Sony - WH-L600 RF Digital Surround Wireless Headphones - Black

-=First Impressions=- I like the look. They have a very minimalistic design. One material for everything which is a matte gray hard plastic. They come well packaged and are extremely well built. However, for the price, I would expect slightly better build quality but they are still nice. These are super easy to setup. I was up and running in less than 5 minutes. Most of the time was spent deciding on where to put the receiver/charging cradle while finding an open plug behind my wall mounted TV. They cover and fit my ears perfectly while being lightweight. I tested these by going on a binge watch of Stranger Things and I didn't remember I had these on. It felt like I was in a small theater with above average sound. Wear fatigue is almost non-existent and they offer great noise isolation with the closed back design. The connection is rock solid and I would get signal two floors up from the basement. Things I like: +Mobility - Not restricted to a cord and can move freely. +Wireless Range - I live in a three story home and had coverage on all three floors. The base was in the basement to test the range. Sony advertised a little over 98ft. I would say their range claim is pretty accurate. +Rechargeable/Battery Life - Sony claims 17hrs but I always charged after each use. I made it to 6hrs of use and have no issues believing the advertised 17hr battery life. I can't watch TV that long so I can't confirm that. +Sound Quality - Sound is reproduced almost exactly like the source's quality. I think Sony is using compression on this but I cannot confirm that. Sony has done a great job with this but I have heard better sounding wireless TV headphones. The frequency range on these are 20 Hz - 20,000 Hz but I own a competitor's mid-tier model and they have a range of 17 Hz - 22,000 Hz and sound fuller. +Input Options - HDMI w/ ARC, Optical, and Stereo MiniPlug are all present on the transmitter. I have yet to find another headphone solution that offers all these. It employs ARC passthrough so you can put it between your surround sound and TV without any issues. These have decent sound from low bass through to crisp highs but have the typical bassy sound profile Sony is known for. +Quality Codecs - It can run Dolby Digital, Dolby Pro Logic IIx, DTS and there is an indicator light that tells you what you are listening to. +Sound Modes - Called "sound fields", these offer different simulated settings you would get from a sound bar. They are decent, but I like my standard output without "effects". The options are: Cinema, Sports, Voice, Game. +Fit - Fit was perfect and balanced. +Setup - Quick and easy. Plug in your source and power them on… everything works! Things I would change: -Lack of controls - I would like to see the ability to adjust Left or Right but that is just being picky. No EQ or amplification options. -Volume - For me these are low but sound good. I like them louder but it doesn't take away from anything. -Cord length - I would like to see a slightly longer cord; maybe a 10ft power cord. -=The Verdict=- If you need wireless sound for digital or audio inputs consider these . There are other options out there, but for the price you pay, I think these are a great value.

Excellent sound and signal, able to walk around house without loosing the signal. Great addition to my Bravia TV. It connects automatically when using HDMI connection. The only Reason I didn’t give 5 stars is because headphones get a little warm when wearing them for long periods of time.

First of all - disclaimer - do NOT expect performance of a fully surround sound system (5.1 or above) out of the hardphones, it's just 2 small speakers and all "surround" effect comes from the digital processing (down-mixing). I'm comparing to my ATMOS home theater system and while headphones do try - everything still sounds like it's in the center of my head, spacial awareness is just not there. That said - headphones do sound really good. Sound is crystal clear with crisp highs and powerfull bass. Headphones are comfortable and I could watch a whole 2 hour movie without any discomfort. Sound does not leak out and won't disturb anyone around you. There are a few digital sound processing modes available - Cinema, Game, Sports, Voice and just a direct signal. My personal preference is to keep all digital processing off and listen to the original sound track. Connections - transmitter base has 3 types - HDMI, Optical input and a regular 3.5mm analog jack. Best case scenario is to use you TV's HDMI input with ARC (Audio Return Channel) capability. That way your TV would automatically switch to headphones as soon as you pick them up from the transmitter base. You will also be able to control headphones volume with your TV remote, or if you adjust volume on the headphones directly - your TV will recognize that and show you the volume control bar. Please make sure that your TV is configured to output a surround signal (there should be something like Digital Audio Output setting in the TV settings, please make sure you have it set as Bitstream or RAW or Unmodified/Compressed). Headphones will detect a surround sound signal and charging base will illuminate a DD or DTS LED. I did verify that it worked with Netflix and while watching a Blu-Ray disk. If HDMI-ARC port is not available or used by other equipment such as a Soundbar or AV Receiver - next option would be to use Optical input (Toslink). Optical input could also be used if you connecting to a computer. 3.5mm input jack will be the least resort if digital sources are not available and will only provide a stereo signal. Wireless range - I was able to move around my house and started experiencing some signal loss about 50 ft away from the transmitter base. Overall - perfect choice if you need a dedicated headphone set for a TV and you can use HDMI-ARC port.

