Psyko Audio's 5.1 surround sound headphones actually look psycho
Psyko Audio Labs Unleashes a Quantum Leap in Surround Sound Headphone Design
Psyko Receives "Best of Innovations Award" for CES 2009 – On Display at Booth # 25519
Calgary, Alberta – January 5th, 2009 - Psyko Audio Labs Inc., a leading innovator in PC Gaming headphone technology, got a big nod from the 2009 Consumer Electronics Show. Organizers awarded the Psyko 5.1 Directional Audio Headphone the CES 2009 Best of Innovations Design and Engineering for the headphone category.
"It's been decades since there was any innovation to headphones' core technology of simply placing a speaker at each ear" remarks James Hildebrandt, CEO of Psyko Audio Labs. "Essentially, all other headphone designs deliver left sounds into your left ear and right sounds into your right ear. We offer a fundamental break from this limiting paradigm. We accurately position each speaker in the headphone bridge and then, using our patent pending Psyko Waveguide Technology, we deliver every sound to both ears, with the correct timing, volume variations, and front and back flow directions found in a natural 3D sound field."
Considered a revolution in headphone technology, Psyko 5.1 Surround Sound Headphones offer gamers an experience that transcends normal surround sound. They deliver the equivalent of "A Perfect Room", to give you the best audio experience. The perfect room is the highest goal for headphones or room systems.
A perfect room is quite difficult to setup in real life; requiring perfect speaker placement, as well as sound absorbing and defusing surfaces to control things like echoes and dead zones common to most room setups. Even then, the resulting sweet spot is small. Psyko 5.1 headphones are acoustically accurate, placing a gamer right in the audio sweet spot where everything sounds perfectly tuned.
Psyko 5.1's Directional Audio unique Features and Benefits include...
* PsykoWave Technology – Psyko 5.1 gaming headphones work the same way a 5.1 room system does. Every sound is delivered to both ears with the correct direction, timing and volume difference between each ear.
* The headphone bridge houses 5 audio drivers (front left, center and right) and (rear left and right) with a subwoofer in each ear cup.
* Sounds from each driver carry throughout the PyskoWave guides to pass over the front and back of both ears, giving users natural, not simulated, surround sound.
* Simple and Accurate - Another significant advantage to gamers is the simplicity and accuracy of speaker setup. Rather than the normal compromises in speaker positioning typical to 5.1 room systems, all our speakers are in exactly the right spot automatically. You literally just put them on and you are in the optimal "sweet spot" of the 5.1 surround sound experience. Gamers will likely hear directional sound more accurately wearing the Psyko 5.1 headphones than they will with their 5.1 room system.
* Optimal Comfort– Psyko 5.1 gives the user control to either block outside sounds, or open the ear cup to vent their ears for cooling and to hear conversation in the room during game play. The headset is fully adjustable and provides maximum cushioning using fabric rather than faux leather or vinyl which gets slippery and itchy with sweat. Marathon gaming sessions have never been so comfortable.
* Personalization – An amplifier lets gamers customize volume and bass levels.
Psyko is pleased to have received the CES Innovations Award in the field of Headphones from the Consumer Electronics Association. According to CES, "The Innovations Design and Engineering Awards program recognizes the most innovative consumer electronics (CE) products in the industry's hottest product categories. Innovations has become a hallmark for the best designed products in consumer technology."
Psyko 5.1 will be available for $299.99 in early 2009 and will be compatible with both PCs and Macs. For additional information, go to http://www.psykoaudio.com/
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
ZE0 @ Jan 6th 2009 7:24AM
Anyone think it's actually cool?
absinthe party @ Jan 6th 2009 7:28AM
I do, unfortunately. It looks like something you'd wear while playing Ultramega Laserball circa 2055. The future looks friggin' sweet.
gaddelyz @ Jan 6th 2009 7:40AM
Well...actually I do too!...and I can't think of a single second that this type of products is worthless.(well...of course given that it can really deliver what it claims.)
for me...(and I believe for a lot others as well)....simply do not have a perfect theater room in my own house like those multi-millions homes features on HGTV......I need something that is compact and relatively clutter-free so that I can enjoy a good quality surround sound anytime I want....
Well...with that being said....I wish this head-set really deliver what it claims. *sign*...if it is wireless...it is PERFECT!
Anyone knows how to connect this to the pc or mac?
Does it requires a HUGE power transformer like some other brand?
Thanks
Flashpoint @ Jan 6th 2009 8:31AM
Z
These things might be called Psycho cause they look just like the Crysis nanosuit design worn by Psycho.
Hackettman @ Jan 6th 2009 9:51AM
I think they look kinda nice and like they could actually be surround sound..... Most headphones that boast kinda dont have the look like they can walk the walk.......
