Sony MDR-DS3000 Wireless Digital Surround Headphones Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I've had these headphones for about 3 months and I love them.
I listen to music pretty much constantly while I'm working, and though I have some good speakers in my office, I find I focus better with headphones on. I had gotten tired of wired headphones, as the wire always gets fouled up in the chair.
First, the sound quality is excellent. It's not as good as high end speakers, but these headphones are a lot cheaper than high end speakers. I own about 10 pairs of headphones (don't ask) and these are definitely the best.
In the office with these wireless headphones, I can get up from my chair and wander out of the room without taking off the headphones. My office is about 14x14 ft, and the IR signal covers the entire room. I have never had any drop-outs or other interference while in the office. When I walk out of range, the headphones go silent with a slight hiss.
As other reviews have noted, there is a small quiet hiss when nothing is playing. However, the solution to reduce the hiss is not to crank the volume on the headphones, and instead turn up the amplifier. This works exceptionally well. I have these plugged into the headphone jack of a basic $200 receiver.
The other wonderful thing about these headphones is that there is no on/off switch to manage. Instead, the headphones turn off when the inner band of the headphones has no tension on it--in other words, they turn off when they are not sitting on your head. The band is part of the "self-adjusting" feature, and it really works. You just put the headphones over your head, pull the speakers to your ears, and the headphone band adjusts and the headphones power on. This definitely helps with battery life. I haven't really measured the life of the batteries other than to know I only have to charge every now and then.
Although the headphones contain electronics, batteries, and are somewhat large physically, my head does not get tired of them. The earcups are fabric with some padding rather than leather, so my ears don't sweat nearly as much as they do with other leather earcups. Very nice!
The set comes with an optical cable. The back of the base has an optical input and two RCA plugs. I use a 1/4"-to-two-RCA cable from Radio Shack to connect these to my receiver. The base also has a magnet to assist when placing the headphones on the base for charging--the magnet pulls the earcup with the charge connection to exactly the right spot.
Overall, this product is awesome due to its exceptional engineering. The headphones are expensive--no question--but they are worth the money.P.S. Another reviewer noted that this product doesn't work with Plasma TVs. I don't know anything about that, but that review made me worried if it would work in a room filled with LCDs--my office has many LCD monitors. The good news is--they work fine. Also, I can sit either facing the base station or facing directly opposite the base station and the signal continues to come in fine.
UPDATE July 2008: I've had these over two years now and have been using them perhaps 12-20 hours a week, depending on the week. I'm still on the original batteries; they still hold several days of charge for me. I recently moved into a larger office (13 x 25 with vaulted ceiling) and the stand sits in a corner and covers all the line-of-sight visible areas of the room. Still very happy with these.
UPDATE Nov 2010: I've had these headphones almost 5 years. They are still my favorite and I am still on the first set of batteries--and I use these a lot!

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The Sony MDR-DS3000 Infrared Wireless Dolby Digital Surround Sound Headphones are ideal for DVD players and other components with Dolby Digital, Dolby Surround or DTS Surround Sound. These unique open-air headphones are comfortable, cordless and have a 23 foot transmission range, a 90° transmission angle and a self-adjusting headband. For superb sound and mobility, the MDR-DS3000 infrared wireless headphones make the perfect addition to your home theatre.

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Sony MDR W08L - Headphones ( vertical ) Review

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(More customer reviews)I have spent hundreds of dollars searching for a headset that stays in my ear AND doesn't hurt. Most are too large, apparently I have a very small ear. The ones that have the 'eyeglass' type and hang on your ear? Well apparently my lobes aren't high enough to hold those on. I know it sounds like I'm some kind of earless freak, part bird or some such, but only these verticles stay on my head, in my ear and don't cause me any pain.

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Sony's MDR-W08L verticalin-the-ear headphones get you ready to rock! Featuring a super-light in-the-ear designSony Acoustic Turbo Circuitrya High Power Neodymium Magnetand an L-Shaped Mini Plugthese headphones combine quality sound with a comfortable fit. This product also admits outside sound for added safety when you are listening on the go.

