{"id":1483,"date":"2009-06-09T23:51:25","date_gmt":"2009-06-10T04:51:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.soundadviceblog.com\/?p=1483"},"modified":"2009-06-10T02:16:03","modified_gmt":"2009-06-10T07:16:03","slug":"product-of-the-day-day-33-meritline-4-in-1-wireless-headphones","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.soundadviceblog.com\/?p=1483","title":{"rendered":"Product of the Day, Day 33: Meritline 4-in-1 Wireless Headphones"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Meritline Wireless Headphones<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Meritline<\/a> sells a wide variety of electronics and accessories at low prices.\u00a0 A recent reader inquiry about these extremely inexpensive wireless headphones<\/a>\u00a0 led me to order a pair for testing.\u00a0 Though they are not what I would call hi-fi, at $15.99 per pair and $25.99 for two pair they certainly have their place in the world.\u00a0 I can see these headphones proving very useful in situations where the premium sound quality is not called for.<\/p>\n

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Headphones on transmitter cable with cords <\/strong><\/p>\n

The headphones are shipped with the transmitter and two connection cords, a miniplug to stereo RCA and an RCA to RCA.\u00a0 Connect them to an output on your receiver, TV, satellite\/cable box, Blu-ray player, etc.<\/p>\n

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Rear view with inputs and on-off switch, antenna extended <\/strong><\/p>\n

The receiver is powered by a pair of AA batteries, as are the headphones.\u00a0 A 4-pack is all you need to get running.<\/p>\n

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Headphone controls, on\/off and volume bottom left <\/strong><\/p>\n

Controls are very simple.\u00a0 The scan button searches FM stations when the transmitter is turned off.\u00a0 You can also connect the headphones via a wire, though I do not recommend this simply because you can get better sounding wired headphones for $16.00.\u00a0 As for $16.00 wireless headphones, these are pretty much the only game in town…<\/p>\n

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Adjustable headband makes it easy to get a good fit <\/strong><\/p>\n

The headphones themselves are made of hard plastic that feels cheap… but bear in mind these ARE cheap.\u00a0 The adjustable band made finding a comfortable fit easy.<\/p>\n

The headphones proved to be extremely easy to set up and use.\u00a0 Just put in the batteries, plug the source into the transmitter and turn it on, press scan on the headphones and voila<\/em>, the sound plays.<\/p>\n

I wasn’t expecting much in the way of sound quality and was surprised that they did not sound outright bad. They have a measure of clarity in the high frequencies, bass is full if not deep and voices are well rendered without unnaturalness or heaviness.\u00a0 As I have said, these would not be your first choice for sound quality, but they are listenable. I wasn’t expecting much and was pleasantly surprised that I could not write them off out of hand due to poor sound.\u00a0 In the context of $15.99 for a set of wireless headphones they are not bad at all.\u00a0 I see them as a good accessory for use with a television, or to listen to talk radio. For a lot of people the low price would be the difference between having a set of wireless headphones to play with, or not having a set at all.<\/p>\n

If the transmitter is turned off the headphones default to\u00a0 FM radio mode.\u00a0 FM stations were noisy and the headphones were prone to interference whenever you walk next to something electrical.\u00a0 I would not recommend them for FM radio use.<\/p>\n

If you are looking for a pair of wireless headphones for the kids, for use while on the treadmill or exercise bike, or for watching TV late at night without disturbing your spouse, these will work fine within their limited 12-foot range.\u00a0 If you are looking for something with true hi-fi sound quality for serious music listening or movie watching, you will have to look at brands like Sennheiser <\/a>and prepare to pay the price.\u00a0 Horses for the courses!<\/p>\n

See you tomorrow for the Product of the Day<\/a>!<\/p>\n


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