Sennheiser TV Clear Set – Hardware Review
While we mainly know Sennheiser from their premium-quality wireless earbuds, headsets, and studio headphones, we have also been taking a closer look at their products designed for people with hearing loss. In the past, we have taken a closer look at the Flex 5000 and the RS 120-W, and both devices offered a crisp audio experience. Sadly, the Flex 5000 made it so you had to carry a transmitter around, while the RS 120-W was a bit more awkward to work with. Now, however, Sennheiser offered us a TV Clear Set to try out, and for the most part, we were very impressed with what this device had to offer.
Even though we mentioned that we have been taking a closer look at products for people with hearing loss, keep in mind that these products are also great for those who experience no hearing loss. These devices are designed to make voices pop to the foreground, rather than them being drowned out by heavy bass or a lot of background noise. You may have noticed that when watching a movie or a series the sound levels fluctuate a lot. With devices such as the TV Clear Set, or the two products we mentioned earlier, you can somewhat stabilize these fluctuations.
Design
In terms of design, Sennheiser opted for a very classy monotone black design for the earbuds, the case, as well as the transmitter. While we see subtle Sennheiser logos here and there, the package doesn’t come with too many bells and whistles. The most notable features are probably the rubber ear adapters for the earpieces and the elongated case for the earbuds. Overall, you’re getting a very attractive package, even though the very bright green LED light on the transmitter may be an eyesore for some. When sitting in a well-lit room with the transmitter behind the TV, you won’t notice the LED light. If you’re sitting in a dim-lit or dark room, the small light will become very visible.
Comfort
The overall comfort factor is somewhat similar to other wireless earbuds designed by Sennheiser. In this case, however, you have different rubber shapes for the earpieces, rather than just the actual ear-tips. This is certainly a fun inclusion, as it’s easier to adapt the complete earpieces to the shape of your ears. We would have perhaps loved interchangeable ear-tips, as this would have further enhanced customizability and comfort. Nonetheless, these so-called ear adapters should suffice to ensure a comfortable experience. The earbuds themselves are also very light, which makes it easier to use them for longer periods of time.
With the inclusion of the different ear adapters and the somewhat unique shape of the earbuds themselves, it does take you a few tries to find the most comfortable position. How to insert the actual earbuds is slightly different than most other models, but you’ll quickly figure out what works best for you. Truth be told, we struggled most with the actual controls on the earbuds. The device allows for two different control types, as some actions require you to tap the left or right earpiece, while other actions require you to press the left or right earpiece. Both types of controls felt very awkward and super uncomfortable. Tap controls were more than often not recognized, while the press controls were actually painful to use. To press the buttons, you’d be cramming the earpiece further down your ear, and if you want to swap clarity settings, you have to keep the button pressed down for two seconds. If you’re struggling to find the right profile, you’ll probably just end up hurting your ears. When you pair the earbuds with a smartphone or tablet you can swap clarity profiles via the app as well.
The transmitter is very tiny and light and is very easy to keep clean. We would have preferred if the transmitter was perhaps a bit heavier.
Overview
For the most part, the TV Clear Set is a plug-and-play device if you wish to pair them with your television set. You’ll simply have to connect the transmitter via USB to your TV and then either use the optical cable or the 3.5mm cable, and your earbuds should be paired with the transmitter. If not, there is still a pairing button on the transmitter and the case of the earbuds. You’ll be good to go in mere moments.
As the TV Clear Set is all about ensuring people with partial hearing loss can enjoy clear voice audio, that’s the main component we tried out when it came to the sound quality. The device has five different profiles to choose from, each further enhancing the overall speech clarity during movies or other media files. As a whole, the profiles are easy to work with, and having predefined settings helps with user comfort. It’s very easy to say that the TV Clear Set easily does what it sets out to do. The sound quality is crisp, and watching movies was very enjoyable as the music didn’t drown out the speech.
When using the TV Clear Set with your smartphone, you’ll also have the app to work with, which can make it easier to swap profiles. We did encounter a few hiccups where the earbuds didn’t want to pair after using them on our TV, but this was often fixed very quickly.
Conclusion
Even though the touch-and-press controls of the TV Clear Set weren’t completely to our liking, we did very much enjoy working with the device and the sound quality was superb. The TV Clear Set may be a fairly big investment, but it does pay off if you’re suffering from partial hearing loss and enjoy watching movies or simply like to listen to audiobooks. With the different profile settings, you’ll quickly find the settings you like, and the earbuds themselves are also very comfortable to use for longer periods of time. If you’re part of the product’s target audience, and you’ve been looking for a device that can make the voice audio clearer, then we suggest looking into this device.
Sennheiser TV Clear Set - Hardware Review,
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