Sennheiser RS 185 RF Wireless Headphone System

[Derb]

My Senn 170's sound like they are dying.

They were never heavy on bass but while watching Interstellar (Awesome film btw) any LFE moments created real bad static hissy fits + the range on the base seems to be more limited. I dunno if it's cuz I'm in a Condo or other devices interfering.

Looking at these which are open back, 2.4-2.48ghz

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...?ie=UTF8&psc=1



Anyone have these or have tried them? A bit pricey for wireless.

This model has both analog & digital.

[Derb]

Went ahead with the 185.

Supossedly the best Wireless headphones next to the 195 for every source of listening.

[Derb]

Update

These are lost in NA. Very few sites even acknowledge them. I'm sharing some impressions to save anyone looking for input & getting no where on the net.

Early impressions,

Out of box they definetly need break in but I immediately noticed LFE levels were better balanced & have more juice. The 185's do not have VS or BB. The receiver also outputs a lot more sound by itself in comparison to Sennheiser's 160, 170 & 180 base station.

They are basically the same weight as the 170, 180 but have bigger Plush ear pieces. They are "Around Ear" not Over Ear or On Ear. They are more snug around your head/ear because the headband is of smaller length.

Line of sight is around the same. Not good through walls or through multiple 2.4-2.48ghz devises on.

I can't try the uncompressed option. My tv doesn't support analog out. Optical works great.

A comment on Amazon said you can't listen to YouTube among other steaming services such as Prime. I can't comment on Prime but YouTube works if your tv has the built in YouTube app.

The batteries are 820 triple A's. Most rechargeable batteries in NA are 800 so I wouldn't recommend throwing in any rechargeable AAA battery.

I'm still on my initial charge time from base. The light is supposed to turn green when fully charged. The light has remained solid Red for over 12 hours now.

[Derb]

Update

These headphones are heavier than the 160-180 line.

At first felt as though the Headband being snug was the cause for the perceived increased weight. They compensated this grey area by providing heavier plush ear pieces. When worn for extended hours there is slight pressure against the temple. Interestingly there is 0 discomfort on the ears througout hours of use.

If the band losens up they may relieve stress on the temple.

Audio quality has gotten better. I'm in around 50-80 hours now but some low frequencies will distort the highs so I haven't fully breakin them in yet.

[Derb]

A quick update.

The headband has losens up & is more comfortable. Weight seems to be a non-issue either after 6 straight hours.

I can't test the Battery life. They are rated at 18 consecutive hours of use. I have done 13 hours in one sit down & they sound just as good as when fully charged.

I have broken them in at over 200 hours.

The bass is much deeper & overall sound quality is nicely balanced.

That said, I thought distortion occured during a very brief intro scene in the movie Interstellar. However, that fooled me. It's not distortion, it's supposed to sound like that as debree, wind, panel sounds & the ships haul all have detailed audio effects including the muffled dialog which was recorded & edited to sound that way. The film itself is real bass heavy mostly coming from the soundtrack more so then audio effects & the Sennheiser had 0 issues reproducing the deep lfe audio. The dialog track is around 5-10db below reference. Quite the gap compared to the rest of the film so unfortunately that movie ain't a great test for dialog.

I am also getting compressed lossy sound instead of full uncompressed because I'm using the optical cable.

The 185's are kinda new on the market so my only complaint is I can't buy genuine replacement ear pads for them, yet.. The plush cans are huge in comparison to the older line & I have noticed more hygienic wear on these in a shorter time span so anyone interested in them should make that accessory their most sought after item.

[Quake1028]

Looking for a solution myself. Thanks for all the posts/updates.

[Derb]

Originally Posted by Quake1028

Looking for a solution myself. Thanks for all the posts/updates.

No prob..

Am kinda a headphone junkie. (Minus Tubes & Amps)

I was messing around with Sony's PS Wireless headphones "Gold" for the Witcher game. Value defintely seems to go to where your money went. After an hour, I switched back to Sennheiser because my temple was already getting sore (These are actually lighter then Senn) & the audio was cutting out from 4-6 feet. The Senn's audio quality in comparison is night & day difference with better balance & overal comfort.

