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Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program The Turtle Beach Z22s aren't a bad piece of kit.
In the box you get the headset with the mic permanently attached (this is non-removable, unlike the other TB headsets I have). The piece that works the magic is the in-line amplifier. This point is important, it's IN-LINE, I'll explain in a minute. You also have the ability to plug a music player into the amplifier for music playback (say you want to listen to music from an MP3 player/phone).
Setup is pretty much a breeze. Plug the headset cable into the in-line amp (there's a little painted headphone icon on the amp). Plug the USB connection into a free USB port and plug the 3.5 mm connector (on the same cable as the USB connection) into your PC. You might say "but why do I need the 3.5 mm connection when I get the audio just fine straight through USB?" The answer is, you want to have independent control over chat volume AND game/PC audio. If you just plug in the USB connection, you will get the audio, sure, but the problem is that you will NOT be able to use the chat volume knob on the in-line amp to control chat volume, it will only control over all master volume. You also lose the ability to utilize the treble/bass controls on the AMP if you don't use the analog audio connection to your computer.
Once you have everything plugged in, assuming you are using a Windows based computer, you will want to configure the audio. Right click the speaker in your taskbar. Choose "playback devices." IGNORE THE Z22 OPTION HERE! If you choose Z22, you will have the above USB audio/chat mix. Make sure your main sound card is chosen (mine is a Conexant 20585). Next, click on the Recording tab. Highlight the Turtle Beach Z22 Chat device and click on "Set as Default" at the bottom of the page. Close the window out and you are now ready to ROCK!
Sound Quality:
I believe the drivers in these headphones are the same as Turtle Beach's newer headsets. I say this because they seem to have the same aural qualities as the newer sets I have for the PS3 and 360.
And I have to say, bass is nice and deep. Highs are high. Mids are right where you want them to be.
Being able, via the in-line amp, to control the game volume and chat volume independently is great. Compared to TB's higher end headsets, this is a little lacking as it is completely manual. TB's higher end headsets all do dynamic voice/game audio adjustment (if you let them). The thing is, I've found this setup works just fine. I just have to set it per game and I'm good.
Chat Quality:
In game chat quality is quite nice. Clear and crisp. I've used this headset w/ Skype as well and the quality is just as good.
One thing you will need to become accustomed to is hearing yourself in the headphones when speaking. This allows a level of aural feedback so you aren't screaming, or whispering, with your chat partners. It is controllable via the in-line amp as to how loud your chat dialog is, so it CAN be turned down/off or up as needed. If you hear hiss without anything playing, chances are that the gain on the mic is turned up. Turn it down and it should disappear.
Phone:
So you can plug this headset into your phone for audio and talking. In this case, the in-line amp doesn't do anything but get in the way. Sound quality isn't bad and my dialog, according to my phone partner, was no worse than my normal phone (nor much better). It's a nice feature, but don't buy these headsets for that.
Build Quality:
The headphone band is high quality and well padded. The ear cups wrap your ears, not rest on them, and are quite comfortable. They are made out of some kind of fabric, not leather like the much higher end TB's, so they don't heat your ears as much.
The amp feels a little cheap, and if you pull the headphone cable out you will actually see the blue lights from the front indicators bleeding into the inside of the device. It's not flimsy or anything, so I'm not worried about damaging it.
What about that in-line amp comment I made above? So here's the thing. The amp, if you aren't accustomed to having a 2 inch by 1 inch brick hanging off of your headphones, it can be a little annoying. The nice part is that the cables are all pretty long, and the amp has a belt clamp on the back, so you can just slide it over your pants, belt or onto your shirt if you want and get it out of the way.
Overall:
These headphones, if you're looking for stereo audio, sound fantastic. Deep bass really accentuates explosions as needed.
The price, for what you get, is not bad at all. The headphones use a high quality driver and the in-line amp adds to the depth from the headphones.
If you're on the market for budget, PC gaming audio, this is a great pair of headphones.
Recommended.
