Nice alternative
4 out of 5 stars
I originally considered the Turtle Beach Ear Force X1 headphones. That was until I found out that the plug that connects to the controller will not work with the Messenger Chatpad. The Skullcandy headphones were basically the only ones I could find that would work. They're standard 3.5mm stereo headphones with a 2.5mm microphone plug. The package does not include installation instructions, but if you look on Skullcandy[...] they have them. Basically you connect headphone jack to the included extension cable. This cable has the red & white RCA connector that plugs into the back of the TV and also has the plug that accepts the same cables from the Xbox. This allows the game & chat audio to be sent to the headphones when its connected, but works normal when the 3.5mm plug is disconnected. Next, plug the microphone cable into the controller or chatpad if connected. The microphone does not output through the headset unless you have the Xbox Guide personal settings selected to "Output Through Speakers(or Both)". A couple of drawbacks include: 1) no mic mute switch, but it does include an in-line volume knob 2) It doesn't seem to amplify the audio directly from TV/Xbox. So it might not get loud enough for some if you don't own surround sound receiver. 3) It might hurt your ears after long periods of use if you happen to have a larger than normal head.
Other than those few minor issues, they work as advertise and cost about the same Turtle Beach ones. I like them, but if hadn't been for the lack of Chatpad support, I might have bought them instead. Send me a message on Live if you want to hear how they sound or need more details.
