Customer Reviews

Ear Force AXT Ultimate XBox Surround Sound Headset

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Overview:
I am often unable to fully enjoy my Logitech Z-5500 5.1 surround sound setup while playing on my Xbox 360 because it is "too loud" according to my wife. So I did a little research and decided to give the Ear Force AXT a test drive. I know that the X2 is the newer model, but the AXT is supposed to have a more simulated surround sound to them. So I picked them up at Fry's yesterday for $49. When I got home I carefully cut open the plastic cover (in case I wanted to return them) and unpacked the headphones.

Setup:
These headphones have three main cords: one plugs into the wall for power, one plugs into the controller, and the other plugs into the 360 audio (red/white) cables using an included adapter. I knew this would be a lot of wires going into this so it was not a surprise. The dashboard picked up the headphones without me having to make any console changes (my Z-5500 was turned off).

Test Run:
I then put the headphones on and I must say they felt pretty big and heavy on my head. No big deal I suppose. I then located the volume control which was kind of resting near my lap. As I have read elsewhere, I could hear a hissing sound in the headphones while sitting at the dashboard. I took my wireless control to move the blades so I could adjust the volume, and when I did this the 360 controller happened to point toward the AXT volume control and it produced some major static noise in the headset. No big deal I thought, just don't point the wireless controller at the AXT volume control.

I then fired up COD2 as this game makes good use of the surround sound (soldier's boots when running). At the lobby screen I noticed that after I spoke, my voice icon would remain active even though I wasn't talking. After about 5-10 second it would then stop. Each time I spoke (or banged the mic) the icon would keep doing it. So I moved the mic farther from my face to see if that would help. However, it did not matter where I put the mic as the same problem continued. Hmmm. Ok, let's see how the game sounds.

As for simulated surround sound on the AXT, I did not hear it. It sounded like regular stereo headphones to me and I was unable to pinpoint which direction those running boots were coming from. After the match ended I went to mute my mic and... well... there is no mute. What! No mute?!?! That could be a problem as I routinely need to mute in order to talk to my wife, get a beverage, etc.

At this point, I took the headphones off and gave my Z-5500's a quick test. I then noticed that my ears were already starting to perspire and it felt good to take off these fairly heavy headphones (nearly 2 pounds). I then powered up my Logitech and... ahhhh, yes! Nothing beats true surround sound... even at a low volume! And just like that my testing was complete. I neatly packaged the Ear Force AXT back up and returned them to Fry's this morning.

Pros:
Play games in solitude without disturbing others

Cons:
The claim of "simulated surround sound" is false (in my opinion)
No mute button
Subject to interference from wireless 360 controller
Low level hiss when no sound is present
Headphones are fairly heavy
Cords are relatively short (less than 10')
Mic issues (detecting unknown sounds)

The Verdict:
The AXT headphones did not work for me. I would only give headphones another try if/when they develop a true 5.1 surround sound product with a mic for Xbox Live. If you are looking for a late night audio solution, you would be better off just turning down your volume than buying these headphones! Even though Teamxbox gave them high marks (tested on the original Xbox), I do not recommend them for the Xbox 360.

I purchased this headset to replace the crappy one that came with my Xbox 360. There are several things that stand out in my mind for why this headset is not for the 360.

1.) The audio cables that are part of the headset have no where to plug into the 360.

2.) There is no way to mute the mic when your on Xbox Live fragging other players.

3.) You have to have this thing plugged into the wall to provide the power it needs for the headphones. The cable for this is not very long either... 2 negatives.

So if your looking for a headset for the 360... keep on looking because this one doesn't cut it.

I purchased this product back in November from J&R.com, through Amazon. From the first time I tried to use these headphones, I had sound but could not speak to anyone on Xbox live and the microphone "boom" quickly became loose and wouldn't stay in place.
I assumed I probably bought a defective set of headphones and contacted J&R for a replacement, a replacement that they approved, even though I had lost my original packing materials. So I packed up the defective headphones, paid the shipping and insurance costs and mailed them back to J&R. I received the replacement headphones Jan. 30.

This time, I made sure I didn't dispose of any of my shipping materials in the off chance I receive another defective set of headphones. (I even made sure to hold on to the wire ties just in case, but later threw them out because I realized that was a little too much)
Well the new headphones sound great but again the microphone doesn't work. The microphone plug does not seat in the XBox microphone jack and no amount of me holding it at strange angles allows me to transmit over the XBox live network. And I know the my xbox microphone jack works because in the process of a game, I placed my Microsoft microphone back in the jack and people could hear me loud and clear.

I really was disappointed about the fact that I was going to have to spend another (at least)$12 on shipping and insurance to send these headphones back to J&R. Not including another 30+ days for the replacement headphones to arrive.
But just to make sure that the problem wasn't something on my end, I thought it best to check TurtleBeach's Web site and make sure this time.
FROM THEIR OWN FAQs
www.turtlebeach.com/site/kb_ftp/5221018.asp


AXT Mic issue:
Q: The microphone won't stay in the XBOX live adapter. I thought the AXT was
compatible with the Xbox.

A: The package includes a little adaptor (3" cable) that converts to the

mini Mic input for the Xbox. (It is a very small plug that easily gets
overlooked). Please look for it and if it is not there, send an email to: support@turtlebeach.com


As soon as I read this FAQ, I really took a close look at my headphone packaging. There was no (3" cable) to be found anywhere. There wasn't even a form cut into the plastic packaging material that would have held the piece.
It really made me think that there probably was no problem with the microphone on my original headset as well. I know that one didn't seat in the Xbox microphone jack either, both the prior microphone and my current microphone plug seem to be too small for the Xbox microphone jack.

I've already spent the money for these headphones and the money to have them shipped twice now.

They have thrown "360" into the title of these headphones since they were 1st released. It originally came out for the xbox. I bought these because the wireless ones only offered stereo. Also, the price at Best Buy was only $35.00 at the time. Now that they have added "360" to the title they went up a little.
I was a little uncertin about making this purchase because all over gaming forums, people had a common complaint. After 6 months they quit working. Low and behold after 6 months they quit working.
Don't get me wrong, when working they were great. I could hear the direction some one was coming toward me in a FPS perfectly. I can say it gave me an edge over others. But near its final days, i could tell a loss in quality.
Do yourself a favor and get Audio Extreme AX360 Optical Gaming Headset by Trittion.

Do not buy, headsets made by Ear Force. They all brake with in a few weeks of purchase, you should just save the money and get a cheaper mic, these Ear Forces Mics, break easly. They ARE HORRIBLE!!!!!

These are horribly made. Don't waste your money!

These headphones work really great. But I am a little dissapointed in the legnth of the cords, deffinately not long enough, and being able to adjust the tension on your head would be great, cause sometimes they are way too tight.