PROS:
Great quality stereo sound
Great chat quality
Well built
Amp controls work well
Independent chat and computer audio
Cons:
In-line amp (you get used to it, really)
Must be configured properly for chat (don't push everything through USB)
Stereo only (I like stereo for my music, but surround is nicer for in game)
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Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program Over the past few years I've owned 4 different versions of Turtle Beach headsets and a pair of TRITTONS and Corsairs. While most of these headsets were used with either my xBox or my PS3, I have also used several of them with my PC for gaming. My first impression of these Ear Force Z22's when I pulled them out of the box was while they looked just like some of the nicer Turtle Beach headsets out there, but the build quality felt a bit cheaper. At that point I plugged them into my Windows 7 desktop and decided to try them out for a few hours of online play.After some time using them, I found they just didn't feel quite as cushioned for long gaming sessions like some of the other pairs I've used. But I believe this is also reflected in the headsets price point, since the more comfortable sets do cost a bit more. These are light weight, which can be good at preventing discomfort when wearing a headset for long periods of time. But it also tends to give away their cheaper build.
The sound of these Z22's is good, and it seems what this set looses in cushioning they make up for in sound. One thing I appreciate that Turtle Beach included in this set is their "Dynamic Chat Boost". My first headset with this was the Ear Force XP300 that I use with my PS3, and it makes all the different in a game when you need to hear group chat. The chat boost lowers some of the in-game sounds just enough to hear better when people in your party are chatting. It doesn't mute everything, it just brings game sounds down a notch. Then as soon as people in your party aren't talking any more, the game volume goes right back up. I love that Turtle Beach included the Chat Boost in this new set, since it works so well.
It's a very easy set to set up, basically just plugging in two cables. Plug one cable into an open USB port and the other into the headphone jack on your computer. Make certain that your audio in your PC's control panel is set to send and receive sounds from this set and you're up and running. It's just as simple as that.
Sounds from the mic come through very clear and you can adjust your mic and your other volume levels right on the inline amplifier. With the flip of a switch you can also mute your chat so that you can turn off all sounds from going into the game should you want to.
There is an included 3.5mm auxiliary cable for using with your MP3 players, iPods, tablets or anything else you have music on that you would like to listen to while playing in game with the headset on. Using this cable you can play your music, chat and hear everything going on in the game, all at the exact same time. You're able to hear your music but no one else does. To use this feature, just plug one end of the cable into your earphone jack of your music player and the other end into the earphone jack on the inline amplifier of this Z22 set, then turn on your player and play the music. The music will play through this headset just like they were headphones, however you can also hear everything going on in your game on your computer as well.
It's a great set for those looking to hear awesome in-game sounds and the ability to chat, but without breaking the bank while doing it. It's by far the best headset I've used for under a hundred dollars.
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Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program Up until recently, I'd been a staunch supporter of Turtle Beach and their headphone products. I used them primarily for PC gaming (and music but mostly gaming) for years. I started with the HPA2's years ago. The first one lasted several years before the really small connector holding the ear cup to the main frame snapped. I bought a new one and that snapped after about a year. Then I was screwed because they stopped selling them. Turned out they were prepping for the launch of a new line which became the Z6A's that came out a couple years ago. I'd set up a preorder for that sucker months in advance.I remember checking their booth at PAX Prime in Seattle to see if they had them and they did! I cancelled my pre-order (it was slated to ship out the next day) and bought a pair right there. It was even discounted (though Seattle sales tax took care of that discount). When I got back and started using them it was great for a few months before the sound started dropping out and then completely cut out on one side. I ended up sending it in for repairs and got back what seemed like a new pair. Tried those for a few months more and they ended up breaking...again with that tiny plastic connection to the ear cup. At this point I was outside of the original warranty (the "new" pair I got were considered included in the original warranty, not a new one) so it was pointless.
