Psyko Audio finally ships outre 5.1 surround sound headset
By Darren Murph 
posted April 23rd 2010 8:16AM
posted April 23rd 2010 8:16AM
Update: So, we found out that these have been slipping out in limited quantities since last August to those who pre-ordered, but the flood gates have just now opened up.
Psyko Audio Labs Announces the Immediate Availability of Psyko 5.1 PC Gaming Headset System to USA and Canada
Revolutionary PsykoWave 5.1 surround sound technology delivers a new layer of gaming immersion with precise 3D sound, instant positional awareness, and improved reaction times and kill ratios
Psyko ushers in the Dawn of Audio as a Weapon
Calgary, Alberta – April 22, 2010 – Psyko Audio Labs Inc., a leading innovator in PC Gaming headphone technology, is ecstatic to unleash the dawn of audio as a weapon through the immediate availability of the highly anticipated Psyko 5.1 PC Gaming Headset System to USA and Canada. Psyko's patented PsykoWave Technology empowers PC Gamers with an unfair advantage over the competition through precise 3D sound that drastically heightens awareness of your gaming surroundings. Players can instantly identify and locate every gun shot, footstep, and explosion allowing for faster reaction times, higher player performance, and the most immersive gaming experience to date.
"Psyko 5.1 completely rethinks conventional headphone design and puts PC gamers directly in the sweet spot of a 5.1 room" remarks James Hildebrandt, CEO of Psyko Audio Labs. "You get natural surround sound with no latency, no simulation, and no hassles. This technology will completely shift the current landscape of gaming audio and usher in a new era of fully immersive gaming where audio is now a deadly weapon."
The Psyko 5.1 PC Gaming Headset System is now available for $299.99 in the USA and Canada at major online stores such as Tigerdirect, Newegg, CompSouce, and more, as well as in retail shops such as Frys Electronics. For additional information and a brief video demonstration, go to http://www.psykoaudio.com/
PsykoWave Technology – Psyko headphones deliver true 5.1 sound from 5 speakers strategically placed in the headband. The sound is channeled and flows to each ear in a natural way which allows everyone to enjoy true 5.1 sound.
* The headphone bridge houses 5 audio speakers (front left, center, front right, rear left and rear right) with a subwoofer in each ear cup for a total of 7 speakers.
* Sounds from each speaker carry throughout the Wave guides to pass over the front and back of both ears, giving users natural, not simulated, surround sound. For a demonstrational video on how this works, click HERE.
* Precise Simplicity - 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, the 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 often hear directional sound more accurately wearing the Psyko 5.1 headphones than they do 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.
* Psykowave Custom Sound Control – The Psyko 5.1 PC headphone amplifier allows control of the volume and bass levels as well as being the first headphone system to have lights that provide a visual indication of the direction of every sound. These amplifier lights provide a simple way to see if your computer is in stereo mode or using the full 5.1 surround sound mode.
* Removable Microphone - Psyko 5.1 comes with a removable microphone.
Besides the mic I wouldn't consider these much worse than any unstylish big cups, and they could look quite good with a red shirt. Of course, when all of the tops you wear for a week straight are red some people might start asking, "what's up with you and red?"
@juanvaldez
can i transform if i wear these?
@juanvaldez Isn't the point of headphones to be able to listen to stuff without anyone else being able to? This doesn't seem to be the case here! Enlighten me please if I'm wrong.
I could see the host of Nickelodeon's slime show wearing this... thats about it.
If it gives me an advantage over those squeaky 13 year old's then it is worth it. Although I do love my Tritton AX 180's even though there 2.1. Nothing else give me more satisfaction than pwning 13 year old's that talk it up when playing games thinking there the best.
But I don't have 5,1 ears, I only have the two!
@PrezBO Headphones can provide spatial information from two ears, your brain interprets the information coming from your two ears. I'm not an expert but read up on HRTF (head-related transfer function).
@PrezBO
Its the same thing as a 5.1 speaker system, only more compact.
@Spideralex90 Some of these are jokes, BTW.
@PrezBO
don't worry Prez. I noticed the joke- I laughed. It was also funny when they tried to explain how 5.1 would work. Funny.
stopped caring the instant i came across "$299".
@carg0
No kidding, I'm having a hard time laying down the money for an $80-$100 pair, let alone $300.
I dunno, I consider $100 pretty much the bare minimum for "good" headphones, and while I'm not sure that some $500 models would be $400 better than my MDR-7506s, if there's seven good-quality drivers in these headphones I could definitely see them being worth $300... everything I've read says that the surround-sound effect works really well, though I haven't had the privilege of trying them myself yet.
