Ozma 7 Headphones Are Terrible!

I've bought the Alienware Ozma 7 headphones to go along with my new Dell XPS 720 desktop because I though they'd offer great sound and I thought S-Logic ("detatched sounding surround sound", as quoted by Alienware) sounded interesting. Let's start with the only good thing about these headphones. First, they look attractive and scream "luxury". But, the only thing these headphones have going for it is that they have the Alienware brand name written all over it.

My pair of headphones make a terrible hissing noise while plugged in (I've tested this on two computers and both of them have this problem) can be heard at all times, even with other sounds playing. Next, sound is horribly mediocre. You could find better headphones for a fraction of the price of these. Bass responce was below average, I was expecting way better. S-Logic is nothing more than a marketing gimmick. There's a very minor difference between S-Logic and regular headphones, the sounds don't sound like they're playing in your ears, they sound a little detatched, but the difference is so minor you'd only realise the difference if you knew about S-Logic. These headphones aren't capable of imitating surround sound like Alienware advertises. You'd think these headphones would atleast be comfortable, right? You wouldn't want to wear these for more than a half hour, probably less for most people. The padding is high-quality, but the headphones feel heavy on your head and are very uncomfortable, especially if you wear them for hours at a time (I was wearing them for three hours straight while playing Crysis).

So the conclusion: S-Logic is a marketing gimmick, the headphones are very uncomfortable to wear, especially for hours at a time (which most gamers will), they sound terrible (for the price), below average bass, and you can hear hissing in the background. You could get much better sounding headphones for a fraction of the price of these. So save your money, forget the Alienware brand, and buy other headphones. Any other headphones. Just not these! I usually don't rant off about a product, but I've paid $200 for these headphones, and they're a complete piece of ****. I'm sending mine back to Dell for a refund tomorrow, so do yourself a favor and buy headphones from a high-quality, well-known brand and you'll be way happier with those than you'll be with $200 below-average headphones with an Alienware logo on it.

 

... try reading a few reviews before u spend 200 bucks... lol

 

Critics called them excellent...

 

i ordered the ozma 5 headphones. if they suck i will rma them and get a full refund no matter what.

 

The only reason I got the Ozma 7 was because of Alienware's S-Logic claims. How awesome would detatched-sounding surround sound in your headphones be? It would be awesome, if Alienware actually had that in these headphones...

 

I always read good stuff that sucks!

 

Michael, maybe your standards are too high. If they were really that bad, people would be threatening to sue alienware, just like those people who's comps overheated

ane michael, anything is worth 2x as much if it has an alienware logo on it
I'm getting an m15x with base specs, worth $750/$1500
That's something im proud of
only got it for the lights

 

Or maybe it's just a defective pair??

 

You're calling high standards wanting headphones that don't make hissing noises when they're plugged in? I could see people paying extra for Alienware computers, but I wouldn't pay extra for Alienware headphones, and they seem like a good value when you see the features. Then again, I'm pretty sure I've gotten a faulty pair, which is the reason for the terrible sound and hissing. Still, the only reason I got these particular headphones was for S-Logic, and since I could obviously tell from these (even though they're probably faulty) is that S-Logic is a gimmick. Plus, these headphones are uncomfortable to wear because of their weight. I could probably exchange them to get a good pair, but I'd rather try different headphones.

 

Razer Barracuda's?

 

Yeah, I thought that the second I put them on, and I'm pretty sure they are. Though, it's obvious, even in this defective pair, there's nothing special about them like Alienware claims, so I'll get better sounding and a better value with another pair. I really wanted to like these, but since S-Logic isn't what it's claimed to be, I'll be better off with another pair.

 

Those were one of my choices before I chose these Ozma 7 headphones. They seem to actually deliver crisp, clear 3D sound and I've heard they're comfortable to wear for hours. I'm going to try to be more careful with my choice. I've heard bass was only average on the Barracudas so that's what's turned me away. Anyone here own a pair that could comment on them? I'm typing on my Razer Lycosa keyboard now, which I love, and I can't wait to pick up a Lachesis mouse, so Razer's my favorite accessory brand for sure, though they aren't audio specialists so I'll have to look into the Barracudas a bit more.

 

I have the barracuda's but I can't use the surround sound until I get my new laptop. In stereo, they are worth every penny. Clear sound and great bass. The only criticism I can give it is the upside down control knob. The volume knob is pointing down toward your lap when you wear them. Very strange.

