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The New 800 Watt System……… At Night:
          Back in November of '05, on Thanksgiving day to be exact, we moved to our new home. Now we live on the middle of nowhere, and you know what that means?? NO NEIGHBORS !! You know what that means?? LETHAL HOME THEATER WITH EARTHQUAKE SIMULATION !!
          We ended up getting a 60" widescreen for the family room, upgrading from our, now microscopic, 25" TV. We got a GREAT DEAL at HHGregg, only $1,100. And, as written in the constitution, it is required by law to have a home theater system with a TV of such magnitude. And yes, you can feel the vibrations from it anywhere on the couple acres. Unfortunately, this is too much power to have when someone is trying to sleep on the other side if the wall. So now, without further ado, we introduce the RADIOSHACK RECHARGEABLE 900MHz WIRELESS STEREO HEADPHONES.

Why Buy A Wireless Set Of Headphones?
          Well, as mentioned previously, some people don't take to friendly to a 1000w home theater on the other side of the wall when they sleep [or try to]. Even turned down low, with subtitles on, it still doesn't cut it. You could try running a wire across the room connected to your headphones, but that is too limiting. Or you could just plain out give up and go in another room or read a book.
          Thanks to RadioShack, you can stay up as long as you want and listen to your tube as loud as you want, with the flexibility of wirelessness. But, there are many more uses for the wireless headphones other than letting someone sleep. You can use them at work to listen to your tunes from an mp3 player or other source. Some others:

          ① Listen to the news while hanging out the laundry
          ② Study from a learning CD while sleeping
          ③ Listen to the game in a dark theater when the play gets boring
          ④ Listen to soft tunes while getting to sleep.
          ⑤ And most importantly, if you lack Tivo, you can still
              listen to your show on the john when Mother Nature
              calls during the best part of the show. I can
              pause my TV though.

          If you have any really good uses, let me know and I'll list them.

What Do I Get In The Box?
          Within the package contents will be any necessary pieces to connect your audio device to the headphones. The basics of the kit are the base, or transmitter, the pair of 900 MHz stereo headphones, and the 120v AC adapter. The rest of the contents are for connecting the audio supply to the transmitter. No matter what the scenario, there should be enough pieces to make it work. The following are also included:

3.5mm → ¼" Adapter: This small piece lets you plug a 3.5mm jack, or a regular headphone jack, into a ¼" jack. I know of some older electronics that use the larger jack, as well as some new devices, like mics.

RCA Stereo Patch: This is the set of RCA left/right stereo wires. These can be used in place of the headphone jack, to connect the transmitter to, say, your satellite box, the VCR, stereo system, etc. Connect to anything that uses the red/white/yellow outputs on your device.

3.5mm → RCA Adapter: This relatively small piece splits a stereo 3.5mm headphone jack into separate RCA lines for left and right audio. This piece will be used in any case where the audio source is coming from a standard headphone jack: portable CD player, walkman, among others of the sort.


What DON'T I Get In The Box?

          Like most electronics in modern-day society, where companies are far too cheap, some important necessities are left out. The transmitter has a power source, the AC adapter, but the headphones themselves need their own power source. So BATTERIES are needed. And NO, they are not included. Let me assure you now, standard alkaline AAA batteries would be a waste of gas money. This does not mean that you cannot use them, however. I would, on the other hand, suggest a purchase of rechargeable batteries, as in NiCad, Li-Ion, or Ni-Metal Hydride batteries. Other than that, and an audio source, the kit should come with just about everything you'd need to get your audio signal from one side of the room to the other wirelessly.

Structural Analysis:
          There are many a style when it comes to the design of these wireless sets. I shall give a brief of each piece to give you a virtual image of it and to explain the different parts and functions of it. This section will be split into two parts: the base, or transmitter, and the wireless headphones.

                                The BASE

          The base is an all-plastic constructed, black and silver platform for which the headset can rest. It is mainly black with a silver wall running down the center, separating the left and right sides of the headset. The silver panel has two LEDS. The top LED is red and shines to let you know that the unit is currently transmitting, but not that is it plugged in. The bottom LED is green to show that the headphones are plugged in and are currently charging the batteries. Then there is a big blue button you can press to turn the transmitter on when you are ready to use it, though we leave ours on 24/7. And last on the silver panel is the RadioShack brand label. What's funny is that, when looked at with a weird angle and no headphones, it looks like the head of a small black Scottish Terrier, but with a silver nose.
          The back side of the base is pretty simple. There is a place to plug the AC adapter into with a little cord clip to hold the cord from yanking out. Next, there are the audio input RCA female jacks. This is how the audio source must connect to the unit. There is also a small compartment with a hinged flap that can hold the small 3.5mm to RCA splitter. In this compartment is a 6" cord that you can use to plug into the back of the headphones when they are not in use to charge the rechargeables. If you use non-rechargeable alkalines, then you can hide the cord in the small compartment.


                                The PHONES

          These headphones are nothing like you average, everyday headphones. Aside from a flexible band, there are no moving parts. You do not slide the headband up and down to fit your head. Instead, there are two bridges - a solid one that makes up the main frame, and a flexible band that sits on your head and adjusts itself automatically to fit your head. The same color pattern is followed on the headset as on the base. The bands and ear muffs are black and the rests is silver. The ear muffs, or whatever you wish to call them, are big enough to cover probably anyone's ears. They are very comfortable, in my opinion, and they pivot slightly to provide a perfect fit for everyone. Most of the time, I don't even realize that I'm wearing them because they feel so natural.
          As for the fitting, in detail…The fitting of the phones happens with the flexible band, or the inside band of the two. It works in the way a seatbelt can adjust to most body types. It is fully retracted when off the head and then pulls out to fit the size of your cranium. There is enough of this band, when fully pulled out, to line the top band to appear as one, if your head is big enough.
          Now for the controls on the headset. Let me start by saying that there is an L on the left side and an R on the right, so you have no excuse for wearing them backwards. Just remember that all the controls are supposed to be facing behind you. The whole cover on the left side, or the L side, slides off. This is where the three AAA batteries go, though they don't seem to add any weight. Above the batteries there is a tiny black switch, requiring a good finger nail, to select which type of batteries you are using. To the left for alkalines and to the right for rechargeables. I'd advise that you select the right one and don't attempt to charge alkalines. Outside the battery cover, facing behind you when worn, is the ON/OFF switch and the DC power hole where the base connects to it for charging. On the right ear side is a red LED to indicate power ON. And the volume jog wheel can be found there, too.

