[AlienwareM17xR4]

Hi all, I am new to the forum, nice to meet you!
 
I just bought a new laptop and want a wireless headphone to go with it. But after several days of researching, I still can't make up my mind  I am hoping you can give me some suggestions. 
 
I will be using the headphone for music 50%, gaming 30%, and movie 20%. My budget is up to 600$ (I have about 550$ of amazon gift cards saved up over the years), but the less expensive the better.
 
My biggest concern is wifi interference because I will be online constantly, and with my small desk I will be putting the base station close to my laptop, with wifi router about 12 feet away. I do have a dual band router, hopefully that will mitigate any interference issue.
 
My current headphone is the Klipsch Image S4 which I think is pretty good. I would be happy if my new wireless headphone is at least as good as the S4, but I do want to have better quality at a reasonable cost if possible.
 
I am also not sure if headphone is the limiting factor because I will only be using a laptop (Alienware M17x R4) instead of the nicer high end receiver. I don't plan on using any external sound card either. (but if it really really make a big difference, I will consider the external card. I just don't want my lapotop to look bulky with usb dangling around it)
 
The headphones that I have looked at so far are:
 
Logitech G930 -> not really a headphone, but they are cheap on Amazon now for only 99$, but I am very concern about the issues people have with installing the software to 64bit Window 7
 
Senn PX 210 BT -> I am concern if the quality will be a lot worse than the RS 180, since Blue Tooth is probably not as good as Kleer
 
Senn RS 180 -> seem to be pretty well balance in terms of cost and quality, and also the phones has been around for 2 years now with no significant complaint from other users that I can find.
 
Senn RS 220 - I really like the better sound quality, but I am concern with the drop off issue that people talk about especially since I will be placing my base station next to my laptop, and I am wondering if the extra cost is worth it over the RS 180. 

 

[MalVeauX]

Heya,
 
RS 220. You wanted "best" in your price range. It's a wireless HD600...
 
Very best,

 

[Eric_C]

Hi welcome to Head-Fi, sorry about your wallet.
Is there any reason why you want a wireless headphone to go with a laptop? I would imagine you'd be so near to the laptop and its headphone plug, that the wire wouldn't matter.

 

[AlienwareM17xR4]

Thanks for all the quick responses! I really didn't think I will be seeing responses within *minutes*
 
The main reason I haven't pulled the trigger yet on the RS 220 is the wifi interference issue. I thought I saw in the forum that these headphones were discontinued for a couple of months after bad review on Amazona/etc, I am wondering if anything has changed and if that's still an issue for most people. The other reasons I have is I am not sure using a laptop warrant such a high end head phone. May be the sound quality will be bottled neck by not using a better receiver as oppose to a better headphone. Lastly, I am wondering if RS 220 is worth 2x RS 180 (yeah it's a personal thing, but I wonder what u guys think)
 
The reason I want a wireless headphone is that the wire really brother me. The S4 I have is good enough, but since I just spurged on a new laptop, I figure it is a good time to try to experience wireless too. Also, sometimes I need to do work on a second laptop as I look at refernce books and take notes. My small desk get really messy and I hope to have less clutter.

 

[MalVeauX]

Heya,
 
Let's do this... consider:
 
Are you willing to put your maximum budget towards a speaker setup?
 
If so, go speakers.
 
If not, go headphone. And get the best wireless set you can afford.
 
Very best,

 

[Eric_C]

^ Agreed. I'm sure good speakers with your budget will completely outdo your Klipsch earphones, and you won't have to worry about wires or interference (as long as the speakers are shielded).

 

[AlienwareM17xR4]

thanks so much for the suggestion. I am really hoping for headphone (to have as little clutter as possible on my desk). how do u think those wireless headphones compare with the s4?

 

[Eric_C]

Just based on what I've read, the RS 220 is as good as Sennheiser's HD 600. I have the HD 600, and I've heard the Image S4--I honestly think the S4 sounds terrible, whereas the 600 is quite nice indeed.
 
However I have no idea about the RS 220's wireless interference.

 

[valerianaoff]

Well...i've heard decent stuff for the Parrot Zik ... looks cool too... just to consider

 

[AlienwareM17xR4]

good to know the s4 is relatively bad, it shouldn't be too hard to find a wireless upgrade. 
 
both the alienware and rs 220 has optical cable (toshilnk?), would it be better to connect them using optical wire? or is conventional headphone cable be good enough?
 
link to the picture of their ports: 
rs 220: http://headfonics.com/2012/08/sennheiser-rs-220-wireless-headphones/
alienware: http://www.laptopmag.com/review/laptop/alienware_m17x_r4_2012.aspx
 
the parrot looks pretty stylish, also taking a look now, thx

 

[streetdragon]

had a chance to try the parrot zik at a local shop for a few mins, its really nice! i did not try it long enough though to analyse its sound signature but then overall it sounds good. personally i prefer open backs and passive to active noise canceling (these cancel noise good though without creating a airplane cabin effect)

sill think however the rs220 is a little better at sound quality and soundstage

 

[Eric_C]

Quote:

good to know the s4 is relatively bad, it shouldn't be too hard to find a wireless upgrade. 
 
both the alienware and rs 220 has optical cable (toshilnk?), would it be better to connect them using optical wire? or is conventional headphone cable be good enough?

 
TOSlink.
Definitely use that instead of the conventional cable (which you would have plugged into the laptop's headphone jack, yes?). 
TOSlink is a kind of optical cable, which sends an unprocessed signal to the RS 220's base station. I think it's safe to assume that the base station will do a good job of processing this signal for the headphones.

 

[AlienwareM17xR4]

Thanks Eric.
 
Is RS 220 worth it on a laptop? I am wondering if the signal going from the laptop to the base station won't be be that good to begin with.
 
Parot has really cool features and look really slick, but looking at the reviews, the sound quality don't seem as good as the less expensive RS180, and it also doesn't use AAA battery form factor (very convenient if you are in a hurry), so I probably won't get it 
 
I saw another post that says RS 220 is noticeably better than G930.
 
Still contemplating, leaning toward the RS 220 (since I use dual band router, I am a little optimistic I won't have interference issue), 

 

[streetdragon]

if the rs220 price is good for you maybe you go for it, its a good headphone

 

[AlienwareM17xR4]

Update: finally I pulled the trigger for RS 180, and the reason I picked it over RS 220 is reliability. I am living away from home right now for a few months, and even if i dont' have micro drop off in my temporary home, I won't know if micro drop off is a problem in my permanent home until the exchange window expire. Taking consideration that RS 220 is twice as expensive as RS 180, and that it is probably the best sounding wireless headphone among the list I have, I pulled the trigger.
 
Also for anyone looking to connect RS 220 to Alienware laptop: what you need is a cable with toshlink on one end (to go to RS 220) and mini S/P DIF (also known as mini optical, to go to the laptop). These cables are around 10$ on Amazon.
 
thx all for the help.