Sennheiser RS120 II On-Ear Wireless RF Headphones with Charging Cradle

I own a pair of Sennheiser 170's and they are really excellent headphones but @ over $200 I didn't want to spend as much since major use of these 120's was my bedroom TV. PS, if you're buying a tv these days, be careful to check the back before buying. Most decent size LCDs/plasma's don't have headphone jacks, many do not have RCA audio outputs, and some cheap models don't even have optical outputs. I'm not sure how optical to RCA converters worked, so, I wanted one with RCA audio out in addition to optical, and second choice would be headphone jack. In my humble opinion, RCA-output is the best because there is constant output level and you then control the TV speakers with the mute button on your remote. If you are limited to a headphone jack, the speakers usually are cut out when the phones are plugged in making it necessary to be plugging and unplugging whenever you use the phones and then want to go back to the speakers. Back to the 120's. First of all - sound quality is excellent, tho I don't use them primarily for music, I'd have no hesitation to do so. Unlike the 170 and 180's they don't have features like base boost nor do they have the surround sound simulation that the 170/180's have. PS: this feature on the 170's is really cool and I love using them on my family room tv for action movies. But, back to the 120's: even without these features, the sound is great. Next, reception: unbelievable. I've been all over my house to test them and they work great, even on different floors. Next: comfort. I actually really like the "on the ear" fit for my purposes. Soft pads, no irritation, but haven't yet worn for hours. I can say that, since I have both, there is one advantage of these compared with "over the ear" fit that is a feature of the 170's. With over the ear, if your head is resting on a cushion/pillow such that the cushion/pillow pushes on the earpiece, it causes the earpiece to put pressure on the back of your ear and actually can cause irritation. It's my one complaint (albeit minor) about my 170's. The one problem wiht the "on ear" fit of the 120's is that it is not "secure" - i.e, because they fit lightly and comfortably, if you want to wear them while you're say doing a project that requires bending over, they'll tend to slip off your head/ears. If you're sitting, at your computer, lying down for a nap, no problem. But if you''re going to be active with them - like working in the garage or cleaning the house while wearing them, might consider the more secure fit of over the ear. Since they're not over the ear, they're not as noise isolating, but that can be an advantage if you want to know what's going on around you - like hearing your wife calling you or the doorbell, etc. Finally, as for some of the criticisms of others that I've seen posted on these reviews, here's my take: 1. Hiss: non existent. none. I'm using these with RCA outputs on my tv that have constant output and in this mode 0 hiss at any volume even with total silence on the source. If you're using headphone jack output, probably should have the component volume up enough (normal listening level) so you don't have to crank the phones - but I've pushed the volume on these during silence on screen without any hiss!! 2. Unable to charge with earpieces extended. Huh? Maybe they've changed the design of base unit, but this is simply NOT true. I've extended them all the way and set on the base to charge. No problemo. 3. Volume control on same side as tuning wheel. Please. 4. Auto on/off. So far no problem while watching TV. I suppose if you're pausing dvd's frequently, this could be a minor annoyance, but if you're wearing wireless headphones the need to pause should be minimal, since you can keep listening while you grab a beer in the kitchen or take care of business in the bathroom! Here's the bottom line on this: I TURNED THE TV OFF AND CLOCKED THE TIME-TO-AUTO-SHUTOFF: 3 minutes exactly. So.. how can this be a problem listening to music: suggest if this a problem you are using a headphone jack and the component volume is set incredibly low, turn it up a bit! Oh, yeah, when the base is off, then turn the tv on, the time between tv volume "on" and base unit auto on is virtually instantaneous. Again if, not getting this performance, suspect it is headphone jack and component volume problem. Overall: this is a great set of wireless headphones at a reasonable price (less than $100 on amazon) and the problems noted by others have either been engineered out of the product over the years (some of the negative reviews are years old), or the folks with problems haven't set them up correctly (using headphone jack with component volume turned too low). For best results, try the rca audio outputs and if you're going to buy a new tv, look for and get a tv that has this feature!

