Hi all. Been a while for the old timers I still see here as top posters. Not really on here these days but always a good source of info so....

I'm looking for headphones so I can watch something on TV while something is going on in the next room and not get into a volume war.

I was considering, Sennheiser-RS-175-Wireless-Headphones, but am concerned about lag (up to 30ms I read with Kleer) so am leaning towards true RF or wired. Not sure how much I'll notice, since it isn't gaming, just movies, shows, sports.

Wanted to both get suggestions on headphones (would like to keep it under 200) and how much concern I should have over lag. I've read avoid bluetooth for that reason.

Did some more research, lag doesn't seem to be an issue, so went for it.

I use my wireless Q20+ (Anker Soundcore)all the time and have no problems with delay. The q20 line sounds pretty good for a phone you can get on sale for under $50 but does have a mechanical design flaw … the folding ear cup will fall apart at its joint after two to three years of use. The higher end soundcores uses a different design.

On the Sennheisers … I’ve had a few but only wired … the 2 open backs I’ve owned HD650 and HD595 were very good … the closed back one (don’t remember the model)… not so much.

Oh, since my Q20 is being held together with glue and tape … I did order a Q45 (a spontaneous Amazon prime day purchase). We will see if it’s any better.

According to this Wiki article, the threshold for detecting lip sync issues is anywhere from +15ms -45ms to +145ms -125 ms.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audio-to-video_synchronization

Even wired headphones can have latency of 10ms. I'd keep the receipt just in case it doesn't work out. There's some migration solutions, like don't watch your smartphone screen from a hundred feet away.

https://www.headphonesty.com/2020/07/fix-sound-delay-bluetooth-headphones/

stay far away from Sennhieser Momentum 4 headphone. they are the worst for functionality. sure they have an advertised 60 hours of run time. they also have a problem with turning off so the 60 hours can get eaten up in a few days of not using them so when you do want them, they are just about dead.

Also, they have connectivity problems. its not that they won't connect to anything but more they try and connect to everything regardless of what you are doing. Nothing like watching some TV and all of a sudden your headphones announce they are connected to your phone or tablet in another room that you are not even using. Or my favourite, the announcement of connected, disconnected in a consistent row. Usually during a n important section of dialog or an important scene in a movie.

Then you have to noise cancellation. A very important requirement when using in a room with other people who don't have any investment in the movie or tv show you are trying to watch. The Momentum 4 have incredibly good noise reduction, just as long as it stay turned on. But these headphones like to go into ambient mode just to piss you off. so now instead of blocking the outside sounds, it amplifies them so you can hear the conversation from across the room rather than what you want to hear.


Just buy Sony or Bose if you want something of higher sound quality.

btw: anyone want to buy a pare of used momentum 4's? selling at a good price..

Actually I’m not a fan of either company for speakers or phones … last pair of sony phones I bought were for my son (got something noise canceling in hopes that it would help him focus better). They were expensive, mediocre sounding, and the noise cancelation worked well only in limited situations …. biggest disappointment … that said … they probably improved in the 15years since

Correction: bought those phones only 7 years ago … Sony MDR10RNCIP … got 4 & 5 stars on Amazon which I never understood.

Headphones are the Wild West. They promise the moon but you can't audition most of them in the store, and most people buy them for reasons that don't have anything to do with performance, such as price, branding, or pedigree.

Crinacle is an almost-good site to see if there's any design flaws. I'm more inclined to trust the Harman Curve and various other competing target curves than I am with his own B.S. (bass-shy) target curve, but there's no reason to trust marketing when you can just look at the frequency response measurements and see if it's a dud. That Sennheiser RS-175 isn't listed yet.

I'll be in the market for a set of noise cancelling in-ear monitors soon. I gave my Sony WF1000XM3's to my son after their battery life dropped from 6 hours to 1 hour on the left ear bud and 90 minutes on the right ear bud. I'll replace it with something that doesn't rely solely on a friction fit with the ear canal.

So it looks like the RS-175's are going back. They use RF, which I wanted, but now I'm thinking I need to switch to Bluetooth instead.

The problem is, the headphones are only about 3 feet away from my wireless router. Both use the 2.4Ghz range so there is interference and the sound cuts out at times.

My options are A) return and get BT wireless headphones.

B) move my wireless router to a different room, where it won't be as centrally located

C) switch to just 5Ghz for wireless instead of dual band, which means my printer stops working since it is only 2.4.

Option A is likely my winner, so back to shopping. I've since heard that if I'm within 15-20 feet of the TV I should not have sound delay issues, and I am.

Thanks for the Crinacle reference. I'll check that out.

How's the Q45 working out?

After a little looking I have a short list, unless I should add something else. Experience/thoughts on any of these?

Avantree HT5009
Soundcore by Anker Space Q45
SENNHEISER HD 450BT

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MKBGH2V?tag=rtings-hp-r-third-party-prime-20&ie=UTF8

https://www.amazon.com/Soundcore-Cancelling-Headphones-Comfortable-Bluetooth/dp/B0B5VHRX7F/ref=sr_1_3?crid=291BSD9W9FOMD&keywords=anker+q45&qid=1690928087&sprefix=anker+q45%2Caps%2C113&sr=8-3&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.f5122f16-c3e8-4386-bf32-63e904010ad0

https://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-HD-450BT-Bluetooth-Cancellation/dp/B083W7V3RG?th=1

@rrlev any thoughts on those new Q45 you got?

450BT is out, so down to those or Avantree.

Q45 … Haven’t really done any critical listening or comparing to other phones …
I can tell you that they sound fine in casual listening (i.e. good enough that I haven’t notice anything objectionable). They sit well on my head but I’ve only worn them for an hour or two at a time.

My only complaints at the moment is that they are (IMO) a bit plasticy looking/feeling. I especially don’t like the feel of the headband when I carry them in my hand. The band is spring metal with a cushion attached under it. When carried the metal edge press into your palm and fingers … I notice it every time.