Turtle Beach expands its wireless headset lineup, intros XP400 with adjustable surround sound, stereo XP300

If you'll recall, along with its pre-CES unveiling of new gaming and lifestyle headsets, Turtle Beach promised a bigger "surprise announcement" for day one of the show here in Vegas. Well, it's just spilled the beans on an impressive new duo of Xbox-oriented (and PlayStation compatible) Ear Force wireless gaming headsets. Meet the XP400 with Dolby 5.1 virtual surround sound and the identical, but stereo, XP300. We're told that they're essentially the younger siblings of the company's PX5-rooted XP500, featuring a similar design with totally wireless connection to the Xbox 360 (thanks to TB's Xbox Chat Adapter), and a dual-pairing Bluetooth radio for taking calls while gaming. Furthermore, both headsets actually improve upon the XP500's, in a few key areas including: better button placement on the earcups, a new 2.4/5GHz dual-band WiFi 2.4GHz transmitter to avoid interference from nearby wireless devices and an included 15-hour rechargeable battery so you won't be hunting for AAAs.

While both headsets feature customizable EQs, the XP400 steps things up from the XP300 with tweakable Dolby 5.1 simulated surround sound, thanks to some special work on Turtle Beach's end. Notably, it's the first headset from Turtle with the ability, dubbed "adjustable surround sound angles," and it means you'll now be able to customize the placement of the virtual speakers to your preference, rather than being stuck to Dolby Headphone's usual preset parameters. Both headsets will be available in earlier 2012, with the XP400 priced at $220 and the XP300 at 50 bucks less. If you'd like the full rundown of specs and features, you'd best check out the press release we've kindly embedded just past the break.

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CES 2012: TURTLE BEACH ANNOUNCES EAR FORCE® XP400 AND
EAR FORCE® XP300 FULLY WIRELESS, PREMIUM GAMING HEADSETS

Fully-Wireless Bluetooth Chat and Reduced Interference via Integrated Dual Band Wi-Fi Technology, Deliver Premium Performance for Xbox 360

Elmsford, NY, January 10, 2011 – Turtle Beach, the market leading pioneers of the console gaming headset category, today announced the introduction of the feature-packed Ear Force XP400 and XP300 premium wireless gaming headsets. Optimized for wireless game audio and chat on Xbox 360® (and also compatible with PlayStation 3®), these headsets debut 2.4/5GHz dual-band Wi-Fi RF wireless technology that virtually eliminates interference with wireless networks in the home. The XP400 and XP300 can be seen along with the full offering of Turtle Beach products at the Las Vegas Convention Center, South Hall 1 – Booth #21327, during the International Consumer Electronics Show from January 10 to 13, 2012.

The Ear Force XP400 and XP300 bring the wireless Bluetooth chat of the acclaimed XP500 headset, add the ease of rechargeable batteries and introduce premium features that once again push the limits of gaming headset technology. With the exclusive introduction of groundbreaking 2.4/5GHz dual-band WiFi technology, these new headsets avoid the crowded 2.4GHz band used by wireless networks, phones and other devices in the home to deliver interference-free game audio. By automatically switching between the 2.4 and 5.0MHzbands and working within the WiFi specification, the XP400/XP300 headsets navigate around other radio signals and coexist within the same spectrum as wireless networks, delivering optimum signal performance.

"Interference from common 2.4 MHz wireless devices like game consoles, routers, telephones and other gadgets is now a thing of the past with these new headsets." said Michael Arzt, VP of Marketing and Business Development at Turtle Beach. "Not only have we jumped to the 5GHz spectrum, completely avoiding the crowded 2.4GHz band, we've also adopted the Wi-Fi specification so our headsets can coexist within the wireless-LAN spectrum rather than search for free space around WLAN signals. Adding dual-pairing Bluetooth chat from the XP500 and a rechargeable battery makes these headsets perfect for Xbox 360 owners who want premium performance and convenience."

Equally noteworthy, the Ear Force XP400 also introduces Turtle Beach's new post-processing system for Dolby® Surround Sound. This technology allows for fully adjustable speaker angles that enable a user to change the positions of the virtual 5.1 speakers by selecting between six different speaker angle settings to optimize the surround sound effect. Now even more gamers can hear subtle directional details on the battlefield with 360 degree accuracy, from enemy footsteps to weapon reloads.

The Ear Force XP300 is a stereo headset that includes the same 2.4/5GHz dual-band Wi-Fi game audio, Bluetooth chat and rechargeable battery at a lower price. XP300 owners can eventually upgrade to the same Dolby Surround Sound technology of the XP400 by adding the new Ear Force DSS2 Dolby Surround Sound Processor, also introduced at the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show.

Ear Force XP400 Wireless Dolby ®Surround Sound Gaming Headset
Key Details:

• Dolby® Surround Sound: Immersive 360 degree audio lets you pinpoint the direction of every sound
• Adjustable Surround Sound Angles: Alter the positioning of the surround sound angles for the best audio experience for every gamer
• 2.4/5GHz dual-band Wi-Fi Wireless Digital Game Sound: Uncompressed digital RF audio signal delivers CD-quality sound by auto-selecting the optimum frequency in the 2.4GHz/5GHz spectrums.
• Wi-Fi Friendly: Easily coexists with wireless networks and WiFi devices
• Dual-Pairing Bluetooth: Chat wirelessly on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 and answer mobile phone calls while gaming
• Rechargeable Lithium Polymer Battery: Provides up to 15 hours of uninterrupted gameplay and can be recharged while gaming
• Equalizer (EQ) Presets: Multiple EQ presets include the bass, treble and midrange boost combinations
• Blast Limiter: Reduces the effect of loud game sounds so you can turn up softer sounds.
• Digital Optical Connection: Delivers the highest quality of digital surround sound
• Dynamic Chat Boost: Chat volume automatically increases as the game volume gets louder
• Variable Microphone Monitor: Hear your voice in the headset while speaking and adjust the level.
• MSRP: $219.95
• Available: Q1 2012

Ear Force XP300 Wireless Amplified Stereo Gaming Headset
Key Details:

• 2.4/5GHz dual-band Wi-Fi Wireless Digital Game Sound: Uncompressed digital RF audio signal delivers CD-quality sound by auto-selecting the optimum frequency in the 2.4GHz/5GHz spectrums.
• Wi-Fi Friendly: Easily coexists with wireless networks and Wi-Fi devices
• Dual-Pairing Bluetooth: Chat wirelessly on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 and answer mobile phone calls while gaming
• Rechargeable Lithium Polymer Battery: Provides up to 15 hours of uninterrupted gameplay and can be recharged while gaming
•
• Equalizer (EQ) Presets: Multiple EQ presets include the bass and treble boost combinations
• Sound Field Expander Presets: Boosts the level of sounds on the left and right sides while lowering sounds in the center.
• Dynamic Chat Boost: Chat volume automatically increases as the game volume gets louder
• Microphone Monitor: Hear your voice in the headset while speaking and adjust the level.
• Auxiliary Input: Listen to your favorite songs while gaming by attaching an MP3 player to the XP300 transmitter along with the game audio.
• MSRP: $ 169.95
• Available: Q1 2012

For more information, please visit www.turtlebeach.com.