4-24-13 I now have 3 of these headsets and love them! Got my last one in January 2013. If your earphones don't work properly SWITCH radios!!! I have two rather expensive radios of the same brand. When I got my second headset (my first is on my TV) I connected it to one of my radios and it would not work properly. I tried everything and nothing worked. The headset would work for about 5 minutes and then cut out and nothing I could do would get it working again. I was about ready to send this headset back but decided I would try it on my other radio (remember, same brand). It worked GREAT and I have not had a problem with it since (it has been several months since I switched radios). I use the headset when I am out in the yard or doing housework going from room to room. So, before you think the headset is defective, try it on another radio and you might find that the headset works fine. That the problem was that the radio jack on the first radio just did not properly accept the headset connection. Also, remember that the headset is designed to turn itself off if there is no radio sound for a period of time in order to save batteries. ----------prior review-------- I have tried several different brands of headphones and these are by far the best. In fact, when I got mine I connected them to receive my radio and was so impressed that immediately ordered a second set so I could connect them to my television. The headphones are so light that I put them on and just leave them on as I work inside and outside the house. The sound is excellent (I listen to talk radio), very smooth - not irritating as with some headphones. I wanted two sets so when I switched from listening to a tv program to a radio program, I do not have to reconnect them. It takes about 5 minutes to connect them. Let the headphones charge for 24 hours and then enjoy!!! When you put the earphones back on the charging stand they immediately make the connection and start charging. There is no fumbling around with trying to get them to connect to the charging stand as when you place the headset on the stand it automatically slips onto the connection. Do not let the lights on the charging stand fake you out...they seem to light up when they want to. When you put the headset on the stand the red light will come on. The green light seems to do whatever it wants but it works. When you first connect the charging stand to the electricity the green light may or may not come on but it is ready to charge the headset. Want to thank the person whose recommendation said he could do his neighbors yard across the street and hear his program as I wanted a set that would let me do my yard work and I have a big yard. I can even walk around my block and hear my program through the headset all the way. Can''t recommend highly enough!!!!

Everything has been said in 922 previous reviews . I found a headphone jack 3.5 mm jack for the computer and a set of RCA audio jacks in my package . I have Fibro and severe chronic pain . Zero quality of life until I put these on WOW . I own a acre and a third with a house at one far end . I walked to every point on my property after closing the door to the house and setting these up on the wall 3 feet above my computer and had no problems until I ducked behind a old Wells cargo trailor 400 feet away . Otherwise I did get some crackle but it was no worse then old vinyl scratches . My garage is behind the house I walked in with closed the doors and there was a van between me and the house and I heard everyting fine . The charging cradle is fine . Its easy to change the batteries and it came with rechargeables . Bottom line it works well . Sounds were crisp within reason for the crackles and pops . It scared me to think the radio waves were everywhere . I thought the bass was great . I like the position of the dials its not confusing . There is a adjustment on the base that helped me lock in a signal everywhere . Now the bad . These headphones are for people sitting or walking easy . When I tried to bend over with them they fell off . I didnt get on my lawn mower but it would be about as far as I would push activity with them . They feel clumsy and akward for me and I imagine most people . I wore them as small as they would go and I am a 7 5/8 hat size . Maybe my ears are high on my head I dont know . Compared to the technology I knew these are a 6 but take two off for a 4 on a 5 point scale . Definitely worth the money but dont expect to do work in them you will have to find another model . I would love to hear what people are using for that . The range for me was unbelievable compared to what I expected . I never believed the claims . Now you do have to tune them in and adjust a little . My base was hung on a simple paneling nail on the wall above the computer with a light switch a foot away , air conditioner running , monitors , tv and a wireless phone system . No problems . The volume turns up just high enough to be pleasant yet safe . A very good purchase . These replaced a nice set of RCA's which sadly were lost before the package was even openned . I couldnt buy them again and I dont feel sad anymore . I would buy again but hopefully the other pair will be something for working outside now that I know the tech can reach out there . These would be great for landscapers just leave the truck radio on with the base plugged into a inverter 12vt charge pack . I will comment later as I havent tried them with tv or just the computer alone yet to run into issues where people complain of the auto shut off / gain feature . I cant wait to try these with a usb phono I bought recently for my old 45's ,78's and 33's . For one brief moment my pain was bearable it was worth the money . Please recomend in comments a headset that may work with the base or not that is wearable while bending or being more active . Thanks ..God Bless .

