Home > Consumer Reviews > Sony MDR-IF630RK Wireless Headphone System with Sound Mode Switch

We bought these headphones for my husband who watches too much TV, especially sports and news talk shows with really obnoxious sound. I had dreamed for years of having blissful quiet without success: Wired headphones he would never tolerate, and the 900 Megahertz sound quality was crummy with lots of fuzz.

I was leery of ordering these online because I am SO picky about headphone comfort - if I try to buy any in the store, I invariably find them uncomfortable, and I can't STAND feeling like my brains are getting squeezed together. Also knew if they weren't VERY comfortable, hub would not sit there for hours watching sports with them on. The comfort of these is absoloutely remarkable. They are VERY stable, without that head-squeeze feeling, with luxurious padding on your ears.

The sound quality is excellent, no hissy stuff or static. Also great for me when I do want to sit in that room and listen to music - quality is equal to my big wired headphones. My 78 year old Dad is now going to buy them because he is a bit hard of hearing, and has to blast the TV to hear it, driving his woman nuts. She also freaks out on the constant TV racket, as she is a reader.

The only drawback I suppose is that these babies are NOT small... you do look like a space cadet in them, but that is not an issue for us. The other great feature is that they turn off if you take them off your head to save batteries, and that they charge automatically when you replace them on the stand.
FINALLY I have peace and quiet, can listen to my nature sound software, and music in the other room without the constant roar of the TV!

Although I am happy with the headphones, I am very disappointed in Sony. I expect more from that company.

Pros:
(1) Awesome wireless convenience that gives me the freedom to move around a room (up to 30 feet direct view, less distance at an angle).
(2) Very comfortable despite its large size.
(3) Sounds great for playing DVDs in my laptop.
(4) Infrared Transmitter/charger has a green light that lights "On" when the headset is well seated and charging appropriately.
(5) No significant static so far. I am in Iraq, and the Special Forces guys often jam radio signals when they are on patrol. My two way radio becomes useless at those times, which leads me to believe that RF headphones will also get jammed. These headsets will work perfectly during those times.

Cons:
(1) Sony's warranty on this particular product is awful. It is only 90 days, as opposed to 1 year, as most other electronics. I thought that I had a problem with my headset, and, despite being within the short 90-day warranty period, Sony offered to either fix it, or replace it with a refurbished headset with potential cosmetic blemishes. Thankfully, I got it to work properly, but it left me with a bad taste that a "brand new" product within the warranty period could be replaced with a refurbished one that may have cosmetic blemishes. Every batch of products will have a "lemon". Who will purchase that lemon? Who knows? What is for sure, Sony will not replace it with a new one.
(2) The transmitter is pretty bulky, making it cumbersome to fit in a back pack.
(3) Distance is limited to a maximum of 30 feet from the transmitter when facing the transmitter directly and less distance when the transmitter faces at an angle. Also, you need an uninterrupted direct line of vision between the headphones and the transmitter, as obstacles will block the signal.

I ordered the Sennheiser RS140 wireless headphone set, so that I can listen to music at longer distances from the transmitter, and through walls. The Sennheiser uses Radio Frequency (RF) technology (like cordless phones), as opposed to the Sony which uses Infrared (IR) technology (like typical remote controls). RF lets you listen at longer distances than IR, but IR is less vulnerable to signal distortion from other electronic equipment when compared to RF. I will update this review once the Sennheiser arrives.

I am not giving this product the full 5 stars because of the poor Sony warranty. By the way, Sennheiser's warranty is 2 years long.

Quality very very good, however one thing to think of is the magnetic fields of other electrics.
My purpose was to use it one an electric running strip in front of my TV, when I get on it I start hear interferences!!
The headphone are very comfortable & are with excellent quality I enjoy them sitting infront of the tv (better then my stereo system), but this flaw should be considered when buying the product.