I like the fact that you can use these for whatever source & they will likely sound better then the product made for the source in question as example above.

Uncompressed is an option I'd really like to try though. Also I have not done this yet with the 185's but with previous Senn's you could add some extra kick by using your TVs audio amp. I'll try & remember to do this to see if it works with the 185 -- It's simple, just switch TV speaker mode to Home Audio System & then turn up the TV volume a bit.

[Derb]

Update on BD

https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/The-T...lu-ray/126805/

So I have put around 500 hours into the Sennheiser HD-185's with films & games & streams & they have been broken in for quite some time.

I may have a certain bias towards The Terminator (1984) film because it's my most watched Film to date on any format. Keeping that in mind cause I want to be honest.

I have previously heard the re-mastered audio in dts-HDMA most recently with the U.K.'s remastered edition on a dedicated 5.1 Klipsch Surround system. Since then, I have had to put away that system for space reasons which yes does suck but I've always seeked out the best of the portable audio world both wired & wireless but never tried headphones on The Terminator Remastered edition.

Recently received the U.S. Version & gave it a spin with dts-HDMA on the Sennheiser HD-185 & I can't believe how good this track sounds with these headphones. Yes the track sounds great on 5.1 set-ups & I also understand that some fans do not like the Remastered track & want/prefer Mono.

If you can get past that & actually listen to the 5.1 mix (dts) with the Sennheiser's you will literally be blown away. It bests all the tracks I have thrown BD & otherwise for use with the HD-185's & if you own them I more then highly recommend you pick up this BD.

I never labeled a "Reference" audio experience with headphones wired or wireless but for only $7.50 which the disc currently goes for you'll never regret it if you do choose to listen to the Remastered track with the Senn's.

I'm viewing the film upscaled to 2160p & that sounds great also but I have noticed the film itself doesn't scale well with upscaling BD players. The real treat is the audio.

If you like the first film & do have this model Senns, it is my highest recommendation you pick up this disc. The Senns don't have VS yet the left & right really give a sense that that is false. Yep, that good. The dialog is still dated & always will be along with certain audio effects like when The Terminator arrives at the first Sarah Conner & you hear the dog barking. The dialog is very crisp throughout & the music is something else. Yes dated 80's score but it sounds better then any 2015 music score from BDs I've listened to recently.

Bottom,

If you have this headset & do not have the film, do yourself a favor & buy the BD in the link.

[Derb]

Found this,

http://headphonespares.sennheiser.co...dphones/rs-185

I got back-ordered but they sell them from the UK & ship worldwide.

I'll update when I get them. It appears this is the only place on the Internet to get ear pads.

[Derb]

Update!



Here you see the new pads on, old pads behind, & another pair packaged.

Took awhile to get them but it was the Christmas rush so...

After putting the headset on, immediately felt brand new.

http://headphonespares.sennheiser.co...dphones/rs-185

They ship in a very well thick protected cardboard bag. Didn't hesitate to order another 2-pairs.

Wish price was lower.

[3DinAK]

Mine just arrived today. Charging.

[3DinAK]

So mine have been having strange muting. Probably just have to change the channel.

[Derb]

Originally Posted by 3DinAK

So mine have been having strange muting. Probably just have to change the channel.

I remember the first charge takes a long time. The base was light red for almost half a day. Since the initial charge though, no issues here.

They also take some time breaking in so I'd go easy on the volume.

If you find a better ear pad replacement site (cheaper) feel free to post it.

My second order is on route now. I figure the pads lasted me just over 7 months before wearing out. I almost ordered the leatherette ones to try out because 165/75/85/95 all have the same dimensions.

[Derb]

R.I.P.

April 19th 2015
June 26th 2021



Put 10’s of thousands of hours into these cans. Replaced ear pads 3 times in total over 6 years.

