REVIEW SHOP SHARE LEARN
Pioneer SE-DIR800C
Pioneer SE-DIR800C
MSRP: $ 286.00

More Products from Pioneer >>
Search AudioReview forums for the Pioneer SE-DIR800C >>
   
Featured Merchants
Buy It Here
B&HPhotoVideo
Buy It Here
Independent Audio Video
Buy It Here
Vanns
Buy It Here
Brandnamez
Buy It Here
BrandToyz.com
Store Name Store Rating Price Notes Buy Now
$199.99
$274.59Fantastic prices with ease & c...
$263.20Get free shipping on orders ov...
$399.00Save up to 25% Off on select C...
Compuplus.com $283.19Brand new & in stock!
More Prices >>
Top Ranked Products from Pioneer.
Pioneer SA-9100
Rated: 5 of 5
Pioneer A-656 MKII
Rated: 5 of 5
Pioneer M 72
Rated: 5 of 5
Pioneer PD-F507
Rated: 5 of 5
 |  Sorted by Latest Review |  Sort by Best Rating >> |  Sort by Worst Rating >> | 
Rating
Reviewed by:

cobrajeff

(Audio Enthusiast)

Review Date
October 14, 2008

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
3 Months to 1 year

Visitors rate this review
2.50 of 5, 2.00 votes

Rate this review?

Review 1 of 2

Price Paid:  $240.00 from e-bay

Summary:
Hands down, the best I've ever had. Money well spent! Even though you get a limited range, the reception is CRYSTAL clear. You must, you must, you must, configure your audio source properly in order to maximize the quality of these cans! Do you expect to hear good sound from these headphones if your sound card is less than crap? Or if your equalizer values are all wrong? Buy quality components to back this thing up. Ignorance of audio tuning can leave you wondering why these things suck. And ignorance of proper audio tuning can be the one thing that makes you return this otherwise amazing system. It's just like a car or a PC; if it isn't tuned right, it'll run like arse!

These things decode dolby digital and DTS, need I say any more? What does this mean for your listening experience? It means these cans are perfect for Cinema, gaming, or whatever audio task there is under the sun. They run off rechargeable AA batteries, not off of a propriety company-supplied battery that makes for an expensive replacement years down the road--if they are even still manufactured! As noted above, the plastic construction of the headphones themselves are a little brittle, and certainly not meant to be man-handled. So be gentle as this is a quality product worthy of respect and great care. When turned on, the base station produces a generous amount of heat right near the input power receptacle. Fortunately, the casing of the base station has escape vents at the corners. I've read other reviews and I don't know what people are thinking when they say the base is ugly. Eh, I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Furthermore, other reviewers have noted that the bass frequencies are lacking in oomph and in clarity. I HIGHLY disagree. Like I said, if your COMPLETE audio system is tuned right, these headphones will SURELY deliver to your expectations. It takes a good hour of experimentation and tweaking of your settings (mostly software on the PC). Play with the equalizer. Sometimes this involves multiple applications! As far as home theater goes, make sure your EQ, whether electronic or component, is tuned right. And on that note, I recommend purchasing an all-glass fiber optic cable. I replaced the plastic TOSlink with a 250-strand glass cable and the clarity jumped noticeably, especially in the low freqs which tend to get cut more easily.

The headband and the earcups seem to be made of a synthetic leather or something, but are EXTREMELY comfortable. And on that note, you won't even feel the cans resting on your head because they are so light, MUCH lighter than my old Tritton AX360 headphones (those were a good pair too). Pioneer is a trusted and time-honored brand of electronic entertainment, and these heaphones certainly live up to that and carry on that reputation. There is only one minor nuissance: that is when you send an audio stream to the unit, the base station synchronizes with it, producing a half-second delay. Not big deal, really. My advice: DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT. IF YOU HAVE THE MONEY...JUST BUY THEM. YOU ____WON'T___ _REGRET IT.

Strengths:
Completely noise-free wireless audio, with superb clarity throughout the entire audible freuqency range. Runs off standard AA batteries, regular or rechargeable. Decodes Dolby Digital and DTS! Comfortable and light, you'll forget it's there.

