At Home with Tech

A loud movie sound track can really inhibit your enjoyment if you can’t watch the movie. Time to move into stealth mode and enter your own personal multimedia bubble…

Not so long ago, I envisioned a shining man-cave, and I would build myself an immersive home theater with massive sound that would shake the core of my house. (and sooth my geeky soul)

Then, I became a daddy, and everything changed.

In fact, my son is about to celebrate his 7th birthday.
(Where do the years go?!)

Now, I’m in eternal stealth mode. It’s not about how loud…. It’s about how quiet.

Testing…One…Two…Three
On the few occasions when I’m consuming TV/video in the family room on my own, it’s usually at night, when our ‘not so little’ boy is sleeping.
So I need to wear headsets to maintain ‘Evening Zen.’

I’ve been using wired headsets for years, and I’ve got to admit… it’s a pain.
It’s definitely time to upgrade to wireless headsets…

Previously, I’ve addressed the same question for my home office and went with a relatively inexpensive solution using a long-in-the-tooth Sennheiser RF wireless model. (RS 120)

My “Rip-Van Headsets” (which you can now pick up for less than $65) have worked just fine in my home office, but I think I’m looking for something a little more current and cushy for our family room.

Sennheiser Wireless Headsets
As I look at the landscape today, there are a crazy number of choices out there. And honestly, I can’t possibly figure out the perfect choice at the most reasonable price for my particular needs.

That kind of research stretches even beyond the amount of time available at the world headquarters of ‘At Home with Tech.’
(I’ve got a little boy’s birthday party at the zoo to help plan!)

Plus, there’s really no one perfect answer…
(I know lots of solid choices exist out there.)

That said, I’ve decided to stick with Sennheiser (brand loyalty in action!) and see what they have going with more up-to-date, over-ear digital wireless models.

Here’s the current line up:

RS 165
$220 on Amazon

RS 175
$239 on Amazon

RS 185
$273 on Amazon

RS 195
$378 on Amazon

Time for a Decision
I’m sure the RS 195 would be an amazing choice. But for the amount of times I will actually be able to transport myself into a sustainable multimedia bubble within the family room and then maintain myself there for more than 48 minutes, I can live happily with one of the mid-tier models. For me, the financial sweet spot hits closer to $250.

So that points to the RS 175 model.
(Plus, the RS 175 is spec’d at almost triple the range of the RS 165… approximately 330 feet vs 100 feet.)

Even though the RS 185 really isn’t that much more expensive, the higher-end model is an open headphone design, which leaks more sound, potentially disturbing others in the same room.

I’d prefer to stick with the closed design of the RS 175, which will assist in my stealth media consumption plans.
(Just being practical)

I think the Sennheiser RS 175 is the one for me!

Any other suggestions out there for sub $300 digital wireless headsets?

Enjoy Your Personal Multimedia Bubble

How many times have you had to remind yourself to stop and smell the roses? Well, that should include being able to hear them rustling in the wind when viewing them on your big HDTV.

Great audio is important!

I wish you well in your quest to properly include it when you slip into your own multimedia bubble zone.