Headset Roundup Review 2(Sennheiser|Astro|Turtle Beach|SteelSeries|Razer|Audio Technica)

Hey guys. Here is a comparison review of 10 headsets and headphones, from companies like Astro, Audio Technica, SteelSeries, Turtle Beach, Sennheiser, and Razer. So voila.

Before you guys are done viewing this page, I ask that you please visit the links to the video reviews, even if it is only for a few seconds. The writeups and videos take a lot of work and time to make, and the views/comments/ratings will really help me out so I can give you guys more reviews.

Astro A30 Audio System
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The Astro A30 is the latest headset from Astro Gaming, who has brought you the Astro A40, the official licensed headset of MLG. The Astro A30 is designed for gamers on the go, who want to gain the competitive edge no matter where they are. The Astro A30 headset sells for 150 dollars, while the A30 system which includes the Astro Mixamp is priced at 230 dollars.

Looking at the design, you can see a lot of changes that Astro has made with the Astro A30. Number one is the sheer size. The Astro A30 is about half the size of the A40, it honestly feels tiny in my hands. The A30 is also a closed, supra aural headset, as opposed to the A40’s circumaural open headset. The mic design has also changed. While the Astro A40 has the option of having your boom mic on either side, the A30 mic port is at a fixed location on the headset; but the Astro A30 also has an inline microphone built right into the cord. So if you are an iPhone/Droid/Blackberry Storm owner, you can use this headset as a headphone when you are out and about, and if you get a call, you can segway into it with the inline microphone and multifunction button on the A30’s quick disconnect cord. The Astro A40 system had a lot of features, and Astro has packed even more into the A30. But what Astro also focused on the A30 was sound. Astro wanted this headset to be your go to headset for music/phone calls/gaming/movies, and they try to incorporate a balanced sound in the headset.

As far as comfort goes, for a supra aural headset, the Astro A30 is super comfortable. The material used for the ear pads is as soft and plush as the ear pads of the Audio Technica AD700. I would still say I prefer the circumaural of the A40’s, but only because they’re kinder to me on hotter days than the A30’s are, but the A30’s are very comfortable. For build quality, the a30’s build quality has improved since the a40. The plastic body is a tough hard plastic, and Astro has foregone the exposed cables/coiled design. Instead, you have an adjusting system like Sennheisers.

So far what I can accumulate from the A30 headset is that it has proven to be comfortable and built durable; but what about the microphone? This is the A30’s weak point. Because of the positioning of the microphone, your voice is easily distorted, either by it being too close, and the mic becomes blown out when you speak, and it can pick up you breathing out your nose, or it is too far away, not picking up all of your voice. You really have to spend some time getting it in a sweet spot so you don’t have the blown out sound but still come in clearly and consistently.

What’s weaker than the A30’s boom microphone is its inline microphone. It picks up noises from it rubbing against my shirt easily, but my voice…not so much. Playing back recordings of me talking through it, it makes me sound like I have a lisp and that I’m 14. One of the problems is that the quick disconnect puck is connected to the A30 so the microphone is facing directly inwards and touching your shirt, making responsiveness weak. If you try twisting it to be in a proper position, it goes right back to it because it is its natural position.

But not all hope is lost for the microphone. With the A40 headset, because of where the microphone port was located, the only microphone that could really be compatible with the headset was the Astro microphone; but because of the a30’s mic port location, you could kind of choose your own mic a la carte. Something like this mic, can be easily mounted on the a30, and presto, you have a flexible gooseneck microphone that will pick up your voice well.

Now onto the most important aspect of the headset, the sound; like I mentioned in my mini review of the headset, Astro has delivered what was promised. The low end has definitely been improved coming from the A40’s to the A30’s. The low end is pretty clean, as far as the oomph of the bass goes, I’d put it in between the AD700 and the HD595. It’s definitely a big improvement over the A40.

For the other parts of the audio spectrum I still find the highs to be somewhat veiled. The A30’s have remained to not pick up on some of the subtle details in the highs in some of the tracks that I listened to; one example would be the background synthesizer in the chorus of Fireflies by Owl City. But additions like those in tracks are very subtle, so I don’t want you thinking it’s a lot worse than it actually, because the sound clarity is quite nice, it just has its flaws, like every headphone/headset. But you’ll like this headset if you listen to rock or rap. The tracks were full of life with the guitars when listening to A Day to Remember, and the bass was definitely thumping when playing Flobots and Ke$ha (yes, I listened to Ke$ha). It is like Astro says; it is a good all around headset/headphone with its balanced sound.

But now let’s get into gaming. Like I said in my mini review, I believe that the best kinds of headsets are those with a full range of sound. Some people argue that a weakness like light bass is good for gaming because there would be less drowning out or booming from lower registry explosions can allow you to hear the higher registries like gunfire or footsteps. My point of view is that you never know when you’re going to need to hear a sound in the lower registries, or any registry for that matter. If you have a headset that is really weak in certain areas, well if you’re in a situation when you need to hear those areas, then you're up a certain creek without a paddle(no, not beaver creek you halo 2 grizzlies out there). Anyways, I’m totally satisfied with the A30’s for gaming. The supra aural closed design allows you to block out a lot of ambient noise, but doesn’t quite give you a seal like IEM’s or PC350’s do, so you won’t have a “plugged” feeling when you speak. The balanced sound makes for a good immersive experience without anything being totally overpowering. Footsteps were clear as a bell, and positioning was very easy, thanks to both the A30 headset and the Astro Mixamp.

What I like about the A30 and A40 system is just the package deal you get. I’m not going to lie that the price of the complete systems are far from cheap, but you really are given quite a nice setup. Right when you open up your shipping box, it’s like you have been invited to the Centurion Club. They take a lot of care in their packaging/documentation, and just everything you get with it. With the Astro A30 headset, you get multiple accessories included; one is speaker tags. While these are just a cosmetic feature, so I’m not going to go on for a full page about them like other reviewers have done in the past, I will admit that it is kind of a nice way to personalize your headset and make it truly your own, and isn’t such a bad idea if you have 20 guys with Astros at a LAN, personalized speaker tags make life a little easier. You also get a hard cloth shell travel case for your Astros. With the headsets that come out that are detachable, or foldable, all for the ease of travel, I would much rather have it include a travel case, since you can always fit the accessories in with it. Then with the A30’s, you get 3 different types of quick disconnect cables. There is one for the Astro Mixamp, one with a multi function button for use with your smart phone, and one that is meant for normal stereo PC connection. All of these fit into the travel case and you’re ready to travel with them.

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And while the A40 isn’t exactly my highest rated headset, the Mixamp in my mind has always been a winner. The Mixamp gives you the ability to balance game and chat volume when gaming so gameplay will never drown out your teammates again, and the Mixamp of course provides you with Dolby Headphone virtual 5.1, which gives you the directional positioning of 5.1 while still keeping the clarity you get from a stereo headphone. Plus, without the Astro Mixamp, none of the popular PC headsets would be usable at MLG events, so you have to give them props for that.

Now, besides the microphone, there are still a few gripes I have about the A30 headset. One of the things I would like to see at some point with the Astro systems would be an included optical cable. While headsets like the Tritton AX720 and the Turtle Beach X41 include an optical cable with their systems, Astro provides these optionally at an additional charge. I will admit that the cable they have is very nicely made. It has nylon braided sleeving with sturdy jacks on the end, and is really nice, but a 1 cent rail thin optical cable will offer the same audio quality as the nylon braided 20 dollar ones, having it included would just be nice, since so many people ask themselves the question “Do I need this” because it is under optional accessories.

 

Astro A30 Continued
My other problem with the A30 is actually with the system rather than the headset. The Astro A40 retails for 200 dollars on its own and 250 dollars with the Astro Mixamp. The Astro A30 retails for 150 dollars on its own, yet it retails for 230 dollars with the Astro Mixamp. I just ask myself: why wouldn’t I be able to get as good of a deal with the Astro A30 system as I can with the A40 system? My initial thoughts are either one, Astro is targeting customers who already own the A40 with the Mixamp, but want a mobile headset for all around use, and possibly the markup on the A30 isn’t as much as the A40 so there isn’t as much wiggle room for saving money. I believe it’s just the former, but still, I’m sure a lot of people would be a lot more likely to pull the trigger on the system if it was 200 vs. 230.

