Turtle Beach makes some fine wireless headsets for the Microsoft Xbox 360, and its Ear Force line has made steady improvements with each iteration. Its X4 model features improved sound quality with the option of using digital optical connections for audio. Its a very expensive pair of headphones, rivaling the cost of the console itself, but its the absolute best quality on the market when it comes to sound quality.
The Ear Force X4 is made up of the headset, transmitter, power cable, a cable for the Xbox controller, and a digital optical audio cable. It runs on two triple-A batteries, also included. The transmitter has inputs for digital optical audio and outputs to your audio-visual receiver (or just the TV). It is heavy and bulky compared to the earlier model in the series, but its the kind of thing that’s set up somewhere and left alone, so size shouldn’t be too much of an issue. The headphones themselves are similar to earlier designs in the series, with internal springs that pinch your head, and they are a little heavier this time, but they do seem more comfortable in general, however.
One design flaw is the fabric which covers the ear cups. They act as sponges and absorb sweat and unfortunately they are not interchangeable. If they were made out of vinyl then clean up would be easy. Also one wont have to worry about sanitary issues when lending or borrowing the headphones. The battery life is apparently shorter than the previous models of headsets from the Ear Force line. The microphone can be moved closer and farther away from the mouth for optimal comfort.
The headset is really great. It produces the best sounding booming bass and crisp sounding brass which simulates 5.1 surround sound very accurately. There is no background hiss and the microphone can be turned off if the signal is disrupted by household appliances such as the refrigerator or microwave. The Ear Force X4 from Turtle Beach is very comfortable to wear and because the optical audio input produces amazing sound. They are quite costly but for the price you are paying you get amazing sound quality.
They make a great first set of wireless headphones, though probably cost too much to justify purchase as an upgrade for any existing ones that may be owned. In that regard, however, the transmitter can be shared between different headsets in the Ear Force series, so multiple users can listen to the same source. This is handy and fun and though not advertised as a feature nor, even, publicized at all, its a nice “hidden bonus.
Posted under Hardware
This post was written by Bernard W. Oakford on August 2, 2009
