Okay guys, I bought this headset about a month ago after a long search for a headset. -- Ill give you a little overview of the headset and then give you my opinion.. [floatright][/floatright] This is the headset itself. As you can see, it has an adjustable boom mic and comfortable padding around the edge of the ear pieces. The item branding is labled on top and on either side of the headset's main pieces, these logos glow bright green, which gives the headset just that aesthetic edge. Some specs: 5.1 channel headset 8 speakers (4 in each earpiece) Digital, in-line volume control High end amplifier Independent, illuminated volume adjustment for each channel and master volume Supports Dolby Digital 2.0, Dolby Digital 5.1 and Dolby Pro Logic Supports the chat function of PS3, Xbox and Xbox 360 As you can see, the headset is 5.1 surround sound and contains 4 speakers in each earpiece, meaning the audio is TRUE surround sound. It is not generated such as some other headsets. It supports a plethora of connections, it can connect to the PS3, Xbox, Xbox 360 and even the PC (Yes that's not listed in the spec but it has a USB 2.0 cable with the headset). [floatright][/floatright] These are the available connections: Digital optical input (S/PDIF) 2 analogue audio outputs for the X-Tatic headset 3 analogue 3.5 mm audio outputs (front, rear, center / subwoofer) 1 microphone connector for PS3 (USB A -> USB B) 1 power connector As you can see, it supports digital optical. Meaning, you can connect the headset straight into the xbox for high quality audio. You may be thinking, but where do these wires all go!?!?! Well, they go straight into it's own version of the mixamp (included in the package, unlike other headsets). It cannot mix the music but it connects all the wires together and allows you to edit settings to adjust the headset to different dolby connections and even mix non-surround audio. Heres all the specs if you need it: Spoiler Features: 5.1 channel headset 8 speakers (4 in each earpiece) Digital, in-line volume control High end amplifier Independent, illuminated volume adjustment for each channel and master volume Detachable microphone with QuickOn connection Features (SCU): Supports Dolby® Digital 2.0, Dolby® Digital 5.1 and Dolby® Pro Logic® Supports the chat function of PS3®, Xbox® and Xbox® 360 Dynamic Range Control Specifications: Center speaker: 2 x 27 mm Front speaker: 2 x 30 mm Rear speaker: 2 x 30 mm Subwoofer: 2 x 40 mm Impedance: 32 Ohm Microphone: 6 x 5 mm (L x W) / unidirectional Cable Length: 360 cm Connection: 1 x 9-pin analogue plug Specifications (SCU): Digital optical input (S/PDIF) 2 analogue audio outputs for the X-Tatic headset 3 analogue 3.5 mm audio outputs Now for the review! -- Right, lets start with audio, it is a headset after all! When I got the headset I didn't really know what to expect, I had never tried any type of headset of this calibur, and it was a shock when I first wore it. I chose BFBC2 as the first game to play, after all it has the best audio engine of any game I know of, bullets actually make sound when they fly past you, meaning it gives the most realistic audio possible. I set-up the headset and started the game. The EA logo customized for the game popped up and the sound of the EMP blast from the game played, LOUD! It was ****ing awesome, I had a grin of enjoyment, from a ****ing opening menu, from the sound alone! I played a few games, and as expected the audio was incredible. I didn't play with much of the settings, I played on the default and it was still very good. I got into a game where I was about to plant an m-comm station. I heard footsteps behind me so I jumped and span and noscoped the ****er in the head. I was chimming like a *****! The next time I wasn't so fortunate. I heard footsteps again, but mistook them for my own, this time I felt a rip in my back and fell to the floor, yup, I didn't trust the headset and I got ****ed over for it! ;p After discovering that you could set volume for the SUB, front, center and behind, I played around with the settings for it and found that the experience was that 10 times ****ing better. There's not much I can comment about the audio really. Other than the sound is very crisp and is very accurate in pinpointing a direction of sound, which is obviously useful in a game. Onto the anything to do with the headset, other than audio. I ordered the headset for just under £110 of amazon, which compared on top to the always out of stock axpro which is £150 and the £200 astros! The headset arrived in a couple of days. It got sent to the post office because I wasn't in tough. My sister was kind of confused when she was handed a parcel around the size of the xbox package, when she said this is supposed to be a headset for my brother, the attendant said "How big is his head!?" lol -.- Turned out to be protective packaging. When I found my way through it, I was presented with the box. I opened it and unpacked everything, every cable you would ever need for the headset was provided. The cushioning on the headset is very comfortable, at first :l After around 30 minutes of playing, you can feel the pressure of the headset on you. This is nothing to do with bad cushioning, it is the strength of the upper band, combined with the cushioning not being thick enough to lift the ear off the earpiece. After about 30 minutes, I will hang it round my neck and will still hear it fine anyway and after a couple of minutes I can put it back on anyway. The boom mic is so sexy! It can be twisted into any shape you need. Altough it is slightly on the less lengthy size, you can easily pick up voice if you position it right. It is also quickly detached which is good if you just want to listen to music or cant be bothered talking but want to listen to people. The headset as I said comes with everything you need. It even comes with an AC power pack which has detachable heads for UK, Europe and America, which means this headset can be brought to international tournaments etc. The over al aesthetics of the headset are great, it looks better than any other headset I've seen by far. There are lots of wires to hand but if you have a clean setup and setup the headset along the side of