But all in all, I think the A30 is a big improvement over the A40 audio system. And with its fuller range of sound, I’d peg the A30 ahead of the Sennheiser PC350. While you end up getting more of a deal with the A40 system package, think about the particular uses you have for the headset, and if versatility is something you’re looking for, then you might want to take a look at the Astro A30 audio system. It still has its kinks that need to be hammered out eventually, but all in all I consider the A30 a solid purchase.

Audio Technica AD700
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The AD700. What can I say about this headphone? In the past, if you were to go to an MLG event, or any big LANS period, you wouldn't see anyone caught dead without some version of the Sennheiser series of headphones; HD515's, 555's, 595's, etc. But lately a new king has been rising; The Audio Technica AD700. If you now look for recommendations for a headphone/set for gaming, you can't see a thread without someone mentioning this headphone. What has made this headphone so attractive that it is recommended over headphones twice the price? Well read on below to find out.

Before I get into the sound portion, I'd like to go over the Ad700's design. First off, this is hands down the most comfortable headphone I've ever worn. It feels like I'm wearing nothing at all (insert Ned Flanders here). The Audio Technica AD700 employs a 3d wing system, which automatically conforms to your head as you set it on. These "wings" have a nice soft padding, and tilts up/down and forward/back (hence "3d"). It is a very great system. With my other headphones I always have to worry about clicking the right amount of notches on each side to get an even grip and even fit; no fuss no muss with the AD700. Along with the wing system, the ear cups are amazing. The ear cups are bigger and softer than any other headphone I own/have tried. The ear pad goes towards the driver like a very obtuse cone with the center cut off and in the little hole you can see the driver. Because of this design, the headphone is almost supra aural since your ear is in contact with the ear pad the entire time, but it's so comfortable no matter what class you put it in.

Going from the headphone down you have a gray cord with a gold plated jack on the end. It is normally terminated with a 3.5mm cable, but it also comes with a screw on 6.3mm attachment. The screwing attachment is very nice, the jack has a small footprint with the 6.3mm on or off, and the screw makes for a great tight connection that you won't have to worry about popping out or anything.

Onto the sound quality; it’s no wonder why the AD700 is such a popular choice in the sub 100 dollar headphone range. The quality in gaming/music is superb. For reference I used my Sennheiser HD595's to compare the AD700's to, and I played the game Modern Warfare 2 with the AD700's in gaming.

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So if you recall in the first roundup review of headsets, the game Patrick and I played was Call of Duty 4. Since that review was posted, the successor of the game, Modern Warfare 2 was released. For a while I had just been using my Swans M10 2.1 system until I received the AD700's to test out. MW2 is funny, because it plays tricks on me. I remember the first time I was EMP'd, I had no idea what was going on and why my screen was fuzzy. I got worried and was checking my connections making sure nothing got disconnected, then it hit me that the game meant to do that when I was EMP'd. The same sort of trickery happened when I was playing with the AD700's. When I was walking by an area of a map, I believe it was either Derail or Sub Base; I started hearing this feedback buzzing noise. I was worried, and like the EMP, I went and started checking connections. It then occurred to me why I was getting the noise. I was near generators in the map and I was hearing electrical gain that was radiating from those generators. I was hearing sounds I had never heard with such clarity and natural positioning when I didn't hear it at all with my Swans, and by no means are my swans anything less than a great 2.1 system.

The clarity of the AD700's when playing was just fantastic. I don't want to say I started camping or anything, but I started to let enemies come to me and just use the headphones to allow me to hear their footsteps. The details started getting hard to hear once airstrikes were being thrown in the mix, but it happens with all of the headsets/headphones I've used. The giant soundstage this headphone has, paired with its clarity, provide an amazing headphone to be used in gaming, and it will set you back less than 100 dollars. Plus, its comfort also makes it really easy to have 5 hour long gaming sessions. Before I had used my speakers for Modern Warfare 2 so I could use my headset to hear my teammates better. Since using headphones though, and hearing the detail, I haven't switched back to my speakers.

So now onto the music; this was the big thing to test with the AD700. It has now become common knowledge on how the Audio Technica performs well for gaming. But everyone's worry is towards its performance with music and with bass; because it has also been common knowledge that the bass is light. But what does that exactly mean for you when you're listening?

Some of the songs I listened to a/b test the AD700 against the Sennheiser HD595 was Mystery of You by Red, which is a hard rock song, then If I Ever Feel Better by Phoenix, which is a pop song, then Dripping by Submersed, which is acoustic/hard rock. The AD700 and Sennheiser HD595 are actually suited towards a lot of the same styles of music. If you enjoy acoustic instrumentals and vocals, then these headphones won't do you wrong.

As far as bass comparison between the 2, the bass is present in both headphones. The thing is though, is that while I hear the bass notes in the AD700, I don't feel them. The AD700 actually has a really great range for bass, the bass in Dripping actually gets very low down there, and the AD700 handles it well. But listening to each headphone, I was not getting any thump from the AD700's. I definitely got more feeling out of the HD595's. To me, listening to music, the HD595 just has more body. It's a fuller sound with the power of its bass. So to repeat, while the AD700 has a nice range of bass, it just doesn't impact you as much as the HD595. It still has greater bass than the Tritton Ax720/Astro A40/Sennheiser PC350 though.

Anyways, I don't want to call the AD700 flat or anything because of its light bass. You get some really good bump in the midrange. The electric guitar and drums in Mystery of You definitely made their presence. As far as highs go, both the HD595 and the AD700 perform really well here. The HD595's are a little brighter in the highs though. Now this is where it becomes preference. A lot of people don't enjoy a lot of brightness. Some find it shrill. I personally love a great bright high; I just enjoy that feeling of it when listening to music. But the AD700 has more conservative, yet very impressive highs, as well as a great mid range. Its massive soundstage also makes you feel like you are literally watching these bands perform as well. I'm still in awe in how a headphone half the price of the hd595's can have such a soundstage. So that's how its sound goes; a very natural and clear sound, with strength in the mid to high range.

So in conclusion, the AD700 is an absolutely great choice for an open headphone under 100 dollars. It's easy to drive at only 32 ohms, so you can play this headphone right out of your laptop, iPod, TV, etc. And its large soundstage, clarity, and comfort lend itself to make a perfect gaming headphone, and a great natural sound in music. Its biggest weakness is the power of its bass, so if you are into hip hop music (or if you are a bass head) or are looking for headphones for movie watching, these might not be for you.

 

SteelSeries Siberia Neckband
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The SteelSeries Siberia Neckband will be the first SteelSeries product we’ll be testing. Out of the 3 headsets, it’s the most straightforward. It is a PC and Xbox 360 compatible headset, and the design of the headset is to wrap around your head. So let’s get into more of the design of the headset and accessories, and finally the sound of it.

Like I said, the Siberia Neckband is the most straightforward. In the box, you will find 3 things: The headset, an extension cord for the headset (the inline volume control is on this extension), and the Xbox 360 adapter. The Siberia Neckband is actually a normal PC headset, but it comes prepackaged with the SteelSeries Xbox 360 adapter, that is available on their website separately for 14.99, that’s how it’s compatible with it. Anyway, the biggest design difference with the Siberia Neckband vs. other headsets is that the Neckband is a wrap around headset. The headband goes around behind your head, so for those who rock the faux hawk, you will not have the infamous headphone hair. Do I think this design works? In my case, it did not. The headset’s design for fitting is a retracting headband. You expand it, put it on, then let go, and it retracts itself to fit you. In my case, I felt pressure/pulling on my ears, because the headset keeps wanting to slide off. It might be due to my larger than average head, but I felt the headset was small for my head and ears, and did not want to stay on.

Going down the headset, you have the same retractable microphone that the other SteelSeries headsets have; it is a good quality microphone, with a very flexible metal gooseneck boom. Going down the cord you have 2 standard 3.5mm PC jacks, then you have the extension cord with the inline volume control(the Siberia V2 and the 5HV2 both have the inline volume jack on the immediate cord of the headset, the Siberia Neckband does not). So then the 2 PC jacks just plug into the SteelSeries Xbox 360 adapter that plugs into your Xbox controller and TV. The Xbox 360 adapter works out as a great budget solution to the Astro Mixamp for hooking up PC headsets to your Xbox 360; watch the full review on the adapter farther down.

