I have become rather spoiled by the number of wireless headphone
reviews I’ve been doing lately, as not having a cable connecting my
headset to my iPod is definitely a convenience I have learned to
enjoy. Just like every other new convenience there are good and bad
points to explore however, and whether or not this type solution
will appeal to everyone remains to be seen…
Today I am talking a look at a the
"http://www.saitekaudio.com/">Saitek Audio
"http://www.saitekaudio.com/en/a350.asp">A-350 Wireless
Headphones, a complete wireless system which allows the user to
convert any audio device with a 3.5mm headphone jack into a
wireless audio transmitter whose signal is received by the paired
headset.
We’ll start this review by taking a look at the headset…
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Measuring approximately 13″ long x 4.5″ wide all together, the
1.7 ounce headset is composed of glossy black plastic with red or
orange accents depending upon the side being studied.
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The headset is designed to fit with the fat “U-shape” behind the
wearer’s head, with the curved arms over the wearer’s ear. The
earbuds should rest in the bowl of the wearer’s ears when the headset
is seated properly.
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I can already hear a couple of our readers saying that there is
no way one size headset will fit all, and they are right. That’s
why Saitek has included a unique sizing method; the curve at the
back of the headset is actually a removable piece that can be
replaced with a section measuring from 2″ to 3.5″. Of course, if
the earbuds are too large to fit in your ear properly, nothing can
be done about that.
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Included with the headset are supposed to be four replacement
ends, mine came with eight - two in each size. There are also two
neoprene pads which can be placed on the inside of the headset for
a more custom fit, as well as four earbud covers total.
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Slots built into each plastic end allow the headset’s body to
accept whatever replacement end the user deems most comfortable.
The On/Off switch for the headset is located on the rear top side
of the right headset arm.
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The jack for the AC adapter is found on the underside of the
right arm.
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When the battery is being charged, a light will glow behind the
red trim on the right side; once the battery is fully charged the
light will glow green.
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The underside of the left arm has a Line-In jack, which allows
the headset to also work in non-wireless mode when necessary. There
is a 42″ long 3.5mm patch cable included in the kit for that
purpose, and Line-In mode is achieved by pressing and holding the
Volume - button for five seconds.
The LED will glow blue for two seconds and then switch off to show
that the connection has been switched.
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The end of the left arm has an orange Volume "c1">- button built into the outer edge…
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…and the right arm has a Volume
"c2">+ button built in on its outer edge. There are ten
different volume settings available.
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In addition to the accessories already shown, the A-350
headphones come with an AC adapter, a Y-shaped cable for the AC
adapter which allows the charging of the headset and transmitter at
the same time, the 3.5mm patch cable and the wireless
transmitter.
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In order to carry all of the included accessories, the set comes
with a handy zippered hard case measuring approximately 7″ long x
4″ wide x 2″ thick …
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…which includes sections for carrying all of the accessories
inside.
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Charging the batteries inside both the headset and the 2.25″
long x 1′ wide x 0.5″ thick transmitter is only done when both
units are switched OFF and plugged in. If the light on the
transmitter is glowing orange - it’s plugged in and turned On; it
needs to be switched Off. When the light glows green, the
transmitter and headset are fully charged.
It takes approximately two hours to achieve a full charge on
both the headset and transmitter, and according to the user’s guide
the battery should last for approximately six hours of playing time
on one recharge.
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To pair the devices, the transmitter’s 3.5mm dongle should be
plugged into the audio player and both should be turned on. The
headset should also be switched on, while in the meantime the
transmitter will flash red and blue lights as it seeks to pair. A
tone will sound in the headset (that is only noticeable if they are
being worn) indicating that the headset is seeking to pair, and
then a series of tones will sound indicating that the headset and
transmitter have mated. As audio streams, the transmitter will
flash a slow blue light. The process is pretty fool-proof as there
are no passwords to enter or other tricky maneuvers; simply turn
the two wireless items on and let them find each other.
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The transmitter includes a rubber connector attaches to the base
of the 3.5mm jack. There is also a removable Velcro and elastic
cord collector for keeping things neat, I really didn’t use
either.
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After approximately six hours of transmitting, the transmitter
will begin to flash a slow red indicating that the battery needs a
recharge.
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The Saitek A-350 was a bit of an exercise in frustration for me.
Everything worked perfectly, I loved the look of the
equipment and all of the included accessories, and the sound over
the headset was very good. I really didn’t notice any degradation
until I stepped more than ten feet away from the transmitter. But
unfortunately the earbuds did not fit my ears comfortably, so there
was no way that I could wear the headset for longer than 20 minutes
at a time. It wasn’t a matter of the size strap around my head, it
was the way that the bud’s felt sitting in the bowl of my ear -
almost painful. You know that feeling when you really like
something but nothing you do will make it work for you? Yah…I’m
feeling it. <pout!>
I asked Steve to try the headset on, and he found it to be
comfortable enough - so it just depends on the person. I don’t
think that the bowls of my ears are freakishly small, but I do have
a past history of bad luck with ear buds. If you are able to wear
them, then this headset should work well for you.
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