One issue that will vary from person to person is the earcup comfort. My ears touch the inside of the earphones which gets tiring after wearing them for a while (hours, as you said). Other people don't have that issue, but that's normal for large headphones.

Razer suggested I buy the Piranha's but I'm not sure about them and the surround sound was a selling point for me.

 

How comfortable are they? Are you able to wear them for hours without them feeling uncomfortable? After reading reviews on the Ozma 7 again, I'd be willing to give them another chance if they weren't so uncomfortable after wearing them for a while. Then again, I might've just been getting a headache from the horrible hissing of the headphones which made me think they were uncomfortable.

 

I can watch a movie and then my ears will start to get sore. For those two hours or so, they are great. The earcups are pretty soft, they don't feel too heavy, the headband keeps them in place very well.

I just my new issue of Game Informer today. In their gear section they rated this headset 9/10. Kind of pricey, but if you are feeling adventurous they are taking pre-orders:

http://www.astrogaming.com/equipment/

 

Thanks for the review, I enjoyed reading it. What other headphones do you have and are using as a reference if I may ask?

 

I'd wish the Ozma 7 were a little lighter CNET says the Barracudas are rock-solid for gaming, but movies and music aren't too good on it. I've heard from people with working Ozma 7 headphones that they're excellent for everything, but for me they're pretty uncomfortable to wear for hours.

 

I don't use too many headphones, but I do have a Sony 5.1 setup in my room and have used the $2 headphones that come with MP3 players like iPods, and $40 "premium" ones, and my pair (defective or not...) doesn't even match $40 ones.

 

Most high end headphones do not benefit from being plugged directly into a sound card. I have what you would consider a prosumer recording studio in my house (protools HD, digi003) and therefore have many sets of headphones, while i havnt tried the razers or the ozmas i can tell you than none of the three headphones i use regularly sounds anywhere near acceptable straight out of the computer. I have bose QC2's (freebies) which hiss horribly hooked up to the computer and it gets worse when i move the mouse... especially the scroll wheel. Other headphones like the AKG k701's and Audio-Technica W1000's thats i use for computer based recording sound flabby and harsh straight out of the computer not to mention that the sound card has hardly enough output to drive them at all. I would recomend trying either a Cmoy headphone amp (about $30-50 on ebay) or try running them out of a dedicated audio device (ipod, cd player, home stereo) so you have something to reference them against. High end audio anything and computer sound cards generally do not mix... the better the quality, the more obvious the shortcomings of the card.

 

steelseries and sony are the only headphone brands you should consider by my taste razers or the ozmas as are bad as logiteck headphones.. the build/sound/setup quality of all others is way 2 low.

then again you may just not be a headphone guy...


if u use alot of Voip and FPS gaming its steelseries cups no questions asked

 

The Ozma 7 were made specifically for computer gaming, so there's no excuse for them to hiss (and crackle). I've just packaged them so they're ready to be sent back to Dell.

 

Actually the Ozma 7 is made for Alienware by a german company called Ultrasone and are basically just a rebrand of Ultrasone HFI700's and are about the farthest thing from ground up gaming phones as could possibly be passed of as such. Ultrasone makes audiophile and professional headphones for the most part... one thing they definately do not make however is computer accessories.

 

I've heard the company, Ultrasone, that makes these headphones, also make a lighter identical-sounding version (minus the Alienware logo). I'd be willing to try a lighter version if the non-defective version of these headphones is any good, and according to critics, it should be.

 

Personally, I use the Bose Tri-Port headphones. I have actually been wearing them for the past 3 hours listening to music while writing a Social Studies paper about imperialism.

In my opinion, the tri-ports are a great pair of headphones. I have no distortion in them what so ever, and when I play counter strike I am easily able to hear footsteps which pretty much gives me a unfair advantage over 50% of the people playing. Some people may say that the price is a little steep, or that the sound quality isn't too good. Most people just hate Bose because they are "that" company.

Trust me, I have tried Skullcandy headphones and they may look cool, but they just don't have the comfort that the Tri-ports have. The (leather?) on the tri-ports is VERY VERY soft and does not crack like most cheap fake leather cracks. I actually think that it could be real leather on the earcups, but I have no idea.

Go ahead and try a pair out at a bose store or something if you live near one, highly recommended by me.