Sony Quality, Virtual 7.1 Sound, Very Comfortable! Sony’s L600 Digital Surround Wireless Headphones are a very nice option for a comfortable, private video listening experience which makes no compromises with the full audio range of your content.. These premium quality headphones incorporate a newly introduced audio signal processor which creates a virtual 7.1 sound system using just the two drivers in the headphones. Here are the key features: • Ergonomic, fully adjustable over-ear, closed dynamic headphone • 40 mm dome driver for maximum bass and wide frequency response • 20 – 20,000 Hz audio frequency range, less than 1% THD distortion • 2.4 GHz RF wireless connection from signal processing/charging station • Maximum reception range from base: 98 feet • Four surround sound field effects (cinema, game, sports, voice) • Three decoding formats supported (Dolby Digital, Dolby Pro Logic IIx, DTS) • Sound compression feature (on/off) • Matrix selection (on/off) • Analog input gain control (on/off) • Three audio inputs (HDMI, optical digital, 3.5 mm analog stereo) • On headset controls for power (on/off), volume, sound field selection • 17 hour maximum battery life, 6 hour charge time from fully discharged state • Dimensions (on charging station): 7.2” wide x 7.4” deep x 11” tall • Weight (headphones only): 11.3 ounces • One year warranty Included in the box are the headphones, signal processing/charging station, power cord/transformer, 5 foot digital optical cable, quick start guide and instructions. Setup is very easy. Just plug in the signal processing tower, attach an input cable (either a digital optical cable, an HDMI cable or a 3.5 mm analog cable) from the TV to the signal processing tower and then charge the headphones. Turn on the power, select the input and put on the headphones. The headphones are very comfortable and fairly lightweight (11.3 ounces). Sony has employed an excellent ergonomic design to maximize comfort and fit. The earphones are angled back at the top (to match the shape of your ears better), swivel at two points (up/down and left/right) and have extension arms on the padded top band to compensate for those of us whose ears are not perfectly symmetric. The ear cushions are very soft and fit nicely over the ear to insure sound isolation. The headphones have three controls on the right earphone (power, volume and sound field selection.) I am not a fan of these controls. The volume rocker button (up/down) doesn’t have enough tactile difference to easily identify and operate it. Also, the power button and the sound field button are both flush with the surface of the earphone so trying to operate them while wearing the headphones is not easy. The sound field button cycles from Cinema to Game to Sports to Voice to None, then back to Cinema. However, there is no indication on the headphone of which sound field is selected. You have to look at the signal processor/charging tower to see the setting. (It is displayed on the tower’s base, along with the input source.) But if you connect the headphones to your TV with an HDMI cable to the ARC port you will be using your TV remote to control volume and you will probably not change the sound field often, so I suppose most will not find these control issues very significant. On the signal processor/charging tower are several controls. At the front of the base are the power, sound field and input selector buttons. At the front of the base on the left side, the current sound field selection and the input source (HDMI, optical or analog) are displayed in lighted type. On the right side the type of signal being processed is displayed (Dolby Digital, Dolby Pro Logic IIx, DTS.) On the left side of the tower base are three on/off switches. The front switch enables the HDMI cable to control power to the earphones. The middle switch activates the “Matrix” function. This is the system’s creation of the virtual 7.1 channel sound effect from a 5.1 channel or stereo input. For most sources you would want to leave the Matrix switch on. The rear switch controls Compression. If it is on, all sounds are adjusted to a more narrow sound range. That is, loud sounds are lowered and soft sounds are increased. Frankly, I think this produces really poor audio quality. I watched a movie with the compression on and with it off and the audio quality was far better when it was off. The only possible use I can imagine for it would be if you were watching a movie with a lot of dialog that had very different sound levels between the speakers. At the rear of the tower are the input and power cable connections. These include a 3.5 mm stereo cable, a digital optical input and HDMI (which is bizarrely labeled “HDMI Out” rather than “HDMI In”). While both digital optical and HDMI will transfer a 5.1 audio signal, using HDMI connected to the HDMI ARC (Audio Return Channel) port on the TV is preferable because in most cases it will automatically turn off the TV’s speakers when the headphones are in use. The analog input is useful if you have no optical output or HDMI ARC output on your TV. The sound input will be analog stereo rather than 5.1 digital stereo but it may be adequate for some. Next to the analog input is a “Gain” switch which provides some amplification to that analog input. Leave it off unless you have a very long connection cable which causes the signal to degrade. On my wish list for this equipment is another HDMI port (an actual HDMI Out) which would allow you to make an HDMI connection to a sound bar in addition to the headphones. If you are going to invest in headphones of this quality you are probably also going to have a sound bar for your TV and you will want to use the HDMI ARC port for that sound bar. OK, enough about the switches and cables! How do these headphones actually sound? Well, in a word, awesome. The Sony WH-L600 drivers have a beautiful, faithful reproduction of mid-ranges, clear highs without being too bright and really thunderous bass. I used the analog input to connect my stereo to the headphones to test their ability to reproduce music. My standards for speaker quality are Cannonball Adderly’s “Country Preacher” and Miles Davis’ “Kind of Blue” albums. I know every note on both of these classics and the slightest deviation is like nails on a blackboard. These headphones passed that tough test with gold stars for quality, sound level and range. I also ran them through several tests for frequency response, sound purity and channel separation and they scored very well. But these are not just stereo headphones – they are designed to give a faithful illusion of a full 7.1 speaker set. Can they do that? I accessed several YouTube videos which allow you to test your audio system setup by sequentially outputting a sound to each of the 7 channels and then to the sub-woofer (the .1 channel) and accompany that with a video which displays the location of the sound. By listening to these YouTube videos with the headphones you could clearly hear the sound in the direction indicated (front, left, right, left center, right center, left rear, right rear.) The sound separation was most pronounced in the “Game” sound field but it was certainly present in each of the other sound field settings. I watched several recent action movies (Marvel blockbusters and recent Star Wars sequels) using these headphones and the audio experience was just outstanding. You will really feel that sounds are occurring to your side and behind you, in addition to those sounds you normally sense from near the screen. No, it is not as good as a full-fledged 7.1 home theater with real, top quality speakers placed carefully around the listener but it is an awfully good (and very economical!) substitute. What other merits do these headphones have? Well, they have a nice range. The 98 foot range is optimistic, but I did obtain flawless reception up to about 50 feet from the base unit. They provide a nice option for your stereo system by just attaching the analog cable to your headphone output on your stereo (assuming it is in the same room as your TV.) Gamers will love the audio effects produced by these headphones! Bottom line - the Sony WH-L600 Digital Surround Wireless Headphones are an excellent choice for serious movie fans who want a very comfortable headset, sophisticated audio reproduction and the ability to blast the soundtrack without disturbing others in the household or their neighbors. You will be glad you chose them!!!

