Creative Labs Sound Blaster Arena Surround USB Gaming Headset

by Creative Labs

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 2.6 x 10.4 inches ; 1.2 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B002J9HCV0
• Item model number: 51EF0180AA001
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (44 customer reviews)
• Amazon Bestsellers Rank

  #23 in

  Electronics > Computers & Accessories > Computer Accessories > Headsets & Microphones

• Date first available at Amazon.com: July 27, 2009

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

The Sound Blaster Arena USB Gaming Headset from Creative Labs brings a fully immersive gaming audio experience to any computer. Thanks to Sound Blaster X-Fi technology with EAX support integrated into the headset, you'll get 3D positional surround sound experience regardless of the computer you're using,. And with a comfortable design and detachable noise-canceling microphone, you'll be ready to dominate all-night gaming sessions.

Sound Blaster Arena Features Amazing Gaming Audio X-Fi and EAX gaming effects technology gives you 3D surround sound and an unrivaled sense of realism. Suppress Background Noise Silencer technology suppresses noise so teammates can hear you in noisy gaming environments. Disguise Your Voice With VoiceFX, you can alter your voice to disguise yourself or take on different personas.

"We have been reaping the benefits of Sound Blaster X-Fi audio for years and can't imagine playing without it. Now with the addition of Silencer, we have the most advanced audio arsenal in competitive gaming. And because it's USB, it's easy to take out on the road to tournaments." –Jason Lake, Founder and CEO of Team Complexity, the premiere competitive gaming brand in North America

Features inline volume control and USB connectivity. View larger.

Built-in X-Fi Technology for 3D Positional Surround Sound
The Sound Blaster Arena is designed to be an all-in-one gaming sound system that will bring an amazing audio experience to your system of choice. Whether connected to a desktop or laptop, the USB connection provides a 100% digital connection for superb audio.

And since Sound Blaster X-Fi technology with EAX support is built into the headset, you will be armed with all the power of a Sound Blaster sound card with the portability and convenience of a USB headset. The Sound Blaster Arena will deliver unrivaled 3D positional surround sound no matter what system you're using. With X-Fi technology and EAX gaming effects, you'll even be able to hear the soft footsteps of your enemies walking towards you--no matter where they are in game.

Bring the Same Sound Everywhere
The ear cups are reversible for compact storage, letting you take the headset wherever you go so you'll enjoy the same, consistent surround sound and gaming audio no matter where you're playing.

Noise-Canceling Microphone Can Disguise Your Voice
Gain an advantage on the competition with the Arena's built-in microphone featuring Silencer and VoiceFX technology. Silencer uses an intelligent noise-canceling technology, so when you're giving orders to your teammates, they'll hear you loud and clear even in a noisy gaming environment. And with VoiceFX, you can alter your voice to sound like different characters, whether as a strategic ploy or for fun and amusement.

And when your gaming is over, you can remove the microphone boom and use the headset to enjoy some high-quality music.

Designed with the Gamer in Mind
The Arena headset is designed to meet the needs of even the most competitive gamer. It features a lightweight, flexible headband that reduces fatigue, and ergonomic, cushioned ear pads that remain comfortable even during extended gaming sessions. The contoured ear cups also provide great sound isolation, so you can concentrate on your gaming.

An inline volume control pod provides added convenience, letting you quickly change the volume and mute the microphone when needed.

The Sound Blaster Arena USB Gaming Headset is backed by a one-year limited warranty.

What's in the Box
USB Headset with detachable microphone and in-line volume control, and X-Fi Installation CD.

With X-Fi and EAX surround effects, you'll have such a gaming advantage over others, it'd be almost unfair.

Gaming Headsets	HS-980 Fatal1ty Professional Series MKII Gaming Headset	HS-800 Fatal1ty Gaming Headset (Analog)	HS-1000 Fatal1ty USB Gaming Headset	Sound Blaster Arena Surround USB Gaming Headset
Headphone Quality	Ergonomic ear cups with sound isolation	Velvet Padding	Velvet Padding	Ergonomic ear cups with sound isolation
Audio Speaker Size	40mm Drivers (Full-Spectrum)	40mm Drivers	40mm Drivers	40mm Drivers (Full-Spectrum)
Removable Microphone?	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Connection Type	3.5mm jack	3.5mm jack	USB 2.0	USB 2.0
Inline Volume / Mute	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Sound Control Location	Along the cable	Along the cable	Along the cable	Along the cable
Sound Control	Volume control / Mute on and off	Volume control / Mute on and off	Volume control / Mute on and off	Volume control / Mute on and off
Silencer Tech Enabled	Yes (with Sound Blaster Titanium Series Sound Card)	No	No	Yes
Voice FX Enabled	Yes	No	No	Yes
X-Fi Enabled	Yes (When used with an X-Fi Sound Card)	No	Yes	Yes
Ideal For	FPS Desktop Gamer / MMO (Recommend Sound Blaster TI Series Sound Card)	Everyday Desktop Gamer/ MMO (Recommend Sound Blaster Sound Card)	Everyday Desktop or Laptop Gaming / VOIP	MMO / FPS / Competitive LAN Gamer

