Turtle Beach keeps series alive with Ear Force X4 wireless headphones
By Darren Murph 
posted July 8th 2008 6:27AM
posted July 8th 2008 6:27AM
[Via IGN]
posted July 8th 2008 6:27AM
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So... do these cans bring the game and chat audio together? How does that work?
Ahh... I see, you have to plug them into your controller... that's inconvenient...
Yes, you hear game audio and Xbox Live audio. Also, it is not 'inconvenient' to plug it into a controller. The controller is wireless (or should be, cheapos), and you don't notice the cord at all. Unless you're a giraffe or something.
Cordless phones... that require you to be corded.
It's beautiful, why didn't I think of that..
These cans have nothing on Sennheiser PC350 and if you are really serious about good sound in the 200-250 range, AKG K-701's won't be beat.
Wow you're an idiot CAPS LOCK! Neither of those headphones are wireless and neither let you voice chat on the 360! RTFA you damn fanboy.
That particular model of Sennheisers are crap. My gaming setup for live is basically a pair of Beyerdynamic DT880's (basically the same sound as the aforementioned AKG's, but more comfortable and less bulky) with the live mic sitting around my neck and infront of my mouth. Ideal? No, but better sound quality than you are ever going to get from a pair of Turtle Beach headphones. (For 200 I'd suggest the Sennheiser 595's. DT880's will run you about 300 out there in internets land). The idea of surround sound headphones is still insane to me. The ear simply doesn't perceive sound like that, and unless you add delay times, and echo, etc, it's never going to sound like it's really 5.1. A good pair of Sennheisers/AKG's/Beyerdynamics/Grado's etc will give you better soundstage and audio reproduction than 5 cheap, tiny speakers next to your ear could ever hope to. (Don't get Senns if you are an FPS junkie BTW. Almost no bass)
One final note (I know this has gone long). Does the design of these headphones remind any other headphone junkies of Ultrasone? These things scream Ultrasone to me.
too expensive...
I always wanted to try one of these out but the price was always so high. Hopefully this will lower the price of the X3 headset.
High price? The price of these things is far too low, it makes me doubt the quality.
The EarForce X4 has a price point of $199 because Turtle Beach had to bring it in below the Astro A40--which is $250.
Jesus CHRIST! And I thought the X3 was ugly...
FYI, don't bother with these. Mine came slightly broken and TB refused to do anything about it. They're too bulky, expensive, and unsightly anyway.
Whoops, I have an X2. 'Scuse the error.
is still alive Turtle beach?
yes, is still alive
So these have to be plugged into the controller, right? That doesn't bother me at all, but does it work the same way on the X2/X3's, or do those have to be plugged into the 360's USB port?
Also, where's the mute button on these things?
Vcise--
Yes, they have to be plugged into the controller IF you want to use chat--same as the X2/X3. The mute button is on the "puck" that connects into the Xbox controller. It's not pictured above, but you can see it here: http://www.turtlebeach.com/products/efx4/details.aspx
Vcise--
Yes, they have to be plugged into the controller IF you want to use chat--same as the X2/X3. The mute button is on the "puck" that connects into the Xbox controller. It's not pictured above, but you can see it here: http://www.turtlebeach.com/products/efx4/details.aspx
And no, you do not have to plug them into the USB due to the fact that they are a WIRELESS headset. The EarForce X1 is Turtle Beach's only wired headset at the moment.
ShadowKain--
The X4 is WAY better than the previous models--though there was really nothing wrong with the X3. Some people say that they experienced "hissing" sound, but that's almost always due to the fact that they either had low batteries (which weren't alkaline to start off with) or had the transmitter way too close to a plasma monitor (which gives off quite a bit of IR). By using the correct type of batteries and moving the X3 transmitter to a more suitable position, the mysterious "hissing" problem magically disappears!
As far as Logitech is concerned, they do not make their own products nor do they have ANYTHING that's even remotely in the league of the X4--or even X3 for that matter. SERIOUS GAMERS do not use Logitech. Casual ones might.
Sorry to be contrary (not really - I like to be contrary) I have an X3 that hisses, and I don't have a plasma TV and use fresh batteries.
Of course, I'll take the hissing any day over the X2 I had, since you can't adjust the game chat volume separately from the game sound volume on that model.
Shadowise--
Unfortunately, Xbox did not make their controller with wireless chat--which is why the X4 has to be plugged into the controller. It's not inconvenient at all to game with a single cord connecting the headset to the controller. You're still WIRELESS in between the console/TV and your couch.
Nietzche--
Same answer as above. The main concern is not having any wires running across your game room.
