Posted 10/10/08 at 01:55:42 PM by Reed Porter

You’d never credit your headset after winning a Team Fortress 2 match, nor would you ever brag about your soundcard after just acing a round in Call of Duty 4, but any gaming veteran knows that having a sweet set of cans is a must for even the casual gamer’s setup. This is especially true today with the vast majority of professional gamers using headsets instead speaker systems.

Unfortunately, deciding which audio hardware is right for you can become aggravating very quickly with USB headsets, 5.1 headphones, onboard mixing, analog inputs, and incompatible interfaces confusing the market. With this roundup, we’re going to scrutinize six gaming headset options, and examine the largely unspoken differences between analog and USB audio technology.

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31

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gaming, headphones, creative, Sennheiser, razer, headsets, review roundup, gaming headsets, plantronics, medusa

Posted 08/13/08 at 02:00:00 PM by Tom Edwards

Every once in a while, we actually step away from our computers to get some exercise—and do our best to avoid the cavalcade of cars, bikes, and pedestrians that share the roads with us when we go for a run. Until recently, we had eschewed wearing headphones when we pounded the pavement, but AirDrives earbuds have us rethinking this position. By fitting around your outer ear and lying just in front of your ear canal, rather than inside it, AirDrives allow you to hear the music on your MP3 player but still be aware of environmental sounds, so you’re less likely to be clipped by a car you didn’t hear coming. And although they aren’t inserted within the ear, the AirDrives remain snug, even after a long run, and remain in place much better than designs that lack an over-the-ear loop.

Hit the jump for our full review!

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headphones, reviews, web exclusive, airdrives

Posted 07/27/08 at 09:51:48 PM by Justin Kerr

As most audiophiles know, picking a new pair of headphones can be a very personal experience. At least, that’s what a new Canadian firm named Soundcage is hoping. They are one of the first companies promoting a revolutionary new concept of creating a custom ear bud that fits directly inside the ear cavity. This allows them to block outside noise and creates an air tight seal. Presumably this would allow the headphones to mirror the noise cancelling typically offered only in larger and more expensive headphone solutions that involve using white noise to mask outside sounds.  It only takes about 10 minutes to be fitted with the new ear buds, and is an evolution of Soundcage’s roots, which involved making custom earplugs for factory workers. With such a tight seal around the inner ear, the clarity of sound promises to be impressive. Early testimonies describe the audio quality as “hauntingly pure”. Additionally, the headphones carry the advantage of being made to fit you, and only you. So unlike my noise cancelling headphones, I wouldn’t have to loan them to my girlfriend every time we fly, a definite bonus. They are expected to retail for around $199 CDN, and we have no word yet on any US availability. But if the hype holds true, expect capitalism to bring these puppies to a store near you in the not so distant future.

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headphones, hardware, noise-cancelling, soundcage

Posted 04/16/08 at 04:56:33 PM by Michael Brown

We’ve tested a lot of earbuds over the past few years and invariably find ourselves gravitating toward products at the very high end of that market—we’re talking buds that’ll set you back more than the most expensive iPod. At $200, Future Sonics’s Atrio m8 earbuds certainly aren’t cheap—but they’re competitive with some products that cost twice as much.

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headphones, Earbuds, consumer electronics, enthusiast, bass, in ear headphones

Posted 01/28/08 at 07:59:37 PM by Michael Brown

We’ve never liked headphones that use active noise cancellation because they simply mask environmental noise by generating background hiss. But Creative’s Aurvana X-Fi headphones are almost good enough to win us over.

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headphones, creative, hardware, noise-cancelling, reviews

Posted 11/12/07 at 07:20:36 PM by Michael Brown

One of the reasons we picked Turtle Beach’s Ear Force HPA2 headset as one of the 19 awesome upgrades we recommended in our June 2007 issue was the fact that it’s analog and can be paired with a soundcard. The new Ear Force AK-R8 is USB only, but this enables it to offer some compelling features in addition to fabulous surround sound.

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headphones, surround sound, hardware, turtle beach, usb headset, rumble, reviews

Posted 09/26/07 at 05:07:00 PM by Michael Brown

We reviewed Tritton’s Audio Xtreme 360 headset in our July issue. As you can tell by its model name, that device is aimed as much at console gamers as it is movie watchers and PC gamers. The AXPC is a little simpler, better suited to PC users, and nearly $50 cheaper. But it sounds just as mediocre.

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headphones, hardware, tritton, usb headsets, surround, reviews

Posted 09/14/07 at 03:02:51 PM by Michael Brown

For the price of one set of Shure’s SE530PTH earphones, you could buy two 30GB iPods, 17 sets of Apple earbuds, or 500 encrypted songs from iTunes. A worthy investment or Marie Antoinette­–style consumption?

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headphones, earphones, hardware, shure, push to hear, reviews