As far as sound quality goes, the neckband is pretty decent. Taking into account it is ~90 dollars and comes packaged with an accessory that’s sold separately for 15 dollars; I’m pricing this headset at ~75 dollars. I wouldn’t peg this as one of the best headsets I’ve heard, but it performs pretty solidly. Its sound signature is a very boomy bass. In music you can notice how the bass and the mid range over power the highs. The highs just seem veiled when listening to a woman sing and other things in that range; great for hip hop music and pretty decent for rock too. One of the songs I had listened to was “If it means a lot to you” by A Day to Remember. With just the acoustic guitar going with the vocals, nothing was really overpowering the other, but like I was saying earlier, the highs felt veiled, especially during the female vocals. During the climax of the song, you really get into it with the thumping power of the neckband’s lows/bass; the only thing is the vocals were almost completely drowned out from the instruments.

In gaming, it was the same situation. When gaming, it really depended what map/area you were in that would determine whether or not you could hear footsteps or not. If someone was shooting a javelin, or if any harrier was in bound, or anything that made a decent ruckus, you can bet that they drowned out any chance you have at hearing an enemy coming. It wasn’t long until I busted out the heartbeat sensor for insurance. For other FPS’s like Halo 3, all you really have is gunfire, grenade explosions, and sounds from airlifts, so the Siberia Neckband would work better for that than games that have air support and whatnot.

So for some FPS’s, you might want to go with more of a balanced sound headset. But for action games and movies, you can easily be immersed with the power of the bass with this. As far as voice communication goes, when you have a headset plugged into your display, there’s a good chance that the voice and game balance will favor the game noise. Like I’ve said though, Modern Warfare 2 allows you to lower the game volume in the main menu. While it may take you a few tries to get the sweet spot, it makes voice communication a breeze and is friendlier towards your wallet than some of the other solutions out there for game/chat balancing. For other games that don’t allow you to change the volume like Halo 3, you might need to look into investing in another solution for game/chat balancing.

So all in all, I’d consider the Siberia Neckband sort of a niche gaming headset. If your priorities in a headset are movies, action games, and bass heavy music, then this headset is for you. It has everything you need to hook your Neckband up to your Xbox 360 and your PC, it has a retractable microphone, and you can avoid headphone hair with these. But the biggest thing I would recommend before buying this headset is to try it on first. If you’re head is big you will find this headset uncomfortable. That was my biggest gripe about the headset, was just its fit on me was not the best. But for gaming, if you’re playing very detailed games like Modern Warfare 2, with heavy noises from air support and anti-personnel weapons causing a ruckus, you might want to go with a headset that has lighter bass/a more balanced overall sound. Which coincidentally enough, leads me to the next to SteelSeries headsets I will be reviewing for you guys, so read on down below.

SteelSeries 5HV2
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The 5HV2 is the second SteelSeries product I have for you. It is in the same price range as the Siberia Neckband, the model I am testing can be seen online for ~100 dollars, and the package includes the 5HV2, the extension cord, and a USB soundcard with virtual 7.1 surround sound built in. So let’s just jump right into the design of it.

As far as design goes, the 5HV2 is also an open eared headset; it has the SteelSeries retractable microphone with a flexible metal gooseneck for great positioning. You can have it as close or as far away from your mouth as your heart desires. The 5HV2 is a traditional headset shape. The ear cups go completely around the ears, and the 5HV2 has a plush headband that allows for long gaming sessions without ear fatigue. For microphone quality, the SteelSeries headsets are consistent with one another. I mean, yes, I have seen better microphones like the Sennheiser PC 350’s, but everything gets mangles over Xbox Live anyways, the big thing is just good response from the microphone so you don’t have to shout to get the icon to show. The SteelSeries are all successful in that aspect. One thing I’ve noted in the unboxing of this headset is that it is detachable. It is advertised as a way to make the headset more travel friendly. I still personally wouldn’t have a use for that feature, but maybe some of you guys out there can.

Going down the cord you have the inline control that can mute your microphone, change the level of your microphone, and change the level of your volume. Now let’s finish with the USB sound card. The sound card that comes with the 5HV2 and employs Dolby Headphone virtual surround sound. So if you are a pc gamer, any normal PC headset you have can actually plug into this adapter, and you can get a feel for virtual surround sound. As you read in the next review of the Siberia V2, the 5HV2 doesn’t have controls like the Siberia’s does, but you still have the virtual 7.1, and you have mic talkback so you can monitor your voice during PC games.

So, when I tested the Siberia neckband, I found the neckband’s sound signature to favor the lower end of the spectrum with lows and mids. Well, the 5HV2 leans towards the higher end with the highs and mids. In Modern Warfare 2 it works out ok, because at least the air support isn’t rumbling my brain around the ol’ noggin. You will still have air support annoy you when you try to position enemies with just your ears, but it is in the game how it would be in real life so to speak. Harriers, Pavelows, even that damn AC130; all cover many parts of an audio spectrum. You can NEVER win. But the 5HV2 tries. As far as the positioning goes, I feel like the footsteps are fainter than the Siberia neckband and Siberia V2. I’d still peg this above the Siberia Neckband, because any commotion an enemy or teammate will start in game will screw your chances of using your headset to its fullest. But the 5HV2 performs well for being ~60 dollars after you factor in the soundcard.

 

SteelSeries 5HV2 Continued
I enjoyed using the 7.1 soundcard with Half Life 2 on the PC. It’s not like I really needed a competitive advantage in a campaign mode, but it is always fun to test the improvements of positioning with Dolby Headphone. In music, you would want to use this headset for acoustic songs/songs that focus more on vocals rather than guitar and whatnot. In a rock song, the hollow sound just sort of sucks the life out of the music. But listening to songs like My Immortal were a decent listen, though I found the headset to have a bit of sibilance in vocals unfortunately. And as in music, movies are not the most immersive with this headset. This headset seems to be designed with gaming as its sole goal. Of course you can still use the headset for the other applications, and depending on what headsets you’ve tried before it, you can still enjoy it, I’m just trying to give you as much information to let you make an informed decision on your purchase.

So with all things considered, I am favoring the 5HV2 over the Siberia Neckband. It is a lot more comfortable, and I love the idea of the included Dolby Headphone sound card. But the question you have to ask yourself is how do you value the USB sound card? This goes for the Siberia V2 as well. If you like to PC game a lot (assuming you haven’t shelled out 100 bucks for a standalone sound card) you will get a lot of use out of the USB sound card provided with the headsets. The USB sound card will be a big improvement over your onboard sound (since anything is better than onboard sound). So with that in mind, if you do get your use out of the sound card, you can feel that the price for 40 dollars for it is justified, which would make the 5HV2 and the Siberia V2 a mere 60 dollars. When you have the headsets in that price range, what is their competition? Turtle Beach X1/11’s? Skullcandy SGS? The SteelSeries easily outperform those headsets in the price range, so this is my recommendation. If this is what your budget allows; if you play gaming on the PC a lot, and play console games as well, then the 5HV2 or the Siberia V2 would make a fine choice(of course each headset is different so you have to determine what sound signature you’ll want). But seriously, take advantage of the included USB sound card if you buy these. I’ve also actually seen the 5HV2 go on Newegg for a “shocker” deal of 40-50 dollars (without the soundcard though). So you can get your hands on the headset cheaper than the X11/X1/SGS; just something I thought I’d share

SteelSeries Siberia V2
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The Last SteelSeries headset I have for you guys is the Siberia V2. This is probably the most known headset from SteelSeries, and as well it should be. The model I tested sells for ~100 dollars, and includes the Siberia V2 headset, an extension cord, and the USB sound card with virtual 7.1 surround sound. So once again, let’s just jump right into the design.