 

Maybe raziel is right, you got bum headphones. Try to get another pair of em.

 

How's the bass? I'll try to check out the Bose headphones in their outlet store as soon as I can. I've heard the Tri-Ports snap after 2-3 months of regular use so I'm not too sure about Bose's build quality.

 

Okay, i'm a long time reader in this forum but believe it or not, this will be my first post!

Anyway, i was so close into buying ozma 7, but i was thinking over it n for some reason i realized that i have never felt so comfie wearing a headphone, i've always been using earphone (get the difference?) n headphones are just too bulky n not really easy for travel...

So instead of buying that ozma 7, i bought shure se310 which i got it for bargain only about $150 on ebay (msrp $300)! and it sounded GREAT!!! and not only great for computer, it also great for ipod! but this is in-ear type, so not everyone will feel comfie wearing it, but it includes different types n sizes of buds to fit into ur ear...

So yea, if u are fine wearing earphones, i would recommend buying Shure earphones, hey, dont get me wrong if i sounded so much like infomercial... but i love my shure, n it was my best earphone i ever bought n worth every penny!

oh btw, i never tried ozma (7 or 5) so i don't know how good they are, but like i said, its personal preference of using earphones instead of headphones.. i tried my friend's barracuda but for some reason it sounded decent, i also have tried bose in ear too n i believe it's a hundred bucks, n it sounded good... but compared to my shure se310, their bass n highs r not as good as shure's... shure also have the se110 for a hundred bucks, comparable to bose, but has better definition on highs..

now, my wish list is to have shure se530, n they're like half a grand! oh well, im happy with my 310... so anyway, those who are lookin for a good piece of earphones, you might wanna try shure.

 

Sennheiser HD650 + Graham Slee Projects Solo amp + X-Fi Elite Pro (116dB SNR)

= Royal

I'd never buy "gaming" headphones.

 

I'v got a pair of, now old, Sennheiser PX100's. Have used them with my iPod and for films and they give great sound quality.
The Razer barracuda's sound good, i've read the review Razer Barracuda HP-1 - Review and they read as being really good. i'm already getting the Lachesis and eXactmat so why not get the package lol

OB

 

buy Sennheiser 161, it has very good reviews. Its also availible with USB but much more expensive.

 

Seriously guys headphones aimed at gaming are plain dumb. Especially USB interface ones. Good sound reproduction has nothing to do with being "designed for gaming". Get some decent Hi-Fi headphones, and amp if required, and a decent sound-card.

I'd also be interested to know if the OP has plugged these phones into some generic onboard sound chip.

For instance my HD650's, if plugged directly into a cheap device like an MP3 player, or an onboard sound chip sound terrible. Inferior cans sound better on inferior equipment. If you get some high definitions cans they'll do a sterling job at reproducing all the noise and imperfections on a cheap sound chip.

Some cans also benefit greatly from amplification.

 

I use audio technica ATH-AD700 open-air headphones for gaming, music, and movies and they are amazing. They are the best set of cans you can get for ~$100. Their sound quality and sound stage are as good as it gets as this price range.

No offense, but Bose is overpriced and will not give you the sound quality a real pair of headphones at their price range will give you.

I encourage you to go over to www.head-fi.org and check out what the members say over there. That is where I go for headphone help.

 

MICHAELSD01 what sound card do your two computers have? What is the impedance of the Ozma 7's?

 

My first one was my old Pentium 4 computer that I think had an old SoundBlaster in it. My new one I'm on right now has a SoundBlaster X-Fi Xtreme Gamer, so the Ozma 7s should've showed their worth on that. The Ozma 7's impedance is 75 ohms,

 

Do you guys think I should exchange the Ozma 7 for a pair that works right or just get a full refund? I did get a really good deal on them, and critics rate the headphones that Alienware rebrands (the Ultrasone 650) in the "excellent" categories. If I returned them for a good pair, do you think I'd eventually get used to the heavier feel of these headphones? I've heard Audio Technica makes really comfortable and great-sounding headphones, but they're heavier than the ones I was just using (the Ozma 7). Do you guys think I'll get used to the Ozma 7 if I exchanged it for a working pair, or since I initially found it too heavy, I'd never like it? I got them for $165 on sale at Dell (which is better than what Alienware and Ultrasone charge) and now Dell charges $235...

 

I like the price that you paid, but if they were already too heavy I'd just return them. Try to find something lighter.

