Customer Reviews

Tritton AX360 True 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound Gaming Headset

5 star:		(57)
4 star:		(35)
3 star:		(17)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(18)

 

 

I use these for my Xbox 360 and recommend them to anyone who wants to enjoy games at full volume without bothering others (in my case, my wife).

I nearly reached for the phone when, in Rainbow 6 during a Live game, the phone rang in one of the office cubes. It was to the right and behind me, where my phone is in the "real world." However, this time the ringing was in the game! I could also hear that someone left a radio on in their cube to the right of me.

I also love that you can hear explosions and gunfire - even gun casings as they hit the ground - all coming from a specific direction.

The headphones are great in Xbox Live games. Folks can hear me fine, and I can hear them equally well. The only downside is that you cannot hear yourself talk. This isn't an issue with the traditional one-ear headset. However, cover both ears and you can't hear yourself talk when things get loud in the game. I wish they'd add the capability to hear yourself talk through the headphones.

A small ding, however. These headphones are great for the price.

Wow, this is by far the pimpinest headset that ever did pimp, for the 360 anyway.

Right off the bat I have to say one of the speakers in the left headset had a short in it when I got the unit. I got on the phone with support and they took really good care of me. They actually sent me a replacement unit BEFORE I sent my unit back. That was really nice. I had to pay for shipping my unit back, but I really didn't press the issue either. Cross shipping is pretty rare today so I have to say support for these are great.

I play my 360 on my computer monitor at home which is in the living room with my wife. She's usually watching TV so I wanted something that would give me the super quality 5.1 audio, but I needed it in a headset so I wouldn't disturb my wife. I also needed something that would work as a 360 headset so I wouldn't have to wear 2 headsets (one for xbox live and one for game sound).

This is the perfect solution. The sound quality (now that I have a replacement headset) is 2nd to none. They're very comfortable which is important for hours of gaming play. Did I mention the sound quality is great?

It works very well with xbox live and they give you PLENTY of cord for the headset. It even includes an optical cable and has an adapter for hookup up a 5.1 computer sound card. That's a nice touch. I can use it for my computer too.... Like I would go back to the computer after the 360 though...

It also comes with a nice velvet carrying sack too just in case you're taking your setup mobile. Documentation is a little lacking, but there's some info on the manufacturer website if you can't figure something out.

I find myself contemplating buying one of these for work since i listen to music all day at work too.

Did I mention the sound quality is great and it works with xbox live?

Update: I forgot to mention that the mic that comes with this headset is crap. I ended up getting a corded mic/earpiece at the dollar store with a mini RCA jack. The kind that's sold for hands free talking on cell phones before the days of bluetooth. Works really really well with this setup. I put the little earpiece in my ear so i get direct XBL chat in my hear and put the headset on over it. This setup also overcomes the issue a lot of games have with not having separate volumes for XBL chat and game sound. It's easy for XBL chat to get drowned out with game sounds. Having an earpiece in for xbl chat and wearing the headset over that completely solves this issue.

Again, i stress... sound quality on this thing rocks and the decoder box also supports 2 headsets just in case you want to have one one for a friend.

There's also a newer version of this headset put out by the same manufacturer that's supposed to be even better than this model for XBL chat. I haven't tested that one though.

i've used these exclusively with my xbox 360 so far, mostly in gears of war, halo 3 beta, etc. i'm not any kind of "audiophile" who can pick out minute distinctions in sound quality in one headset vs. another. i just wanted to, from a gamer girl's perspective, share a few points that i've discovered while using them so far...

pros:
-excellent, sharp sound
-in-game surround sound is impressively accurate even if it isn't spot on all the time. in every gears match so far since this purchase, i've been able to tell where that last locust was creeping around and thusly get the drop on him
-voice chat is crisp and clear. others are able to hear me just fine. people who know me in real life say i sound much more like myself through this new mic, and likewise through the headset i think they sound more true to life as well. and yes, you do need a few sessions to retrain your volume so you're not shouting, which i caught myself doing the first few times.
-extremely comfortable, even when worn for hours at a time
-ample cords all around

neutral:
-set up is fairly simple, the instructions are pretty straightforward. however, you need to go in to each individual game's settings and adjust the main game and fx volume before going in to any matches or co-op sessions. i had forgotten this step in a co-op marvel: ultimate alliance session and had to leave and rejoin once the settings were correct. once you get a feel of how to adjust the main games settings and get them to flow with the little dials on the cord, everything works great.
-the "rumble" feature doesn't seem to be related to the force feedback cues in the game (for example, the train on tyro station as it comes through will make your controller rumble depending on how close you are). the rumble in the headset seems to be tied to the deep bass sounds, regardless of your proximity, or whether your controller's rumbling, etc. not really a big issue, i just turned the feature down to 0. i do like that the rumble feature is given its own adjustable dial, with settings from 0-10.