I think the SteelSeries Siberia is the most reminiscent of an actual headphone when compared to the other headsets. It looks simple, sleek, and effective. The Siberia features an automatic adjusting headband, so you can just plop it on your head and it will automatically conform, no constant adjusting required. Other headphones/sets that feature some style of this include Audio Technica, AKG, and Turtle Beach. For the ear cups, the Siberia V2 features a faux leather ear pad. It is designed/advertised as a circumaural headset, though it sort of fits me as a supra aural headset. For those wondering how this affects the comfort, it doesn’t. The faux leather is very plush is very comfortable resting against my ears. In my opinion, the Siberia V2 is the most comfortable out of the 3 SteelSeries tested. Other features include the same retracting microphone that we all know and love by now, then the inline volume control/mute switch on the cord, and then there is the USB sound card.

I want to get into this one a bit more than I did when talking about the 5HV2’s because this one has more features. The USB soundcard allows any pc headset to plug in, and you can get up to virtual 7.1 surround sound with it. It is sold separately for 39.99 but you can get it with the Siberia V2 for pretty much the same price as the Siberia V2 itself. The USB sound card has a few controls on it. 2 of the buttons control the volume, and 2 control the microphone function. The USB sound card provides mic talk back so you can monitor your voice. One of the buttons mutes your mic, and the other button mutes the mic talkback, in case you aren’t a fan of it. I think the feature works wonderfully with the Siberia V2. You may recall in my review of the PC 350 that one of my gripes was the way your voice sounded when you spoke with the headset on because of the noise cancelling. Well this USB sound card solves that problem if you are PC gaming.

Onto the sound of the headset, I feel like I’m in a Grimm’s Brothers story. The Siberia Neckband favors lows, the 5HV2 favors highs, and the Siberia V2 is just right. I find that the sound in the Siberia V2 is a nice balance and compromise between the other 2 headsets tested. The bass is present, but not overpowering, and the highs don’t feel veiled, but aren’t harsh. When gaming, I kept finding myself reaching for this headset over the others. I was enjoying the isolation the closed back provided, and since the headset fits supra aurally for me, when gaming on the 360, the pressurized sound that I experienced with the PC 350 wasn’t as noticeable. I feel like the clarity with footsteps and just general positioning was the best with this headset, and it was just an immersive experience when I was all closed in and had the lows still present.

This in turn also lends itself to this headsets ability to be used for movie watching quite well. And for music, like I was saying, the sound the Siberia V2 is pretty balanced. Since it has that sort of neutral sound signature, it’s kind of hard to single out a song that stood out; but the Siberia V2 just performs solidly in a lot of areas for its price.

So moving on to the conclusion of the SteelSeries segment, it’s no guess that out of the 3 headsets tested, I prefer is the Siberia V2; but remember what I was talking about with the 5HV2. I recommend this or the 5HV2 for those who want to play on the PC as well, so you can get the most out of the sound card and make it so the headset itself is priced at ~60 dollars. If you’re just going to throw the usb sound card in a pile of junk, then you can basically say you spent ~100 dollars on the headsets themselves. Once you are in that price range, you’re choices become more abundant with headsets like the PC 350’s or the Tritton Ax720’s. But like I was saying, with the value of the USB sound card, you get a great value out of the Siberia V2. The little details in the features of the headset solved some quibbles I had with closed headsets, and pricing the headset at ~60 dollars, you have a clear winner over the likes of the Turtle Beach X1/X11’s, Tritton AX180’s, and Skullcandy SGS’s

 

Turtle Beach X11
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The Turtle Beach X11 is one of Turtle Beach’s latest headsets. It is part of their “revamped” series, which consists of the X11, X31, and X41. So you guessed it, the X11 is the revamped headset of the highest selling Xbox 360 headset ever, the Turtle Beach X1. It’s not hard to guess why the X1 sold so many units. It comes with pretty much everything you’d need to hook up to your display, it is available at most retail stores (Best Buy, Walmart, Target, etc.), and is sold at a low price of 60 dollars. The X11 has set out to improve a lot of features that the X1 had, so let’s take a look at the design and the quality of this new headset.

So right away, you can see how much of a difference there is between the X1 and X11 in looks alone. Taking a look at the X11, you can see things like the new ear pads. Like the other revamped headsets, the X11 has a new ear pad design, it goes for an oval shape to fit around your ear, and it’s a soft, neoprene material, which offers comfort and ventilation for those hot summer gaming sessions. The X11 also features a plush pleather headband, and a metal flexible gooseneck microphone, which allows you to bend it in every direction you see fit. The microphone has nice quality and is responsive, and stays in the position you set it in.

The X11 features a mic monitoring system as well, where your mic outputs what you say into it right back into your headset. It doesn’t affect your communication with teammates or listening to game sounds, but you are able to monitor yourself, so when you are gaming at 2am and the action is heating up, you don’t end up shouting your callouts because you can hear how loud you are speaking. Going down the cord, you have a puck in the middle which has your communication controls. You have 2 dials, one for game volume, and the other for chat volume. They stick out enough so you can change them without looking down easily enough; though it’s remembering which one controls which without looking that has proven to be difficult. Still, the feature works nicely, so you won’t have to worry about your teammates being inaudible during loud passages of videogames. You also have a mic mute switch right on there in case you need to talk to someone privately without your online buddies hearing you.

Then at the end you have 2 3.5mm pc connections and a USB jack. This headset is amplified; it needs power via USB to operate. But before I get into that, I’ll get into the connections. So, the X11 is compatible with computers right off the bat. Pink=microphone and green=headphone jacks. Now, if your TV has a headphone port, if you want to play Xbox Live, all you have to do is plug your green headphone jack into that port of the TV, have the cord connected from your X11 puck to your Xbox 360 controller, and leave the pink PC mic jack dangling, and you’re good to go. That setup works for any connection you have your 360 running (composite/component/VGA/HDMI). If your TV doesn’t have a headphone jack, Turtle Beach has you covered. The X11 comes with an adapter that allows you to hook the red and white cables (RCA) from your Xbox 360. So let’s say you have them connected to your TV right now, Xbox 360>TV. This adapter just squeezes itself right in there, so it’s Xbox 360>X11 adapter>TV. This setup only works for composite, component, and VGA.

But now onto the USB cable. This was one of the things I had wished Turtle Beach would leave out in the revamped model. People who own the Turtle Beach X1 have noted a background hiss noise that occurred when you had your headset hooked up. The X11 has it as well. In my opinion, it’s noticeable if you have nothing playing, but if you have music/movies/games playing, the hiss is completely masked. Another thing to note, those who have upgraded to the X11 from the X1 have commented how the hiss is not as bad with the X11, so I guess it’s still an improvement, though I would have liked to see it gone completely. It’s just that with a non detachable microphone and the necessity of USB power, you could never really use this as a headphone for music or anything. It just sort of knocks some of the versatility out of it.

Onto the sound quality; I’ll be a bit frank in this. Like I’ve described it before, the X11 is a consumer headset. It is meant to provide a convenient solution to someone’s private gaming needs, and is chock full of features in order to accomplish that. Now, this sound is commented to be a big improvement over the X1 which is great, but I don’t want you guys to expect that this headset will provide you with a super competitive advantage over your competition like the HPX would. Playing Modern Warfare 2, I could hear the sounds clearly; it’s certainly a step up if you are using your TV speakers until now.

The X11 has a pretty balanced sound; nothing was really overpowering or super weak. I could also hear footsteps as well. I commented in my initial review video that the X11 could pick up the footsteps, but wasn’t as 3d a sound as compared to other headphones and headsets. Well, the way I can describe it best is this way. If I’m using a 100 dollar and up headphone and I hear a footstep, I can go towards that direction easily and effectively because of its 3d soundstage. With the X11, I can also do this, not because it has a 3d sound, but because I’ve been around the block enough times to know where they are coming from. To sort of describe my process, first I hear the footsteps, I then check my UAV to make sure it’s not my teammates, I then look towards the general direction of the sound (left/right), and I can infer where the opponent is going to be based on the area of the map I’m in. I certainly think the X11 is a step up over TV speakers, because you will hear more than TV speakers can, and if you are experienced enough, you can use it to your advantage still, but I just find other headsets and headphones effective, but then you also have to keep in mind the price differences between the different equipment.