Product Description

Creative Labs brings you the Sound Blaster Arena USB Gaming Headset, an all in one sound system for the ultimate gaming audio experience powered by award winning Sound Blaster technology. Laptop or desktop? The100% digital USB connection delivers hassle-free, crystal clear audio whatever your system choice is. Powerful built in Sound Blaster X-Fi technology with EAX support gives you unrivaled 3D positional surround sound so effective it’s like being able to see in the dark. Combined with VoiceFX to cloak your voice and Silencer technology to suppress background noise, it’s the clear weapon of choice for the demanding gamer. Designed for extended gaming sessions, its light, flexible headband and soft earpads ensure maximum comfort, Precision Full Spectrum drivers deliver unparalleled sonic accuracy, while the detachable noise-canceling microphone and handy in-line volume control, ensure optimum performance. Sound Blaster Arena – a sensory advantage that’s so good, they’ll say it’s unfair.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Do not game without these!, December 17, 2009

By	Jennifer "Nature Mama" (MN, USA) - See all my reviews (VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Creative Labs Sound Blaster Arena Surround USB Gaming Headset (Electronics)

(What's this?)

At the current price, you absolutely cannot go wrong with this headset. I admit, this headset is my husband's as I currently use Logitech G35 7.1-Channel Surround Sound Headset which I had received a few months prior. Due to the constant jealous glares and pouty faces I endured while my husband gamed without a quality headset, I decided it was time for him to have his own! I have tested it quite thoroughly and compared it with it's much more expensive counterpart and I have good news. The Sound Blaster Arena headset is almost as awesome as my aforementioned Logitech headset and it's currently half the price.

We game online a lot and so the mic is a necessity. After lots of surprise tests with both headsets, my friends and guildmates could not tell a difference when I was using either of the headsets. My voice was heard loud and clear on both and I had no complaints. The silencing feature present on both headsets is also very important to game immersion and I will admit, I didn't feel quite as immersed with the Sound Blaster Arena. The ear cups fit my head perfectly and very comfortably, but for some reason I could hear more background noise with this headset on than with my Logitech headset. The difference was minor and I don't think one would notice if they weren't directly comparing the two.

One thing this headset lacks are the extra "G" buttons that the Logitech headset has on the left side. I have never used these buttons so it's not really a loss, in my opinion. I do believe they control the voice changer (which is good for a few laughs and then your friends will tire of it quickly!) and can also be customized to other tasks as well, such as controlling your media player. Handy, but again, I don't use them so I can't really fault this headset for not having them.

Volume control is handled differently on both. The Sound Blaster Arena has a small piece of plastic right on the cord itself where you adjust the volume. It works fine, but I do prefer my volume control on my Logitech where it is right on the headset. I like to tuck the cord out of the way and with this headset you kind of have to have it present in your lap at all times. Not really a drawback, but I do kind of tend to think the volume control on this headset will wear out more quickly.

The Sound Blaster Arena headset also lacks the heavy duty braided cord. One thing I don't like about that, aside from it lacking some durability, is on these cold winter nights when we're gaming, I get cold and like to keep a blanket on my lap. When this cord rubs against that blanket, I get shocks sent straight to my EARS! Ouch! But if you're careful and don't like blankets, you won't really miss the braided cord of the Logitech headset.

Overall, both are very similar and if you're simply going for sound quality without all the fancy extras, you will not be disappointed with this great headset. If you're willing to pay $50 more for above mentioned features, then Logitech won't let you down. At this current price, however, this awesome headset is a steal. Very comfortable, durable and lightweight. And has one very unique feature that causes me to often steal these from my husband: The mic is removable and can be used as normal headphones. Awesome since we don't have any quality headsets just for listening to music. Every gamer and music lover should have these!

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Compared to the Logitech G35's, December 17, 2009

By	Gavin Scott (Sunnyvale, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Creative Labs Sound Blaster Arena Surround USB Gaming Headset (Electronics)

(What's this?)

I also have the Logitech G35 headset so this will be a comparison between the two.