cons:
-in order to have the voice chat and the game sound reach you, the instructions say to set your main voice settings in the dashboard to output through both speakers and headset. this makes sense, and it isn't an issue until you're in a crowded, chatty game lobby and you receive an important voice message about that tournament that's starting in 15 minutes. since the voice output's still coming through the speakers while you're listening to a message that would normally come in through the headset, you're left struggling to try and hear the voice message over the voices of the other gamers.

i have already highly recommended these headphones to friends, and really to anyone who's looking to replace the little headset that comes with the 360 and digs into your head above your right ear. for me, the turning point in deciding to buy these was the fact that i was missing in-game audio cues that would have helped me survive matches had i heard them through just my tv speakers. i'd give 4.5 stars if i could, since the voice message issue knocks just a little bit off the score for me. overall i am very happy with these headphones!

I'm here to add my 1 star review. If these headphone were your first pair of 5.1 surround, it may seem great that you can now tell which direction bullets are coming from but if you've had ANY pairs of headphones before, you'd know that the sound quality of the Trtton AX360's aren't up to par. So let's put it into perspective.

Over a year ago, I bought a pair of Cyberhome 5.1 headphones for less than $20 shipped and tax included. When I got them, I thought that they had good sound quality (great bass) and were comfortable to wear. My biggest complaints were that they were way too loud when connected directly to the XBox 360. I have to go into the game's settings and usually have to put the volume for everything down to about 3 in addition to turning the volume all the way down on the control box. Also, when the front or rear speakers were used exclusively (grenade exploding in the rear right or front left), it sounds like you're listening to the explosion through a pair of aluminum cans with a string tied between them.

This week, I decide to move up to this pair of over $100 (before shipping and tax) headphones since most reviews say it has great sound, build, etc. I put them on and found that they were bigger and fit loosely around my head. Due to this, the positioning of the speakers were off. I played an AC3 sound test file and found that the front speakers seemed to be slightly to the rear and the rear speakers were to the far rear. The audio had NO BASS. Not a little bass... NO BASS. I would say that it even lacks the mid ranges. Believe me, I've tried all kinds of configurations, and I'm connected through optical directly to the XBox 360. So now, I'm playing Ninja Gaiden 2 and the lightning sounds like crackling static and at one point, exploding shuriken (throwing knife with a grenade attached) that were exploding to my rear right and left literally sounded like a muffled firecracker. I'm really not exaggerating here.

So once you have this in context, when a sub-$20 pair of headphones can sound so good with only the satellite speakers really being a problem (but is still very effective in telling you which direction bullets are coming from), how can you excuse this kind of sound quality coming out of a pair of headphones that is almost 6x its price? You can't.

Oh, and if you try to justify to yourself that you need the microphone attachment, don't bother, the setup on the Tritton AX360 is equivalent to taking a cheapy microphone that usually comes free with a computer sound card and attaching it directly to the 360 controller. There's no option to hear yourself through the headphones so you'd still be screaming into the mic.

I bought these for midnight gaming sessions, and for that they are the best thing out there...so far. You can use them for the PC and consoles. On pc they are simply ok because they are like all the other 5.1 headsets which rely on your sound card and also not many games support DD or PL. However, they shine brightest on consoles. I use it with my ps2 and xbox. You cant with the wii though since the wii doesnt have digital optical. DD or PL wont work even if you connect the audio composite cable to a combiner that routes the sound to a stereo audio connector like a regular stereo headset would have and connect it to the pc analog audio for front left and right. You would think it would allow for pro logic since pro logic just spreads out the stereo signal across the other channels but unfortunately no, all it gives you is workable stereo with the inability to adjust volume. The sound, if done this way ends up way to loud and is distorted. With the xbox, you need a hd cable with a toslink adapter but after procuring those items the DD is outstanding. It can be connected using coaxial or digital optical. With the ps2 its with the digital optical. You only get DD or PL if you connect it with either of the aforementioned ways. Sadly no 'bass' using pc analog connections. The best thing about it is the certified DD and ProLogic. Others seem to hate the rumble feature, but I love it. When I say rumble dont think dual shock rumble which violently rattles . The rumble simulates bass and is fantastic for what it does considering you get all the feel and non of the ear ache and hearing loss. The sound is great, while not worthy of audiophile ears they do sound great. They are quite comfortable for extended sessions of saving the world of 4 plus hours nightly. The cord is very long about 10 feet which is great for lying comfortably in the bed away from the tv. The worst thing about it is the power cord and its connection to the amplifier. It doesnt fit snugly at all it seems to just sit there and is easily disconnected. ALTHOUGH, it may just be the manufacturer's version of a breakaway connection. All in all great product!