As for music, I’ll be frank about this as well. It wasn’t anything to write home about, and to be honest, I don’t expect any of you guys to be using this headset for music. If you hooked it up to your computer and listened to music with it, again, you can expect it to be better than your computers normal speakers (though it depends what kind of speakers, but you know what I mean), and you won’t notice the hiss of the USB when playing the music, but besides that you aren’t going to experience any audiophile experience or anything.

So all in all, would I recommend this product? Yes, but like always, it depends on the individual. For its price point, the X11 is a fantastic all in one setup that gives you everything you need to have a private gaming experience while retaining vital voice communication with your online teammates. For those looking in the price range, you could always go for a higher quality headphone like a JVC RX700 or Sennheiser HD515, but keep in mind that you’d have to A. either have the Xbox Live mic around your neck, or B. buy a clip on mic and use a SteelSeries Xbox 360 adapter, neither of which will give you the option of game and chat balancing. So like I always say, when you’re making decisions like these, there are always going to be pros and cons, benefits and sacrifices, etc. etc. But for the amount of features you get with the X11 for the price of an Xbox 360 game, you can’t go wrong with this headset if you are looking for the features it provides.

Turtle Beach X41
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The Turtle Beach X41 is part of Turtle Beach’s “Revamped” series, which consists of the X11, X31, and X41. The X41 is an RF wireless headset with a 7.1 Dolby Headphone decoder in its receiver, and the headset itself is compatible with Xbox live communication. So being wireless, this headset is not usable for MLG events, but is usable for online gaming and tournaments and whatnot. Most Turtle Beach products lean towards the consumer side rather than competitive, so let’s break this headset down, and fill you in on what you can expect if you so choose to purchase the X41.

Getting into the design of the headset first, you see the continued theme of the Xx1 series. The X41 is similar in looks to the Turtle Beach X31. You have the white and black color scheme, circular neoprene like mesh ear pads, plush pleather headband, and of course the fact that they are both wireless. As far as the microphone goes, it is very flexible, it has the metal gooseneck design, so it will stay where you bend it, and the microphone itself is very responsive and it is detachable.

Being a wireless headset, the Turtle Beach X41 has a few controls located on the underside of the left ear cup. Once you get familiar enough with the headset, you can easily change your settings on the fly. The controls on the headset include a power button, an effects button (basically just a bass boost on/off), and the volume control. You then also have a jack that you plug a cord into to go to your controller. Yes, the X41 isn’t a completely wireless headset. If you wish to communicate on Xbox Live, you have to take a double ended 2.5mm cable and connect your headset to your controller. So if you have a wireless controller, you still have more of a sense of freedom, but you still aren’t quite wire free, this is just a forewarning for those expecting it to be. No headset I’ve personally seen so far has used a completely wireless system, as in wireless sound and wireless voice communication, but hopefully it isn’t too far off into the future.

 

Turtle Beach X41 Continued

As far as comfort goes, I’d say these are pretty good. The neoprene isn’t as soft a material as the HPX, but it’s more plush/giving, and the cup is deeper so you don’t have anything pushing against your ear supra aural style. I think the X11’s are more comfortable, they just have the oval shape which lends itself nicely to fitting around the ears, but the x41’s are still pretty comfortable I must say.

And since the headset is wireless, it has to run off of something, right? The Turtle Beach X41 runs off of 2 AAA batteries (1 set included). I know some of you will be disappointed in the absence of rechargeable batteries/some way of charging the X41 without taking them out, but if it’s any consolation, I found the battery life to last a long time. I’m still on the included set that came with the X41. And there’s always the option of buying AAA rechargeable batteries, so I guess it’s just a functionality that you have to suck it up with.

Now let’s move onto the decoder unit. Turtle Beach has followed the likes of Tritton Technologies and Astro Gaming, by implementing Dolby Headphone virtual surround sound decoding in the X41 system. One of the things you might notice about the X41 that it says it is 7.1 surround sound, rather than Tritton’s/Astro’s 5.1 surround sound. This is simply marketing. I mean, yes, legally, there is going to be a 7.1 decoding chip within the unit, but if you look in the pictures below, it shows the inputs/outputs. So the only input is optical. Well, optical cable’s bandwidth CANNOT carry 7.1. It can do 5.1/6.1 Dolby Digital (compressed audio) and 2.0 PCM (uncompressed). So while it might have the chip inside of it, the reality is you are never going to be able to use the 7.1 I’m sad to say.

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Anyways, enough on that imperfection, let’s move onto more of the decoder box. First of all, I have to say, I immensely appreciate the fact that the power that the decoder box runs off of is from the xbox 360 via USB. I have been using the Tritton Ax720 decoder for my virtual 5.1 needs in gaming for a while, so making the switch from having to crawl under my desk to switch out plugs was pretty standard to me. Setup is really simple with the X41. Power goes into the 360’s USB, and optical goes into the 360. Power it on, and you’re good to go. The decoder box has an in/out of optical, so if you have a home theater rig, you can just use the X41 decoder as a pass through, so no switching cables and whatnot is necessary. If you want your speakers on, you can simply turn them on and they’ll work, no cable switching required. The X41 decoder also has RCA inputs for those who don’t have the option of optical, but being real here, the 360 pro’s come with the component a/v cable with optical out, and the X41 has an optical cable included. There isn’t really any reason why you shouldn’t be using the optical connection. But like I was saying, RCA is an option, in which case the decoder provides Dolby Pro Logic II, while the optical connection provides Dolby Headphone. The X41 decoder also has a 3.5mm headphone jack, so if you have a friend over, he can simply bring a set of his headphones and join in on the fun in your game with both Dolby technologies as well.

Each decoder from Tritton/Astro/Turtle beach has the ability to have 2 players enjoy using the decoder boxes, however Astro is the only company which requires you to buy an extra accessory in order to do so(the Astro powered splitter). But the Tritton and the Turtle Beach decoders do not offer line in support from MP3 players, or daisy chaining abilities with more than 2 headsets, so I’d vote in favor of the Astro Mixamp as the winner for the decoders, but keep in mind it’s also the most expensive.

Another thing to mention is game/chat balancing. While the decoder does not have this feature for the headphone port, so your friend who came over will have to make due with lowering modern warfare 2’s game volume, the X41 headset itself features game/chat balancing. It’s easier to operate than the Tritton’s balancing, but is still rather difficult to pull off quickly on the fly. The game volume is located on the headset itself, so changing that is a task since you have to feel around for it then change it, but if you have your game level at the level you’ll want it at the rest of the game, then balance is easy, because in the cord that connects the X41 to the Xbox 360 controller, there is the dial for chat volume (as well as a mic mute switch). So if you are the type that leaves your game volume as is, but change your chat volume constantly, you won’t have a problem with this headset.

One last thing to mention about the X41 decoder is that even if you are only using wired headphones plugged in, the decoder emits the radio signal. This runs at the most common frequency, and can get in the way of signals from devices such as routers. When I turned it on the first night I tried out the headset, I was completely unsuccessful at connecting to Xbox Live (I play wirelessly hooking my 360 up to my desktop and using its wireless card). The next day, I was able to connect. I decided to put the decoder on my bed because it’s a little farther away from my desktop tower there, and I didn’t want it to interfere. I could join in matches and everything alright, it’s just that I noticed occasional lag spikes (think of intermittent choppiness due to the internet interference).

So now onto the sound quality; I have to say that the X41 exceeded my expectations, but still wasn’t overwhelmingly impressive to me. First of all, I was expecting to have bad audio transmission (like pops/crackles from interference in the RF signal), but happily it wasn’t the case. I never experienced crackles or pops; it was a clear signal through and through. If you get this headset, I highly recommend having the bass boost turned on. Otherwise it just sounds completely thin and hollow. So sound quality wise, like I said, I would peg it “ok”. It has better quality than the X11, and also has less of a background noise (I suspect the low volume noise is due to the USB connection of my controller and the decoder, but it’s not nearly as noticeable as the X11) For gaming, the X41 has more of a 3d sound space than the x11, but the sound doesn’t have much impact. It’s like when you are hearing someone speak and you want them to clear their throat so they can project more, even when I was at full volume. In games, positioning the gunfire was easy enough thanks to the Dolby Headphone 5.1, but bullet firing is a pretty distinct sound to hear.
Sadly what I couldn’t find myself hearing vividly were footsteps. With the X41’s bass boost on or off, the footsteps just weren’t coming in as clear as a bell to me like I’ve experienced with other headsets.

