Ear Force X41 (XBOX LIVE Chat + Wireless Digital RF Game Audio with Dolby Headphone 7.1 Surround Sound)
by Turtle Beach
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Category: Video Games
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Product Summary
Brand: Turtle BeachAudio: German (Subtitled); German (Manual)
Format: CD-ROM
Release Date: 2009-08-25
Platform: Xbox 360
Model: TBS-2170
Color: White
Publisher: Turtle Beach
Product features:
- Dolby 7.1 Surround Sound & Dolby Pro Logic IIx with Digital RF wireless technology (up to 30' range) CD-quality pure-digital sound transmission Digital input ?pass thru? allows the X41 and a home theater system to be connected simultaneously
- Volume control on ear cup Independent game & chat volumes Built-in mic monitoring Mic mute Bass Boost (button on ear cup) Oversized ear cups Fabric mesh ear cushions Removable mic with flexible boom Headset powered by AAA batteries (over 20 hours)
- Transmitter powered by USB (no AC adapter) Includes headphone output on transmitter (second set of headphones can be used simultaneously or in place of X headset) Chat Boost feature automatically increases incoming chat level as game sound increases
- 50mm oversized speakers for deeper bass response
Video Game Reviews of Ear Force X41 (XBOX LIVE Chat + Wireless Digital RF Game Audio with Dolby Headphone 7.1 Surround Sound)
Customer Review: Good product... just don't use the microwave
Summary: 4 Stars
Sorry for the silly review title, but read on and you'll understand. And no, I didn't put my X41s in the microwave.
My girlfriend has been complaining quite a bit over the last few months about my gaming habit. Not how much I play (it really isn't THAT bad), but in how the games sound. She doesn't like the sound of gunfire from Modern Warfare 2, gunfire and zombie splatter in Left for Dead and so on. My house is a ranch style and is relatively small. You can't escape the sound from my surround sound system no matter the room you're in. This left me in a dilemma. Do I stop playing completely? Do I turn it down? Do I start using my TV speakers? Was there another solution?
Turns out I looked for the last option, another solution.
The first option I found were the Skullcandy offerings. When I began looking there were 2 options from Skullcandy; on ear and over the ear. I don't like on the ear headphones for extended periods and as any gamer will tell you, most gaming sessions, even if you have the best intention of keeping it short, can easily turn into 3+ hour excursions. The on the ear option is readily available. The over the ear option? Sold out in most on-line stores. The 2 headsets were the G.I. 360 and the Lowrider Xbox 360. The Skullcandy headsets only offer stereo output and don't have a chat boost option. Chat boost being a bump in the loudness of the chat you are having with your squad mates while playing in a mission that has tons of action.
I then happened upon the Turtle Beach line of headsets.
The X31s are stereo only headsets and do NOT require and cannot use the optical outputs. The X31s have analog pass through connections meaning you have to plug them into the red and white cables from the 360 AV cable. The X31 has most all the other options of the X41s (wireless RF, chat enhancement and so on). If you don't want/need 7.1 audio, the X31s, which my father purchased not long after I purchased the X41s, are definitely viable and less costly option you have available.
Here is a quick rundown of the specs:
Dolby Digital 7.1 support
Dolby Prologic IIx support
Digital RF wireless headset
ChatBoost - dynamically raises chat volume in areas of a game where game audio can potentially over power the volume of chat dialog
Bass Boost
Mic Monitor - your voice feeds back into the headphones so you can hear what you're saying and know if you're speaking too loud
Digital and analog input capable
To review the actual product, I'll break it down into several areas.
First, the packaging since this will be your first interaction with the headset. Turtle Beach made a decently attractive box for the setup, however there is an issue. We all know and hate the clam shell packaging companies use for antitheft purposes. Unfortunately the exterior box holds one of these evil clam shell designed interiors. It's not easy to open but it's easy to have a mishap and find yourself bleeding after fighting with the packaging.
Second is the setup. Setting this up is relatively easy but can be confusing at first and will take 15-30 minutes to ensure proper setup and to become familiar with all of the volume knobs and what needs to be powered on/off. Setup consists of plugging a USB cable into the Xbox 360 then into the back of the white receiver box for power, plug the included optical cable into the AV box on the 360 and the other end into the Digital IN on the white receiver. Plug the included AAA batteries into the headphones. Plug the communicator cable into the 360 controller then into the headset and you're ready to roll. Volume adjustments can be made from the volume knob on the front (this is for using a wired set of headphones; this knob does nothing for the wireless headphones), on the headphones themselves (this controls the wireless headphone's in game audio) and then on the included chat cable (which controls chat volume only). One other thing to note, which is missing from the Skullcandy offerings, is the ability to actually mute communications as you can with the standard communicators.
You must power on the white receiver and the headphones. One nice feature on the headphones is that if they sense no game audio they will power themselves down to conserve battery power after a few minutes. If you plan on using these frequently you would be best advised to save money in the long run and purchase some AAA rechargeables and a nice charger. I recommend 4 AAA batteries; 2 for active use and 2 for backups. Swap them around as needed and you'll always have a set of charged batteries.