These replace my old Sony headphones and the new technology is much better with the HDMI connection. The value for quality is well worth it.

This digital surround headphone system is the best I have tried and my son can vouch for that. He is an extreme gamer and he loves it. These headphones are designed for TV watching experience and my son was able to connect the tower to his Xbox with a digital optical cable. There are 3 methods of connection to the tower: Aux, HDMI (ARC) and optical. For the best sound experience, HDMI or optical is the way to go. The ear-cups are soft, and comfortably fit well in your head; it is a good flush fit. The headbands do have a very soft cushion band at the top that keeps it comfortable for hours of use. There are three buttons on the headphones: power, volume control, and a sound field. The sound field is great and you have the option for cinema, game, sports or voice. The charging/signal tower has in connection for aux, optical and HDMI. The tower has three main buttons: power, sound field, and input. The input is to indicate what type of connection (HDMI, optical or analog). The tower also has a front display that indicates the current sound field mode selection and the type of input. It does great at ambient sound reduction, and helps maximize the sound quality. The overall audio quality is the best with a warm inviting sound that brings the TV watching experience to life. Since the headphones are meant to be used for TV watching experience, it does not come with a microphone.

It pains me to review another Sony product that comes so close, but misses the mark. The Sony WH-L600 RF headphones are my third purchase of surround sound headphones for use in a home theater system in which I've added, but never replaced any other components. More on that later. Pros: Outstanding virtual surround sound, comfortable ear cups, good build quality, convenient charging cradle, excellent listening duration, multiple sound modes Cons: ARC connectivity not compatible with most sound bars, home theater receivers. IR input supports only 5.1 surround sound. Sony truly owns the virtual surround sound space and these headphones are no exception. They employ some of the best psychoacoustic algorithms available and manage to provide an amazingly realistic virtual surround sound environment. Used in conjunction with Apple TV+, which streams in true Dolby Atmos, or with a Blu-ray disk, sounds seem to originate from around the listener with pinpoint realism. It's truly eerie to hear something from behind me when wearing headphones - so much so that I find myself looking to verify that nothing is really there. I can heartily recommend these headphones for listening to surround sound content. When it comes to listening to music, no amount of psychoacoustics can make a $300 retail pair of consumer-oriented headphones sound anything like an audiophile DAC and headphones costing several times more. Its disappointing to read reviews from people making that comparison, or complaining that the build quality seems cheap, which frankly it doesn’t - not at this price point. These aren’t $300 headphones and they aren’t a $300 DAC, either of which would be considered the low end by most audiophile enthusiasts. A better comparison would be a $100 DAC and $200 headphones, to which these compare quite favorably. Sony’s own WH-1000XM4 Bluetooth noise canceling headphones sound better for listening to music wirelessly, but they’re designed for listening to music, and they cost more. These are designed for home theater. The WH-L600 RF headphones have five built-in sound modes that work reasonably well for their intended purposes. The Cinema mode simulates a large theater and is ideal for watching movies, but vocals are somewhat muddled, making dialog more difficult to understand. The Game and Sports modes are supposed to improve sound quality for those respective purposes, although if you're a hardcore gamer, you'll probably want a dedicated pair of gaming headphones, as these don't even have a microphone. The Voice setting makes dialog significantly easier to understand, at the expense of the virtual surround sound environment, and the Direct setting functions essentially as a DSP bypass, yielding unfiltered stereo sound. In addition, there is a Matrix switch that implements or disables simulated surround sound when the source material is in stereo, and there is an HDMI control switch that when on, turns the TV off when the headphones are turned off. Some