GamePro Labs: Gaming Headphone Wrap-Up (Page 2 of 2)

Ear Force AK-R8 by Turtle Beach

www.turtlebeach.com

Aesthetics:

Looks a little bit clunky, and the massive ear pieces don't't look all to pleasing to me.

Comfort:

Very comfortable. Smoothly fits onto one's head, but will mess up your hair. I like that you can detach the mic if you're not using it so it doesn't get into the way when you don't need it. The non-plastic/leather ear covers are great, so it doesn't get all sweaty and hot too fast. Cord length is more than long enough, and I like that you can adjust the volume with the in-line control pod. The AK-R8 also features 5.1 surround sound out and has an extra headphone slot as well as a mic slot on the inline control pod. The feature that I probably hate the most about the headphones is that it takes a USB input, which is really just a waste of a slot. Not sure if other similar earphones have regular inputs for it instead of USB. Also, PC only, with a UI program that lets you adjust the sound and tweak the settings.

Audio Performance:

The sound is good. Footsteps were more clearly defined in COD4 compared to my earphones that I used. Difference wasn't huge, but it was better. I had no problem with the static but I read that some folks had to adjust the settings to clear some in game static.

Price:

$147 retail price. I paid $60 for my old headset and it doesn't have the extras, comfort or UI program that came with these. All things considered, I'd probably buy a pair.

Final Impressions:

I would recommend it to the hardcore gamer -- the crowd that play lots of FPS games. For the high price, I think normal gamers wouldn't find it worth their while. Two things I really hated: 1) that it needs an USB input and 2) PC Only.

Fun Factor:

4.50

-Sui Mak

TRITTON AX51 Audio Xtreme 5.1 Headset

www.trittontechnologies.com/

Aesthetics:

The headphones themselves are aesthetically pleasing, durable, and very light. Still, setting up the AX51 headset is a major headache. There are four audio jacks that must be plugged into the appropriate sound card holes, which are rarely labeled and every sound card manufacture positions the center, front, mic, and rear jacks differently. Then there's the AC power adapter. USB would have been much more efficient. The inline controls are a nice feature offering Center, Front, Mic Mute, Sub, Surround, and Volume controls. This allows you to tweak your settings on the fly, but again cause major headaches for people looking to just jump in and play.

Comfort:

Comfort is close to perfection, but the inline control panel is in the wrong position. It often gets in the way and weighs heavily on the physical headset.

Audio Performance:

The Audio Extreme 51 headset from TRITTON Technologies is an affordable and great sounding piece of audio equipment for PC gamers. But I can't stress the "for PC gamers" part enough, because that's all it's really good for. You need a decent sound card installed in your rig with 5.1 surround sound capabilities and audio jacks to get the full potential of the AX51 headset. Anything else is just simulated surround sound, which sounds surprisingly good compared to other crap on the market at the same price. The AX51 headset is no way to treat your favorite music artist. There are just too many variables that drastically change the sound based on audio frequency, how the music was mixed, and musical genre. Hip-hip seems to produce the best sound because of the rumble bass technology in the headset. Classic Rock, my favorite, sounds like complete crap. I don't approve and neither would the greats like Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin.

Price:

On Amazon.com, I found the TRITTON AX51 for $77.35, but with a little Googling, I was turning up lower prices in no time.

Final Impressions:

All in all, if you are looking for an affordable headset for your PC games the TRITTON Audio Extreme 51 headset is worth considering, but I'd shop around before spending my hard-earned cash.

-Travis Moses

Steel Series 5H
www.steelseries.com/
Aesthetics:

The headphones are black and silver and have a compact efficient look. The mic telescopes out from the left earpiece, also black and silver with flexy metal.

Comfort:

These are very comfortable. The earpieces go over your ear so you don't get ear-hurt after an hour or so. I could wear them for hours it seems. They have an in-line volume / mic control that I never use.

Audio Performance

They sounded clean and crisp. I think there was a little difference in sound compared to headphones that rest right on your ears but all in all I would trade comfort for a more "connected" sound.

Price:

$90, retail price. I think for what you get, the price is fair. The phones come with a mini-built in usb soundcard and software so you don't have to search around your system settings to get them to work.

Final Impressions:

I would recommend these phones to anyone. They feel very solid, the sound is good and they are sleek looking. The selling point for me was the over-the-ear style of the earpieces and retractable microphone.

Fun Factor:

4.25

-Justin Lewis

Comments [20]

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CaliforniaSFGamer

I'm not exactly sure how one gets Front v. Rear sound in a set of heardphones. Anyone case to explain? I like playing with a proper surround set because you can actually hear the sounds coming from certain places around you. Can headphones replicate this?

greyscale

miamifinfan -- yep; all you have to do is plug them into the headphone jack on your television, and you're in business.

miamifinfan

Thanks greyscale, but I was actually looking around at the TurtleBeach Earforce X3 headphones, and I hear they are really good although pricey. Also, the Tritton AX360 5.1 Surround Sound ones. Do you recommend any of those?

greyscale

No problem, miamifinfan. Those are both great headphones, honestly--I've heard some great things about the EarForce X3 as far as playing on an Xbox 360. Any system in particular you're thinking of playing on?

Grizzsupreme

Turtle beach has a pretty nice set with a mike and a 15 foot cord for about 50-60 bucks just for xbox 360.they hook to your audio at the out with a nice little splitter included.Only problem I have is you cant hear your voice when you talk so I tend to start talking too loudly.Sound quality is good

Grizzsupreme

I think the ones I have are the wired version of the x3.Dont really mind the cord and that saved me a nice chunk of dough.

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