That preamble is mainly setup to explain that I've had a long and not so great history with Turtle Beach in recent years so I wasn't expecting the best experience here. This is gonna be a bit detailed. Feel free to scroll to the bottom for the summary if you don't want to read it all. I tend to take gaming headsets seriously. :)
In general, though, this headset (so far) isn't bad at all. Let's break it down (not literally):
The headset, similar to the earlier incarnations of the HPA2 and Z6A, comes in two pieces: the headset with a short cable and an amplifier box with a longer cable. In this case, the cables are different in that the one coming from the headset ends in a standard 3.5mm connector. You'll understand why that's important in a second. The amplifier box's cables end in a USB and a 3.5mm connector as well...but I don't get what the 3.5mm connector is for since it did nothing for me. Plug the USB cable in and you're golden. The extra 3.5mm connector becomes dead weight. No sound goes through it if it's used solo and it's sort of pointless to try to plug a USB and 3.5mm connector (especially since they aren't always close together--though my case actually does have them close enough together in front). I figured it was an alternate option if you're using the headphones on a machine without enough USB ports handy. Dunno. The instructions make it look like you should plug them both in but USB sounded just fine to me (and the mic worked as well).
The amplifier box has all the controls you should need to manage sound through these headphones. The interesting thing about this product's set up is you can actually plug in (with an included male to male cable) to your smartphone's jack (for example, the iPhone's jack supports this connector). The idea is that you could effectively switch over and answer a phone call without having to take off your headset or walk away from the action. It's actually pretty brilliant if you think about it. Just switch a manual switch to change the mic's output from the computer to your phone and a separate volume control for computer input vs mobile input lets you hear the conversation better while still funneling sound from the game you're playing. There's a separate dedicated port for connection to an Xbox controller (but no extra cable to support both phone and Xbox...probably unlikely to be common but still it would've been nice to see an extra one).
In addition to separate controls for computer/mobile sound you also get one for the passthrough volume off the mic. This is something that, if you've used a Turtle Beach headset before, you'd really appreciate. I remember when I started using the Z6As...I realized the mic audio was being routed back so I could hear every sound picked up by it...including breathing and just all the sorts of stuff that the headsets usually filter out. Turns out it's effectively a monitor feature so you can hear what it sounds like when you're talking. Good if your friends are complaining about background noise so you can hear what they mean. Bad if you really don't need to hear your voice over your friends' voices. In this case, they decided to give us a dedicated volume control so you can just turn that down. Nice.
The mic itself is permanently attached, no plug-n-play here. The stalk is nice and bendy so you can tweak it to suit your needs/style but you have to push it up and out of the way if you're not using it...can't take it off the headset if you don't want it.
The earcups are smaller than I'm used to. Between the previous Turtle Beach headsets I've used and the current Rosewill one (Rosewill RHTS-8206 USB 5.1-Channel Vibration Gaming Headset (RHTS-8206)) I'm using, I prefer the complete over the ear coverage since it reduces background noise and focuses sound...especially useful when you've got 5.1 surround and want to know if someone's about to backstab you in BF3 or CoD. :) The earcups on these as I said are smaller but manage to still cover my rather large ears. It's not quite as spacious--it's sort of scrunching my ear a bit to fit--but it does cover. For longer gaming sessions, it can start to be a bit uncomfortable but your mileage will vary depending on your ears and what you're used to.
The strap connecting the two earcups is padded and the earcups don't twist if you want to slide them down and out of the way temporarily. It's a fairly simplistic setup and the materials feel nice. The overall headset is relatively light.
The audio is basic stereo and sounds great in general. Music and gaming are fine though I might be a bit biased because I tend to favor analog 5.1 surround sound headsets (basically full drivers for all channels as opposed to simulated surround sound from headsets like Razor's Megalodons) so it isn't quite as rich or deep as what I currently use. It's not noticeable everywhere. For example, Skyrim sounds fine but when I played Mechwarrior Online, the sounds felt muted. So, your experience might vary a ton depending on the game's audio stack, which is to be expected.
Now the tricky bits. First, I mentioned the headset alone (without the amplifier) has that 3.5mm connector. This means you can actually just plug them straight into any device that supports (and powers) that sort of connection. For example, you can plug it into most smartphones. The great thing is that you can finally take "serious" headphones and use them on a mobile device. You can supposedly use it on a PS Vita and "many mobile devices" so it could be really solid with portable game devices. I just don't have any so I can't vouch for that.