After reading other people's reviews I decided that the first thing I am going to do is test the complaints. So certainly, I tested the most popular complaint which is the auto-shut off feature, which turns off the transmitter base and leaves the listener with loud static. First of all, it is not loud static because these headphones DO NOT have the power to blast your ears as some reviewers commented. It does startle you a bit if you've been listening to silence for several minutes. But it does not blast your ears at all. One fact nobody mentioned is that the transmitter will wait for about 3 minutes of silence before it shuts off, which is plenty of time for most situations. Some reviewers made it seem like it would shut off immediately after it detected silence. Obviously, if you're going to be using these headsets with a computer it could be a problem. In that case, I would use a wired headset because when you are browsing the internet on a computer, you could spend a long time without hearing a sound. So think carefully what you're going to be using these headsets for before you buy them. Now for a bit of critique: In 2011, don't you think that technology is advanced enough to have implemented at least an auto-silence feature so that when the transmitter shuts off, it mutes the headphone? I mean FM auto-mute is an 1980's technology that even some car radios had back then to mute the FM static when no signal is being received. But anyway, on to my next item. Along with the auto-shut off feature many people hate (which I find to be no problem at all), some complained that after the transmitter shut off, if you started sending audio to the transmitter base again, the transmitter did not turn back on. This is totally false. If you spend a whole 3 minutes listening to dead air silence and the transmitter shuts off, when the transmitter begins to receive audio again it will turn back on automatically and the headset will receive the audio again. However, what I found disturbing is why doesn't the headset turn off after it stops receiving the signal from the transmitter? I waited a whole 5 minutes after the transmitter shut off listening to FM static and the headset never shut off. If I was a manufacturer of quality products, I would've considered that. Onto more positive things. For most listening occasions, these headsets will deliver crisp, full range audio with punchy bass. I was very pleased with the sound quality. However, if you are a DJ, don't expect these are going to be loud enough for you. I did find that you could easily make the bass distort as the headset itself is not powerful enough for me (I am a DJ). But for most occasions, (watching TV, listening to music in the quiet, etc.) these will do fine, though. What I found is you need to be careful with the audio input to the base. If it is too loud, you may get distortion (which is natural), and if it is not loud enough, you may hear some hissing in the background. So for those of you complaining about hissing, check to make sure your source is loud enough. I am using the headphone output from my home stereo so I can control the audio level going to the base. One nice thing though is that the base will automatically level the sound for you. If the incoming audio is low, the base will automatically amplify the audio level being transmitted to the headset. If you suddenly increase the audio level going to the base, it will automatically level it down to keep the same consistent level for you. Nice feature! I did not find that these feature dampened the dynamic range though, so your audio contrast between loud and soft sounds is nicely maintained. I can't comment much on the battery life as I just got these, but I will probably update on that in the future. But about the signal range, I find it to be very powerful. Very minor static when walking around which is normal for FM communications, but I can go to the backyard without a problem, but why would I need to do that when I can't see my TV from there? Another thing, I find wearing them for a long time to be no problem. They are very comfortable and the open design is not a problem at all. Some people complained about the open design allowing for ambient noise to contaminate the audio experience, but to be honest, once I was listening to something I could not notice any distracting ambient noise. One last thing, I find that the volume control and frequency tuning controls are hard to find by touch while wearing the headset. I guess I might get used to that in the future, but I always find myself struggling looking all around the area where I think they are with my hands until I find them. Same thing with the power switch. Other than that, these are fine headsets that I find most people will be pleased with. Since all I care is sound quality, comfort and durability, the minor flaws of this product is nothing to complain about so I gave it 5 stars. Very good for the price!