I want mine complete with beer holders and a straw.......
Rick @ Jan 6th 2009 10:02AM
I think they look cool as hell too. Now are they comfortable and worth the coinage remains to be seen. Er, heard.
Agent .25i @ Jan 6th 2009 10:16AM
Jesus-jumped-up-Christ Gaddelys!
Are you blind? Do you receive these posts as Braille?
If you looked at the pic, you would see there is a wire. ANY good piece of gaming equipment has a wire. End of story.
Also there is a built in AMP. So a huge external power source is not there. For your connection woes, here's a 3 step guide.
1. plug them into your computer 3.5mm 5.1 jacks
2. set your computer to 5.1 speakers
3. put them on
If you want "perfect surround sound" you will never ever get them from headphones. No matter how many speakers are in them.
These may produce a virtual surround sound, but will never compare to an actual speaker set up with air/distance between you and the speakers and a proper processing unit.
These ones however have a neat set up. You have the 2 subs, visable in pic at the ears. Then on top, you have the 5 speakers in that rectangle that says "psyko". You have the center in the middle front, the front left and front right are on either side of rectangle at the front, and the two rear channels (left and right) are at the back of the rectangle. Using waveform guides they channel the sound into the ear enclosures. So a sound from behind will channel into the rear of the ear cups, while a front sound will channel through to the front of the ear cup. Also the sides of the cups are removable as a result of the enclosure not needing to be sealed. Will be nice to have, it'll keep the sweat from forming under the ear cups. Ewww.
On a final note... Whats with all the closet case geeks? -150 points to social cred? WTF is that?!? If that's an issue for you, you need to change your social circles. I get a kick out of all you that surround yourselves with people that will "make fun" of you, or "mock" you; and the "you'll never get a girlfriend with that on your desk" type comments are sad. Sad because you should never worry about these things from true friends, or true love.
gaddelyz @ Jan 6th 2009 5:28PM
@Agent .25 - please don't flame others if you are not sure. Well...as you bring up the issue of *blindness*....my sight is decent..thanks for asking...tho I am not quite sure about yours....because as I clearly said 'I wish.....*if* it is wireless it is perfect'...I see the wire...so that's why I am saying if it is wireless it is perfect.
I appreciate your detailed info and I know wired device have less latency issue that wireless devices....however, wireless devices exist because it has its value....*like I hate clutters of wire as you probably notice*......plus, wireless headset has less issue than wireless mouse or keyboard because latency is not reli a huge issue.....maybe there is latency or possibly artifacts from digital transforming into wireless signal....but that's I am willing to trade for...it's just me and my love of freedom....and it probably won;t matter to other people because quite frankly you are not walking or going anywhere if you are gaming anyway...i understand that....
With all being said...I wonder why they choose to use 3.5mm jack? Why not use fiber optics input? Is 3.5mm sounds better?
that's weird because optics is like a standard feature in high-end audio equip. and it is just one plug instead of three...plus...if it is optics....I can use the headset with a lot others equip also,,,,oh well...
Agent .25i @ Jan 7th 2009 12:27PM
@ gaddelyz
Sorry about the misunderstanding of what you wrote. My bad.
Adoniteking @ Jan 6th 2009 7:25AM
It should say on the pack:
"+50points to your Nerd Cred...-150points to your social cred but who needs that when you can snipe a noob 15 yards away from your position who hasnt tried, but thought of sneaking up on you"
Adoniteking @ Jan 6th 2009 7:31AM
emphasis on "thought"
absinthe party @ Jan 6th 2009 7:36AM
Yeah, wooo! Partay!
Kris120890 @ Jan 6th 2009 7:42AM
S-T-O-P S-P-A-M-M-I-N-G
Aaron @ Jan 6th 2009 7:50AM
Ahh, Apple fanboys -- the easiest downranking you'll ever be able to give out!
xValentine @ Jan 6th 2009 7:54AM
Wow.
If only I could get an audition to that.
Boards of Canada @ Jan 6th 2009 8:11AM
wow... so lame!
strommsarnac @ Jan 6th 2009 8:14AM
I own the Tritton AXPro set ($170 on the net). They are AWESOME. I use them for both my PC and 360. They will connect directly to analog 5.1 ports and also come with an optical digital module. Two headsets can be connected to that.
The AXPros are pricey, but not as pricey as the Psyko's are listed as. Can't see spending $300 on headphones, no matter how great they are.
Boards of Canada @ Jan 6th 2009 8:15AM
Engadget is not yet geek enough for that kind of stuff. We should pay a week holiday in Akihabara for all the engadget staff!
I think those headphonies would be cooler with a full suit...
