Turtle beach gaming headphones - ear force x41

CNET editors pick the products and services we write about. When you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Wireless headphones have been around for a while, but it's only been in the past few years that quality has gotten high enough for discerning listeners to consider using them. Many manufacturers, for instance, have turned to infrared IR technology for wireless signal transmission, which powered the Turtle Beach X4 we looked at last year.

Overall we felt the IR radius was a bit narrow and we really disliked the fact that they didn't work well while using a plasma TV. The Turtle Beach X41 headphones are essentially the same product, but instead of using an IR signal, this headset takes advantage of an RF radio frequency to provide wireless audio. Besides a few hiccups and a hefty price tag, the X41s are one of the best wireless gaming headsets around. While the Ear Force X41s are designed with the Xbox in mind--they include a removable microphone and connections for chatting on Xbox Live--the headphones will actually deliver convincing surround sound from nearly any home theater source, thanks to their built-in 7.

The Ear Force X41 headphones include two main components: the wireless headphones themselves and a base station that houses most of the necessary jacks. That means that they will work with pretty much any audio source--anything with an optical digital output such as a DVD player or the Apple TV or standard analog line outs pretty much everything.

You could easily use the X41 headphones with a PlayStation 3 or Wii, but just don't expect to take advantage of voice chat--that'll only work with the Xbox The system boasts both Dolby Digital and Dolby Pro Logic IIx processing; the former handles the bit-stream surround soundtracks on DVD and Blu-ray movies and most video games, while the latter does a decent job of creating a faux-surround effect from any stereo source. The X41s' transmitter base also have a line-in volume control allowing you to just adjust the level of the incoming source.

Up front there's also a headphone jack with a volume adjuster that will play the same audio being broadcasted. Finally, the base also features a "bypass" button that will allow you to hear unprocessed audio. Setting up the Ear Force X41 headphones is fairly simple. For Dolby Digital processing, you'll use the included 7-foot optical cable to connect your Xbox or another digital source to the "digital in" port on the transmitter base. If you're also using an AV receiver and surround speakers, don't worry; there's a digital out port for passing the signal on, so you don't have to constantly unplug and plug in wires whenever you want to play using the headphones.

For power, the X41s ship with a USB cord that plugs directly into the base unit. You can plus the USB end of the wire anywhere including the itself. We had an empty USB port on our cable set-top box, which worked fine.

We should note that USB power is your only option here. In terms of comfort and design, the Ear Force X41 headphones are a bit heavy on the head, but not to the point where they feel overwhelming during long gameplay sessions.

On the left ear cup is where you'll find the controls and ports, including a volume adjuster, a power button, bass boost, and the port for the chat adapter that hooks into your Xbox controller. The left ear cup is also home to the flexible microphone boom. We really liked that the boom is detachable, as it can become distracting when not in use. The right ear cup is where you'll install the two AAA batteries.

Turtle Beach includes a pair in the packaging and claims they should work for at least 25 hours, but we do recommend getting some rechargeable ones. Users 7 reviews. Turtle Beach Ear Force X With their accurate 7. Read Full Review. Ear Force X41 Review. The Ear Force X4 was a rare and wonderful product, the only Xbox wireless surround sound headset to integrate voice chat smoothly into the mix. Now the sequel, the Earforce X41, is even better. Atomic Gamer.

However, if you're serious about audio and spend most of your game time with headphones on, then your ears—and neighbors—will thank you for this investment. Engadget Reader. March 30, A dependable product that doesn't really stand out from the competition. February 11, The best in its category. We highly recommend it. October 1, March 13, There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. February 24, As a dad of two young boys, I can really only get good gaming time in after they go to bed.

This headset is a god send because I can experience the full range of sounds without waking anyone up. The headset comes with batteries and an optical cable, which is a big plus. They do a good job of implementing surround sound. In Modern Warfare, I can hear the proximity of foot steps, grenades, and explosions. The chat is well integrated into the rest of the sound and you can adjust it to your liking.

I know that the pros talk a lot about the Astros, but these are great for the average gamer and cost significantly less. My only complaint is that there has been occasional hissing or static that lasts for a few seconds. January 4, I got these for Christmas this year. I hooked them up using the optical audio cables from the and then I fed the optical audio into my receiver. These headphones sound great with no interference.

I have the base sitting about 2 feet away from an I had read about people saying they had interference with similar setups and I have had none of those problems. This headset has been working great. The audio signal goes through the base station to my receiver. I have noticed that the receiver occasional looses audio during game play. I could be in the middle of a song in rock band for example and the audio will skip.

However this does not occur over the headset. I believe it may just be a connection issue between the base station and the receiver however this was not happening before I put the station in. I am going to troubleshoot it a bit more and then contact Turtle Beach if necessary. But other then that I have been extremely happy with this headphones and would definitely recommend. November 27,