Wow insanely amazing 5.1 headphones! Perfect for Xbox LIVE.

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Brimstone

B3D Shockwave Rider
Veteran
Earforce HPA surrond sound headphones by Turtle Beach

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I didn't know these existed. The specs are incredible. Each earpiece has 4 speakers: a subwoofer and 3 seperate speaker for center, rear, and front sound postions. Also a MIC is included. Just WOW. :oops:

I currently use the standard Microsoft X-Box LIVE communicator with the single one speaker headphone and MIC attachment. This would be a big improvement, I wouldn't need to bother with external speakers at all. Getting 5.1 surrond without having to worry about the volume disturbing other people in the house would be nice.

When Halo 2 came out Microsoft was promting some Plantronics headset that wasn't that great. This is the type of technology Microsoft should endorse and promote.
 
This is absolutely amazing. Where are all those Sony haters that say that adding a Blu-Ray drive for a few dollars more would hurt the system. These headphones can't be cheap. But I love them. :D
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Video review
 
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mckmas8808 said:
This is absolutely amazing. Where are all those Sony haters that say that adding a Blu-Ray drive for a few dollars more would hurt the system. These headphones can't be cheap. But I love them. :D
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Um these aren't the default head phones and will not be free so I don't see how this relates to the cost of a blu-ray drive in a system (and its by far more than a few dollars )

You should refrain from calling people haters and picking fights
 
mckmas8808 said:
This is absolutely amazing. Where are all those Sony haters that say that adding a Blu-Ray drive for a few dollars more would hurt the system. These headphones can't be cheap. But I love them. :D
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You have to buy these. They aren't included with the XB-360. As far as I can tell these will only work with a PC as of right now.

This is the type of technology MS should try to promote though. These would be great for online gaming. Hearing sound positions of gunfire adds a lot of immersion to online gameplay.

If the 360 is all about HD gaming, 5.1 sound has to be a part of that. Not everyone will have a home theater sound system for 5.1. For about double the price the cheap headset stuff that MS promotes today for LIVE this Turtle Beach Earfoce is a steal imho.
 
Gamespot has a review up on these.

The 5.1 surround sound Ear Force HPA from Turtle Beach provides an amazing amount of bass response


Music recordings from V.A.S.T. and Lamb provided the highs and the thumps necessary to stress the Ear Force HPA on every end. In comparison to our movie-based experiences, we were slightly less pleased with the musical performance of the Ear Force HPA, but not by much. The strengths and design of this headset clearly lie in their surround sound reproductive capabilities. Positional audio experiences in games like Counter-Strike were amazing. We could easily discern where a shot rang out from or where a footstep was creeping.

The fully adjustable, and detachtable, microphone performed exactly as required. Our Counter-Strike teammates heard us loudly and clearly every time. We have to say that Turtle Beach went the extra mile when it comes to the adjustability of the microphone. We were truly impressed by the maneuverability and workmanship put into the unit.


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For discreet movie watching and surround gaming, it's hard to beat the Ear Force HPA for a cool $100. We loved the surround sound performance and the absolutely stunning bass response that the headset provided; the extremely maneuverable and detachable microphone only acted to sweeten the deal. Turtle Beach put a lot of thought into the unit's features, and it shows. If you're willing to give up some level of portability, the Ear Force HPA might be your cheap personal ticket into the land of surround sound.
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Any speaker listening test that doesn't use ABX techniques is suspect. I have my doubts that the surround capability of these headphones is any better than a 2.1 headphone with good HRTF support. I use regular headphones in Counter-Strike and I am perfectly able to perceive full-surround location of where the shots or footsteps are coming from.
 
I have the Gainward 5.1 headphones (4 speakers in each ear phone also) and the 3D positional sound is much better than any sub $50 headphones I have ever had.

Actually, they are better for positional sound than most cheap 5.1 sets because you do not need to fight your room layout to get them in the right position

I play a bit of CS:S and BF1942:DC and they have served me well, especially for $27. When I use my desktop speakers I can really tell the difference (even with EAX blah blah blah 3D faked sound from my Audigy 2ZS).

My only complaint is that the sound quality is not an A+. It is acceptible, and it serves its primary purpose of positional sounds GREAT, but it is not Bose quality by any means. Adequate, but may annoy an audiophile.
 
DeathKnight said:
Bose quality.... excuse me while I laugh my ass off.
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At least I made you smile ;) I am not an adiophile... actually, I might as well be half deaf. I do not own any Bose products, but my cousins Bose speakers are nicer than any Altec-Lansing or Creative products I have owned. Never tried the Logitechs (like their Z680s) or some of the other stuff...