reviewers have complained about having to remove their headphones to adjust the volume. I can't imagine the need to do so. The controls on the headphones are easily discerned and a ridge on the volume-up side of the volume rocker makes it trivial to make adjustments to volume with the headphones on the head. There are only two other buttons - the power button is above the volume rocker and a mode selector button is below it, both of which function easily. So how do these miss the mark? Connectivity. As with my first home theater wireless headphone, the Sony MDRHW7, Sony seems to have assumed that the headphones are the only means by which the user will listen to their home theater. The MDRHW7 included an HDMI switch that could only be controlled from the headphones. A 3-port HDMI switch without its own IR remote was pure idiocy, made worse by the lack of a charging cradle and by RF that frequently dropped out. They did sound great, though. The WH-L600 RF headphones do something even worse - they limit HDMI input to use of the TV's ARC function. The audio return channel was intended for use of a TV with a separate video receiver, so that the two could be connected with a single cable. A number of sound bars on the market have taken advantage of the ARC as an easy way for users to hook them up to a TV. Most people who buy sound bars have at most a cable box and streaming stick or a game console, all of which can be connected to the TV’s other HDMI ports, and it’s fine if you only listen to the TV using the sound bar. However, using the WH-L600 RF headphones with that same ARC function is impossible if one already is using it for a sound bar. I cannot fathom how Sony’s engineers could have made such a blatant design error. However, anyone who cares enough about surround sound to buy these headphones often has a true home theater, with a video receiver and surround sound speakers. Most video receivers or processors have a dedicated second HDMI output, which these headphones don’t support, and lack an IR output, which these headphones do. My Yamaha video receiver fully supports Dolby Atmos and I have a 9-speaker home theater setup, but there is no way tp connect these headphones to my receiver, and the IR output that my TV has is limited to 5.1 surround sound. My TV does have an ARC function, but it requires that the user actually view the input from the ARC channel to select the ARC output from a menu that can’t be seen when using these headphones. Hence although I have a home theater with true Dolby Atmos DTS capabilities, I’m limited to using the IR output, which only supports a 5.1 connection. The alternative is to buy an eARC adapter that sells for as much as the headphones, or to buy a new TV, neither of which would be worth it. Sony wrote the book on quality and style more than fifty years ago. One would hope they would be beyond the point of bringing a products to market with obvious flaws that should have been caught in pre-production tests. My first surround sound headphones had a useless HDMI switch, lacked a charging cradle and had frequent dropouts. My Sony camera is a CNET editor’s choice, yet the menus are in ‘Japanese English’. Now, I have a pair of surround sound headphones that’s not compatible with my surround sound receiver. It's no wonder Sony's consumer electronics division is doing so poorly, in spite of introducing blockbuster products.

Since my roommate's room is literally right above the living room where my TV is set up, I had to find a solution where I could still enjoy loud, quality sound without disturbing him. These headphones have met that need and then some. Although I do not have extensive experience with these kind of wireless headphones, Sony certainly made a quality product. They feel good and comfortable even with hours of bingeing a show. They were easy to set up. I first thought optical audio was the best, but with research found out why my new Samsung tv has an HDMI eARC slot in the back. I plugged the headphones' receiver into the HDMI eARC and wow...the sound is amazing. While the surround sound will never compete with an actual surround system, the headphones do a great job of mimicking it. It accurately portrays what is happening in the scene and its direction. The battery life is long lasting and I have never walked too far away from the receiver; it stays connected for quite a distance. Overall, these Sony Headphones are a quality product and worth the investment to enjoy great sound without incensing others.