When listening to music, I felt like the clarity/quality wasn’t quite there. Like I was saying earlier about the bass boost, if you’re listening to music on the X41’s, you are going to have bass boost on if you want any semblance of bass in your music; with the bass boost on, it’s definitely present, but the bass doesn’t have a clean sound. Anyways, one of the songs I had listened to was Fireflies by Owl City. The production value is really great in this song, and there are a lot of subtle additions in the track that you can pick out with some headphones. Unfortunately those additions were lost in these headphones. I do not find myself wanting to use these over my headphones for music, movies possibly, since the wireless is handy for freedom.

So taking everything into consideration, I just can’t say that for the 200 dollars you spend, this offers you the competitive advantage you would expect from its price. The X41 is priced up there with the other competitive headset packages out there like the Tritton Ax720/Astro A40, and offers some of the same features. However the problems that I personally experience with wireless connection and the lack of detail in the sound leads me to desire other headsets/headphones over this for competitive gaming. I’m glad that Turtle Beach is getting into Dolby Headphone; I hope that in the future they will create a Dolby Headphone decoder without wireless activity, so it can be used for more competitive purposes, and be usable in more gamers’ setup rooms. And if Turtle Beach also plans on continuing on with wireless headsets (I hope they keep the wireless & DH somewhat separate from each other, I just don’t want all of their DH decoders to emit RF signals) I wish that Turtle Beach would release a Kleer technology headset, a technology that some companies such as Sennheiser and Sleek Audio are coming out with products for, maybe Turtle Beach could make a headset with it, who knows.

But as far as the X41 is concerned, here would be your reasons to buy it. If you are a casual gamer who likes to have the big elaborate setup, the nice big screen tv, the gaming couch/chair, etc. and you don’t want to be constricted to a lot of wires, go for the Turtle Beach X41. It has everything you need to get set up right away, offers an easy way to segway from home theater gaming to private gaming, you can balance your game and chat sounds for to your own preference for a personal gaming experience, and while some wireless solutions like Kleer will provide better quality, it’s the convenience factor in which Turtle Beach delivers. You have everything necessary to be able to listen to your gaming privately and still retain the ability to hear and communicate with your teammates, and you also get a little more freedom with the almost wireless system.

 

Turtle Beach HPA2
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Behold the HPA2. Does it look familiar? Sort of like the HPX? Well in fact, the HPX and the HPA2 are one in the same. The Turtle Beach HPX system is sort of like a Swiss Army knife. The HPX is fitted with 4 drivers in each ear cup, and features a breakaway jack on its cable. Now, whichever dongle you plug the breakaway jack into determines which speakers are “active” so to speak. If you use the HPX-1(Astro 4-pole) configuration, or the HPX-2(2 3.5mm PC jacks) configuration, your HPX activates the 2 40mm drivers in each ear cup. Now, if you use the HPX-SS setup, or in this case the HPA-2 setup, you have all 4 drivers in each ear cup functioning.

Since the Psyko 5.1 system is going to be making its way to me, I decided to get my hands on some more discrete 5.1 headsets so I could try to do as close of an apples to apples comparison as I can. You see, the problem with most discrete 5.1 headsets is that manufacturers who make them often go for smaller drivers to fit them into the ear cups, which produces more of a muddled sound.

To be honest, when I actually tried the HPX I wasn’t expecting to like it because of the general truth of true 5.1 headsets’ qualities, but I was pleasantly surprised; and I had heard that the HPX’s discrete 5.1 worked really well, so I figured I’d go for it. Following an HPX owner’s advice, I opted for the HPA2 over the HPX-SS. The difference between the HPA2 and the HPX-SS is that the HPA2 is amplified, and it was recommended to me.

So anyways, onto the review; first off, let’s talk about the design. I went over a little bit of the design in my past review of the HPX, but I’ll go over some of it here as well. The HPA2 is an open headset with an auto adjustable headband. It is similar to the Siberia V2 headband, though I like SteelSeries decision in going with a metal cable in the headband instead of the HPA2’s plastic (see the video review if you don’t know what I’m talking about). The HPA 2 has a removable mic which utilizes the metal flexible gooseneck design, so wherever you want to position it, it will stay there.

Besides my little gripe about the headband, the build quality is really nice with quality materials used. As far as comfort goes, I've used better. The ear pad material is somewhat soft, but it is firm, unlike the plush Audio Technica AD700 or Sennheiser hd595, and the ear pads are also really shallow. I just find constant contact between my ears and the ear pads; I can still have long gaming sessions with these, but when hot weather comes around, you’ll need frequent airing out breaks so you don’t heat up.

Let’s move onto sound quality. The HPA2 is a bit iffy here. If you are looking to use your headset for music, I strongly urge you to spend a little bit more money and get the HPX-1 attachment or the HPX-2 attachment for music. I had received an .m4a 5.1 music file from a friend, and the listening experience of the HPA2 was just not for me. The HPA2 amplifier has a lot of controls on it. It has an overall volume control, front/center/sub/rear controls as well. In music, no matter what I did, I couldn’t seem to get good levels with all of the dials to make it a pleasant music experience. Even with 2 channel music being matrixed to the HPA2’s 5.1, it just isn’t as pleasant as normal stereo listening. It would just be a lot of fine tuning to get a song to sound perfect to you, and guess what, as soon as you want to listen to a different song, you’re going to have to change the settings again so it doesn’t sound whacky. Like I said, I’ll stick with the HPX-1/2 for music over the HPA2.

With normal stereo sound with the HPX, I find the music to have a pretty nice full sound with great clarity for the price you pay.

In gaming however, the headset exceeded my expectations much like the HPX-1 did when I first tried it out. In gaming the accompanying drivers to the main 40mm drivers did not drag down the audio quality to me. I popped Half Life 2 in for the PC to test out the surround sound for gaming. I could easily position where everything was, and the clarity was great too. One feature that is kind of a neat trick for PC gaming is the adjustable dials for the different channels. If you want you can dial back your front and center channels and let your rear channels have more impact so you can be alert. This option would be for some, I personally like my sound to be even and keep a keen ear out all around.

Anyways, I’ve been switching off between the HPX-1 and HPA2 for gaming for a good amount of time by now, and my thoughts are this. If a company can make a headset right like Turtle Beach did, then you can have a successful discrete 5.1 headset still retaining sound quality. However, I do not feel that the performance of the HPA-2 exceeds the performance of the HPX-1 with virtual 5.1 surround. I find them equal actually; I could take one over the other. So while the quality of 5.1 headsets has been improving, in my opinion, but virtual 5.1 is still just as good for positioning in gaming. So what are we left with?

Fortunately, we have our options thanks to this headset. Looking on Amazon, you can purchase the HPA2 for ~90 dollars. And if you take a peak over at Turtle Beach’s website, you can find the HPX-1 cable and the HPX-2 cable for 9.95 each. So let’s take a look at some options here. You could get the HPA2 headset, the HPX-2 cable, and the SteelSeries Xbox 360 adapter for 115 dollars (not including shipping charges). What this gives you is stereo sound on Xbox Live with the ability to communicate with your teammates online, and this option also gives you discrete 5.1 surround sound for your PC gaming. If you substitute the SteelSeries adapter with the Astro Mixamp, you can have virtual surround sound on the Xbox 360, and true 5.1 surround sound on your computer for a total of 230 dollars (you’d also have the option to go with virtual surround sound on your computer as well because of the Mixamp). You really have a lot of options with this headset. If you are a console gamer only, I would suggest just sticking with the HPX headset and call it a day. If you are into multi platform gaming, you might want to invest just a bit more money, and you get all of the versatility of the dongles that Turtle Beach has created for this headset. So all in all, I liked this headset, but I liked it just as much as I liked the Turtle Beach HPX. But at least knowing this, if you are out in the market for a multi platform headset, you can start eyeballing the HPA2 package now as well; but will the Psyko 5.1 system perform better? Stay tuned because in a few weeks we’ll all find out.