BTW in case you're wondering, there's a "subwoofer" driver in each earpiece, plus the five in the headband that correspond to the five speakers in the 5.1 surround sound setup. So seven total.
This is the stuff that burns holes in my pockets.
They actually look pretty awesome to me.
Only 15 pounds! (neck snaps)
Where is the chin strap to hold them on your head?
No thanks, I will, they are not bulky enough for me!!
It seem like a true surround sound headphone would require an additional attachment for the base of ones balls?...
Not a really big deal I have had a pair of Sony MDR-RF7100 wireless 7.1 channel headphones for a year now.
Well, 5 driver headphones haven't done well so far, most informed people (in the sense they've tried the options) seem to prefer a some of virtualization technology (Dolby Headphone, Yamaha's Silent Cinema etc...) with a good pair of stereo headphones for gaming.
Let's see if this changes things.
Surround sound headphones are gimmicky nonsense. Instead of 2 high quality drivers, they cram some 7 cheap, inferior drivers. There's a very good reason no reputable headphone manufacturer like Sennheiser, Beyer-Dynamic or AKG has released these kinds of headphones.
Software or hardware simulated surround sound is a far better alternative and does a great job, in positioning and simulating space. The best thing you can do to improve immersion with headphones is combine that with a pair that has a large soundstage, rather that bother with nonsense like this.
@Ephemeral Close, but not quite. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you... the Sennheiser Surronder:
http://www.soundstagelive.com/shows/hifi1999/pics_may13/sennheiser_surrounder.jpg
It was real! But no mass production ... guess why.
@Ephemeral
Agreed. 2 good-quality drivers with good reproduction and wide dynamic range will trump any 'surround' gimmicks.
All you need now is two orange pop sickles and you can sucker airplanes to land right in the middle of a downtown area or on a quiet neighborhood block.
What public humiliation? I think this looks awesome. But I don't game online. I'd like to buy one for music though... do they come without the mic?
@singh2005 Most music usually comes in two channels, so why spend money on five drivers? There's lots of great stereo headphones for $200-300 from the usual suspects (Audio Technica, Beyerdynamic has a new model coming, some Sennheisers etc...).
@singh2005
Using these for music would be overkill, you'd probably have to spend some time to get software music players (I think it's easier in winamp these days) to even play 2-channel audio in 5 channels. You won't get a surround experience with these and even if you listen to a lot of live concerts in 5.1 DVD sound, you'd be better off with a good sound system.
had these for awhile now and they are pretty good when gaming(fps), good at watching movies, but not so much for listening to music. I have a pair of moded ahd2000 for that :D
Thankfully one can use these in the privacy of their own home without fear of humiliation.
For those that didn't read about the headphones, they are very, very different than any other headphones you have worn before. The drivers (the things that make sound) are actually in the top of the head band. The sound reflects down the hollow arms that hold the ear cups in place.
I don't know if they're any good, but you should know that they are very, very different. I hope they work well. I don't have $300 for another set of $300 headphones. >.>
@Smurf I really appreciate the sane and well informed post. Thanks.
Extremely ugly
I tried these out and met the design team at CES 2010. I'm really impressed with them and can't wait until they drop to a more reasonable price. You can try to win them on Karmaback: http://karmaback.com/.
I think he was just talking about how these look, not sharing music with others.
Awesome. Earphones for people on the short bus.
Looks to me like a very bad attempt trying to share the look and success of Astro Gaming headsets. Autobots, transform!!!
@ridiculoid Does the Astro use virtualization - Dolby Headphone setting 2 on the Mixamp?
what more expensive than these http://dja.me/9HrmEv ???
A friend of mine has had these for more than half a year so I doubt these just started shipping.
So are these any better then the Logitech G-35s?
Sounds like basically the same headset, except that the Logitech are... well, they're logitech, and the g35 looks a thousand times better...
@Highfall
G35's are "Virtual Surround" these headphones have the actual extra speakers needed to produce 5.1.
The main advantage of having extra speakers is the individual volume control. (I don't know if these have that) In games you can ramp up the rear speakers so you can hear people sneaking up on you while sniping etc.
I've had a pair of these since last August. They work well but to get the 5.1 effect you need to disable the subs. Either way the sound quality is not great. They are meant solely for positional sound in FPS games - that's it.
I bet Insane Clown Posse sounds great in these.
the headset is so cool. we also have many kinds here:
http://www.wholesaleinc.net/Wholesale-earbud-headphones_c212
I love the design and concept. It truly is amazing. I would love to pick up a pair, but the price is just so drastically off.
They retail for $299. They should be about $160
I'm actually going to build a pair of my own.