The Arena headset is nicely made, though not as heavily over-engineered as the G35 in my opinion. The Arena have the advantage of lighter weight and probably more comfort for most people.

The mic boom on the Arena is springy and you really can't control the distance between the mic and your mouth as a result.

On Ventrilo, people reports that I sounded better on the Arena than on the G35, so on outgoing sound quality the Arena wins. I didn't notice a significant difference on received sound quality on either when using them for gaming.

I tried the Arena on two computers, and had some issues with Ventrilo on each, once with incoming and once with outgoing voice. In each case the sound would break up and become distorted and unintelligible. I did not have this problem with the G35. I was unable to isolate the cause of the problem so I can't say for sure that the Arena headset was at fault.

The Arena headset is relatively light weight, quite comfortable, and definitely in the premium headset category. It does not quite feel as serious as the G35 with their fabric wrapped cord and additional bulk, but many people will probably prefer the light weight of the Arena.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a Creative way to listen to Games..., January 2, 2010

By	Antonio M. Cuevas "My Sony CT-100 Settings (a... - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Creative Labs Sound Blaster Arena Surround USB Gaming Headset (Electronics)

Introduction and Backstory:

It's been a while since I've done a review but with my most recent purchase, I like them too much to keep the enthusiasm inside myself no longer. As many know from my last review [...], my laptop setup consisted of sound wise was my Sound Blaster 5.1 Surround USB External Soundcard and Razer Barracuda HP-1 5.1 Gaming Headset. Now don't get me wrong, the speakers on my G71GX-RX05 are pretty alright, especially if I want to listen to some shoutcast radio within the house while I chill writing or doing chores. It's gaming that I have a high standard for in regards to audio.
First things first though, some back story - it will be a bit long winded but it'll hit the review process sooner than you think.

Unlike alot of people, I'm optimistically positive of Creative. Yes, they have somewhat lost their touch over the years since the Audigy days we all remember. Even I had a hard time finding the right [vista] drivers for my [old/removed] desktop's Creative Xtreme Gamer X-Fi sound card. The one thing though once I did find the right drivers was fall in love with EAX and the X-Fi's sound itself(Alchemy is ESPECIALLY Helpful with my older games). I love how certain games just make the X-FI sound good, especially with EAX (like Doom 3, etc.) Because of this though, I can't suffice with onboard sound anymore, games sound lacking to me without EAX or X-Fi sound. So once I got my new laptop, I immediately grabbed the X-Fi Surround 5.1 USB External Soundcard and then I fell in love with my games sound all over again.

This may come as a shock but my G71GX-RX05 travels with me alot, unlike what people think I find the laptop to be very portable and not that heavy at all (I do go to the gym alot though). So I can't be hunkered down to my desk with speakers, it's one of the main reason why I grabbed a laptop in the first place, to lose the shackles to the desk and one room. So with the External sound card I grabbed the Razer Barracuda HP-1 5.1 Headphones... yeah I know what you're thinking but these headphones were a bit different than others I've tried. They really had three different drivers (Sides, Rear, and fronts) and sub that convinced me pretty well where things were at and bumped as well. I was happy with it so don't judge :P! I was pretty happy with the sound setup until...

We fast forward to today...

With me transporting my laptop nearly everywhere I went with my Targus backpack, it was a pain to plug in my external sound card and headphones due to how much wire they provided, too much in fact that I often just had a bundle mess of wire always. The headphones were getting a bit subjective as well as I had to always be adjusting the drivers individually all the time (yes, it had a external controller for that). I was sick of the mess and clutter and reminded me too much of my desktop days with speakers. I just wanted some good sound without the problems I was currently having. I almost reverted to using the onboard sound of the laptop and just buying some good stereo headphones but reminded myself alot of what I would be missing (EAX, X-FI, Alchemy, etc.) so I held unto my current setup.

That's until Creative decided to answer my prayers... they popped out the Creative Sound Blaster Arena Headset. The day I saw them, I knew - I wanted them, so I waited until I saw a good price (found mine for $50 during the Holiday rush) and grabbed them.


Design:

I do realize that these headset absolutely don't match my laptop but I actually like the white ! Now these do come in Three flavors and the differences are very minor (besides price):

Arena (White & Black- not Soundcard dependent),
Complexity (White and Red - not Soundcard dependent),
And Fatal1ty MKII (Black & Red- Somewhat Soundcard dependent for Silencer)

Besides the different color schemes , all three have the same design wise, each with two plush leather (non replaceable) cups with a detachable boom mic on the left side. The plush leather material is also used for the top of the head rest, but in my opinion is used at a bare minimum compared to the headphone's cups. Which is a bit disappointing as it means you could get some discomfort within a few hours of use if you have the headrest clamped a bit close to your head. Good thing the headset is adjustable on both sides as you can raise the headrest a bit from your head and for those with bigger heads, it's a bit of a good thing.

