MANY audiophiles will opine that as far as fidelity to the source is concerned, wireless connectivity is still some way off from credible results. This, however, doesn’t mean that stakeholders are sitting still. Headphones, for example, have incorporated some wireless innovations over the years, and Sennheiser is a pioneer in this field.
The German audio specialist says it has been pushing beyond the limits of what has been achieved in wireless audio transmission thus far. The fruits of this labour – the RS 220 digital wireless headphones, released a couple of months ago and which has just been made available in these parts of Asia.
“With these digital wireless headphones, we have succeeded for the first time in combining wireless music enjoyment with high-end quality,” says Maurice Quarré, product lifecycle management director at Sennheiser Consumer Electronics.
The RS 220, we’re told, is optimised for all analogue and digital audio sources, and offers “new levels of audio detail, refinement and transparency for discerning audio lovers.”
This open circumaural design features powerful neodymium magnets in its dynamic transducers, resulting in “clear, lifelike audio reproduction with a frequency response of 19 to 21,000 Hertz.” The RS 220 is good for 106 decibels, just in case you have a fatal desire to crush your tympanic membrane.
The system’s transmitter sends signals to the ‘phones without compression, via a stable 2.4 GHz connection using the Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS) technique. The transmitter also features one optical and one coaxial digital input, plus an analogue audio input. Other highlights include easy recharging of the headphones as well as simultaneous connections of up to two headphones. Volume control is integrated into the headphones, and each channel can be individually adjusted.
These certainly aren’t cheap cans, but if you’re fussy about sound quality and have a fear of commitment to one spot, then the wire-free environment afforded by the RS 220 should keep you keen and free from encumbrances.
