Tritton’s headset delivers true surround sound, just like the Turtle Beach Ear Force HPA2 we recommended in June. It also offers a feature that the HPA2 doesn’t: a powered Dolby Digital decoder module with optical and coaxial digital inputs, plus a port for plugging in a second set of Tritton headphones. Cool!

This feature renders the AX360 useful for watching movies on a DVD player or gaming on a console system, but it doesn’t do much for PC use. Tritton provides an analog adapter cable, so you can plug the headset directly into your soundcard, but the AX360’s mic isn’t as good as the HPA2’s, and it’s leagues behind theBoom Quiet in terms of rejecting background noise. The Tritton also can’t match the HPA2 in terms of audio fidelity in music, movies, and games, but it sounds far better than the BQ and the utter waste of plastic that is the Genius.

Surround-sound support is a welcome feature, but the Turtle Beach product bundles it in a better package.

The Tritton AX360’s machined-aluminum earcups are attractive, but the earmuffs on the other side have an annoying tendency to fall off.

Tritton, Audio Xtreme 360
www.trittontechnologies.com

Thin Lizzy

Comes with a Dolby Digital decoder that supports two sets of headphones.

Lizzy Borden

So-so sound, sloppy
construction.