I had been in the market for a moderately priced headset to use for late night gaming on my Xbox 360 where I won't disturb the family. This week I paid $50 for a pair of Turtle Beach X12's. Got it home, set it all up, played a few different games to play around with the sound settings and just try the headset out. I was really impressed. After a couple hours, I started to realize a couple things. One, the microphone monitoring feature was barely working. I mean, it worked, but it was so quiet you really couldn't tell what you were saying through your headset. I searched that particular problem on the internet and I wasn't the only one that thought it was incredibly quiet. The second thing that turned me off of the X12 was they were a bit uncomfortable to wear if you wear glasses. The ear cups, although very comfortable at first and well designed, they'd eventually push on the arms of my glasses and push them into my head. Didn't feel so good after a couple hours of gaming.
Although I really liked the sound quality of the X12, I decided to return my set and buy the cheaper $30, Turtle Beach XLa set. This being the only real headset I've purchased (other than the X12 I tried out), I don't have anything really to compare it to other than the X12.
Setup was really easy right out of the box (or plastic packaging in this case). The 15' cord and headset are already connected together with red and white RCA plug-ins, and USB connections at the end of the cord. When you set this headset up you'll need to make sure you have RCA component OUTPUT ports on the back of your TV or have an Audio Adapter to use on your Xbox 360 (if you're using HDMI like me). Me, I have ports on my TV to plug them into, but I chose to do it straight from my Xbox 360, in which case I already had an adapter handy so I was good to go.
The XLa's use 40mm speakers, 10mm less than the X12's, but as far as I can tell I can't really notice much of a difference. These headphone "cups" fit ON your ear rather than OVER the ear like the X12's and many others headsets. It won't be the same for everybody, but this alone fixed my glasses problem immediately. The headband piece in the middle of the headset has a thin, almost memory foam covered in pleather like strip along the bottom that makes the headset more comfortable to wear on top of your head. So far I haven't really had a problem with the headset feeling too tight or anything. It's been fairly comfortable. The rest of the headset is made with some thick plastic. It looks a lot cheaper than other TB headsets, but I think it'll hold up well as time goes on. I don't know about you guys, but I think some people who complain about pieces falling apart and cords being severed are probably more of an operator error than poor craftsmanship. Some folks are a little too rough on things.
The audio controls are all located on the left ear cup. This isn't really -toomuch of a problem, but I and probably many other people are used to having those types of controls found along the cord leading up to the headset. You have a mute/unmute switch, a Voice volume control, and a Game volume control. Again, this is just a $30 headset so I can understand wanting to make it as compact as possible. The sound controls work fine, but for me the mute switch is a tad hard to switch on and off. This set has a set Bass Boost function where most other TB headsets have an adjustable control like the game and chat audio. To me the set bass is fine and is plenty strong and packs a pretty good punch.
The microphone is really nice. It's really easy to adjust it any way you could want. I will say that this microphone, as is a lot of other TB mics, is really sensitive. You aren't going to want this right next to your mouth. Everyone will hear you breathing and every little noise you could possibly make. I keep it away from my mouth, more along my cheek and people can still hear me fine. The microphone monitoring feature works well on this. It's a lot more noticeable on this set than the X12. Your voice is amplified into the headset so you can hear what you're saying as you talk so you're not trying to yell over game audio to be heard.
The audio itself, like I said in the beginning, is coming from two 40mm speakers. I've tried out CoD: Modern Warfare 3, WWE All-Stars, Rock Band Blitz, and some other games, and I can't complain at all. I've always played off just my HDTV speakers and I am amazed at how many little sounds and nuances I haven't been able to hear before I got this headset. Games like MW3, I'm hearing bullets whiz by me, I can tell which direction they're coming from, footsteps can be placed, and the sound of a .44 Magnum blaring with the bass boost is really satisfying. Switch it over to a game like Rock Band Blitz, and I'm hearing notes in songs I never really noticed before. Just a lot nicer and cleaner than coming from my tiny HDTV stereo speakers.
Although my original intentions were to just have a stereo headset handy when I want to keep my gaming down as to not bother anyone, I've found myself wearing them most of the time just because of how good it sounds. I would say that anyone looking into a low cost headset, or need a replacement for that busted up Microsoft chat mic, I would definitely recommend the Turtle Beach XLa. It's not perfect, but for the price and its quality, you'd be hard pressed to find a better deal.
Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>
Let's look at the slight cons first:(slight) cons:
Only stereo sound. 2 channels, however they seem very omnidirectional.