Thomas McDonald @ Jan 6th 2009 8:16AM
Reminds me of this thing:
http://www.gamemanx.com/random/konami-laserscope-voice-activated-firing-epic-fail/2008/06/16/
Ryback @ Jan 6th 2009 8:30AM
Does surround sound make a difference in FPS games? Can you hear where Smokers are coming from? I have only tried with stereo headphones.
portwineboy @ Jan 6th 2009 8:56AM
Yes it does, at least in Call of Duty 4/5 on 360 and Left4Dead. On both titles when I've played with my Turtle Beach Earforce X3s I've noticed much better directional sound than my old stereo headphones. My are wireless, so at low volumes there is the annoying IR hiss, but once the game gets going, it's not noticeable.
Shinigami @ Jan 6th 2009 8:59AM
Surround sound makes sense in any FPS game if the game supports surround sound and you have a nice sound card. Though I prefer my 7.1 surround sound system, my X-Fi can do surround sound on my headphones (sounds weird at first but after getting used to it you can tell which direction sound is coming from even in simple non-surround headphones).
dennis @ Jan 6th 2009 11:07AM
I recently got a Tritton AX-Pro headset specifically to play Left4Dead. I'll agree with the others, surround headsets are great for FPS games, including Left4Dead, not by providing a 100% accurate sense of space but by allowing you to turn in different directions and scan for the location of enemies, like the Smokers or Hunters in L4D. I get better details of individual sounds and their relative location than with a moderately priced set of 5.1 speakers. In L4D, before I got the headset, I didn't even know there were sounds of flies in some locations. The microphone is also very useful in L4D, where your character can be incapacitated and unable to communicate with the other characters.
For movies, I would say that 5.1 headsets (at least the ones I have, which are not these in the post) are better than headphones of comparable quality and probably better than a lot of surround speaker set-ups (especially on the PC, not so much home theater where people have real speakers). The Matrix's action scenes are cool with the surround sound headphones, and Wall-E was awesome, for instance ... but in both instances the sounds were heavily designed. More natural sounding scenes didn't blow me away, nor did the surround mix of the Beatles' Love album. So, for whatever that's worth.
BJ is Gooder @ Jan 6th 2009 11:43AM
I agree with most everything here - I just picked up the turtle beach X4's (for $200) which boast '5.1 compatibility'. It's definitely not true surround but can decode the digital 5.1 signal and make games sound pretty great. I don't notice any IR interferance and believe it's actually helped my COD game and made L4D much more enjoyable.
$200 was a bit steep so I can't imagine paying $300 for wired ones. I'd even reccomend getting the turtle beach X3's for $100. I would assume the wireless option is more important for Xbox gamers than it is for our PC counterparts...
dennis @ Jan 6th 2009 7:18PM
Addendum: The Tritton AX-Pro's cost me $170, and I thought that was steep. It has an optical input and a built in decoder, but that doesn't work with PC games. The optical input and digital decoder makes it more compatible with gaming systems and DVD players, but at the cost of having two (2) power supplies and marking up the price. The Creative surround headset is only $50 or so, but it will only work with analog signal.
Getting back to the product highlighted in the post, I wonder how much the built in sub-woofer actually changes the frequency spectrum. Although they sound good, the Tritton AX-Pro's definitely lack in bass, and leaving the surround speakers for the PC on while using the headset actually is a better experience specifically because the subwoofer still adds to the listening experience through floor vibrations, etc. I could easily see running just a subwoofer while using the AX-Pro's just for that reason.
I'm skeptical that a "built in subwoofer" could make a huge difference, but maybe it's enough to justify the cost... which I could only imagine would be by saving you having to buy a separate subwoofer.
Ecks @ Jan 7th 2009 9:05PM
Very yes...
I remember back in Counter-Strike days people would call me out for cheating when really all I was doing was following their footsteps. I had 4.1 back then, and they were speakers, but they help immensely.
stromm @ Jan 6th 2009 8:53AM
Surround in FPS's can make or break a match. But I actually listen to whats going on around me and turn off all music. Even in good old CS1.6, you can hear people moving around behind you, far away gunshots, etc. Only problem is I get people whining that "you must be cheating, there's no way you could have known I was back there". I don't bother telling them that I have 5.1 headphones, I don't want to give away my secret.
portwineboy @ Jan 6th 2009 8:53AM
you need help installing iphone apps? how did you manage to spam a blog then?
Shinigami @ Jan 6th 2009 8:56AM
$300? X-Fi Titanium can get you more for less. IMO.
AndyS @ Jan 6th 2009 10:02AM
Looks like they just connect via analog in 3.5 mm jacks. No optical connection like the Astro A40 ($240) or Tritton AX360 ($80) or AXPros ($170)
Which means it's difficult to use with a console. And if you use your PC with speakers, you have to plug/unplug everything on the back of the box everytime you hook these up, where with an optical connection you could leave both headphone and speakers connected at once and only have to mute the analog
More money, less compatibility and functionality. The sound better be good for the difference, but I think I'd rather have a set with optical in.