If you just want to listen to the game sound you can move the mic up and out of the way or remove it completely from the headset as it is detachable. One caveat to this headset though is the inability to switch the side of your head the mic is on. Given the design constraints for battery requirements it is understandable but still annoying to not have a choice on which side of your head you want the mic to sit. Even the cheap Microsoft communicator gives you the option for righty or lefty usage.
You HAVE to use the digital output (optical output)from the AV cable to enable the Dolby Digital 7.1 audio. This means that if you're using HDMI for video and audio, you may have some problems. If you're not using Microsoft's HDMI offering you will need to modify your old component/composite AV cord to allow you to plug both an HDMI cable and the old gray AV box or you'll have to eat the $50 Microsoft asks for its HDMI cable. This isn't really Turtle Beach's fault per se, though I'm sure an HDMI passthrough could be designed to allow you to use HDMI for all of your audio as well. Perhaps the X42s will offer this?
The third part of the review is audio quality. In a word, the audio quality is fantastic. I'm really impressed with the sound Turtle Beach is able to achieve with 2 standard "professional grade" type headphones. Other solutions for multichannel audio on the 360 actually have up to 8 different tiny speakers in the headphones. Positional audio is spot on with these headphones and is generally crystal clear. One complaint I read prior to purchasing the headphones and I experience myself is the low level hiss you hear when no game audio is present. Depending on your sensitivity this will either be a non-issue or a deal breaker. It does exist. I don't find it distracting or annoying because generally speaking I have audio coming through the phones which obliterates the low level hiss completely.
For chat volume, I've found that it can be hit or miss depending on with whom you play. Louder players can cause you to adjust the volume down and quieter players require you to turn it up. This is the same with the standard Microsoft offering. No one seems to offer an "auto leveling" option. One very nice feature to these headphones is the Chat Boost function. This option cannot be changed; it is always on. The nice thing though, is that you won't mind it. What this does is raises the chat volume dynamically based on what's happening in the game. Sometimes you will find that it boosts slightly late, meaning your friend could start talking right as heavy action begins and you'll miss the first few syllables or so. This is a small frustration given with the standard communicator you'd be lucky to only miss out on the first few syllables.
The headphones themselves are over the ear, not on the ear, and the material used on the cushioning has been changed from the X4s. The X4s used velvet and were quick to make your ears sweat. The X41s use a fabric mesh that, after using the headset for over 20 hours of game play with a 6+ hour marathon mixed in, not made my ears sweat or uncomfortable yet.
Turtle Beach's website has a nice comparison of the changes made to the X4 to create the X41. I cannot provide the link directly here, but if you hit the Turtle Beach site and click on the Ear Force X41 link, along the left hand side you will see a link for X4 vs. X41 Comparison.
Those of you wondering about the microwave comment, this section is for you.
Issues:
To put it simply, if you're using these headphones, try not to operate the microwave. You will get a popping sound in the headphones until the microwave shuts off. I've experienced this both at my house and at my father's house. I'm sure there are microwaves out there that will likely prevent this, but to be on the safe side just don't do it. I don't think it will damage the headphones but the popping noise can be really disquieting and annoying. If your significant other plans on making dinner while you're playing and the plan involves a microwave, maybe it's best to stop and help with the cooking or switch to TV audio temporarily.
One issue I experienced and required me to return the first headset, is highly annoying feedback and lack of the ability to actually chat. I was playing COD: MW2 with my father. After an hour or 2 of perfect audio and chat, something happened. I heard a popping sound in the headphones and then I could no longer chat with my father. Then I could hear him complaining that all he was getting was feedback from his headset. What he was hearing was my headset playing his audio into the chat channel so he heard everything he said only greatly amplified. After fussing with the headset I learned that the problem was actually the connection in the headphones. If I moved the communicator cable slightly I would hear a loud pop, similar to the microwave pop and then my father would complain about the feedback. I tried the cable he received with his X31 on my headset and it had the same issue; he tried my cable on his set and it worked perfectly. I returned that set to the store I bought them from and got a replacement set and these work flawlessly.
Over all I am happy with my purchase and would buy them again.
Pros:
wireless
ChatBoost
You hear game and chat from both ears, not just one ear per source when using the TV/communicator options
good sound
good positional audio
comfortable headest
wired headphone compatible for either personal use (if you don't want chat) or split screen partner use
removable mic for times you just want game audio
Cons:
low level hiss when no audio is being played
several other Amazon reviews required replacements as did mine
Mic can only mount on left side
Over all I am extremely pleased with this headset. I'm sure the X42s, if Turtle Beach is working on them, will be another step above this set just as this set is a step up from the X4s. Considering this set debuted, however, we aren't likely to see X42s for the foreseeable future, so in the meantime if you purchase this set you can be pretty confident you are receiving the best game sound/communicator headset available on the 360.
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Description of Ear Force X41 (XBOX LIVE Chat + Wireless Digital RF Game Audio with Dolby Headphone 7.1 Surround Sound)
Ear Force X41 Digital RF Wireless Game Audio+ Chat with Dolby 7.1 Surround SoundXbox 360 Games
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