No optical input (only stereo output anyway, makes sense)
Not wireless (wireless ones eat batteries like crazy, however)
Not the most comfy (but definitely the most compact and by no means uncomfortable)
On paper, these seemed great. 40MM drivers, bass bost, microphone monitor, controls built into the ear cup, sleeker and more compact than any other models
But man I wasn't expecting them to be THIS nice. I previously owned both the Ear Force X11 Amplified Stereo Headset with Chat and the Ear Force X41 (XBOX LIVE Chat + Wireless Digital RF Game Audio with Dolby Headphone 7.1 Surround Sound).
Why I don't like wireless Turtle Beaches: batteries. Even with high-capacity, rechargeable batteries, I was swapping them out of my x41's every couple of days. Too annoying, and you still required a wire to the controller anyway.
The wires on this are the least annoying I've ever seen on a turtle beach. Thanks to the controls being located on the earcup, the wires only split to plug into the controller. It is a durable black wire that feels rigid and sturdy.
They are easy to get out of the way, and easy to wrap up.
Build construction: Durable, very light, feel very plastic-y. These aren't Sennhesiers or Beats, so I was expecting that. The rotating cups are very nice for safe storage without worry of stressing the joints.
-Sound is awesome, super loud, bass is punchy, very crisp trebles, mic monitoring lets you hear yourself (better than others can hear you, you'll hear your own breathing a lot but it only broadcasts after a certain threshold of volume is reached, so just check the mic indicator in whatever game you're playing. Eventually you get a feel for it's sensitivity).
The cups aren't uncomfortable, but if I apply pressure on the cups while wearing them, I can feel the plastic speakers press into my ears. Also felt when readjusting the mic. But since these are on-ear and not over-the-ear, I expected this.
WHY AM I EVEN STILL TALKING JUST LOOK AT THE FEATURES, THEN LOOK AT THE PRICE.
Thirty. dollars. THIRTY.
Could use a little more padding, but I ain't even mad.
Great headphones. 9.5/10.
Best Deals for Turtle Beach Ear Force XLa Gaming Headset - Xbox 360
Cons -1. The wires man! They are so big that you can strangle your neighbor with it, haha. But i guess that has to do with the ability to get game sound.
2. The soft thing on the top of the headband is annoying at first but after 1-2 days you get use to it because it loosens up a bit.
3. Sometimes if you want to hear party members or messages then you might have to restart the Xbox 360. As in close the button and put it back.
Pros -
1. Awesome for the price.
2. Like Beats By Dre for Xbox 360.
3. Very adjustable volume levels for the game sound and chat sound. Pretty awesome isn't it?
4. If you guys are afraid it might not work for TV sound if you set up the headphones, don't worry the television sound will still come same as it did.
5. Keeps the game sound quiet, might make the people using the headphones a little louder because they think they have to scream (effect).
6. Very very very easy to setup, i never knew that headphones like these are that easy to.
Honest reviews on Turtle Beach Ear Force XLa Gaming Headset - Xbox 360
I am a pretty serious xbox gamer, but I've never been the best because I always had the regular chat headsets. I would keep buying cheap headsets, but they would break after about five months. However, this one is much better.I was going to buy the Turtle Beach EarForce X12 Headset, but It was a little too expensive for my budget. After looking in every store and on every website, I finally found the Turtle Beach Ear Force XLa.
I couldn't decide wether to buy it or not, but after reading the reviews I decided to take a chance. And it was definitely worth it.
Pros:
Lightweight. After hours of playing you can barely notice it's even on your head.
Easy controls. The controls are located on the headset, which means there doesn't have to be a giant box hanging on the cord.
Great sound. The sound quality is great! I can hear things I have never heard before!
Nice durable cords. The cords are long and durable so you don't have to worry about them braking.
Great mic. The boom mic is designed so that it will only pick up the sound coming from you, and not anything else in the room. GENIUS!
It's thirty dollars instead of sixty.
Cons:
None.
Well, that's all I have to say. It's a fantastic headset for a fantastic price.
Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Turtle Beach Ear Force XLa Gaming Headset - Xbox 360
The Turtle Beach Ear Force XLa gaming headset. Where do I start? Great Great Great! I absolutely love this item and I have not yet experienced any problem with this headset. And with the price? A even better buy with a cheap price tag. I previously owned a turtle beach x12 and x11 and i seemed to notice those things burned my ears after long gaming sessions. My ear would feel like i just stuck it in the microwave. But with this on-ear i can play long sessions no problem and the headset works no problem. And I also think the mixamp being on the headset is a bonus. Sure takes a while to get use to. Getting to remember where the chat and game volume is also the mute button. After you get use to it you'll see a big difference that it is actually faster to change between volumes. All i have to say is I will recommend this headset to all my friends and this product was a great buy.
No comments:
Post a Comment