Novac's Dolby Digital 5.1 headphones put surround sound on your dome

There's nothing quite like shoving six speakers over your ears, and while bulky these cans may be, it's still an awful lot smaller than a full home theater rig. While Wave-on just unveiled its own rendition of surround sound 'phones, Novac's upping the ante quite literally by offering up two pairs of Dolby-loving units. The Champion (HP-850XB) model rocks the more common headphones-plus-decoder-box setup, as the standalone unit accepts 3.5-millimeter stereo and coaxial / optical digital inputs, and channels the tones through a G9 connector where it hits your head. The headphones themselves sport both cinema and game modes and weigh (an admittedly hefty) 17.6-ounces. The USB-powered counterpart, dubbed Tusnami (HP-850U), was designed for PC use, and uses the internal decoder to deliver that svelte 5.1 goodness. Additionally, it sports a handy microphone for use with VoIP, voice chat, and online karaoke applications. So if you're stuck in a studio apartment, but lust after the luscious surround sound experience, the HP-850XB should run you ¥24,800 ($214), while the USB-friendly HP-850U requires just ¥12,800 ($110).

Read - Novac's HP-850XB headphones
Read - Novac's HP-850U headphones
[Via Impress]

[Andir3.0 @ Dec 12th 2006 10:48AM]

The question is: Are they "Around Ear" or "On Ear"? (I only read English)

Some headset manufacturers make "Around Ear" that sit on your head instead of your ear. I can't stand "On Ear" sets as they usually hurt my ears.

[Dae @ Dec 12th 2006 10:55AM]

just last night i was gaming with the Bose quitecomfort 3 headphones to be careful not to wake my girl and wishing i had 5.1 headphones.

[Isaac @ Dec 12th 2006 11:35AM]

Tusnami?

I'm really glad companies are starting to add mics even to high end headphones. I don't care how weird I look to my roommate, I use Ventrillo with my WoW guild, TeamSpeak with my BF2/FPS clan, and call friends w/Google Chat often enough enough that having a desk-bound mic would be a huge hassle.

Next step: Bluetooth or good wireless headphones w/mic. :)

[scribsac @ Dec 12th 2006 11:58AM]

Looks pretty cool.

Did anyone else find this article difficult to read?

[Stephen @ Dec 12th 2006 12:01PM]

i think the more important question is how do i get a set of these in the good ole US of A? I would totally be up for buying the one with the decoder. Just can't find the darn things anywhere

[EatingPie @ Dec 12th 2006 12:53PM]

I think the biggest question is...

Do they work?

I haven't read reviews of 5.1 headphones in ages, but generally they weren't so hot. How are these.

This ties in directly to Andir3.0's question. If they are NOT Around Ear, they definitely don't work (or are simulated surround).

-Pie

[Dieselstation @ Dec 12th 2006 2:47PM]

I/OMagic has the almost exact same unit for $49. http://www.iomagic.com/Products/show_all_results.asp?ProdID=IHD51

[Andy @ Dec 12th 2006 6:24PM]

I am totally skeptical to these 6-speaker headphones. You don't just need more speakers, you also need the space between them. Dolby headphone is an excellent alternative. I don't know why this hasn't caught on too much yet. Just pop one of those THX setup-enabled DVDs onto PowerDVD, enable Dolby headphone, and be amazed at the sound tests and their directionality.

I haven't read one single review of Dolby headphone that wasn't very favorable. But right now the only ones to make Dolby Headphone decoders are JVC (with very lackluster support) and Creative, which had one outside of the US, but it seems to be discontinued.

These decoders can decode DD 5.1 and DTS through optical input, and then convert to dolby headphone. Additionally, they can convert DPLII signals (like gamecube and PS2 games to 5-channel, as they have DPLII decoders too.) And you can listen to stereo music in DPLII or plain stereo, but with 2-speaker simulation, which places the stereo sound in front of you, not in or near you head.

[tpp @ Dec 12th 2006 6:54PM]

I have a Tritton AX360 dolby surround headset [1]. I use it mainly with my XBox 360, but also with any late night TV (MNF). It's not a replacement for a good surround sound speaker setup, but it works quite well.

The only problem, in terms of surround sound, is that it's hard to distinguish the direction of low volume sounds. Anything that's in normal or loud volume you'll be able to recognise which direction it's coming.

I'm quite happy with the headset. It's a big improvement over the previous situation where I'd have to set the TV volume so low that I couldn't hear anything over my wife's screams of the TV being too loud.

1. http://www.trittontechnologies.com/products/TRIGA600.htm

[Sam @ Dec 12th 2006 8:21PM]

All the 5.1 headphones I've tried in the past have been junk, I doubt these are any different. Save your money, wait for reviews.

[Jotekman @ Dec 13th 2006 2:35AM]

Having bought a set of Ozaki 5.1 headphones with the EXACT same controller box more than 8 months ago, and having seen 2 other 5.1 headphone "kits" (box + headphones) here in Eastern Europe, just to let you know that the only difference is in the cans, although all of them have the microphone included. The biggest problem that I have had with them is that electrical interference is picked up VERY easily by the box (2.4gHz and cell phone) and I actually had to cover it with a custom made aluminum metal enclosure to get rid of it (you can't take things back here... sigh...). They are not worth it. I had a pair of Zalman's, but decided to upgrade because the foam around the cans was getting ragged, and I should have just bought another pair. Live and learn....