station, I just put the cans in the upstairs cradle, lift them, turn on the station and then turn on the cans. Viola. Mate them to downstairs (TV)? Put them in the cradle upstairs (which turns off the cans) and turn off the station. Then walk downstairs, turn on the cans. Voila.

Volume Buttons:

I don't use them and I don't care. In all honesty, they are useless for anything more than setting your relative listening volume. The wife and I have our dedicated headsets and we've set our relative volume levels to each other. When something is too quiet, chances are it's too quiet for both of us (if we're on the same source) so we just turn it up (or down) on the source [ie - with the remote]. On the computer, I have a multimedia keyboard that I use the adjust the volume. Simple.

Wireless Problems? - Nope:

I've read other reviews that these headphones interfere with wireless internet; I don't have that problem. I'm running two base stations. One is close to my wireless router (4 feet), the other is close to a couple of computers that use wireless (802.11g) and I never have a hiccup, and that's running two base stations.

I suspect that the people who have wireless issues are surrounded by other people who also have wireless internet and so the frequency band that it all runs at is saturated. I used to get this at my old flat. Between 6-8pm, it was unusuable because everyone else was trying to use it too. The base stations are basically going to act as another wireless router so I can see it causing interference. The solution is to live close to some Luddites.

Battery Life:

Awesome. I've had them run out of juice once and that was because I just forgot to put them back on the charger several days in a row. When my daughter goes to bed (7pm), the headphones go on and they come off around 1am. If I forget to put them on the charger for a night, no biggie.

Seriously, now that I've gotten used to them, I wish that I could afford to buy one set for every member of my family. They are just that good.

Remarks
These headphones are very impressive. The quality of sound is remarkable & I experience no drop off around the house.
Base
The base level is realistic, great for watching films. If you like over powered base in music, Dubstep, RNB etc, these may disappoint.
Volume
The volume level again is good and remains clear even at the top end. But they do have their limits, so again if you like to leave your ears ringing these are not for you.
Controls
The controls (vol, on/off, balance) are tricky to use as others have pointed out, but the on/off button is raised so you can take a bearing from that.
Fit
Each side is adjustable allowing for a very comfy fit. The padding is a soft velvet fabric, which does not 'crackle' when you move about with them on.

Overall these headphones deliver what you would expect at their price tag: top end, professional sound that look good in the home.

Pros: Great quality sound - noticeably better than the previous analogue Sennheisser type I have been using for the last year. I have hearing loss and following the dialogue of some of those American movies was always difficult with the old phones but the RS180 has helped a lot. They are lighter and more comfortable too. The transmitter/charger has a vastly improved mounting system over the previous version's hit and miss method of mounting the headset.
Cons: Those crazy volume and on/off buttons all bunched together and pretty much flush with the right case. I just can't use them as I can't find the volume buttons and end up turning the things off by mistake as I press the off button in error. To change the volume I have to take the phones off every time. There is an on/off button on the front of the charger that needs two hands to operate as pressing the button with one tends to push the charger over
I would recommend these for their audio quality but otherwise no as the stupid positioning of the controls on the headset lets down an otherwise very good product.