Trust me when I say I Tried all methods to revive them. Audio drops out randomly for a second & then back to normal. This happens every 3-4 times a minute.

Am now charging RS 175’s. Didn’t think I’d ever need them to be honest.
First impressions of the Headset itself. Well it’s a little more snug with a little less cushion on the headband compared to 185. I put the same 185 pads on them & they do feel a lot better than the cheap stock leatherette pads.

So if these 175’s die, I’ll be forced into BT Headphones. I have a set of Audio Technica BT cans already & they pair to my TV no problem. They don’t sound anywhere near as good as the RF Sennheiser’s though.

[Derb]

Originally Posted by Derb

R.I.P.

April 19th 2015
June 26th 2021

______^________^________^^______^______^^________^ ^^



Since getting a new LG C1 TV recently, I decided to see if at all possible to revive the RS185’s.

Had bought RS175’s as backup & have been using them without issue.

What I believe to be the most expensive fix here.. Still not 100% sure if these headphones will awake from the dead without any issues but I have tested them for around 20+ minutes with the below changes made,

Am using the new power cable from the 175 to the 185. (Didn’t think it would work)
Am using a new fibre optic Toslink cable. (No idea if that makes any difference)
Am using 2 new”ish” reliable 3rd party AAA Rechargeable batteries by Energizer. (I overlooked this when trying a previous fix)

Cleaned headphone base & the headphones themselves, hooked it up via the above methods. Waited to get at least 2 light bars showing (Out of 4 lights meaning the headphones are 50% charged) before trying them out on Apple TV4K & LG C1 TV.

Audio didn’t cut out after the 20+ minutes I used them for. Previously, the audio would drop its signal entirely 3-4 times per minute.

So why the fuss? Why not just get a new pair of cans? Etc etc etc...??

The Sennheiser RS185 Audio Quality Performance strait up outperforms Sony’s XM4’s by audio quality standards. They outperform the RS175’s easily. Not bad considering they are Radio Frequency RF if you ask me.
They are the most comfortable pair of headphones I’ve ever used.
They also last 10+ hours easy on a full charge.
The ear pads can be changed for new ones after wear & tear. Leather or Cloth
They are Out of Production, meaning a replacement from 3rd party sellers will set you back $600. (2015 new was around $300-$350)

If these cans can survive a single Day without any signal dropouts, I’ll be in

[Derb]

Update

I have been using the RS 185’s since last post daily.

What I believe to be the cause of failure was the batteries. I never switched them out for new ones in almost 5 years.

I can’t say if the RS 175’s power supply is the reason these now work. The light indicator on the headphone base light up normally regardless of which model power supply was connected. It’s possible it could be an issue but I’m leaning more towards the batteries that came with the headphones dying after 5 years of use.

While I’m happy these headphones are “back from the dead” sorta speak, the LG C1 TV I got has minor audio conversion issues with external HDMI sources. It affects the sound output on a device by device scenario.

So for example, Apple TV4K can have static audio pauses during some apps. Disney + more so than Netflix or YouTube. So the LG TV is picky with which streaming source is running externally & converting audio sources. Appears to be a codec issue IMO. The higher the audio quality, the more frequent the static pauses occur.

Any LG TV’s Internal Apps have 0 issues.

On Apple TV4K, Netflix & especially YouTube appear to have no issue probably due to their audio codecs.

PlayStation 5 has sounded fine also. Long play sessions, no loss in Audio.

Wanted to fully give these headphones a good month test run before leaving further feedback here. Now I probably should invest in some rechargeable AAA batteries. lol

[Derb]

Wow time flys.

Since these are the best headphones ever created by man. They are now becoming impossible to find.

I think Sennheiser KNEW they created the best headphones on planet earth & discontinued them.

They still have,

165
175
195

However 185 is a Unicorn.

If you happen to find a seller you trust, throw a link here.

I see some for $600 but don’t trust companies I’ve never heard of.

[Derb]

Update.

Still going strong.

Almost 10 years of audio heaven.