Agent .25i @ Jan 6th 2009 10:22AM
2 into 1, 3.5 mm jacks. $1.99 almost everywhere. And who doesnt have a system with at least 2, 3.5 jacks? If you don't, chances are you wouldn't have a system that can support 5.1, thus you would have ZERO use for these.
catapults.music @ Jan 6th 2009 11:21AM
About six months ago, I imported a pair of wireless 7.1 Sony cans from Japan (MDR-RF7000 if I recall correctly). They're expensive, but compared to a receiver/speaker setup, it's a bargain. Also, it's really nice to be able to crank your videogames and movies without annoying/waking anyone. Regarding the effectiveness of the surround, it's killer. The first thing I did when I got them was load up Uncharted on the PS3, stood in front of a waterfall, closed my eyes, and (pathetically) turned around in circles for like 20 minutes listening to everything move around me.
superhobo @ Jan 6th 2009 12:11PM
Thats what I would do too.
Head Psyko @ Jan 6th 2009 2:46PM
Head Psyko from Psyko Audio Labs here.
I'd be glad to answer your questions about the Psyko 5.1 headphones
except this week I'll be pretty busy with showing them at CES.
ii7xredraynex @ Jan 6th 2009 10:18PM
Hey Head Psyko, Id love to be able to demo these headphones if possible. Im very interested in buying a pair and would like to know how they Sound vs. Price. Please get back to me on this =)
Head Psyko @ Jan 16th 2009 2:33PM
Of course the proof is in the hearing.
Sorry you missed hearing it at CES last week.
Here is one of the many positive reviews...
"The result is uncanny, if not quite perfect. I tried a little "Call of Duty" action with the Psykos (gotta love the name), and for once, I had the sense that the screams, gunfire, and explosions were actually coming from behind my head—much better than the gimmicky surround sound I've heard on other headsets"
http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/patterson/32951
Of course I list a positive review, there are lots of them. The only negative comment we've
heard from one review site was that Psyko could use a bit more bass. We know that bass
actually interferes with determining the direction of sound, but we hear the comment
and will work on it. By the way, the amp that we include with the headset allows the user
to adjust the bass level.
We have lots of people tell us their game score goes up by using Psyko headphones because
the directionality of the sound is so precise.
Get more info at our site http://psykoaudio.com/
banterslanter88 @ Jan 6th 2009 6:23PM
go to GenAudio.com for real 4 dimensional stereo solution on the cheap.
saintlunacy @ Jan 7th 2009 12:58AM
Right when I think I can't feel any guiltier than the Astra A40's.............These sadistic sumbishes make me have to put my keyboard back in the dishwasher.
Jarmel @ Jan 12th 2009 8:57PM
@ Head Psyko
I would like you guys to release a comparison between the Astro A-40 and the Turtle Beach's X4 or have some third party group do a comparison. You are charging more than both and I want to be sure that buying another one would be worth it. Right now it seems very interesting however in I just don't know how they are in regards to other headphones.
Aggies @ Feb 5th 2009 1:04PM
Wow, just checked out the Psykos website, and the rear speakers are actually in the headband (top) of the set. They aren't int the cups. And the sound is funneled through down to the cup via waveguides.
Presumably what this does is help the idea of "seperation" that you find in other 5.1 headsets. If all the speakers are in the cup, then there is a very small amount of space separating the front speakers vs the rear. The nature of headset design is that you are limited to where you can put each speaker. Your ear usually can tell that the sounds aren't coming from *that* far apart, and so the positional accuracy is much harder to decipher.
By putting the speakers on the headband (which seems crazy at first), you can help reduce this problem, the speaker no longer has to fit in the can/cup itself, and so the funnelled sound can enter further away (rear sound from the rear of the ear/can). This should then give better seperation as the ears will hear the sounds coming from further apart.
While a funneled design might improve separation, I'd imagine it's at the cost of reduced audio quality. (Hearing the speaker directly beside the ear, vs funneling the sound through a headband. The waveguides are to help this, but it'd be interesting to see how the quality of the audio is affected.
Personally I just got a pair of AXPro's. Sound quality is quite good (not up to audiophile standards, but certainly mid-range and acceptable) and they provide support for both consoles and PC (have a Dolby Digital Decoder). But the separation definitely isn't as good/precise as I'd like.
The Psykos are definitely an interesting concept. However the ability to decode Dolby Digital (console support) would definitely be something I'd want coming from a pair of headphones that cost $300. For just PC gaming via analog 5.1, it's a tad steep.