To go deeper about the cups of this headset, they are movable by the way by about 130 degrees, so it tries to conform to your head pretty well. It also means that it can also come in handy for easy packing and travel as it can lay flat unlike other headphones which stand straight up on their sides. The plush leather on the cups are very comfortable but due to personal preference, I'm not a fan of leather on headphones/headsets. They produce higher heat and sweating can happen, making the leather a bit sticky/nasty. I kinda wonder why they didn't use velor-type material, as it's more comfortable and breathable than leather. The pads are still comfortable mind you and I'll still use the headset but be ready to clean the cups from time to time.

Now the boom of the mic is pretty cool as it's not only detachable but very flexible. Now detaching is pretty easy but alot of people might have a hard time attaching the mic back as there is only ONE way to do so. You have to attach it into the hole while the portion in which you would talk into has to be point straight UP in the air (like towards the ceiling). I've read a couple reviews already of people not being able to attach it from the side or downward but reason - there's only one way to attach it and I already explained how. Anyway, the mic is very flexible and can be totally away from your face if you want but it reads best with being a bit close to your face. The mic can rotate about 180 degrees so that's also a plus.

I will come out with it as well that the headset does look a bit cheap with all the plastic around the headrest and cups but with the leather plush cups (and headrest), metal adjusters, and pretty much other pluses I mentioned above salvages that "cheap" idea quickly. I can understand that all the plastic was meant to make the headset be/feel alot lighter which it does. So thumbs up for that Creative, it's a very well rounded, well made, and lightweight design!


Software and Drivers:

Well, due to it being a usb Headset, it's surprisingly plug and play ready. With that, no drivers are really needed for it to work immediately which is nice, literally runs off your onboard sound. Onboard sound sucks IMO, so what's the point anyway. So in goes the installation cd that is provided with the headset, pretty much holds your hand through the whole installation process too - very user friendly for beginners in the ordeal. It does have Vista 64bit drivers by the way for those who were wondering, not too sure about windows 7 but forums have reported that it is working on Windows 7 (I won't take the jump until I hear that Steam and a few other programs fix their kinks to the change over).

Due to its already plug and play workmanship, if you wish to use your onboard sound and/or laptop speakers, just unplug the usb cord from the slot. Within a few seconds your onboard sound/speakers will kick in like you never even installed the headset (like regular 3.5mm headphones), nice! I do sometimes to listen to my shoutcast radio around my home while I chill writing or doing chores. It also works vice versa as well, plugging in the headset will disable your onboard sound and speakers and revert to your Soundblaster drivers. Some configuration may be needed on your part though, like for me I had to disable my optical out and HDMI out for some reason for the switching to work properly. It all varies and might be different for each owner, it does work rather well all in all.

The software that get's installed that is a bit important is... of course the driver but I was talking about the Creative Entertainment Console. Now you can't change the Speaker configuration [headphones] obviously but what is important here is the Bass Settings, which don't sound too good out of the box. Thanks to CNET Australia reviewing these headphones before me, I was able to find a great sweet spot in regards to Bass on the Arena Headset with the settings at 6dB gain and the cut-off frequency at 30Hz.
Once with those setting , the bass on the Arena can beat pretty hard, just don't go too loud on the volume or you'll distort a bit. Now the volume can be adjusted through the Entertainment Console or general volume icon on thee startbar but you can also change the volume through the attached Volume controller (forgot to mention on the Design portion of the review) along with muting the mic or turning it on. Volume on the Arena is pretty excellent as I never have to go above 10, so this can get extremely loud and blow your ear drums out as it can go up to 100.

Now I personally don't have EAX selected in the Entertainment Console as it becomes too echo like for my taste but it kinda is automatically used (no matter if the setting is off or on) in games that use EAX, so enabling it in the Entertainment Console is kinda pointless. Now the X-Fi Crystalizer is pretty well done and supposedly it makes your audio a bit crisper and clearer, to me it sound like it makes certain instruments louder, so I leave it at the Maximum setting. Personally though, I don't bother listening to my favorite mp3's on my laptop, I have a Cowon S9 mp3 player that has the Best Sound quality you can buy with BBE+ 3.0, which sounds better than anything IMO.

Back to the headset though, Personal preference goes... Read more ›