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Sony MDR-V150 Monitor Series Headphones with Reversible Earcups Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)It seems from a lot of the reviews on here, that people don't quite understand the specs behind headphones which are crucial to its sound. A lot of people are comparing these headphones to iPod earbuds and saying that it sounds like something is missing. Here's why:
The technical specs for iPod earbuds:
Bandwidth response-20Hz to 20,000Hz
Impedance-32ohms
The technical specs for MDR-V150s:
Bandwidth response-18Hz to 22000Hz
Impedance-24ohms
For those of you who don't understand the numbers, it means that the MDR-V150s have a broader range of sound, but the iPod earbuds pack a bigger sound. This is precisely why you think something is missing.
If you listen to iPod earbuds over a long time, your ears become accustomed to really loud, albeit a small range, sound. This is also why iPod earbuds are known for causing serious harm to your ears over prolonged periods of use. For it to sound right, you have to use the full amount of power, which the earbuds provide. Your close-range hearing becomes damaged over time and you can't hear subtle sounds or details, but you can still detect low volume. The earbuds won't sound deafening because you can still hear outside noise.
The MDR-V150s have a larger range of sound and lower impedance. That means there is a much richer sound. You don't need to jack up the volume to get a good listen (but you do need your hearing intact). You also may not be used to the larger range of sound so the range of sound you're used to will sound drowned out at close range. Many of the comments complaining about this transition from earbuds are noting that staples of their music listening sound strangely undetailed on the MDR-V150s. High levels of bass have a way of "drowning" out treble sounds if you're not used to listening to music with ample bass at close range.
Another major difference is that since these are "on-ear" headphones instead of "in-ear" buds, you have much less outside noise interfering with listening. It's like the difference between listening to a car stereo with the windows up or the windows down. You have to listen to things louder if there's more outside noise and you can't notice as many details either. There is a reason cellphone handsets for the car use earbuds instead of headphones, and that's so you can still hear the road. Why would you want to use earbuds that are intentionally designed so you can still hear your surroundings but compensate for it by deafening you?
I work a lot with sound whether it's production, music, or art and I use these as portable stereo phones because of their quality and sound range. I use them with my iPod with the long cord tucked into my case's belt clip. They are incredibly affordable for their quality. Most comparable headphones cost at least $30. I have been using these headphones since freshman year of college when I was first exposed to them in my school's sound lab.
My opinion aside, the manufacturer specs speak for themselves and it's hard to imagine that iPod earbud fans really believe that these provide less sound when physically they have a much broader range of sound and do not permanently damage your ears.
As for the tightness, it's good. It'll keep the phones pressed against your ears. The padding coupled with the tightness is what keeps as much outside noise sealed out. The more noise cancellation you can get, the better the sound.
And for the hair complaint: you could always tie up your hair or give up on headphones with plastic size adjusters. The plastic size adjusters were just designed to snag hair, so it seems.

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The MDR-V150 Studio Monitor Series headphones are built for your ears, with a supra-aural design for listening comfort during long sessions. The 30mm diameter drivers provide deep bass, and reversible earcups offer convenient single-sided monitoring.
Built for your ears.

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Sony Mdr-222Kd/Blk Childrens Headphones (Black) Review

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(More customer reviews)We needed head phones for our 3.5 year old son. The ones that stick in your ears kept falling out. These perfectly fit on his head, he actually has to extend the headband a tiny bit, so I wouldn't worry about them being too big.

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Sized for children over 8 years of age --- Most headphones don't fit children comfortably. The MDR-222KD headphones were designed with a child's head in mind. This allows the child to comfortably wear the headphones without strain that full sized headphones might cause as well as fit that eliminates the need to constantly adjust the headphones. Low volume --- By increasing the impedance on the headphones we have taken into account the sensitive nature of childrens ears to try to eliminate volume issues that full sized earphones might cause. Lightweight --- By sizing these headphones correctly your child can use these headphones on long trips very comfortably.

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