Anyhow, insert whatever high quality speakers you like there. If it makes more sense... the sound quality is not great, but it does positional sound better than the affordable headphones I have tried (like SOny, Altec Lansing, Creative). But I am not an audiophile... I just want to know where to shoot!
 
I don't think anyone should expect "A+" sound quality from a pair of computer gaming headphones. Considering what so-called "A+" STEREO phones typically cost, well, imagine if there's FOUR speakers in each earphone...

It's meant for computer gaming. The rest of the audio chain connecting to these phones isn't going to be "A+" either. ;)
 
That sounds about right Guden.

Btw, what are a A+ pair of headphones and how much do they run (if I dare to ask). Not something outrageous, something that an audiophile on a budget would like. Me = audio neophite, that is why I ask.
 
Acert93 said:
DeathKnight said:
Bose quality.... excuse me while I laugh my ass off.
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At least I made you smile ;) I am not an adiophile... actually, I might as well be half deaf. I do not own any Bose products, but my cousins Bose speakers are nicer than any Altec-Lansing or Creative products I have owned. Never tried the Logitechs (like their Z680s) or some of the other stuff...

Anyhow, insert whatever high quality speakers you like there. If it makes more sense... the sound quality is not great, but it does positional sound better than the affordable headphones I have tried (like SOny, Altec Lansing, Creative). But I am not an audiophile... I just want to know where to shoot!
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Yeah, I'm not trying to rag on you or anything. Bose headphones supposedly aren't too shabby, but they're certainly not up to snuff with headphones from companies like Sennheiser or Grado. Their speakers are another story though. Nothing but a joke. You start to get "decent" quality only in their higher-end speakers, but by then you're either paying too much or there are simply much, much better alternatives for less.
 
I know you were not picking on me. I really do not know anything about audio in general. Bose just came to mind... I am the result of marketing spin.

Bose has mind share... and I believe what you say. It is very common for a company to be percieved as being highly quality (or at one time having quality and no longer) and that mind share staying in people's mind. e.g. Asus MBs... yeah, I have been using them for ever. But their quality has really dropped in the support area and quality over the last couple years, yet they continue to live off their name.

And unless I had not had 2 separate incidents with their products and then poor support on each I would still be mouthing off how great their support is because 6 years ago it was great and the people I know have had good experiences...

So yeah, I am a victim of advertising when it comes to audio. I have been shamed :( At least I know my 3D graphics! :p
 
Senn HD600's are a decent start. There are definately more esoteric ones but I think those are pretty good overall.
 
A+ sound quality surround sound headphones could be made, but they'll be very expensive as they should be. They would be perfect for DVD Audio. ;)
 
DeathKnight said:
Bose quality.... excuse me while I laugh my ass off.
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There's always someone who can't keep their opinion to themselves whenever this topic is brought up. :rolleyes:

I've listened to many different sound systems from many different companies including Bose, Sonnheisen and Grado and Bose sounds just as good imo. If you don't think so, good for you, but I can't agree.
 
london-boy said:
I thought Bose were one of the top audio equip maker when it comes to sound...?
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They are, as with all things there are f@nboys who like to protest otherwise in favor of some more obscure and usually less expensive rival.
 
ANova said:
london-boy said:
I thought Bose were one of the top audio equip maker when it comes to sound...?
Click to expand...

They are, as with all things there are f@nboys who like to protest otherwise in favor of some more obscure and usually less expensive rival.
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Historically, Bose made their claim to fame with the 901 type of speaker, still manufactured and sold (Rev. 6?).
It claimed to spread sound, producing a diffuse sound source, filling the room with sound, making the speaker less distinct as the sound source.
This didn't go over too well with audiophiles, because conversely, localization was awful, the room influenced the sound very much which isn't typically desireable. The frequency response sucked and the phase response was horrible causing further problems with localization.

So it depended on your priorities, but Amar Bose made his claim to fame based of properties that high-enders hated, but quite a few casual listeners liked. Hence the dreadful reputation of Bose in audio circles even today.

Bose of today is a different beast though - a big company, making products catering to different markets. They are still strongly into the life style class of audio gear, but this is no longer controversial. Typically their gear is petite and easily integrated into living spaces, while still offering reasonable sound courtesy of both their design departments and the volumes they deal with. Those who still have little niches in their homes where a portrait of Ivor Tiefenbrun slowly rotates on the platter of an LP12 basking in the glow of a triode tube amp, still abhor Bose. The rest of us moved on, and prefer lamenting greater evils.
 
If its able to deliver 5.1 like sound for under 50$ and a good quality 5.1 then i'm all for it . Doesn't have to be "bose" quality just has to be damn good
 
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