Sennheiser RS30 Wireless Headphones

Manufacturer:	Sennheiser
List price:	~~$99.95~~
Our price:	that is 100% off!

Sennheiser RS30 Wireless Headphones

Average rating: Stars

The description didn't say "refurbished," but it was

At the time of my purchase, nowhere in this product description did the notorious TigerDirect say that is was being sold as "refurbished," but that is how it arrived. I spoke to Sennheiser and they said that it is possible that even the battery might not have been replaced if the product appeared to have had "light use."

As a matter of interest, Sennheiser nicely told me that they cut corners on this product "to compete with Advent and JVC...." One way they cut corners is to have no covering over the foam inserts. The wireless portion isn't bad, but it looks trashy. Sennheiser should have known better. Now I know better.

It isn't self evident that a substantially discounted product is a refurb. I bought the Sennheiser HD 600 headset through Amazon (from J&R) at a large discount, and it was unquestionably new.

Update: More than 10 days ago I complained to Amazon and TigerDirect about the phones being refurbished, TigerDirect acknowledged the problem and told me to keep them and I would get a refund. (I guess they don't cost the company very much.) But the listing page has still been updated to reflect that buyers don't get new phones.

Further update, Aug 1, 05: Two weeks after TigerDirect said they would issue a refund it has not been done, but they have requested that I remove my negative feedback. A TD phone rep now asks that I forward the email that authorized the refund so that his manager can "take care of it." The main Amazon product listing shows the RS30 as out of stock, and two Marketplace sellers (neither of which is TigerDirect) have it listed as refurbished.

Sennheiser RS30 Wireless Headphones - Sennheiser

Cuts off with phone use

I bought these headphones for my dad and he says that everytime the neighbour picks up the phone, his connection to the base unit is broken. He's able to listen in to their conversations because of the signaling overlap. To fix the problem, he has to get up and hit the channel change button to re-establish the connection. This happens quite frequently and he's very very annoyed. I'll be returning them ASAP.

Sennheiser - Sennheiser RS30 Wireless Headphones

Great sound, cheap construction

I bought the RS30's over the other brands of wireless headphones because I've been extremely pleased with my other Sennheiser purchases (HD-202, HD-212, MX-400). In those cases, I've found both the construction and sound quality to be well ahead of the pack, especially for the price. In the RS-30's, I had to settle for one out of two. The sound quality is excellent - within a 50 foot radius, you'd never know they weren't an expensive wired set. Reception is good throughout the house, although a little static creeps in at longer distances.

However, I was surpised by the cheap plastic and un-upholstered foam construction. Right out of the box, there was a little piece of plastic rattling around inside the headband. I don't see these headphones lasting long, even with gentle use. Also, the battery pack is just a dumb design. You have to remove the battery from the phones and plug it into the base to charge. Well, the base already acts as a cradle for the phones, so how hard would it be to align the contacts on the battery with those on the base, so it will charge on its own?? Cordless telephones have done this for years.

In short, I bought this as a gift, and I'll be a little embarassed when I hand it over later today, as it looks like a kmart special. Hopefully, the sound quality will help the recipient overlook the construction.

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