PixlBit

Hey Pixlbit. I just wanted to give a quick input about a headset I bought for the Xbox One. For you Xbox One owners, you've probably seen the new headsets and headset adapters. I've been debating for the past few days about which headset I wanted. I thought of buying just the headset adapter itself because I own a pair of Sol Republic headsets that would work with the adapter, but I found out that the headset adapter already comes packed with the new headsets. So I thought, why not just buy a headset?

There were three headsets that I had in mind for my Xbox One. The Xbox One Stereo Headset, the Ear Force XO Four headset and Ear Force XO Seven headset. Both are by Turtle Beach. Now for you gamers who are into gaming headsets, I'm pretty sure the Turtle Beach brand is very familiar to you. I myself own a pair of Turtle Beach headsets for my Xbox 360. I didn't regret my purchase. The sound is very clear and crisp when I play shooters. Just recently I played GTA Online with them on and the sound is so clear that I can hear my footsteps so well. 

Alright back to the Xbox One headsets. So I've been reading reviews and watching videos on comparisons between the three and all have their pros and cons. I have some friends who make music and are into audio tech and they recommended the Xbox One Stereo Headset over the Turtle Beaches. I'll admit, I had my doubts on the stereo headset because this is the first time Microsoft made their own brand of gaming headsets other than the regular one that comes with the Xbox One. So I just went with my friend's recommendations and bought the Stereo Headset. I tried these on and they feel very comfortable. The cushions are really soft. I played a few hours of Titanfall with these on and they didn't give off any discomfort. Microsoft did a nice job with these.

Now for the sound quality. From what I've heard, the Xbox One headset adapter only allows the headset to give stereo sound with every headset you plug into it. In this case, the stereo headset does give that type of quality. I can hear my surroundings when I run around the battlefield and clearly hear where shots are being fired or footsteps are coming from when playing Call of Duty Ghosts. I would say the same with Titanfall, but the only drawback is the footsteps. This isn't a bad thing because there is so much action all around you. From Titans plunging the ground with their loud mech footsteps to rocket launchers coming from buildings hurling towards you when you're in a Titan. All of that is caught with these headsets and I was very surprised to hear that.

In regarding the microphone. I love how the mic can be hidden into the band of the headset. The mic is attached to the headset and cannot be disconnected. To some people this may be a setback, but others a relief. Unfortunately you cannot hear your own voice when speaking into the mic like the Turtle Beach headsets. This was a small problem, but nothing that would turn my head away from these. I wish I was able to hear myself because I always get the feeling that I'm too loud when speaking or too low. I've read that this is just a minor setback and Microsoft might release an update on this, but I wish it was already provided. The mic can easly be folded down to the level of your choosing and can be folded back up to the headband. I really like this feature because if you're playing by yourself, you can fold the mic to the formation of the headband and if you decide to chat with your buddies, you can easily pull the mic down with no hassle. My friends have said that they can hear me perfectly with no sound of me breathing on the mic or anything when I talk so that was a plus. Now there were times where the mic would catch my voice even if it wasn't close to my mouth which was surprising. 

From my experience with these headsets, they're a pretty decent purchase but not for the price. You can find these on Amazon and Best Buy for $80. For some reason Gamestop decided to sell these for $10 more. I feel as though these headsets are probably worth $50 at most. The Ear Force XO Four headsets run you at $100. The Ear Force XO Seven headsets are priced at $160. A buddy of mine bought this pair and said he's been enjoying them so far. I've read forum posts about these and saw that these were the better set to buy, but for that price I might as well get a good set of studio quality headsets for my iPhone and MacBook. The XO Four's were the headsets I was looking into at first because for $20 more, I can get a headset that I'm familiar with since I have a pair for my 360. I've been waiting for reviews and videos on comparisons between the two, but haven't found anything yet. I'm planning to return the Stereo Headsets and getting the XO Four's to see how they differ. I'll post my impressions next week when I get them.

Lately I have been playing different games like Titanfall, Forza Motorsport 5, PvZ Garden Warfare and CoD Ghosts with these headsets. There were a few things I didn't like with some games. in Forza 5, the audio would sometimes cut out when I was driving. In Ghosts, I can clearly hear the enemies footsteps but there were times when I didn't know where they were coming from. There was background noise coming from one cup of the headset and would constantly switch back and forth to the other. It became confusing for a bit. Garden Warfare didn't have any problem at all. If you're wondering if these headsets can be used with phones, mp3 players and laptops/computers, yes they can be. I wouldn't recommend them to be used because I know these were specifically made for game and voice audio for the Xbox One. One more note, I always wanted to test these out on the YouTube app in my Xbox One and the videos sound good, but sometimes it cuts out at some points during the video.

Well Pixlbit, sorry for my long post about these headsets. I've just been on this topic this whole week and needed to vent out my thoughts about them. I'll post an update next week on the Ear Force XO Four Headset by Turtle Beach when I get the chance.