I purchased the RS120 headphone/charger system and a second pair of Sennheiser HDR120 Supplemental HiFi Wireless Headphones (without a charger) for my wife and I to use in our bedroom so that we could watch a little TV without waking our sleeping toddler across the hall. We've had them for about two weeks now and have used them on numerous occasions. They work very well. Sound quality is fine. These are not audiophile Sennheisers, they're not priced as if they were. They are not intended for critical listening, or for reproducing 7.1 theater sound systems. They are simple stereo wireless headphones. Our bedroom TV is wall mounted (using this VideoSecu Low Profile TV Wall Mount ) and I have all the cables routed inside the wall including the audio cable that connects to the headphone base. The base itself is located in the room next to our bedroom (my office). Since the headphones use RF (instead of IR) the signal goes right through the wall. RF interference has not been a problem either (the house is saturated with wireless signals and the base is located in a room with two or three computers that are running all the time). Range is good. I haven't tested the limit of the range, but the headphones work everywhere in the house (meaning we can walk downstairs to the kitchen while still listening to the TV). Setup was very simple. Plug the base in, connect the audio cable to the TV. Charge the headphones. Turn them on. Tune them and you have audio. Things the be aware of: 1. The base has a 3.5mm (standard mini headphone size) stereo input jack and comes with an stereo RCA-to-3.5mm converter and a fairly long stereo RCA cable (long enough for my needs by far). Your TV needs to have analog audio outputs. The base does NOT have digital audio inputs. The outputs on your TV will be fixed level, or variable-level (or user selectable). Our Vizio TV has selectable outputs and I selected fixed-level. This means that the headphones are used to control the volume instead of the TV remote. For us, this works well as we can each independently adjust the volume without affecting the other listener. (The downside? The mute button on the TV remote does nothing). 2. I have two headphones, but the charging station can only charge one at a time. This isn't a problem. You just need to be aware that you can only fit one at a time on the charger and manage your charging so you don't end up with a dead battery when you need them. 3. I'm still on my first charge cycle and we've used the headphones for at least 5 hours over the last two weeks. So far no sign of running them out. 4. The headphones use standard AAA NiMH batteries (provided). I'm considering buying a few more just so I have a few charged ready-to-go batteries around in case I do ever forget to charge the headphones (and our baby monitor uses the same). 5. I did not mount my base on the wall (it just sits on my desk), but it does have a single keyhole mount slot. I don't think it would look very good stuck on the wall, but if needed, it'll work. 6. This is the only drawback I've found so far, but at this price point I didn't really consider this a negative: The headphones are not the type that go over your ears. The lay flat on the ear. There is no surround. Some people might find this uncomfortable during a long listening session. When I first put them on, my initial reaction was: "these are not going to be comfortable". But after using them for a while now, they really are not too bad. The comfort isn't great, but not bad either. The other trait with the lack of a surround is that they do not isolate sound. You can hear other noises in the room (good for us, we can here the baby monitor), but you can also hear the other person's headphones if they are listening at a loud level (and your trying to read a book, or sleep). Again, only a problem if the other person is cranking it up. This hasn't been a problem for us. I've never heard my wife's headphones while I read or sleep. So I give these 5 stars because they met my expectations in every way. I was not expecting high-end audio, but I was expecting easy setup and decent sound quality for a reasonable price. And that's what I got.