 

Razer Moray+
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The design of the Moray+ is very simple, almost deceivingly. Taking a glance at it, you would honestly think it’s just a generic set of earphones. But this headset has a few surprises. On the left ear bud’s cord, you have a very discrete microphone and at the end, while it may look like a normal 3.5mm jack, it is actually a 4-pole 3.5mm jack.

Yes, the Moray+ is not your average earphone. The Razer Moray+ is a cross platform IEM headset from Razer. Razer took their original Moray, which is just a normal set of IEM’s, and fitted it with an inline microphone and a 3.5mm 4-pole jack with a whole lot of adapters. This headset is designed for gamers on the go. You can shove your Moray+ and its accessories into the included neoprene travel case, and throw it in your bag with your laptop/PSP/DS/iPhone when you’re on the go.

So like I was saying, the Moray+ has a 4-pole 3.5mm jack as its native jack. So right out of the box, this headset is compatible with the Astro Mixamp (as well as the iPhone/Blackberry Storm/Droid). Now, I’m not saying that gamers will be lugging the Mixamp on the go with them as well, but it’s just a possibility, like if the friend’s house you’re going to, or the LAN center you’re going to, has Astro Mixamps, you can easily hook up into them. The Moray+ also comes with 3 adapters. So if you game on the PSP and the DS, you can use the Moray+ as a headset with those as well which is really cool with their WiFi capabilities. I love the idea of being able to trash talk in the same capacity on Pokemon that I can with Halo 3 or Modern Warfare 2(“Get owned you Pikachu!” . The other adapter that comes with the Moray+ is like a reversed Astro PC headset adapter. It takes the 4-pole 3.5mm and turns it into 2 3.5mm jacks that you can use for your laptop or PC. This headset is so versatile with just those 4 different types of connections. The only thing that is missing from the Moray+ is an inline volume control and a mic mute switch to make the design truly perfect.

Onto the quality side of things; while I applaud Razer for their thinking in terms of compatibility/versatility, the execution leaves some to be desired. I didn’t walk in with the highest of expectations with this set of ear buds. It cost me somewhere in the ballpark of 50 dollars including shipping for these, while the regular earphone counterpart can be found online for 30 dollars. I certainly didn’t think they would be taking the place of my full sized headphones; but at least you can expect an upgrade over your 30 dollar iBuds.

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Overall, they have a pretty balanced sound, nothing was terribly overpowering or overly faint; the clarity is just what you’d expect from 30 dollar earphones. Much like the X11, the Moray+ will offer your better sound over your TV or computer speakers, but don’t expect to be pinpointing ninja pro users in Modern Warfare 2. But for casual gaming and portable gaming, these earphones are great for the price. I like to load up my netbook with music, movies, and games (mostly just Halo CE and Grand Theft Auto), and the earphones perform well for those tasks. As long as you get used to the plugged feeling of IEMs, you can enjoy private listening without disturbing anyone in your vicinity, and you can get better quality out of your listening(which was much needed for my aspire one’s less than optimal speakers). The headset also works well with PSP and DS, though they don’t really need much in the audio department, a lot of DS games’ soundtracks feel like the equivalent of 8 bit system games from the 1980’s. But like I said, it’s cool to have a headset that you can communicate over Xbox Live, Ventrillo, and your handhelds as well.

However another issue I have is the responsiveness of the microphone. Razer has gone for quite a slim profile with the microphone, but the problem is that a lot of times it doesn’t pick up my voices in gaming. I believe it’s due to the sheer placement. The microphone casing has 1 hole to have the sound travel through, and because of the way it hangs it can be blocked off by an article of clothing. And if it isn’t blocked off, you still need to project pretty loudly in order for it to pick your voice up.

So all in all, is the Razer Moray+ worth the price asked? Well, if you want a headset that is compatible with your handheld systems as well as your ipod and computer, then you can’t beat this headset for the price. I love the direction Razer has gone in to produce something that can work with so many devices, and the quality and price are enough for the casual gamer who wants to privately game, whether it be at home, or on the go. I just hope Razer can take the concept of this headset and elevate it to competitive gaming grade (as far as FPS is concerned. In my opinion the directional positioning of sound doesn’t play as crucial a role in action/RPG/RTS games). But if you’re looking for a step up over the iBuds, and want a little versatility and voice communication on the side, pick up the Razer Moray+ today.

 

Sennheiser PC300
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The Sennheiser PC300 G4me can be considered the little brother of the PC 350. It’s a new IEM headset aimed towards serious gamers who want to take their gaming experience on the go. The PC300 follows a simple design; it is a PC headset with 2 3.5mm jacks, features an inline volume control, and an inline microphone.

Switching over from the Razer Moray+ to the PC300, differences in quality were immediately noticeable. Sennheiser is usually a straight shooter when it comes to its products. You have a clean/concise design, and you get what you pay for, and this headset is no different. The grips of the 3.5mm jacks are strong and secured, the cable, while it seems to be the same gauge as the Moray+, is a stronger cable, and just in general, all parts used are really high quality.

One of the things I was very surprised about was the sound quality of the microphone. Even at neck level where it naturally hangs, the microphone picks up my voice easily and clearly. While these types of mics are prone to picking up more ambient noise with their design, I for one game in a fairly noisy area with my desktop and Xbox 360 running with the fans and everything, and the PC300 mic does not pick them up for me. I just have nothing bad to say about it.

The Sennheiser PC300 comes with a travel case, but I actually like the Moray’s case more. The Moray+ case has a compartment for the earphones and each adapter, while the Sennheiser’s case is more of a coin purse with enough room to fit the PC300, but not enough room for its accessories (the only accessories it comes with are the different sized ear tips and an extension cable). Like I said before, the Sennheiser PC300 has an inline volume control on its cord, which is a really handy feature to have in this headset, especially if you are using the extension cord for TV gaming or for a desktop that’s out of reach for the normal cable. The only thing I wish they’d add to the cord is a mic mute switch as well. It is just a standard in most full sized pc headsets; I would just like to see that in the future with IEM headsets.

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As far as sound quality goes, the PC300 does not disappoint. The PC300 features great clarity, and a pretty good range. I noticed that the lower end and the mids were more predominant when compared to the highs though. In music the highs just play a second role in the audio spectrum. I myself love vocals in music more than anything, so the highs left me desiring more, but this headset was designed for gaming in mind, so let’s just jump right into that.

Using these was a weird experience. I was completely immersed into my gaming. If you can find a tip for IEM’s that fit you right, you will be blocking out sound like nobody’s business. I’ve had family members talk to me while I’m gaming, but I hadn’t heard a word they said, and they were sure to mention that to me later on in the day. Anyways, while I personally think that a full sized headphone/headset will give you more of a 3d awareness because of some distance being there between your ear and the driver, these IEM’s still fair well in Xbox 360 gaming. Footsteps were nice and clear, they really stuck out in some maps because I would just hear nothing because of the noise cancellation, and then when footsteps started coming in clear as a bell, you could expect that I’d take position, right next to the doorway, ready to knife my opponent the moment he steps through it. You can still have this type of experience with a closed full sized headset like the Sennheiser PC350, but the PC300 does give you that bass which adds to the home theater experience in games.

The PC300 also performs well in movies. I’m not saying the low end will top that of a dedicated subwoofer of a 2.1/5.1 theater setup, but it sounds really nice, and is a great option for those watching movies on a trip. Like I said, you’re in your own little world when you put a good fitting pair of IEM’s on.

So all in all, the PC300 has opened my eyes towards the possibility of a new market of headsets. I know that shelling over 100 dollars for an IEM headset is a hard price to swallow, but these can be very invaluable if you are a serious gamer who is constantly on the go. I know countless people with the self-built gaming rigs residing in their homes, and a fully loaded Alienware laptop for their portable gaming needs; it is dedicated gamers like those who this headset can really benefit. You now have laptops with i3/i5/i7 processors, capable of running games like Modern Warfare 2, WOW, Crysis (well…not at full stats Crysis), but you get what I mean. You’ve spent the money perfecting your on the go rig, now it’s time to perfect the audio to go along with it.

