Headphones are important things for those working long hours at a proper desktop PC. I took another look at big over-the-ear wireless headphones that use an RF radio frequency + 300ft base-station. Rather than ‘phones that use the infernal Bluetooth wireless system, or those silly and itchy ‘earbuds’.
An RF base-station gets you a rock-solid no-hassle connection wherever you are. Even if you leave the PC and go to the bottom of a garden, to the front door for a delivery, or for some reason have to clamber up into the loft.
First I made a hack for Amazon that would blank any “bluetooth” search results, then I went through the remaining hundreds and made an RF wireless Amazon Wishlist that excluded flashy ‘gamer’ headphones and eccentric ‘phones with pink fluffy cat-ears etc. Then I worked down the selected list looking at the features and discovering the sound range of each. Such things as the Hz range are usually hidden. Cheaper headphone makers would like you to think all ‘phones are equal. They’re not.
I found there are now a lot of dodgy RF wireless headphone sets with poor sound response, some quite dreadful. But in this category I find that at 2023 it still really boils down to two choices in the UK. These two are the current Philips models at the low and middle end of their range. I’ve had Philips for decades now, and they’re a reliable buy. Also, their batteries are not “locked in” — the headphones can take standard AAA batteries, including Duracell rechargeable (if recharged from a Duracell wall-recharge unit, rather than inside the headphones).
So in summer 2023 the British buyer’s choices are:
1. £38 £48, Philips SHC5200/05. A good standard 10–20,000Hz sound range, and 32mm drivers. No active noise cancelling. The best “branded” sub-£50 headphones, and very reasonable for the price. Can be sent to an Amazon locker. Update: A few days after this post appeared, they suddenly leapt from £38 to £48! Update: Now £53 at late July 2023!
2. £79. Philips SHD8850/12. A fine 8-22,500Hz sound range and 40mm drivers. No active noise cancelling. Only a 100ft range for some reason (power-saving diktats from EU bureaucrats?), not the usual 300ft. So be aware they may not reach down to the bottom of a long garden or up to the loft. But good enough for a flat. Can be sent to an Amazon locker. (These are a better option than the more limited ‘TV-quality’ 20–20,000Hz Philips TAH6005BK/10 at £10 more, unless you really need the 300ft RF range).
So far as I can tell, Philips have yet to create headphones that offer RF wireless + active noise-cancelling + a wide audio range and a fat driver. It was the active noise cancelling I was really looking for in my search, to see if that feature was now standard in some sub-£50 RF wireless headphones. It isn’t.
To get active noise cancelling I’d have to win the Lottery and then get their top-of-the-range Philips Fidelio L3/00 at a hefty £196. This has a lovely 7-40,000Hz audio range… but… they’re Bluetooth. Ugh.
Actually over 40s probably won’t need to go higher than 23,000Hz, since the ability to hear the high frequencies drop off as we age. Still, with that range and build-quality (real leather cups), the sound of the Fidelio would likely be noticeably rich.
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