12/18/2012

Ear Force X4 Dolby Digital Wireless (Headphones) Review

Ear Force X4 Dolby Digital Wireless
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
I just received my Ear Force X4 a few days ago and have been busy "testing" it for several days now. I have played with it in Gears of War, COD4, Battlefield:BC, Rock Band, Guitar Hero 3, and more. I have played online and off, with voice and without. After all this, I am finally ready to give my opinion on if it was $200 well spent, or a costly mistake.

First, let me say that I have a bit more experience with 5.1 headphones than the average consumer. I have owned many, made by everyone from Kinyo to Zalman and Tritton. With this knowledge it carries some weight when I say these offer some of the richest and clearest sound of any of them. I hear details in the sound and a wider range than with any of my previous headsets. The 5.1 is also quite good, I can pinpoint where sound is coming from pretty easily, and the sound fields sound a lot more balanced than with something like the Tritton AX360. Finally, the bass is very good even without the boost enabled, with it on it can almost be overpowering. The sound continues to impress even when watching movies or TV, and the Pro Logic 2 is nice when you only have a 2 channel source. The X4's are easy to hook up, with Optical in and RCA in you can easily hook up any audio source for use with them.

Overall, I would say the sound is some of the best I have heard from a 5.1 headset. That isn't to say it's perfect, there is a very slight hiss at all times when the headphones are on. You can only hear it when there is no other sound so it's not detrimental, as you don't notice it while using them, but it is there. Honestly though, I'm not sure if it is really anymore prevalent than the hiss found in most of the other headphones I have tried. It seems like they all had this to some extent. As for the wireless, it works very well and I haven't had any problems with it, the hiss doesn't really seem to be associated with the wireless, because if I cover the receivers on the headset I get different white noise.

The headphones themselves are very comfortable, easily half the weight of the AX360 and don't make my ears get nearly as hot. It is easy to forget they are even there.

The thing that really sets these headphones apart is not the great sound or comfortable design; it's the expert implementation of voice chat. Unlike the AX360 and every other 5.1 headset the X4 allows you to adjust the chat volume independently of the other sound. This works very well, you can clearly hear people talking even over a cacophony of other noise. On the AX360 I would have to turn the in-game music off, and lower all the other sound to be able to hear the other players reliably, the X4 takes care of all that. The microphone for speaking to other players is good and clear, it is easy to remove and attach. Additionally, some of your voice is transmitted back into the headset, so you can more easily hear yourself speak, and thus speak normally unlike with other headphones.

However, as great as the voice is, it also is not perfect. When you hook the voice up the hiss I mentioned before intensifies significantly, I attribute this to the controller putting out some white noise, but it is noticeable. It won't bother you while you are talking and playing, but I found myself unplugging the voice when no one was talking because the hiss was a bit disruptive. I wouldn't call this a deal breaker, but it is a minor imperfection and worth mentioning. Even with that small problem, the X4 is easily the best implementation of voice in a 5.1 headset, and a must own if you plan to play multiplayer while using your headphones.

Overall, the X4 is a very good attempt at a gaming centric pair of 5.1 headphones. The wireless is great and does not seem to degrade the audio. The headphones are comfortable and provide clear and rich sound, with good sound fields for the 5.1 support. The voice implementation is the best found anywhere, and works great aside from some slight background noise. I would recommend the X4 headphones to anyone wanting a great pair of headphones for use with their Xbox 360 and other game consoles and audio sources. With gaming in mind they are the best solution available. However, if you do not own a 360, I can't really recommend the X4 over other headphones, because the thing that really sets them apart is the voice support. They are very good headphones in their own right, but for less you could get a similar pair of headphones for movies and music and such without the voice that would sound just as good.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Ear Force X4 Dolby Digital Wireless (Headphones)

Product Description:
The Ear Force X4 wireless headphones push your Xbox 360 gaming experience to a whole new level with the thrill and realism of Dolby Digital 5.1 channel surround sound. Pump up the volume without disturbing friends, family, or neighbors. Freely move around as you play. Hear every nuance of the game - from an opponent sneaking behind you to your teammate's voice right next to you. Trash talk online. Block out distractions. Feel the game expand all around you and become a better player. Conventional Xbox 360 communicator headsets compromise the gaming experience by covering one ear for chat, leaving only a single ear for game audio from the speakers.The Ear ForceX4 Wireless Headphones overcome this problem by playing both the game audio AND the online chaton a single set of high fidelity headphones.The result is the intense experience, privacy, clarity, and competitive edge of PC headphones on the Xbox 360 platform.The Ear Force X4 Xbox 360 Wireless Headphones let you totally focus on your game play and not become distracted by the noise around you. With Dobly surround sound pumped right into your ears, you can hear every nuance of the game all around you in a way that isn't possible when hearing it as background sound with speakers. In addition, because the Xbox Live chat is mixed in with the game signal, you can hear what everyone is saying right in the middle of your head, enabling you to communicate more effectively with other players. As a result, the Ear Force X4 can actually make you a better player. By combining the best of both worlds, avid Xbox 360 gamers no longer have to make the no-win choice between using headphones or talking online.When you're ready to get serious about your gaming, it's time for an X4.

Buy Now

Want to read more honest consumer review about Ear Force X4 Dolby Digital Wireless (Headphones) now ?

No comments:

Post a Comment