All Headsets and headphones Feeds

Plantronics Audio 770

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We've had a lot of issues with gaming headsets recently, mainly down to the fact that so many of them use a USB connector and boast instant surround sound.

All well and good if you're running onboard sound, but if you've spent out a little on a decent sound card, like the wondrous X-Fi, then no matter how good the cans, you're going to go for a set with analogue connectors.

Rich sound

Plantronics has cleverly sidestepped this issue by bundling a USB dongle with in-built surround sound in the pack that you can plug the analogue connectors into if you don't have an audiophile's sound card.

The sound is rich and bassy with the dongle attached and the mic thankfully can be moved right out of the way and out of eye-line.

While the square plastic of the headset might not look that great the design is excellent, sitting lightly and securely on your noggin without needing a vice-like grip.

A quality gaming headset with a versatile edge.

Tritton Audio Xtreme PC headphones

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We're used to thinking of surround sound as being created by encircling the listener with several speakers positioned around a room. So how is it possible to create this effect using a pair of headphones? The Tritton AXPCs have four speakers inside each ear cup in place of the separate speakers that you'd position around your living room, and they can be individually adjusted using the inline controls.

It's interesting that you don't need a soundcard to obtain 5.1 surround sound using these headphones - all the necessary hardware is contained within the inline audio controller. However, these cans connect via USB only. This aspect makes them handy if you want to use them to watch a DVD or play games on a laptop, but the downside is that if you have a PC with a good soundcard then these headphones won't enable you to make use of it.

Speaker surprise

The inline audio controller has thumb wheels that make it possible to adjust front, centre, rear and subwoofer speakers individually. Volume is adjusted via a rocker dial that also works as a mute button when pushed in, and there's another muter for the microphone. The microphone is removable and the connector is gold-plated for better sound quality. There's also a rumble effect for use with games.

The AXPCs do a convincing job of delivering immersive surround sound, but the major downside of these headphones is the design. They're huge - even with the headband adjusted to the smallest size - and most people we tried them on couldn't get a comfortable fit. Some of our testers found it impossible to get the ear cushions to sit properly, so they always seemed to be on the brink of slipping off.

The AXPCs are designed with gamers in mind, and the price reflects this. If you're looking for a set of high-quality headphones for watching DVDs or listening to music then you may get a better deal by looking elsewhere.

Tritton AXPC

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Okay, so what's the most important thing when you're looking for a new set of gaming headphones? Well, most of the time I'd say sound quality, in which case these AXPC headphones come up trumps. The USB interface powers the in-built sound card, which in turn powers the unprecedented eight speakers set into the hunky ear shells.

On the attached dongle you can select top, middle and bass settings as well as volume and microphone settings. So far it all sounds pretty damn good, (no pun intended) with 5.1 surround sound without the need for a separate sound card.

Monster headphones

But this is where I start to have issues, if you're such a hardcore gamer then surely you've already got a decent sound card, especially with the X-Fi range being available for a pittance these days. If so then you just need a decent set of cans to plug into the line out port.

That problem though is a personal, subjective one and we know that there are still quite a few bods out there gaming on laptops, where you can't replace the sound card so easily. Fair enough. By far the biggest problem though is the fact that we were unable to find anybody in or out of the office, living or dead, that could fit these enormous things on their bonce.

They feel loose on every setting and the myriad speakers inset into the cans make them so heavy that even the slightest head movement dislodges them. Get yourself a set of Steel Series' Siberia headphones. Your ears will thank you. And your wallet.

Steel Series Siberia Neckband

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My ears are in love; cocooned as they are in soft, soft foamy cloth, being lovingly caressed by the alternately booming then plinky, twinkly noises emanating from the twin speakers set at a comfortable distance away from my lugs. This is one seriously good gaming headset.

Hug for your head

The Siberia Neckband's raison d'etre is comfort, but at first glance you may think that the round-the-back band would hold your head in a vice-like grip. Luckily, this is certainly not the case as the gentle force it expends keeping the headset on your head is barely noticeable. It feels like your head's getting a comfy hug from a particularly loud set of ear muffs. And for the complicated hair brigade, and the truly vain, it won't mess up your 'do; that, in itself, has gotta be worth the £45 for the fashionista gamer.

Sensational surround sound

The sound too is excellent, with clear, crisp highs and great booming lows. The pinpoint surround sound is perfect for the gaming side and to complement the audio is the requisite microphone and an impressively designed discrete unit that can be hidden out of the way inside the left headphone.

If you're after a quality gaming headset then you'd be mad to miss out on these beauties. The sound is great, the design is excellent and the build quality superb. You'd have to work damn hard to prise these off my skull.

Creative EP-630 Earphones

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These in-ear headphones have been designed for MP3 players, but we found them just as impressive with a laptop.

The sound quality was excellent, with a bass sound that didn't swamp things. Creative put this down to a powerful 9mm transducer that provides subsonic bass and crystal clear treble.

The earphones come with two bud sizes and while the lead is a little thin, it felt as though it would last a reasonable length of time.