surfaces etc, you wont even notice. Okay to sum this all up lets have some ratings. Audio - 9/10 ~ As I said, never experienced audio like it but for that reason I cannot rate it 10 because I have nothing to compare it to other than standard audio headsets. Aesthetics - 10/10 Wear-ability - 7/10 ~ Could be more comfortable, maybe they can fix this in a newer headset in the future. Durability - 10/10 ~ So far so good, I can't complain. Customer service - 9/10 ~ Arrived quick, nothing bad really except prices changing every few hours. I was lucky I got it cheaper, within a few hours it went back up. Price - 10/10 ~ Yes, it is expensive, but compared to all the other headsets on the market, it is the best value headset because of the headsets capabilities and the contents you get. Thanks for reading. If you have any questions then let me know. Ohh and the quality of the mic is very good, especially for skype. You can use it on multiple devices as well, I use it for my PC and xbox at the same time. And again, as I said. Thanks for reading. Average price - £110
Spec wise and item wise yes. Price wise and aesthetics tough, hell no! -.- This looks a lot nicer than the trittons. I think you should have another look at the trittons, they be hugeeee! -.-
The aesthetic is actually most similar to the TB X41 than anything else. Not much like the Astros at all. Honestly, you should probably have a reference to other audio systems before making a review on one. I've made the same mistake, though, before I had anything to compare to. First things first, price is generally determined by quality of parts inside of it. Claiming to have 4 speakers in each ear doesn't mean it's the same, it's usually not. That's what makes the difference between, say, Sanheiser, than Skullcandy. However, that's not necessarily the case, take for an example Bose's relatively low quality considering the price tag. The comfort is the main issue in a headset, and if it's pushing on your ears to the extent where you need to take them off after a half hour, that's REALLY bad. Any headset over $100 should be able to be worn for at least a few hours without noticing them, or at least without discomfort. "It even comes with an AC power pack which has detachable heads for UK, Europe and America, which means this headset can be brought to international tournaments etc." Untrue. Most tournaments don't let you use power, which is why the Trittons and TB X41s are banned from MLG tournaments. Astros run on USB or rechargeable battery packs. I've obviously not used the Sharkoons, but I find it hard to trust a company that I've never heard of; audio balancing is extremely tough and why some brands are celebrated as amazing while other brands aren't, even when they use technically about the same hardware. The thing that seems weird is that is bears from very big...similarities to the AX Pro, kind of a knockoff brand (mostly from the audio controller and features, which are almost exactly the same). Considering the price however, I do think that this headset has a place in the headset department...but as a knockoff of the Trittons that seems to be lower quality, but cheaper. I also really can't take these ratings seriously unless you have something to compare to. The customer support you describe seems awful, prices should NOT be changing every hour, and from the sound of things they are NOT the best for the price (not that they're expensive, and I can't say that for certain without using them) "Audio - 9/10 ~ As I said, never experienced audio like it but for that reason I cannot rate it 10 because I have nothing to compare it to other than standard audio headsets. Aesthetics - 10/10 Wear-ability - 7/10 ~ Could be more comfortable, maybe they can fix this in a newer headset in the future. Durability - 10/10 ~ So far so good, I can't complain. Customer service - 9/10 ~ Arrived quick, nothing bad really except prices changing every few hours. I was lucky I got it cheaper, within a few hours it went back up. Price - 10/10 ~ Yes, it is expensive, but compared to all the other headsets on the market, it is the best value headset because of the headsets capabilities and the contents you get."
Thanks for the feedback. This was my first review for pretty much anything s the comments will help. Your comments about it being a "knockoff" is hardly fair, people normally buy products because they are recommended them, meaning they don't have to look round. I think this is the reason why most people haven't heard of this before. I was telling a friend at school about the headset (after I had bought it) and he coincidently had the same one. The headset is rock solid, it doesn't feel like anything is going to come off. The materials are of average grade, but not cheap flimsy ****. I think the reason why you are think it's a knock off is because of its price. Just to put this in comparison, the Ipad's worth of materials is around $300 but is selling for $700. Also, it does its job, it's not a grainy sound, you can hear in all directions, who gives a **** if theres another headset for another £40 that may have higher grade speakers inside which won't actually make a notable difference. Also, I totally agree with the comfort statement. However I'm not particularly bothered because it can go straight back on after about 2 minutes.
The reason I call it a knockoff is this: Trittons Sharkoons I find it hard to imagine that Sharkoon came up with that design, considering that Tritton is well regarded company (actually not in gaming audio, they're well known for their work with external monitors...) and I've never heard of Sharkoon. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with a knockoff...what that usually means is lower quality parts and a lower price. Fits some people's lifestyles better, and I'm all for the idea that the more options, the better. By parts, I mean on the inside. Lack of audio quality is a HUGE difference, at least for me....to use a reference from before, it's like switching from a Sanheiser to a Skullcandy. Perhaps my standards are too high (they are ), but I won't use anything that doesn't have some well-done sound. Now, I can't say that the Skarkoons don't, because I haven't used them.