Weaknesses:
Limited range of 30 ft. Plastic construction of headphones are brittle and easily broken if mistreated. Base station gets hot after a while. Half-second delay when initially playing audio.

Similar Products Used:
I owned a Tritton AX360 system for 1.5 years before going to this system. The Pioneers were wortth every single last penny.


Buy

Would you like to Comment?
Join audioReview for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.

Rating
Reviewed by:

EdwardGein

(AudioPhile)

Review Date
May 31, 2006

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
3 Months to 1 year

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5, 6.00 votes

Rate this review?

Review 2 of 2

Price Paid:  $300.00 from Ebay

Summary:
For home theater these are the greatest headphones ever. I was absolutely shocked how great they are. They are a bargain at the $350 or so list, I would have paid $750 for these, they are that great. What's special about these headphones is they somehow produce and I can't figure out how, flawless 5.1 sound, yes you heard right 5.1 sound on a headphone which is also cordless but absolutely flawless as well. I would never have believed this. It actually sounds like you're hearing speakers & not listening on a headphone, I have to constantly check that my speakers are off because the headphone sound is that of speakers! The sound for 5.1 DVDs & TV shows is incredible. You really hear excellent 5.1 stuff. Listen to Master & Comander & you will be shocked. They're so comfortable you don't even realize that the headohones are on. They sound good for CD's but I wouldn't buy these for CD's, I'd buy them for DVDs & TV to actually hear in 5.1 sound. The depth is so three dimensional I wouldn't believe it. I found the easiest way to use this is just to use the digital out in your receiver & use an optical cable to the digital in, in the excellent cordless transmitter. This way you can switch easily to DVD, TV & CD modes. I was so hesistant to buy any cordless headphone but the sound is absolutely perfect with no interference or static whatsoever. Buy it!

Strengths:
Everything Crisp 5.1 Sound Sounds like real speakers Super Comfortable Incredible wireless trasmitter Best Headphones ever for DVDs & TV

Weaknesses:
None whatsoever


Buy

Would you like to Comment?
Join audioReview for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.

Popular Headphones

more...

Latest and Greatest

Marantz SA-7S1 and Cary 306 Professional CD/SACD Players

Review of the wonderful Marantz SA-7S1 and Mini-Review tease of the Cary 306 Professional CD/SACD Players

Emotiva ERC-1 CD Player Review

The ERC-1 CD player is in a class by itself for price/performance.

IMAX: How to Ruin a Great Product

Unfortunately, it seems that IMAX has embarked on an expansion strategy that risks watering down a premium brand that took 40 years to establish.

Axiom Millennia M60 Ti

Yes, Axiom speakers are as good as you have read about.

Magnepan Magneplanar MG 1.6 User Review

In my judgment the advantage of the MG 1.6 (and other Magneplars), stems from the following: = It is a full-range dipole, and = It has uses low-mass, planar drivers for the whole audio spectrum. These attributes account for its extraordinary clarity, coherence, “air”...

News & Reviews

Submit Content Here
Come join the community. Comment on the blogs.
Sony and NetFlix jump in the same tub
NETFLIX ANNOUNCES PARTNERSHIP WITH SONY ELECTRONIaq: NFLX) the world’s largest online movie rental service, today announced a partnership [...]   more...

Onkyo A-5VL and C-5VL SACD and amp combo
Onkyo has released a SACD/Amp Combo aimed at audind allows for bi-wiring. The cost for the A-5VL and C-5VL combo is around £350. read some more [...]   more...

Used Gear Wednesday - Don’t Pass It Up!
Did you know that audioREVIEW has a classifieds sals and gear from it. Every Wednesday we’ll select classifieds to highlight all over the [...]   more...

Hi-fi Home Theater Speakers Meets Abstarct Modern Art
This beauty, 42 inches long, is designed to fit “artistic” speakers and the normal design can be found here at bornrich.org.  Even [...]   more...

Marantz SA-7S1 and Cary 306 Professional CD/SACD Players Review
I had just about given up on CDs. There were somem like second class citizens. Sure they have a place in the audio landscape, but for enjoying [...]   more...