The Sennheiser RS 175 have the same design and build quality as the RS 165 but sound a bit worse for critical listening. They don't do as well with voices and instruments, and they have a bit too much bass. They're also not versatile enough to use anywhere but indoors in direct line-of-sight of the transmitter. On the upside, they're comfortable and have low latency for watching movies.
Our Verdict
The Sennheiser RS 175 are good home theater headphones but only average for mixed usage. They're not versatile enough for all environments and situations, and the stand transmitter limits their use outdoors. If you're not in direct line-of-sight or close to your source and the transmitter, then the headphones are practically unusable.
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Low latency connection.
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Decent sound quality.
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Poor isolation and high leakage.
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Limited range and usability.
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Bass delivery varies significantly across users. Sensitive to glasses.
Average for neutral listening. These RS 175 are not as good for neutral listening as the RS 165. They have a bit too much bass that makes them sound boomy, especially, since they lack a little mid-range. Instruments and vocals will be a bit more drowned out than on the RS 165. On the upside, they have a better treble and due to their bass and treble heavy response, they will sound exciting when watching movies you just might not hear the voices as well.
Not suitable for commuting and traveling. The fact that you must have the transmitter in range means they won't be the ideal headphones to use anywhere but at home or at the office in front of your Tv or PC.
Not intended for sports. They have a fixed transmitter, they're bulky and a bit unstable which is not ideal for running or working out.
Average for office use. They have a decent line-of-sight range, they're comfortable and easy-to-use. However, they're a bit leaky and they don't isolate enough for particularly noisy office environments.
- 5.6 Mixed Usage
- 6.8 Neutral Sound
- 5.5 Commute/Travel
- 4.6 Sports/Fitness
- 6.1 Office
- 6.0 Wireless Gaming
- 4.5 Wired Gaming
- 2.2 Phone Call
- Updated Dec 22, 2022: We've added a comparison between these headphones and the Insignia Digital Wireless Headphones in Portability.
- Updated Sep 14, 2022: We've added a comparison to the Avantree HT5009 Wireless in the 'Controls' test.
- Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.1.
- Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.
- Updated Feb 16, 2018: Converted to Test Bench 1.2.
- Updated Aug 10, 2017: Converted to Test Bench 1.1.
- Updated Jun 15, 2017: Review published.
- Updated Jun 15, 2017: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.
- Updated Jun 13, 2017: Our testers have started testing this product.
- Updated Jun 11, 2017: The product has arrived in our lab, and our testers will start evaluating it soon.
Compared To Other Headphones
See our recommendations for the best TV headphones and the best headphone brands.
The Sennheiser RS 175 RF Wireless and the Sennheiser RS 185 RF Wireless are very similar headphones in design, but the 175 are closed-backs while the 185 are open-backs. This means that if you are looking for TV headphones to watch movies and TV shows without bothering your household or to block out ambient noise, the closed-back RS 175 will be a better option. However, the RS 185 have a better sound quality, but they don’t block noise and leak quite a bit, which won’t be ideal in a noisy environment. The RS 185 also feel a bit more premium and better-built, and you also get an RCA input that the RS 175 don’t have.
The Sennheiser RS 175 RF Wireless are better TV headphones than the Avantree HT 5009 Wireless. The Sennheiser headphones are more comfortable, better built, and have a more neutral sound profile, which some users may prefer. They also have lower latency. However, the Avantree are Bluetooth headphones with better battery performance. They also have a mic, meaning you can answer calls.
The Sennheiser RS 175 RF Wireless are better TV headphones than the Insignia Digital Wireless Headphones. The Sennheiser are more comfortable and better built. They have a more neutral sound profile, which some users may prefer, and they have controls to adjust bass and surround sound. They have a longer continuous battery life too, although they take two AAA batteries rather than use rechargeable batteries.
Test Results
The RS 175 have the same form factor as the 165 and the rest of the RS series from Sennheiser. They come with a TR transmitter stand that also acts as a dock and a charging station. They have slightly different ear cups than the previous model with a textured finish on the back of the ear cups and an additional button for the surround sound effect. They're a bit bulky and not meant for outdoor use, so they're not the most fashionable headphones, but their simple and utilitarian design will work for most.
