Our Verdict
The Sennheiser RS 185 are good home theater headphones, but they're not very versatile. The stand transmitter limits their use outdoors, and since the 185 are open-back headphones, they struggle even more in loud environments. On the upside, they're comfortable and have a good sound for critical listening.
- Low latency connection.
- Good sound quality.
- Poor isolation and high leakage, by design.
- Limited range and usability.
Good for neutral listening. They have a well-balanced sound and a more spacious Soundstage than the RS 175 or 165, thanks to their open back design. However, they also tend to sound a bit sharp on some tracks and their Bass may sound slightly muddy. Overall they deliver a good audio reproduction that should satisfy most listeners.
Not suitable for commuting and traveling. Like the rest of the RS series, you must have the transmitter in range for them to work. That and the fact that the RS 185 are open-back makes them even less practical to use anywhere else but at home or at the office in front of your TV or PC.
Not intended for sports. They have a fixed transmitter, and they're bulky and unstable. Also, you have to be in range of the transmitter which is very limiting for sports.
Subpar for office use. They have a decent line-of-sight range, and they're comfortable and easy-to-use. However, they're a lot leakier than any of the previous models, and they don't isolate because they're open-back headphones which make them unideal for quiet or loud offices.
Changelog
- Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.1.
- Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.
- Updated Aug 21, 2019: We've udpated the Line In input in the Base/Dock Box as we had incorrectly listed these headphones had a 1/8" jack.
- Updated Feb 16, 2018: Converted to Test Bench 1.2.
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Popular Headphones Comparisons
See our recommendations for the best TV headphones and the best over-ear headphones.
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.
For watching TV at home, the Sennheiser RS 185 RF Wireless are a better option than the Dolby Dimension Wireless if you don’t want to purchase an aptX-LL dongle. Their dock acts as a transmitter, which gives you lower latency for watching video content. However, they're open-back and won’t isolate against your household noise, which the Dolby Dimension Wireless ANC feature can help with. The Sennheisers have great audio reproduction, but you’ll need batteries to power them and they aren’t as well-built and comfortable as the Dolby.
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