 

There is 2 problems - crappy Headphones & Lousy sound card. Internal sound card has too much noise. - no matter what headphones u use, the sound card will make it sound cheap. If ur into audio like me, I recommend u get a creative live 24 bit audio external. This little box will wipe out all the hissing and up-sample the quality to 24 bit audio. After u put this thing u will not believe anything u hear.

I have been using this for my AV receiver (onkyo tx-sr805) with a cheap gateway tablet PC as a player and the sound is so good. My audiophile friends just cant believe its coming from a PC.

For headphones, stretch a little and get sennheiser 650 ( i nearly bought this but it needs an amp so in the end I got Shure SE530). This thing rocks. It shuts off all sound and produce crystal clear high and smooth low frequency. Another of my favorite is ultimate ears triple.fi 10 Pro.

if u gonna get a top quality headphones just make sure u get the creative live 24bit.

Edit: your SoundBlaster X-Fi Xtreme Game is good enough - just change your headphones

http://us.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=1&subcategory=206&product=10702
http://www.ultimateears.com/_ultimateears/products/triplefi/triplefi10pro_description.php

 

I wouldn't want to buy an amp just for headphones. My XtremeGamer card is capaable of 24-bit audio so I wouldn't need another sound card. The Sennheiser 650 and the Ultimate Ears Triple.Fi are in the $400-$500 price range, I'm looking to spend $200 at the most. I'd also really like noise-isolating headphone sthat re comfortable. Thanks for the replies.

 

Creative sells X-Fi headphones with virtual surround sound and noise cancellation. It's $299 which is obviously more than what you wanted to pay, but if you don't need headphones right now it might be worth it to keep an eye on them (for a price drop). The reviews I've read are all positive. Plus, they fold up for easy transport in their carrying case.

http://us.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=437&subcategory=439&product=16975

 

I know this is a notebook site, and I have a desktop, but I wanted to add my two cents anyway. I actually first had a maxed out m9750 notebook (it was a gift), but it was crap. Maybe my standards are too high, but the machine cost 4600 and couldn't play crysis smoothly on medium, so I got a powerhouse desktop that plays crysis on high/very high in dx10 for the same price. That being said, alienware sucks. I know people will attack me for this - but you can only rebuttle if you actually have a system you have received from them. Maybe your luck was better, but it took me 2 months to return the notebook and get the new desktop. When I did, the lighting system was broken, the monitor had dead pixels, and the PCI slot with the second video card was defective, I had to send the entire system (which weighs 70 lbs) back. I was furious as they advertise a 200-pt inspection process which I guess they skipped on my PC. Anyway, I demanded compensation, for which they offered me a freaking keyboard. Anyway -- I don't reccomend Alienware to anyone and I would reccomend checking out the HP blackbird instead - I sure wish I did.

As for the headphones - I have the SB X-Fi soundcard too and a pair of bose overear headphones ($140) - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826627003. They may not be as technical as you want, but they sound great to me, and most importantly they are the most comfortable and light things I ever put on my head. You seriously forget they are on. It sounds to me like comfort is a major issue for you and believe me, these are blissful on your head. They are not noise-cancelling per se, but cancel outside noise very well for me and I cannot hear anything else but the game. Also, these are not S-logic, but as you said, that is a gimmick. These are solid headphones that sound great and most importantly melt to your head. You may want to check them out.

----------------------------------------------------------
Alienware Area-51 7500
Nvidia 680i sli motherboard
Core 2 Quad 2.66 ghz
2x Nvidia 8800 GTX's - 1.5GB of video memory - thats right
4GB DDR2 low-latency RAM
SoundBlaster X-Fi
Alien FX lighting
Samsung 24" 1900x1200 2ms monitor

 

Off topic- The blackbird is nice (I love the case) but they really overcharge for it. Everyone calls Alienware expensive but they pale in comparison to HP/Voodoo.

 

you know i really am thinking about this. the blackbird is way too overpriced. you can get a alienware liquid cooled pc, core 2 3.0 ghz, 4 gig 800 ram, dual nvidia 8800 gtx 768mb cards all for around 2800. would it be wise to cancel my m15x order for the alienware desktop? i will be moving away in june and need everything to fit in a couple suitcases. power or portabilty i cant decide!