The RS 175 have the same comfortable fit as the RS 165, but they're slightly heavier. Like the 165 they have spacious ear cups that are decently well padded. Unfortunately, they also have the same problem as the pressure they exert around your ears is not properly distributed. So after listening to them for a while, you might start feeling a little soreness between your ear lobes and your jaw. It's not painfully uncomfortable, but it's not ideal either.
The Sennheiser RS 175 have an efficient controls scheme, but it's slightly limited. The buttons are responsive and provide basic functionality for volume control and two extra buttons for additional bass, and surround sound. However, they don't have any call/music functions, which is a bit disappointing but by design, they're not supposed to. If you're looking for home theater headphones with call and music controls, try the Avantree HT5009 Wireless instead.
The RS 175 are not portable headphones. They're quite large and do not fold into a more compact format. Like other TV headphones such as the Insignia Digital Wireless Headphones, you also need to use the wireless dock for them actually to work, which further limits their portability.
The RS 175 have a decently sturdy build quality. The headband is moderately flexible and reinforced with a thin metal frame. The ear cups too are decently dense, and a bit heavier than the RS 165 but aren't as durable as some of the other wireless over-ear headphones we've tested. The plastic used feels low grade and a bit cheap, so the ear cups might get damaged by a few accidental drops. The padding material also isn't as soft on the skin or as premium as some of the other headphones in their price range. It's a little disappointing, especially since you're going to be wearing these headphones for hours if you're watching a movie.
The RS 175 are not the most stable headphones. They're tight enough that they won't move much during casual listening sessions but unfortunately, their ear cups are heavier than those on the RS 165 and sway a lot under physical activity. This means they won't be good headphones for sports or working out. Also, they need to be in relative range to their charging dock so running in general with these headphones is impractical.
- Sennheiser RS 175 Headphones
- TR 175 transmitter
- Audio cable
- Optical cable
- (EU) power adapter
- (UK) power adapter
- (AU) power adapter
- (US) power adapter
- 2 AAA NiMH rechargeable batteries
- Manual
Poor Consistency performance. The ear pads on the RS 175 are relatively stiff, and we suspect they are the culprit for the poor Bass Range consistency here. The Bass Range of our Over-Ear and On-Ear headphones are measured on 5 different human subjects, 5 times each. In the graphs, each line represents an individual's average Bass response. We have measured about 18dB of variance at 20Hz between our subjects which is quite bad. The blue line represent one of our subjects that wears glasses.
Decent Bass Range performance. The entire range is tilted in favor of low-bass, which shows more than 6dB of overemphasis. This will make these headphones kick and rumble excessively, which would be unsuitable for certain music/films. Bass is also hyped by about 4dB, resulting in excess Bass which would drown out the Mid and Treble Ranges. Also, their bass delivery varies significantly across users, and is sensitive to the quality of fit, seal, and whether you wear glasses. The response here represents the average bass response and your experience may vary.
Decent Mid Range performance. The dip from 250Hz to 700Hz makes the body of vocals/leads a bit thin, and could also push them slightly to the back of the mix.
Good Treble Range performance. The response is relatively even and consistent. The 5dB peak around 3KHz, adds excess presence to vocals/leads. This and the excess Bass give a V shaped or smiley face sound profile to these headphones. Additionally, the small dip around 7KHz makes the sibilances (S and T sounds) slightly soft.
Poor Isolation. These headphones don't have active noise cancelling and isolate passively using their ear cups. They start to kick-in around 150Hz, which is decent for passive over-ear headphones. In the Mid and Treble ranges they achieve about 13dB and 27dB of reduction, both values being decent.
Poor Leakage performance. The stiff ear pads of the RS 175 seem to be responsible for the poor leakage of these headphones. The significant portion of the leakage sits between 300Hz and 5KHz, which is a relatively broad range. The overall level of the leakage is also relatively loud.
The RS 175 like the 165 have a good 24-hour battery life. They also use rechargeable AAA batteries that can be charged with the stand but it takes more than 8 hours for a full charge which is very limiting. However, the charge time is heavily dependent on the capacity, age and wear of the rechargeable batteries you use, so your charge time will vary. Also, you can always just swap out the AAA with new non-rechargeable batteries which may be less cost effective but has 0 charge time.
No compatible app.