                      Enough with design…Let's talk about the good stuff…

Adding On To Your [already complex] Sound System:
                     Setup & Installation, In Other Words:

          I can't sit here and explain every possible setup because there is a wide array of combinations available. Allow me to mention my setup. My source audio comes form the 5-disc DVD player in the form of a 3.5mm stereo headphone jack. I plug the included RCA cables, that came in the box, into the base. You can use your own or longer ones if you please. I have the other end connected to the stereo to 3.5mm adapter. Now, I could just plug that right into the DVD player and call it quits. Unfortunately, the base is too far away to do that. So I plugged the RCA cord with the headphones plug into a 6' 3.5mm extension, which they should, but don't, include. And that's the way we do it! Most likely, your setup will differ.

Power And Recharge Capability → Both Transmitter & Headphones:
          Being a two-piece set, a transmitter and the phones, there are two power sources. The base will most likely stay plugged in all the time. It runs on the included wall adapter plug that connects to the back of the base. The headphones, being that they're wireless, run on batteries. AAA 3x to be exact. It is up to you to decide whether you will purchase regular alkalines or rechargeable ones.
          I would highly recommend that you purchase a 4-pack of AAA NiMH or another type of rechargeable batteries. And by 'highly recommend', I meant 100%. It would be a waste of money to even think about alkalines. My point is that the headphones have a built-in charger for them and you would only have to buy a 4-pack of rechargeables for $10 only once. Unless you can find a 3-pack, which I doubt. While I can't say how long of a session the batteries will last, nor how long it takes to fully recharge, I can say that they last as long as I need them to. Most times, I only use them for no more than seven or eight hours at a time and they will last that long on one charge. For the record, I have 3x 2200MA AAA batteries. You can actually get higher capacity batteries if you wish, but these are more than sufficient. After each use, I throw them back on the base to charge and then they are ready for the next night.

Sound Quality:
          Good sound reproduction is a must for any headset, and this pair is far from lacking. Aside from being so comfortable that you'd forget you were wearing them, with the sound they produce, you'd think you were listening to your regular sound system. Sometimes, on the other hand, with many wireless devices around, you may get a fuzz sound periodically. These devices include, but are not limited to: cordless phones, WLAN setups, wireless home theater, etc. I have a few of those, but rarely have interference issues to affect sound. So, in short, the sound quality is highly acceptable. A+ !

Using Multiple Headsets/Transmitters:
          One nice feature of these headphones is that every pair run on the same frequency. This means that more than one headset can be used with only one transmitter. Of course, you can't have two transmitters transmitting within a few hundred feet simultaneously due to interference issues. But anyway, without getting off the subject, you have the ability to use multiple headsets with one transmitter or multiple transmitters with one headset.
          In our situation, we have the headphone base wired to the home theater, so we are able to watch TV while others are in bed at night. We wanted to be able to connect and use two headsets at once. Only one of the two transmitters is plugged into the audio source. The other one, sitting beside it, is used solely for charging purposes. That way both headsets can charge their batteries while not in use. I have learned the hard way that both bases cannot transmit simultaneously. One day, someone accidentally pressed the power button on the other base [the main base is always ON for us] leaving a harsh static in the headset.
          If you want to have a transmitter for different audio sources, you can buy two kits and connect a transmitter to each one, wearing the same headset and switching between the sources. Maybe you'd want a base connected to the home theater, such as we do, and one connected to your computer to listen to your music and movies. As I mentioned, make sure you turn off one transmitter before turning on the other.

Range:

                     CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW ??

          Sorry, I know you are sick of hearing that expression, but it fit oh so well. The most remarkable aspect of these headphones, that I found, is the range. Good range is important for wireless goodies such as these. To test this, I decided to walk to the mailbox and see how far the signal would reach. Remember, I live on a two-acre lot, my mailbox is a 150' to 200' walk from the transmitter. So, I start the journey. Halfway down the drive, sounds good. Going, going, still sounding good. Point B, the mailbox, sounds perfect. So there you go. I can walk for a couple minutes opposite the receiver and still have crystal clear audio with no fuzz or cracking sound.
          This can be great if you want to listen to your tunes while hanging out the clothes on the line, cleaning out the car, gardening, etc. Pretty much anything but cutting the grass, unless you have a quiet motor.

WARRANTY:,
          The RadioShack Rechargeable 900MHz Wireless Stereo Headphones comes with the standard 90-day warranty covering parts and labor. Any problem out of the box and you can return it to the store for an exchange. We took one of ours back to get another kit that wasn't missing the adapter. They were nice about it and no issues arose.

A Final Recommendation:
          So, without further ado, I must recommend this wireless headset to anyone. No more do we have to stay attached to our electronics by a wire. Only $49 to $69 is all you need to be freed from wires. The range is exceptional, along with the excellent sound quality that makes you forget you're wearing headphones. The battery life for the headset is several hours on one charge, possibly up to 12 hours.


Recommended: Yes