 

Yeah, Bose seems to make pretty comfortable headphones from waht I've heard. I guess I'll try a pair of Sennheiser first, then if I don't find those too comfortable (I'll sure they'll sound amazing) I'll get a pair of Bose headphones. My Dell XPS 720 is one of the best values you'll find for a desktop. It runs so quiet with it's 2.5mm thick aluminum casing, and never got hot after being on 24/7 and a 3 hour session of Crysis. The XPS 720 in my sig literally costs $500 less than the same system from Alienware would, and I've heard Alienware's systems run hot and noisy unless you pay $300 more to get it liquid-cooled and padded. Plus, a $100 upgrade from Alienware, LightFX doesn't cost extra if you get a XPS 720, so you're saving a lot more than $500 in the end. Sure, Alienware systems look cool, but dos that justify paying so much? My XPS 720 looks awesome. I'm not trying to diss Alienware, I was going to originally buy the m17x, but still...

 

yeah that one is a beast, shame you have to pay another $2+ grand for black....im still considering it. how quiet is it? i have ocd when it comes to noise. thats why i would opt for somthing liquid cooled.

 

At full load, if the room is quiet, it's no more than a whisper. If there's even a little nosie you won't even hear it. I've heard from PCWorld even with an Extreme overclocked processor it's still no more than a whisper. It also stays really cool even after being on for a full day and a three hour session of Crysis. I put my hand against every part of the case while it was running and it wasn't warm at all, so it was a damn good job on Dell's part to have such an efficent cooling system. So far loving the system (which came with no bloatware) and I'd reccomend it, especially if you're looking for a gaming beast that'll run the same, if not better, as anything that costs a lot more and want to get a good value, this is the system to get.

Here's PC World's review (I've got the Black panels with the aluminum finish, rather than red like PC World's):
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,134703/article.html

BTW, the "Small Business" category has the system with the all black casing for $300 more, though I couldn't justify the price just for different casing.
http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?c=us&cs=04&kc=6W300&l=en&oc=bdcwevz&s=bsd

Your system should ship no more than 6 days after you order it (mine was shipped a full 8 days before the estimated ship date) and has been flawless so far, so Dell's doing something right in terms of building and testing the systems.

 

ok thankyou if i cancel for a desktop this is definatly it!

 

You don't need the real portability of a notebook, right? Just a system you can take with you when you move away? Definitely get a desktop then. You'll be maxing out games much longer, get a much better value, and a much more powerful system. The XPS 720 is huge just so you know, it'll probably be the hardest desktop to bring with you, and it's around 50 pounds!

 

ok dude im convinced im getting it in black, i kno tis crazy to spend extra 300 but you do get a 19"monitor. do you know what is alienwares cancellation policy on an unshipped order in phase 5? oh and should i go for quad core 2.4ghz or dual core 3.0 ghz?

 

I'm not sure on it, but they have a 31 day return policy for a full refund after it ships so they should let you cancel if you want. BTW, that 19" monitor can be upgraded to a different size for only the price difference. 22" is a sweet size, great for having one window open, multiple windows, gaming, and watching movies. You wouldn't regret that upgrade, the difference between 19" and 22" is that 19" is today's size for the average home user, while the 22" is today's average size for the gamer or media enthusiasts. It transforms your new beast into a full-out media center. What specs are you configuring your new XPS 720 with? The upgrade prices for the video cards are ridiculous (for the $400 8800 GTX upgrade you could buy that card from a vendor). The 8800 GT is more than enough to max out today's game, I was really surprised how smooth it ran Crysis at High 1680X1050 and DX10 1024x768 4XAA (which looks amazing). Plus, the 8800 GT has higher shader clock speeds, so some games will run slightly faster on the 8800 GT. No games even use all the extra stream processors the 8800 GTX offers so that upgrade is a waste. If you get a really nice mouse and keyboard like I chose to do, you'll still have the high-end feel of a notebook. This thread has gone so off-topic, but hey, it's a discussion, right ?

 

Just a quick update, I've just gotten my Audio Technica AD-700 in the mail. They're everything the Ozma 7 weren't and then some. I'm currently listening to Linkin Park's Minutes to Midnight and I can hear so much more detail in every song. Bass is lacking a bit, but I've heard they get way better when they burn in, especially for bass. Really comfortable, and pretty lightweight. Really happy with these so far. Music sounds so much better with a good set of headphones! I can't wait to game with these! My only problem with them is that you can still hear some background noise, but that's what I was expecting from open headphones.