Misc. headphones

The Sennheiser RS 160 headphones are a pair of wireless headphones that came with rechargeable batteries when I purchased them months ago. They have a detachable cable that comes with a 1/8 inch connector. There is a digital volume control and a mute function on them as well. The audio comes through these headphones very clean for them to be affordable and wireless. I have used many different pair of wireless headphones in the past and each time I get a different feeling from them. Some of them have the issue with not delivering the clearest sound especially when working with music and not just listening to music. These do not do that, the sound quality is very clean and crisp. The RS 160 headphones also have a “multi receiver” mode that will let the user have up to 4 different headphones used on the same audio source. I do not have 4 of them hooked up at the same time but I do use 2 of them at the same time and it comes in handy depending on what I want to use them for. Setting up these headphones is very simple; all you have to do is plug up the audio outputs to the system that you are listening from. The RS 160 headphones are also very durable and seem like they will last a long time. The battery charge also last for a long time which is a huge plus for me because nothing is worse than wanting to use them and the batteries are dead! These headphones have a good frequency response of 22 Hz to 19.5 kHZ and they are circumaural headphones meaning they go around the ear. I am a huge fan of these headphones, I have gotten rid of a lot of other headphones since I started using these and they eliminated the cords that are all over my studio at home. Being that some of my headphones are all the way on the other side of the room, I would have cords going everywhere. I recommend getting cordless headphones. These are not inexpensive but they are worth the 200 + dollars to have these quality.

Recently I came across an in-ear recording/playback device (ear bud headphones) that produces 3D audio. Before listening to the demo I created, make certain you have your headphones in – otherwise, you won’t hear the technology. Simply put, when we record and listen in stereo it’s not quite the same as how we hear in real life. When we hear things, such as birds chirping or carrying on a conversation with a friend, the sound is in and around our heads – it has a very spacial context. This is where the Hooke Verse headphones come in, the first pro grade dual channel Bluetooth recording codec. In my demo I did connect the headphones to my DAW (via my interface and with the included cable), but these headphones work wirelessly to an Android or iPhone, or can be wired to a DSLR, field recorders, GoPros and computers (as I did). With these headphones, when you record a concert or live entertainment, rather than using the iPhone’s internal mic (for example), you are using the Hooke Verse for stunning audio that sounds just like it does in the flesh (and as it should). For my demo, all I did was record a short sound-scape composition through my KRK Rokit 8 monitor speakers and while wearing the Hooke Verse headphones. Whatever I heard translated to my DAW and the sound difference is obvious and ‘immersive.’ After hearing my demo, imagine recording instructional YouTube videos or even making home movies with audio that sounds like you have a high-end surround sound system and you begin to appreciate the uses for these headphones. There are other demo videos on the Hook Verse website, as well as plenty of technical information, and so I’ll just mention some of those highlights. The battery charges via USB and is good for 8-9 continuous hours of 3D binaural audio recording/playback. The CD quality audio streams at 16bit 44.1kHz (120MHz frequency and 48kHz sample rate) with only .0043ms latency. Inside each ear bud is a dynamic speaker driver and electret condenser microphone. To customize the experience there’s also a downloadable Mobile App that allows you to adjust mic gain, monitoring level, use of sound filters and being able to share to Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and email. https://hookeaudio.com/

I have to say that I am blown away with these headphones. The sound quality is superb and beyond my expectations. I've rarely heard such clarity in my recordings. These headphones are a gem. On the other hand, because I don't use monitors in my home studio because of my neighbors, I still find that it's rather difficult to get an accurate mix. But that's normal, we're talking headphones. These headphones can reproduce or approximate what you would hear through good monitors, but again that's where I find that the sound sometimes in my headphones can be a little misleading. It doesn't overdo on the bass or the highs at all or it doesn't exaggerate them neither, thank god, but the sound is so clear and good that often my mixes, if I become overly reliant on the AKG GHS1 without constant checking with monitors, can lead to poor low volume mixes. But overall, with outside monitors, these are a gem, and with a real keen ear, one can really achieve good-to-great mixes, but make sure to always check with a pair of outside monitors, even computer monitors will do. Another thing with these headphones is the cord that comes with it; I wish the coil could be detachable and a bit longer. Other than that, the sturdiness, the ability to fold the headpieces, and the sheer outside noise cancellation that is achieved makes these headphones a true gem to behold. The sound isolation is very good. The headphones tilt and swivel in enough spots to get a comfortable fit on anyone. The coiled cord can be a bit heavy at times. If you are close to the source plug or even sitting, the weighty cord is not much of a problem. If you are standing at a mic, the cord sways and can be a bit distracting. Good quality.