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Saitek A-350 Wireless Headphones Review |
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Written by Don Lee
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Monday, 12 June 2006 |
 Saitek A-350 wireless headphones were designed to help you leave those
tangled up headphone wires behind. Using a transmitter with a standard
audio jack that plugs into your Windows PC, Apple Macintosh computer or
your portable media players (such as the Apple iPod, Sony PlayStation
Portable), the Saitek A-350 wireless headphones were designed to
provide a comfortable (and portable) way to enjoy your multimedia
without the hassle.
The Saitek A-350 wireless headphones was designed to provide consumers with the ability to be able to enjoy their audio entertainment without being attached to their desktop, notebook or media player. Now let’s take a closer look at the Saitek A-350 wireless headphones.
When you open the box, you will notice a lot of loose items. Take note of these items and place them inside of the travel case that comes along in the package to keep from losing them. You can’t help but notice the sleek and shiny black surface of the A-350 headphones and the wireless transmitter. A very nice looking pair of headphones for sure.
Now don’t be overwhelmed by the number of individual items in the box because the majority of the items are optional. The only items you need to be concerned with is the headphones, the power adapter, wireless transmitter and one connecting neck band. You will have to attach the neck band to the top of the headphones to connect the arms. Then plug the adapter into the nearest outlet and the Y-shaped cable to the adapter. Take each end of the Y-shaped cable and plug one into the wireless transmitter and the other end of the Y cable into the DC 5V jack on the headphones. Make sure that both the transmitter and the headphones are switched OFF to ensure a fast recharge of both devices. The manual says it should take like an hour to charge both of them but the headphones took a little longer (almost an hour more) than the transmitter.
Once the headphones and the wireless transmitter are fully charged, you will notice the light on each device turn green. Now unplug the Y cable from both devices and you’re ready to go. Take the wireless transmitter and connect the device’s attached audio jack on the device you are using (PC, Mac, notebook, media player). Then take the headphones and wrap them along the back of your head. Make sure the headphone arms go over your ears not beneath them. The in-ear speakers should now fit snug into your ear. If the neck band is too wide or too short, try swapping the band out to a different length until you find the one that fits comfortably.
Now that the equipment is in place, switch your headphones on from the front of the right headphone arm. Then turn on the wireless transmitter by moving the switch on the device to ON. With both devices now turned on, you should hear three beeps inside the headset. This means that the devices are now in sync and you should be able to pick up audio signals.
I tested the Saitek A-350 wireless headphones by playing listening to a DVD and a few audio tracks in iTunes. The quality of the audio was very good as the film’s audio was crisp and full. The audio tracks also demonstrated the headphones . The headphones sport volume increase and decrease buttons on the sides of the headphone arms.
I found that they did not suffer any loss of quality from within 30 feet from the transmitter. I was even able to go downstairs in my home where the transmitter was connected to my Mac in my upstairs bedroom. Surprisingly, the headphones were able to keep in sync with the transmitter even through the walls. It only began to lose the signal as I went beyond about 30 feet from the transmitter. I noticed that the music I was listening to would begin to break up. Once I walked back into range, the audio playback returned to normal.
You can still use the headphones in a wired environment as well but you need to have enough power in the headphones to do so. You may have to recharge the headphones before using them in a wired situation. Saitek says that you should get six hours on one charge although you could extend the battery life by switching to a wired mode.
The Saitek A-350 wireless headphone is a mixed bag of the good and bad. Let us start with the good features first. The headphones are designed to fit along the back of the head instead of resting on top of your head like traditional headphones. The sleek, black design of the wireless transmitter and the headphones is very well done as well as the easy access to the volume controls on the headset.
The headphones and the transmitter both charged up pretty quickly in one to two hours from being cold. It took about one hour and fifteen minutes for the transmitter and about two hours for the headphones. The package also comes with a nice, zippered carrying case where you can store all of the items and prevent losing some of the neck bands and cables.
Now here are some of the issues that I discovered about the headphones. If you have long hair or wear your hair in a ponytail, you may find that the extra hair length may get in the way when wearing the headphones. The neodymium in-ear speakers were a little uncomfortable as they pushed on my ear. After about an hour of use, I felt my ears were getting a little sore from wear.
Overall, the Saitek A-350 wireless headphone’s sound quality to be pretty good considering the audio was being sent via the wireless transmitter. The device works with any computer or media player as long as you can plug the wireless transmitter into the system’s audio jack. If you’re looking for a good pair of wireless headphones that you can take on the road, then check out Saitek’s A-350 wireless headphones.
A four out of five star recommendation.
You can pick up the Saitek A-350 wireless headphones or visit the company website at http://www.saitek.com.
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