Update: 4-26-18- I just threw them out into the garbage. I hadn't used them in a long time - see the update at the bottom to find out why. Then I started thinking, "They can't really be that bad, can they?" So I charged them back up and tried them out. I tried to take a little nap after work and enjoy some relaxing music. The music kept coming across all static and interference. I tried all the settings, and fussed around, trying to just get clear music. Alas, I couldn't get rid of the static. I tried placing the antenna close to the headphones. Still static. My relaxing nap time turned into frustration and distress. Into the garbage. I wish I'd never bought these things. I really love these headphones! I got a Miccus Mini-jack RX: Bluetooth Music Receiver to send music to some Pyle speakers I put in my kitchen, so I'd have music in my kitchen. Unfortunately, they don't work well, even when I've got them strung out on walls and facing each other directly across my little studio apartment. I wrote a very unsatisfactory review of them. Plus, if I pair them with my computer speakers, there's a severe lag between the music in my computer speakers, and the ones in my kitchen. The Pyle speakers are pretty good, though. I'd been checking out wireless headphone options as a work-around. I settled on the Sennheiser RS 120 based on reviews, and the Sennheiser brand. I've got to say, I love these headphones; they've become my new best friend. I have a small San Francisco studio apartment, but there are separate kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom. I can go anywhere in my apartment, and the music is smooth and static-free. I tried going down three floors to the recycling area behind the building, and they kept the quality of sound almost all the way; then started with a bit of static. But I was still receiving music. The sound quality is very good. Bass is there, and the quality of the sound is smooth and silky. I can wear them for a long time and don't get music or headphone fatigue. I'll wear them to bed and listen to soothing music 'till I fall asleep. Two things I had to learn: I thought the ear cups themselves needed to be close to the transmitter to charge the battery. I was fiddling with it 'till I got it just right, and the charging light came on. But, actually (my son had to point this out) there are two metal strips in the headphone band. The charging happens when these strips come in contact with the bracket that the headphones hang on. Another thing: in the right headphone, there's a dial for volume, and a dial for reception. Sometimes when I first start it up, the reception needs to be adjusted. All I'll get is scratchy, static interference tones. So I'll dial in the reception wheel 'till I get proper reception. BUT- I started getting little static tones behind the music. No amount of fiddling with the static dial would help. I went onto the Sennheiser website, and found out that there's a tiny, barely visible white switch at the front-center base of the transmitter. This switch has three different settings. I switched the setting, and re-dialed the earcup reception dial, and the little bit of static went away. Also- there's a little on/off switch on the left earcup. I'm giving all this information here, because the enclosed instructions really aren't up to the task. So, I've only had 'em for a few days, but I put these on first thing in the morning, and first thing when I get home from work. They work great for me, and I love 'em. Great sound, lightweight, comfortable, and excellent reception. I'm really, really glad I bought these headphones, and I've been showing them to other people. UPDATE - 6-30-2017- TERRIBLE CHARGING SYSTEM; EAR-BUSTING NOISE IF THE SOUND SOURCE QUITS. I'm not really using these too much anymore. Reason one is: the charging dock. There are a couple of narrow metal strips in the headphone band; they need to contact the charging dock exactly right, or the headphones don't charge. I literally just spent 5 minutes trying to fit and fiddle with these headphones so that they engaged the charging dock right. Just because I've finally got the precise placement arranged now doesn't mean they'll stay in place and charge. Too many times I've gone to use them, and the charge was low and they quit on me. I don't need the frustration of endlessly fiddling with these things just to charge 'em. The second reason I don't use them much anymore: As long as the music is playing, they sound good. As soon as the music is over and the source quits broadcasting, a huge roar of static immediately assaults my ears, and I have to tear the headphones off my head before my hearing gets damaged. Why use a product that's painful to my eardrums? Unfortunately, these two defects make these headphones NOT a good buy. If they charged well and didn't assault my ears with a painful roar of static, I'd recommend them. Why buy a product that hurts me and won't charge?