I was shopping for either headphones or an optical-to-stereo miniplug adapter that I could use with the XBox 360, and my research led me to the AX360s (which contained both of the potential things I was looking for). Frankly, I assumed the surround and rumble features were going to be gimmicky, but the price was low enough and the reviews around the web were consistently high, so I decided to make the leap of faith.

My first impression straight out of the box, before tweaking any of the settings: Expectations completely blown away! Holy cow, these things are GREAT! The surround sound doesn't work as well as a 5.1 speaker setup, but having the discreet channels with individual audio controls at your fingertips is awesome! And the rumble feature! WOW! It gives the feeling of bass without the actual bass- who knew that could be so effective?

Now when a grenade lands near me in Call of Duty 4, I have a pretty good idea where it is in relationship to where I am... and being able to hear people sneaking up on you is worth the cost alone. My game has definitely improved. I've also watched a few movies, and I'm loving the pseudo surround sound experience- often a problem with DVDs (even on the stereo mix), the voices are drown out by the sound effects and music, well now I can turn up the center channel and actually hear people talking again!

Not sure what the complaints are with the MS Live setup, as I can hear my friends, and they seem to be able to hear me as well. I haven't had any troubles in that department- just a simple adjustment in my Live audio preferences (I actually had to turn it up- I've read that some people had to turn it down?). Too many wires? Well, there's a power cable from the amp box, the optical cable that goes to the xbox, the cable for the actual headset, and a wire that goes from the microphone to the controller. That one mic wire might be the kicker. When the headphones are used with your PC's analog soundcard outputs, you'll only need one splitter cable (also included).

I liked them so much, I ended up getting a second pair for my friend as a Christmas present... so, yeah, I recommend them!

Being an avid FPS gamer on my 360, one of the most important contributors to the gaming experience to me is the audio. Playing online or offline, knowing what's in front of, next to, and behind me contributes greatly to the immersion factor of the game. Long ago, I purchased a 5.1 speaker surround system for this and it worked great. Over time, however, I grew up, got married, and moved into a relatively small apartment. Now, with my wife needing to study and my neighbors needing to sleep, I can no longer play my games with high levels of sound. After an exhaustive amount of research I found these headphones.

Purchasing these I was a bit hesitant. After all, I would be dropping a large sum of money on something that I couldn't hear for myself first. In the end, knowing that this was the only option available, I made the plunge. The product turned out to be better than I imagined. First off, the sound quality is excellent. In fact, I actually prefer these headphones to my original 5.1 system. With the headphones snug to my head, they actually cancel out nearly all ambient noise, keeping my ears focused on the game. Its allowed me to pick up the subtler sounds in the game much better. Playing Call of Duty 4, I can tell when someone on the other team is moving around behind me or in another room simply based on the sound of their footsteps. I've also been able to much more easily locate where shots have come from in both Halo 3 and COD4. In terms of clarity, I would also have to say these improve greatly upon my speakers. I am sure if you were an audiophile with a $1500 speaker system, this wouldn't be the case. However, these headphones easily outperform most $300-$400 surround systems I've heard in the past.

Besides sound quality, these headphones have many nuances that make them perfect for gaming. They put out a good deal of bass, ensuring that you will be missing very little by not having a subwoofer. Further, the headphones include a plug in to your controller so that you can continue to hear and speak through the voice-chat system of the 360. Finally, if you know how to calibrate your audio system, then you'll find the headphones do have a bit of customizability. Nothing near the level you would get with a good receiver, but its nice to find some options in a set of headphones. Finally, the AX360s work great for DVD movies as well. I have switched the optical input back and forth relatively easy, allowing me to watch movies without disturbing others.

On the negative side, the headphones aren't perfect. As others have stated it would be great to have these in a wireless format. Oft times the wires do get annoying when you are so used to the wireless capabilities of todays consoles. Further, the AX360 phones do not come with very good documentation, requiring you to play around with things to figure out how to set them up right. After about 5 minutes of playing Bioshock, however, I had the center and rear speakers perfectly calibrated. Finally, getting voice chat to work properly takes some doing. Some games can drown out the voices of the other people playing the game, sometimes making it difficult to communicate. I figured it out though. Here's my solution: First, turn your voice chat volume up to full. Second, make sure that you can hear the voices of others through both the headset AND your speakers (since your headset is now your speakers). Third, turn the headphone volume up, while turning game volume down. When I did all this, I could easily distinguish game and chat sounds without problems.

In summary, if you are on the fence about these, buy them now! I guarantee you'll be happy. The sound quality is excellent and there is nothing on the market out there that allows you to have full 5.1 surround as well as voice chat capabilities compatible with the Xbox 360 all in one set of headphones. The cons I mentioned have been nothing more than minor annoyances and have not detracted my experience at all. These are well worth the money and I would easily spend $50 more than I did.

