Sennheiser RS130: high wire artists

Whether you're using a £1000 hi-fi system at home or WinAmp at work, listening to your favourite tunes wherever you are is now commonplace. Annoyingly though, you've always got a cable tying you up, which is why wireless headphones were pioneered long before Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

To those in the know, Sennheiser headphones are an even cooler expression of taste than those iconic white iPod buds. Whether it's a pair of £15 in-ear 'phones or some £250 home cinema beasts, you're always in for a good musical experience from the German audio specialists. Sennheiser claims that these particular headphones are optimised for hi-fi and home movie listening, whereas DJs and those hard of hearing can spend slightly more on the RS140s.

The RS130s are designed for prolonged use. While £90 is considered mid-range in the world of hi-fi, Sennheiser isn't one to skimp on the frills -- aside from wireless integration, the headphones' felt finish on the earcups and headband help you forget you're wearing them. The batteries sit just inside the left cup and they're rechargeable from the box.

The negative side of such innovation is that both the transmitter and headphones are quite large. The headphones in particular look a little too pretentious for the office, and you're bound to get some funny looks if you wander around with them on (they're too Nathan Barley for comfort). However, the size is understandable given the technology needed to receive RF signals, in addition to the batteries that power this self-sufficient unit.

The volume level can be changed on the back of the headphones, but its position presents more problems. If you're in the office and drop the headphones to sit round your neck, the volume knob usually catches your shoulder, sending the volume up to maximum in the process. And despite being battery powered, these things go loud -- beyond 75 per cent volume level they will potentially damage your ear drums.

The 'phones themselves are designed to fit snugly around the ears. While more expensive models from Sennheiser will extinguish much of the noise for people around you, music from the RS130s will be very noticeable to anyone sitting in the vicinity. The transmitter is designed to hold the headphones when they're not being used, and because of the extra power needed to transmit a signal, they need to be powered from the mains. You can wall-mount the device through a standard set of screws (not included), which will look suitably hi-tech in your home office.

Wireless technology is the main talking point of these headphones, and we put them through a suitably thorough torture test to see how they coped. First impressions were good -- we could wander past several different departments in the office before any break-up occurred. As a general rule, you can bob and sway your head as much as you like for up to 10m away from the transmitter. From 10-25m, there'll be noticeable breakup as you walk away from the transmitter, but if you remain still, the break-up will stop. Beyond this, you'll have to put up with the static as the headphones struggle to find a signal. Obviously, the number of walls between you and the transmitter will make this subject to change, but you can comfortably listen to anything through one wall or floor.

Battery life on the headphones is excellent. Our brand new test model had some charge in the batteries as soon as we opened it up, and we were able to use them for around 9 hours. The manual recommends that your first charge should be of 16 hours, after which you'll get 22 hours of use. That's much longer than an iPod, or most other portable music players, yet the headphones are constantly receiving wireless signals and can go as loud as 104dB. We're impressed that Sennheiser has not simply released a pair of wireless headphones that need recharging every couple of hours.

Having said that, much like your iPod, you should top up the power regularly. You do this by very simply sitting the phones on top of the transmitter. It will draw power from the mains, and run it into the headphones by two exposed metal strips on the headband. Simple, quick and easy -- no opening anything up or plugging any wires in whenever you want to charge up, and it looks cool too.

The headphone system also has a couple of other neat tricks up its sleeve. SRS Headphone technology (toggled from the transmitter) ups the bass level to produce a more three-dimensional sound. While the real-world benefits of such a system are limited, and some may even argue it detracts from the purity of the audio experience, it's a good feature for dance music and film soundtracks.

In addition to the volume wheel on the headphones, there's also a button for tuning in. This is all self-automated -- press the button once to turn the headphones on and in normal circumstances you'll hear your music within 3-5 seconds. There are also three selectable channels that the transmitter can broadcast on -- so in the unlikely event that someone else is using a similar system, there shouldn't be any crossover.

If you're not sold on the benefits of wireless technology, you might be better off investing your £90 in a pair of wired headphones, because the jump in quality will be noticeable. Some of the clarity is lost by the FM conversion and distribution, with an omnipresent hissing in the background. Sennheiser has implemented an automatic noise reduction mode to combat this, though. Plus, the addition of SRS technology make the headphones more than capable of delivering a home cinema experience.

Anyone who listens to a significant amount of music at home or at work is in for a treat with these headphones. The sound quality is good, dropping in direct proportion to the distance from the transmitter and amount of movement, but they are comfortable and highly musical. They fill a definite market well, but if you're not bothered about doing the washing up while keeping the delights of tubo thrash metal to yourself, your cash will be better spent on a wired pair. -GC