I LOVE THE CAPS LOCK KEY--
Neither the Sennheiser PC350 nor AKG K-701 are wireless. You're not comparing apples-to-apples. Also, the K-701 is in the $400+ range, not $200 range. Either way, neither will provide Dolby surround sound, so the EarForce X4 is quite a bit more convenient!
HunterX1--
Serious gamers and audiophiles acknowledge the fact that excellent sound goes hand-in-hand with larger ear cups. At least the X3 or X4 match the Xbox 360 color-wise--and aren't some random color like puke green or rotten orange. (Like some other manufacturer's headsets).
As for your X2's being "slightly broken" and Turtle Beach not doing anything about it, I find that hard to believe due to the fact that Turtle Beach is a well-respected company in the gaming industry. Would Microsoft even bother with Turtle Beach if they weren't satisfied with the product? Either way, the X2 was known to be problematic because Turtle Beach did not design them in-house like the X3 and X4 were. The X2 was discontinued very quickly and replaced by the X3 shortly thereafter--which was/is VERY popular.
Seems like you know your stuff so let me ask you this.
Which Of these or others are Great for Gaming on Xbox 360 Plus good for Just watching TV or a DVD. I would love to watch Play Xbox 360 and watch TV with Dolby Digital Souround sound with out waking up my Wife. So any info would be greatly appreciated
That's alot of clams for one headset. Hopefully this unit is better than the X2 and X3 that preceeded it, I usually go for Logitech when I think of buying an X series made by Slow Turtle Beach Bomb. Hmm...
So what if you have to have to have it plugged into your controller? Your controller is in you hands and is wireless so there still are no cables from across the 10' to your system. For me; I play at my desk so the big mess of cables would be a huge pain.
Sure there are other headphones that have better sound. But can you show me any that are wireless and include voice chat? Now try to find surround sound ones. There are none.
To Vcize: No these do not have to be plugged into your USB port like the X1s. They use batteries in the ear cups and the mute is on the puck just like on the official MS headset.
How do these qualify as surround sound headphones? I can't find anything on their site that shows or states that there are multiple speakers in the the cans. Just a single 50mm diameter speaker with neodymium magnets.
Can someone suggest a similar product for my PS3? Possibly bluetooth with no wires at all?
@SPBTool
Surround sound headphones don't really have true surround sound. You can get faked surround sound in any normal pair of headphones.
http://www.dolby.com/consumer/technology/headphone.html
SBPTool--
In short, the X4's digital signal processor splits the Dolby Digital audio from the Xbox 360 into 5.1 channels and then combines the individual channels into a special type of stereo signal that mimics the way your ears hear natural sound. This is how the X4 creates TRUE 5.1 surround sound in stereo headphones.
PS: IN CASE ANYONE WAS WONDERING...yes, I work for Turtle Beach. Just figured I'd patrol the 'net today to answer questions such as the ones brought up here.
In the same way the MacBook displays create TRUE millions of colours, right?
I wonder if these wireless headphones don't have that annoying automatic turning off if it thinks there isn't a signal (most wireless headphones have a base which stops transmitting if it thinks there hasn't been any sound for a while, but don't have a setting to just ignore it and always keep transmitting) there is nothing more annoying than having a headphone make a big skreek because the base thinks there is no sound and stops transmitting, damn you fooldesigners for not thinking about the fact that it is possible to have a silence for a few moments..
My X2s do that but I never get the loud static sound. The headphones them selves turn off before the base unit. But even when turning the cans on first I do not get that static. It may be due to the use of IR and not RF.
Thanks Leospark and ItaliaTib2k3.
That demo on Dolby's site was helpful and I bet it works much better with a real DSP and not emulating it over the net. I have read a few things real quick that sound like this method actually sounds better than the headsets with multiple speakers.
You guys are all morons.
If you wanted a wireless AUDIO (Game sound) and a wireless VOICE (Bluetooth) completely hands free headset it would be at least $300 or more. You are all complaining about the $199 price tag when the Jawbone Bluetooth earpiece is $150 by itself just for phone usage. Reading your posts have been extremely painful because none of you have any idea of the cost it would take to make what you want.
These headsets are for the SERIOUS gamers, so go use your Microsoft $20 piece of crap and be quiet.
My cousin bought this.
I listened to it.
I am going out this weekend to buy my own... it is that amazing.
When I put them on he started up COD4. I told him to turn off the room stereo speakers because I cannot hear the headphones. He smiled and asked me to take off the headphones. The room speakers where not even on. The headphones made it sound like I was sitting in the middle of a room with surround sound. I was blown away.
I know I can make this work with my Ps3. My question is, is how do I get the mic to work with the ps3 also? I stumbled on an article a while ago before I got these, saying with a usb sound card it could work....but I cant find it now no matter how hard I look. Can someone explain to me this fix?