Looking into the future, I hope that the audio companies who are diving into this category of headsets further improve the designs with them. Ideally I’d love to see a headset with the quality of the PC300, the terminations/adapters of the Razer Moray+, and a mic mute switch and inline volume control. Until then, I will happily be fragging away on my laptop and gaining the edge on my opponents with the Sennheiser PC300. As for you, if you are looking for a high quality set of IEM’s with gaming as your first priority, and movies/music as your second, check out the PC300.

 

Alright guys, so that will wrap it up for this 10 headset review. Some of you might ask "I thought you were going to have about 15?". Well, more headsets will be coming, but in addition, look above. I could barely fit the 10 on the entire first page. Be on the lookout for the Psyko 5.1 system and Shure Se110 reviews, the Pysko's just aren't available to be shipped at this time yet, and the Shures are coming whenever my brother pays me a visit. I will also be trying to get my hands on some of the newest headsets coming out, but they are maybes so I don't want to promise anything. But in addition, I will soon be trying to expand my reviews to more than just headsets. I'll be attempting to do some TV/Monitor reviews first, and if that's successful, I can move on to more and more electronics. So if you made it to the end of this article, congratulations on scaling the great wall of text of China. And like I said in the beginning, the biggest help besides you guys viewing this thread in itself, is to visit the video reviews, and rate/comment/subscribe.

And also, I wanted to add this to the A30 review but it would take an hour to skew everything down a post so I can fit within the text limits.

So this time around, I took more into consideration the fact that with the headsets, you get the all in one packages that have features necessary in gaming. So yes, if you have an audiophile pair of headphones like the AD700/HD595/etc., they will perform better than the headsets, but the headsets offer the built in microphones, game/chat balancing, etc. all for the included packages price, while the headphones require a bit more money to be invested into a system just as capable as some of the headsets.

Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed this!

*Just to note so there is no confusion, when footsteps are discussed in this thread, I'm referring to normal footsteps, not ninja pro. While ninja pro was something that could be trumped in COD4, MW2's ninja pro was designed so its virtually inaudible no matter what. You'd have to have perfect conditions like a completely silent map with no gunfire, and your headset turned up to its max, to be able to effectively hear ninja pro. Like I said, just so there is no confusion.*

*NOTE: I recently spoke to a representative from Turtle Beach about the X41's 7.1 chip and how it interacts with optical. I didn't know whether the chip only sent the virtual 5.1 signal, or maybe a matrixed 7.1 signal. Well, after speaking with him, I learned it was matrixed. So what does this mean? Well to put it bluntly, when you have a 5.1 output going to a 7.1 speaker system, you can still get all sounds out of the 7 speakers. However, it is matrixed. What this mean is, while 5 of the channels might be actually different channels(picture it like a clock, 1 speaker at 10 o' clock, 1 speaker at 2 o' clock, so on and so forth. So with 5.1 you might have speakers representing 10/2/8/4/12. and with a true 7.1 setup you'd have speakers representing 10/2/8/4/12/9/5. But with a matrixed 7.1 setup, while you have the speakers arranged in such positions, in reality you'd have something like 10/2/8/4/12/8/4. So the signal from the 8 and 4 in the 5 channel setup are basically split and sent to the last 2 channels. From what I'm told, the X41 decoder uses Dolby Pro Logic IIx technology, where it turns 2 channels of the 5.1 into virtual 4 channels. So in other words, you could consider the virtual 7.1 of the X41 decoder to be...a virtual virtual 7.1.

Here's a diagram of the signal that gets sent.

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Nice little write up. I cant say these are all headsets though. I know the AT AD700s are headphones not a headset since they do not have a microphone.

I had a pair of AD700's and now have a pair of A700's.

I will read probably the whole thing in detail later when I have time I only browsed through the AD700 review and agree they are super nice and also the most comfortable headphone I ever wore myself.

The soundstage on them is also significantly better than anything I ever heard. You can really hear where everything is due to the great localization. If you have an x-fi card and can use 3dcmss in a game like battlefield your going to feel like your in the battle.

I am not sure if you mentioned they were open air, this is a key reason they are so great at sound stage, but also the main disadvantage to them at the same time making them suffer quite badly in the bass department.

That is why I went with the A700 the closed version of the same headphones. The bass is much better but still not what I would call great, but where it should be so that you dont actually get a unrealistic mix of bass to the rest of the tones as they are music headphones not "game" headphones and its only for games that I want loud "booms"

Note you can effectively turn any good headphones like the A or AD700's into a headset with the Zalman ZMMIC-1 microphone that clips onto the cable.

 

Yea, I called it a headset roundup just to cut down on the title. The Ad700's wrere the only headphone included in this roundup, but they are fantastic, and unlike headsets, with the Ad700 you are paying for the pure audio quality which is amazing for its price.

And yes, the zalman is a good choice, but I'm going to eventually be having a friend mod my AD700's to include a detachable boom mic and an Astro 4-pole 3.5mm termination for the Astro Mixamp then a 4-pole to 2 3.5mm adapter so I can use it on my PC straight up as well

 

Not familar with the Astro thing, but yeah I have a boom mod planned as well, nothing amazing or elegant just some velcro on the side to hold the boom on when I need it and easy to remove when I do not.

The boom is just going to be a coat hanger cut and bent to shape with the Zalmans on the end.

In other words I can do the mod for less than like $2.00 and it will be super effective I actually already have velcro so the cost is free for the mod.

 

Well ok, so the astro mixamp is similar to the 3dcmss, but the tech is from Dolby(Dolby Headphone virtual 5.1). The input of the mixamp for your headset isn't like a PC, it carries voice and sound through 1 jack(it's a 3.5mm jack but it's a 4-pole which has 3 black rings). There are adapters for PC headsets like the PC350 where it converts the 2 3.5mm jacks into 1 of the 4-poles. So what I'm going to do is have my friend do this, but with the AD700's



So imagine that but without the additional adapter, it will work right out of the box with the Astro Mixamp, and it will also work with smart phones like the iPhone/Droid/Storm(only if you use a mic though, and no one wants to use a boom mic for a portable phone call

So what can happen is if I want to listen to an mp3 player, I can unplug the microphone and the AD700 will look like any other AD700 out there. But if I want to use it with the Mixamp, all I need to do is plug in the boom mic. And if I want to plug it into my computer, I could either plug the mixamp into the computer or use the adapter I'm going to have to turn the 3.5mm 4-pole into 2 standard PC jacks.

So it's like a completely convertible headphone/headset.

 

Sounds neat, take a picture log of the mod and post it up in its own thread when the time comes I would like to see how it comes out.

I'll try to read up on the tech later to see if its something I am interested in.

 

Using a Steelseries Siberia V2 right now, about the USB sound card, all I can say is that it sucks. The quality is bad and will have sound stuttering when using it, after using for a while I simply dumped it and got a creative 5.1 surround instead. The headphone is good though, good quality and sound, though can get a bit hot sometimes.

Still prefer my westone UM2 though in terms of sound quality.

 

good reviews.

i skimmed thru some of it, particularly the IEM parts, and i will have a more thorough look later. i'm never gettin full sized headphones again. quality IEM's for me.

 

While USB sound cards aren't the best, anything over onboard is a step up lol. But I never had the problem of stuttering sound, interesting.

Though I will say that when I was using it on my comp when I fresh installed XP, some of the drivers were F'd up on my comp or something and the sound card got SUPER hot. Ended up fixing itself once I installed SP3

 

Actually I prefer the onboard, at least it doesn't have sound stuttering issues.

I'm getting a bit of dislike for heatsets though, it kind of stinks after some time of usage, and since the ear muffs are not really disposable, there's no great way to clean them.

For IEMs, these pair is really good, being using them for almost 3 years already.

 

I think I prefer onboard to most usb external cards as well.

That is just due to the fact that in the last 2 years the onboard stuff has taken large bounds forward in quality and uses the same or better stuff than what is stuffed in most of those external sound cards.

 

Awesome reviews, Steggy.

If possible, I'd like to eventually see a review of the Razer Carcharias (or its 7.1 cousin the Megalodon), those are their flagship headsets; let's be honest, nobody cares about the Moray+.

 

is the Fatal1ty Gaming Headset a good headset?

it's only 44.99