I was born deaf. My mother, bless her, contracted German Measles while I was still sleeping my early life away in the womb, and as a result the hairs in my ear are irreparably damaged. Thankfully, this doesn’t have a knock-on effect as I have learned to live with it, but it does bring up some irritating things that always seem to get my goat.
I hate not having subtitles in movies or games. It’s an annoyance when you’re asked to turn down the sound in Assassin’s Creed during one of the long cut scenes. It’s doubly annoying when you’re watching something like The Brothers Bloom where the American actors speak in such a manner that I can’t make out what they’re saying and have to raise the volume. Thankfully, my family finally came to my aid this Christmas!
I finally have a set of wireless headphones for movies and games. Its a simple solution – a wireless transmitter and wireless receiver headphones that can be worn and used without worrying about line of sight. If anyone manages to spot the word “Infrared” on the box, no doubt they will be confused -infrared communications depend on a clear line of sight between the two devices within a set range. I tested the range by setting the transmitter down on the TV cabinet and walked into our kitchen, which is adjacent to the living room and has a gap in the wall between the two. I measured a distance of 5 metres before the signal became bad, and this is after it hits a couch and a wall and a tiled floor. On level ground, the 7 metres quoted by Philips holds true, and up until that point the sound is still crystal clear.
Another joy was the horizontal range of the transmitter. I could sit at a 20° angle to the transmitter and still hear everything perfectly, and I can sit anywhere I want in the lounge. The headphones also come with rechargeable batteries that last up to 5 days under heavy use, and charging takes a little over two hours. The adapter allows me to plug it into anything I wish and sit wherever I want without bothering people with loud music – I think I’m in love.
The sound quality isn’t top class, but it does the job of luring you into the movie or music. The bass levels are pretty good: sounds like footsteps and breathing in Mirror’s Edge are crystal clear, and Optimus Prime ripping apart two Deceptacons sounds better than it was in the cinema.
Would I recommend these headphones to anyone else? In a heartbeat. They perform admirably and, more importantly, negate my need for subtitles ever again! This set is available from Incredible Connection for R400.