The Acoustic Research AW721 wireless stereo headphones give you around 300 feet of portability without any cords. This wireless technology works on the 900MHz frequency, which allows it to work through walls and all obstacles between the head phones and the base unit.

The installation was rather easy. I knew I wanted to use the base unit so I could get the most use out of it and the easiest way. The only logical thing to do was to be able to use it through my Harman Kardon AVR 325 7.1 Receiver. My home theater and entertainment system all hook up through the receiver, so this was the logical choice. I wanted to use the headphones and not have any sound come out of the receiver’s speakers, so the only choice was to use the headphone jack on the front. To use the headphones all I do is plug the base unit into the receiver’s headphone jack and it automatically turns off the external speakers. When I unplug the base unit from the receiver, the speakers will engage to work again. The only downside to this is you cannot use the headphones if you wish to use the speaker system. Most TV viewing at our house is done with the TV speakers, so I can listen to a radio station with the headphones while the TV is on or put on a CD with MP3 files and play it through my Mitsubishi DD-6030 DVD Player.

The base unit needs to be plugged into an AC outlet. The base unit is a resting place for the headphones when not in use and it will charge the headphone batteries while resting there. Then you need to plug the base unit in something like a receiver to work from. You can make connections with the RCA jacks (Y-adapter included) in the back of a receiver, but then it will not turn off the external speakers. You can also connect the headphones into a headphone jack (small or large –adapter included) and it will turn off the external speakers of what ever you plug it into. The base unit has a level control, which sets the volume level and three setting to change the frequencies if it interferes with another wireless product in your household.

The head phones have an on and off switch, a volume control, a tuning control and two LED lights. The red LED indicates that the headphones are turned on and the green LED indicates that you are tuned into receiving from the base unit. Everything is basically automatic, anyone should be able to setup and use these headphones. The headphones fit comfortably to cover the entire ears, which helps to block out some outside noises, and are made out of a soft vinyl and foam combination for comfort. The Acoustic Research AW721 Headphones do have a noise reduction system to help block out some unwanted outside noises, but they do not work as good as a noise canceling headset.



Specifications
~~~ Transmitter or Base Unit ~~~
It is omni-directional up to 300 feet
There are three selectable broadcast frequencies between 912.5 and 914.5 MHz.
An Adjustable audio level input
UL-listed

~~~ Receiver or headphone ~~~
The Frequency response is 20Hz - 20kHz
The Signal-to-noise ratio is > 55dB
The Stereo separation is > 20dB
The Distortion is < 1.5%
A volume control
There are 32 mm Mylar driver elements


What comes in the box!
The AW 421 headphones and charging base unit
Power adapter
Three AAA NiMH rechargeable batteries
1/4" headphone adapter
RCA Y cable connector
One year Warranty


My Thoughts!
I have been wanting a wireless headphones set for sometime now, so while Christmas shopping I found a set that I wanted at a reasonable price of $79. The Acoustic Research AW721 wireless headphones is just what I needed to listen to music while my wife watches TV or for the watching TV after my wife goes to bed.

The batteries have 5 to 6 hours of use before they need recharging; I generally don’t use them, but for a couple of hours at a time. I decided to see how long they would last from an over night charge, after 6 hours and four minutes they quit working. The volume level on the headphones was at about one fourth of the volume on at the time of the test. The higher the volume, the faster the batteries will drain. Now there are two way to get more sound out of the headphones without having to crank up the volume on the headphones. The base unit has an adjustment in the back that brings volume up or down and you can just crank up the volume on whatever you have the base unit connected to; like I have mine to my home theater receiver.

I have used the headphones outside and they cover my whole yard of 200 feet without any loss in quality and signal strength. Moving to about 250 feet produces some static depending on which way I am facing, at about 275 feet the signal loss in completely gone unless the headphones are pointing to the house and at 300 feet it is impossible to get a clear reception. There are many things that can play a part in reception, so some people could get a little farther reception than I can and at the same time some will get a little less. Overall I can say the headphones work good 200 feet from the base unit.

The sound quality is great! The bass and treble sounds are good and can be adjusted through my receiver. The sound is crisp and clear! One thing I have noticed is I can hear more sound using the headphones than without them. After working in a factory for 25 years, I have some hearing loss, wearing the headphones lets me hear sounds that I normally wouldn’t hear without them. I am hearing music intended for my hearing pleasure that I have been missing out on for years. At full volume the headphones can get distorted if the volume of my receiver is too high, but by then it is too loud for my enjoyment. My receiver, as well as any device you use the headphones with, plays an important part in the quality of the sound any headphones will produce.

So far I am very pleased with the quality of the sound that the Acoustic Research AW721 wireless stereo headphones produce. The headset is very comfortable for me, even after wearing them for a couple of hours.



Recommended: Yes