That said, when I tried to use that dedicated connector cable to plug my iPhone 3GS in so I could switch between that and my PC, there was a huge amount of distortion and noise. At first I thought maybe it was a bad connection but twisting the cable in the port did nothing. Maybe the cable's bad but I doubt it. When I set the volume for that port to max, I can hear the same distortion just faintly. Maybe this is a defective unit, or maybe it just doesn't work with my dated phone. Either way, I'd suggest caution if that's the main reason you're buying this. I haven't had a chance to try their tech support so it's entirely possible there's a fix.
Second, if you're not used to this sort of amp-on-the-cable setup, you might be annoyed by it. When I used to run with my older headsets, this used to frustrate me. There's enough cable to sort of try different configurations and all but in the end, I usually end up with the amplifier box dangling from my leg (if I let it dangle completely loose, it'll catch on the edge of my chair every time I bend down a bit). Not a deal breaker necessarily but for some people it might be annoying enough to stay away.
Lastly, the price. Lately, it seems like gaming headsets have been shooting for the moon in terms of pricing. When there's a sense of craftsmanship, I can appreciate a higher price. That Razer Megalodon I bought while trying to find alternatives to the epic failure of the Z6A sets is simulated surround and sometimes sounds like I'm in the middle of very large metal container. Even so, the headset itself is solid. Metal frame, nice cups, braided cable and a ridiculously big amp box but it's miles away from the headset so you can actually rest it on a desk and still have enough cable to sit back. This product is $90 retail. It's nicely constructed (not a lot of obvious weak points like the the HPA2 had) but it feels flimsy. I'd understand the price if we were talking multiple drivers and some sort of surround sound setup. But you're getting normal stereo sound. These should be half the price. That Rosewill headset I mentioned earlier? $70 retail (more like $45 here on Amazon at the time I'm writing this) and it's got 5.1 surround sound with dedicated speakers for each channel...not simulated sound from two main speakers. The Razor equivalent (theirs is 7.1) is something like $140 but again you're getting full surround sound in a solid headset (assuming they make them like the Megalodon). It just doesn't seem like a worthy purchase from that point alone.
To sum up, these headphones are nice and get the job done while adding interesting features (and at least one saving feature!). Despite that, for the price, I think they're not worth it yet. Maybe if the price swings south a bit more (more like half), then they could be a great set you could use whether you're on a PC or on an Xbox. I like that they support Macs since I've got a Mac laptop for traveling and work. But, in the end, the extra features don't justify the price. Plus, with Turtle Beach's history with flimsy headsets despite good sound quality, I'd be worried about investing $90 in a headset that might not survive more than a year. Time will tell but even if they last, for $90 I can buy two 5.1 surround sound headsets (the Rosewill's are great despite a lack of name recognition in the gaming community) or save up $40-70 more and grab a Razor Megalodon or the Tiamat 7.1 surround sound set.
Honest reviews on Turtle Beach Ear Force Z22 Amplified PC Gaming Headset (TBS-6052-01)
Not bad, nice features but the audio quality is a little less than I'm typically used to. Frequency range seems narrower than advertised and the drivers are easily overloaded. certainly won't be replacing my studio quality monitors but these will work fine for on the go.Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Turtle Beach Ear Force Z22 Amplified PC Gaming Headset (TBS-6052-01)
Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program A good gaming headset needs the ability to be customized by a gamer's demanding requirements, which may include support for separately adjustable play sound volume and chat sound volume (of other players). The Turtle Beach Ear Force Z22, like other gaming headsets, implements this by using the USB connection for play volume control and the analog 3.5 mm audio connector for chat volume control. These two functions account for two of the five thumb wheels located on the in-line amplifier box. There is also a monitored variable microphone control wheel which allows you to change the volume of sound that the other parties will hear you. And then there are thumb wheels for treble and bass that you can tailor to your liking. Lastly, there is a microphone switch which you can set at Mic On High, Mic On Low, Mic Mute, and Phone Call Mode.While this headset is primarily intended for use on a PC gaming hardware, it can also be used with a mobile gaming device with or without using the in-line amplifier. It must be noted that in amplified mode, there needs to be a USB power source.
The Turtle Beach Ear force Z22 produces very good sound for gaming and I like its ability to be customized for different user preferences and gaming requirements.
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