TDK WR700 wireless headphones

TDK's WR700 headphones utilise Kleer wireless and offer excellent sound quality

Good Gear Guide

Wireless headphones have been on the market for a long time, but they have generally lacked the sound quality of their wired components, making them easy to overlook for anyone concerned with crisp audio quality. However, TDK's WR700 headphones utilise Kleer wireless technology and not only look good and feel comfortable, they deliver excellent audio.

Pros

  • Excellent build quality and looks, instantaneous sync, Kleer wireless technology, excellent sound quality, up to four units pairs can use one receiver

Cons

  • Ears quickly become hot, receiver a little chunky for use with mobile phones, no active noise cancellation

Bottom Line

TDK's WR700 headphones look good, are comfortable to wear and possess excellent sound quality.

Would you buy this?

  • Where to buy

    Priced from: $ 148.99
    Selling at 2 stores
See all prices

The TDK WR700 wireless headphones are an over-the-ear model with a stylish black and silver design. Build quality is excellent, with matte silver and black plastic surrounding the ear cups and sturdy-feeling hinges below the headband.

The TDK WR700 wireless headphones are quite large, but they are comfortable to wear for long periods. Both the ear-cups and the headband are finished with a soft, leather-style pad filled with foam, so the headphones don't dig into your head or ears. Like most of these leather-style ear pads, it means your ears do become rather hot, even after just a few minutes of use — the only real downside when it comes to comfort.

The TDK WR700 utilises Kleer wireless technology, which transmits digital audio signals without compression. This is made possible utilising a small transmitter that plugs straight into a standard 3.5mm headphone jack. Powered by two AAA batteries, setting up the TDK WR700 is as easy as plugging the transmitter into your device of choice and turning the power on. Unlike wireless Bluetooth headphones, this technology pairs almost instantaneously and up to four sets of headphones can use a single transmitter. The technology provides a wireless range of up to 10 metres, similar to Bluetooth. We didn't experience any interference during testing, despite using the headphones alongside assorted other wireless equipment.

Once you've connected and powered up the transmitter, you simply turn on the headphones (also powered by two AAA batteries) and they automatically pair. You can adjust volume using the + and – buttons on the right ear cup. TDK rates the WR700's battery life at up to 40 hours — we recommend using rechargeable batteries both for the longest possible life and best value.

Audio quality is amongst the best we've heard from wireless headphones. Though they won't impress audiophiles (even though they are classed as enthusiast headphones by TDK) sound is crisp and clear and bass reproduction is particularly impressive — it's punchy without overpowering other elements of the music. Upper frequencies are also clear.

One downside to the TDK WR700 headphones is the lack of active noise cancellation. Despite this, the insulation of the padded ear cups does a reasonable job, blocking out most background noise provided you are listening to music at a medium to high volume. If you're a regular public transport user, you may require stronger noise cancellation. The WR700 also has average sound leakage — at medium volume levels, the audio can clearly be heard by any surrounding people. The headphones also require a relatively high volume to produce the best sound quality, unlike many IEM headphones which can produce excellent sound at generally lower volume levels due to the seal in the ear canal.

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User Comments

1

Glenn GrahamMon 13/12/2010 - 21:15

I bought a set of these and the run my batteries flat in just on 12 hours not the 40 hours talked about in the TDK reviews. The next set lasted about 10 hours and then the headphone faulted giving a static sound continuously. $45 postage later they are still the same. Not happy Jan

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