Being noise-isolation earphones, they managed to cut out a fair deal of external noise, making them perfect for the morning commute. Available in white or black, they are a cost-effective addition to your mobile kit.

Etymotic Research ety8

tech.co.uk staff — 1190156400

These weird-looking contraptions are Bluetooth earphones, comprising two earpieces and a transmitter that plugs into the bottom of your iPod. You can pair the 'phones with other Bluetooth devices (but there's no microphone so it's pointless hooking it up to a mobile phone).

Setting up the earphones is easy with an iPod - and no syncing is necessary. Simply select the track you want, press pause, insert the transmitter, then press play on either the iPod or the right earpiece and away you go. The transmitter works up to a range of around 15 feet.

The controls on the earpiece include play/pause, which is also on/off, plus volume and forward and back track buttons. Sound quality is excellent.

The only drawback is that you look pretty odd wearing these large rectangular chunks of plastic in your ears. They're reminiscent of those giant earrings worn next to enormous shoulderpads in the mid-80s. Any takers?

Sennheiser PC121

tech.co.uk staff — 1186095600

Designed for internet telephony services such as Skype, the Sennheiser PC121 (£21 inc. VAT) is an affordable and portable audio headset. It's very easy to set up and provides a comfortable over-the-ear design.

Connected to your laptop's microphone and headphone sockets, audio quality is excellent. With a volume control and microphone mute switch fitted to the headset's cable, it's easy to adjust audio levels on the fly.

Since the ear clip is movable through 180 degrees, the headset can be used on either the left or right ear. While fully Skype-certified, it is also compatible with any of the other various VoIP services. Usable and well-designed, both business and home users can easily stay in contact wherever their travels take them.

Microsoft Life Chat ZX-6000

tech.co.uk staff — 1186009200

Yes! You too can chat about life - praise be to Microsoft. What would the world be like without Big Business facilitating communication between us proles? We'd all be shouting at the moon and throwing our faeces around, probably.

The LifeChat ZX-6000 is a discreet and comfortable wireless headset, identical in form and function to the Xbox 360 version. It offers wireless voice-chat for Teamspeak, Live Messenger and any other VoIP apps you care to employ.

The unit itself is pretty light, with a behind-the-lug fitting which grips firmly but not tightly, although the bespectacled among us have found it less snug for obvious reasons. Sound quality is crisp and clear, and it's less effort than the washing up to install.

Not the cheapest device of its kind, but it's very well made, and almost unnoticeable once you get used to it.

Sennheiser RS110 Wireless Headphones

tech.co.uk staff — 1183849200

By rights I should love any company that attempts to supply me with wireless audio. At home I have to clamber into a nest of wires that creep and clutch around my gaming chair until I end up looking like the victim in Japanese tentacle porn (or so I imagine...). I even have speakers taped to the shoulders of the chair for surround sound.

Emancipation from this cable cocoon should be welcome regardless of whether the saviour is savoury or not, right? Wrong.

You'd think £35 sounds like a good deal for a set of wireless 'phones, but as is so often the case with audio equipment, you really do get what you pay for. The RS110 feels naff and bulky, with budget components, cheap dials and switches. It's even got that oily reek of cheap plastic.

Sound quality is passable but if you've gone to the trouble of investing in a decent soundcard the last thing you want to do is bottleneck it through these.

The RS110's redeeming quality is the range of the wireless reception. I walked a good 150 meters across to the other wing of the PCF mansion through thick walls and double doors not to mention a bajillion computers worth of interference and it still came through clearly.

Pretty impressive if all you want to do is stream your MP3 collection to the garden (and can live with the lo-fi). But the final kick in the teeth is that when your machine isn't outputting any sound the transmitter unit auto-powers off leaving the headphones hissing.

So unless you're bombarding yourself with constant sound you'll periodically get a burst of static as the RS110 protests its lack of use...

Fatal1ty Gaming Headset

tech.co.uk staff — 1181602800

Not that any of us round here really care for Wendell's moniker palstered all over our gear, but it has to be said that the products that bear his name are all pretty good. The Zalman Fatal1ty chassis was a real beauty; ABIT's line of Fatal1ty boards have been high performers all, and of course, Creative's peerless X-Fi sound cards have also borne the cheeky fella's name.

The latest in the line is the Fatal1ty Gaming Headset from Creative, and what a great set of cans it is. Alright, so the red-and-black branding may not appeal to all, but it's the sound quality and comfort that really count here, and here's where this headset really scores.

£30 is hardly breaking the bank, and the sound quality is potent. There's resonant bass and a punchy midrange, crisp tones in voice comms, and reasonable separation between voices.

The padding on the headband and ear cups is a blessing - it really feels like the set is hugging your noggin. There's plenty of space for your lugs in the cups too. There's a volume control on the cable, and the mic can be clipped in or removed - although as it's mounted on a bendy cable, you can wind it out of the way if need be. Neat design, great sound, 'nuff said.