If you need to be quiet while playing your games, but want the full surround experience, this is ten times better than playing with your speaker system turned to low volume. Buy these now. You won't regret it.

Pros
- Great sound quality with perfect 5.1 with calibration
- Good bass
- Excellent compatibility with the 360
- Can play your games with full surround and voice chat without disturbing a soul.

Cons
- Wires are annoying
- Headphones need some quick calibration before they can faithfully reproduce the 5.1 surround.
- Have to change the volume settings of the Xbox 360 and the games to ensure distinct chat and gaming sounds.

I bought these for my Xbox 360 about six months ago. Initial impression was very positive -- everything feels solid and well-built with one exception, the clip that connects the mic boom to the headset. Fairly minor complaint.

There are five volume controls! One master volume at the decoder box and four separate pots (dials) on the headset cable itself. Once you get the volumes adjusted properly it sounds very, very good. Better than stereo? yes. $100 better than stereo? Maybe.

The decoder box has two headset outputs. I was able to order an additional headset directly from Tritton, which allows my wife and I to watch movies together while the kids are sleeping in the next room.

Annoyances:

1. The decoder box doesn't "remember" the master volume until you press one of the volume buttons. For me, this means that when you turn it on, it is very very loud until you hit the vol-down button once, then it "remembers" where it was set last time.

2. The decoder box will automatically detect and decode for 5.1 as well as Dolby Digital, which is good, but doesn't keep the volume consistent across the switch. For me, this means that when I switch from gaming (usually 5.1) to watching 2-channel dolby video I have to remember to bring the volume WAY down before the video starts or I get blasted with extremely loud audio.

3. Random ambient beeps and clicks at low volume levels. Most noticeable while in the 360 dashboard, this noise doesn't sound that bad (I thought it was just the ambient sound of the dashboard itself), it's just always there. It's rarely detectable when gaming or watching movies, but it's existence bothers me on a philosophical level. It seems that a $120 pair of headphones should be silent when there is no audio signal.

4. The earcups don't articulate enough to close the gap between the bottom of the cups and the spot just below my ears. They bend the other way just fine, and are generally very comfortable, but again, this is something you wouldn't expect from a pricey gadget.

5. There is no way to adjust the Xbox voice chat volume separately from everything else. The best you can do is adjust the center channel, but this is an imperfect solution.

Overall, I really enjoy them, but they could definitely be better.

Although Tritton technical support is, so far, very good, their rebate support is basically non-existent. If you do qualify for a mail-in-rebate, don't plan on ever seeing it.

Alright, if you reading reviews for these or similar surround headphones, you need to "feel" the surround sound experience without disturbing others. My reasons don't differ. Using the Xbox360 on a nightly basis, I needed to turn up the volume, but was told repeatedly by the wife to "turn it down".

I say "NO MORE!" The Tritton AX360 product is fantastic. I'm now enjoying my games intended sound at a volume I choose, all with the ability to communicate flawlessly with my Xbox Live friends. For those who play online and would like use the mute feature during game or lobby play, you'll need the "adapter puck" to utilize a mute feature. If not, just plug and play.

They are comfortable even with many hours of use; no ear sweating, no awkward pinching, just wonderful over all.

The sound quality is top notch as is the build quality. The custom settings right on the in-line fob allow quick changes if needed. I've been told my voice is heard loud and clear, with no background noise interference.

Some have complained regarding the lack of instructions on custom settings. I will agree the manual is great for installation and explaining what the features are, but when it comes to changing them you've just got to fiddle with it until its right. For me, I just used the factory settings and adjusted the "in-line" fob controls to get it right. I used "Matrix Reloaded" as a guide, just replaying the opening scenes until it was to my liking. Watch out for the "rumble", it really puts you in the moment.

Now the only complaints from the wife are: "your talking really loudly"

After reading numerous reviews on the net, I decided to by these headphones to get 5.1 sounds out of my xbox 360 w/o speakers.

Setup is relatively easy and painless, and involves plugging in power, plugging in the headphones, then plugging in the optical digital input from your xbox 360. Now you're ready to go.

How do they sound? Atrocious. At first I heard no bass at all in the headphones, so I thought my bass was turned off. However I verified that the bass (they call it "vibration", probably realizing it would be a travesty to call it "bass") was in fact turned up to level 10 on the volume control attached to the headset. Which means, these headphones produce virtually no bass whatsoever. This was a huge disappointment, and alone makes these phones' returnable.

Also, the set is advertised as 5.1, however I find no evidence that their surround-sound reproduction is any better than normal headphones. In fact, my reference set were the standard earbuds that come included with the iPod. The results were that I noticed no difference between these AX360's and the iPod earbuds, in terms of clarity, surround feel, and bass.

After a couple hours of listening, I repacked the headphones, and will return them today. Absolutely not worth $100 given the poor sound quality.