These work great! It was simple to install, just plug the main unit into a wall electrical socket with the other end plugged into the unit, then connect the red and yellow connectors to the TV. (It also comes with a 1/4 inch adapter that connects to an adapter with 2 RCA sockets to 3.5 mm jack plug.) Insert the 2 NiMH rechargeable AAA batteries (included) to the battery compartment located in the ear pad, charge the unit for at least 24 hours, and you're ready for fantastic sound. Just as advertised, I could wear these all around my house and could still hear the sound. And the sound is in STEREO! If a door is closed on TV, you may hear it in one ear, and background noises on TV ( like being in a public place), sound as if you are standing right next to the actors but can still crisply hear every word. The headphone top band is adjustable so you can either wear them directly over your ears, or higher up and half way over the ears so you can also hear noises at home. We went through 6-8 pairs of TV Ears over the past 4 years and got tired of having to replace a headphone every 60 minutes after less than 6 months of use, plus you had to be directly in line with the base or the sound would be lost. With the Sennheiser RS 120 headphones, we watched 8 hours of movies/TV without ever having to recharge the headphones, I could wash dishes at the kitchen sink, and never lost the sound. I wish I had purchased these years ago instead of wasting so much money on the TV Ears. We bought a set of the Sennheiser RS 120 (unit and headrphones) for the living room, and also a set for the bedroom. This way we can always have 2 headphones for the living room, or bedroom. Also, if one of us wants to watch TV in the bedroom and another in the living room, there is no interference (only if the other walks into the other room). You can also purchase one unit (base and headphone) and an extra headphone (no base unit), but you will have to charge one headphone, then remember to switch them to charge the other. UPDATE: I have been using these since 2014. Right now the RS 120 headphone with charging unit is very inexpensive since there have been upgraded models, so I bought 2 more sets to have lots of extras on hand. I have 1 unit plugged into the TV cable box and 1 unit into the DVD player (right next to each other), so I don't have to switch the plugs each time I switch between TV and DVD. If 2 or more units are next to each other, set one unit to channel 1 and the other to channel 2 or 3 (located on the bottom front of the charging unit). Then use the TUNE dial to tune into the sound. I also have 1 unit in the master bedroom and another in the spare bedroom, so anyone staying with me can watch their own TV shows. Plus, it gives me 4 headsets and units to switch out and charge to ensure I never have to go without hearing the TV or DVD. I need to use headphones since the sound that comes out of my TV is too weak, and using a connected speaker system didn't work because the controller to the cable and controller to the speaker were incompatible (unable to pause, mute, etc.). I have had to replace only 1 set of batteries, make sure to use correct NiMH batteries that are compatible with Sennheiser headphone.

This is the first product review I've written on Amazon, but I really felt the need, because I felt somewhat deceived by the huge amount of 5 star reviews for these headphones. Don't get me wrong, these are decent headphones. I am satisfied with them and I will not be returning them. But there are significant problems, the biggest of which is the ubiquitous hiss. Contrary to many of the other reviews, I found this hiss to be *quite* noticeable. I suppose that is just a fact of life with wireless headphones, but it really is quite annoying, particularly during quiet passages or when stretching the limits of the range. Speaking of range, it is true as other reviewers said that you can still get a "reasonable" signal at a remarkable distance (it beats my wi-fi network in terms of range). But I find that if I stray more than 15 feet or so from the base, I can notice a gradual reduction in quality, an increase in the volume of the hiss, and occasional whisps of static. I have fiddled with the channel setting and tuning knob quite extensively, and these issues still remain. I am probably a little pickier than the average person, but I do not consider myself an audiophile by any means -- so if *I'm* noticing the quality loss, it's pretty significant. Now the good news: When you are in the same room as the base and the music is loud enough to drown out the hiss, these headphones sound pretty darn good, at least to my untrained ears. All frequencies are filled out nicely (I did not find it lacking in bass at all) and I don't get that headache-y too-much-treble feeling that I get from extended listening on lousy earbuds. As other reviewers mentioned, it was a poor choice to put the volume knob and tuning knob right next to each other, but this is very manageable with practice. In summary, these ain't bad for wireless headphones -- but don't let all those 5-star reviews fool you into thinking you aren't going to pay a significant price for that freedom. Edit: Since writing the initial review, I figured out what the deal is with these. Whether as a side effect of FM transmission or by design, somewhere along the way this device is causing a pretty aggressive automatic gain control on the signal. A loud signal will cause the headphones to immediately adjust quieter, while they will adjust more gradually to a quiet signal, slowly bringing the level up. This more or less ruins music that has a lot of dynamics, though *most* modern music will sound more or less okay because of the way it is mastered. The AGC is also the cause of the infamous "hiss" that you hear when your signal is low (it keeps boosting the signal level until you hear noise). I find that keeping the input volume really high diminishes these problems somewhat, but of course then you have to be careful you aren't getting clipping. And it doesn't eliminate the problems altogether. It's a pity, because the headphones themselves sound great. But the automatic gain control really interferes with certain music, and as a result my review stays at 3 stars.