I am thinking about getting these and I was wondering if anyone has a pair and could give their impressions.
I am interested in them because:
1. They now use RF instead of infrared
1. Dolby headphone processing (Virtual Surround)
1. Integrated with Xbox Live Chat
1. Has a wired headphone jack so that you can use standard headphone with the Dolby Headphone amp.
1. USB Powered
I have avoided the earlier models because seemed to fall short of features and quality. I am wondering if they have finally made a drool worthy product.
Does anyone own the new X41s? Do they sound good with games and movies?
Wireless audio at it's worst is utter crap and barely mediocre at it's absolute best.
Normally I'd hate to disagree with ThinJ, but I have a set of the old Ear Force X4's, they were a lifesaver trying to play games at night with a new baby in the house. There's good separation in the channels and sounds are easily identifiable from specific three dimensional points of origin.
The X4's were actually quite good, this is coming from a guy with a high end 7.1 setup that I would prefer to use. The mic worked great as well, the only problem I had was with some low level hissing, which I hear had been resolved with the redesign in the X41's.
If you've got a need for keeping your system quiet and want to cut the wires, this is currently the best (non-ridiculously expensive) route to do it.
Wireless audio at it's worst is utter crap and barely mediocre at it's absolute best.
I got a pair of wireless (RF) Senns. and they are pretty good. They are definitely "thin" compared to a wired pair, but no bad at all. There is a definite trade off in sound quality, but the convenience can make up for it.
The X4's were actually quite good, this is coming from a guy with a high end 7.1 setup that I would prefer to use. The mic worked great as well, the only problem I had was with some low level hissing, which I hear had been resolved with the redesign in the X41's.
That's one of the reasons I am interested in the new model. The background hiss from the voice channel is supposed to be a lot quieter than on previous models.
There's no fundamental reason why wireless headphones couldn't sound just as good as normal ones, but it seems like manufacturers always cheap out on bandwidth. Typically, they run some kind of sound compression on the signal, something akin to MP3. This sounds okay with CDs, but twice-compressed music takes a big quality hit. The quantization error from multiple compression runs is additive, kind of like the old multi-generation copying of analog tapes was. So if your music is in MP3, or if you're listening to a movie (which is compressed with Dolby Digital), you're not getting the quality you should be.
If you found a set of headphones that used lossless compression, they would sound great. But I don't think any of them do that.
I got a pair of wireless (RF) Senns. and they are pretty good. They are definitely "thin" compared to a wired pair, but no bad at all. There is a definite trade off in sound quality, but the convenience can make up for it.
The Sennheisers were actually the best wireless ones I ever got to try.. but to my ears they still sound pretty bad relative to any solid pair of wired headphones. I'd take a wired pair of HD201's for $25 before I bothered with the wireless.
If I were really interested in getting rid of wires I think I'd get creative with cable routing and run an extension under the carpet or in the ceiling and walls and just have a headphone jack sitting at the back of my couch or something.
If you found a set of headphones that used lossless compression, they would sound great. But I don't think any of them do that.
I'm sure such systems exist and I imagine they sound pretty great, but if I had to guess I'd say they're ridiculously expensive.
I'm seriously considering requesting these as a birthday gift. I'm unable to play anything at a decent volume in my house after about 8:00 PM. If you do get them, please let us know what you think.
heavyfeul wrote:I got a pair of wireless (RF) Senns. and they are pretty good. They are definitely "thin" compared to a wired pair, but no bad at all. There is a definite trade off in sound quality, but the convenience can make up for it.
The Sennheisers were actually the best wireless ones I ever got to try.. but to my ears they still sound pretty bad relative to any solid pair of wired headphones. I'd take a wired pair of HD201's for $25 before I bothered with the wireless.
That is a good comparison. They (RS130) sound similar to a pair of 201's, but they are a bit more detailed and when you use the SRS they do open up a little bit. For me they sound a bit too bright, but overall I am pretty happy. Watching a movie in bed with them works great.
I don't like listening to music with them though. I imagine the X41's probably do not do to well with music either.
I'm seriously considering requesting these as a birthday gift. I'm unable to play anything at a decent volume in my house after about 8:00 PM. If you do get them, please let us know what you think.
No you need to be MY guinea pig!
That is a good comparison. They (RS130) sound similar to a pair of 201's, but they are a bit more detailed and when you use the SRS they do open up a little bit. For me they sound a bit too bright, but overall I am pretty happy. Watching a movie in bed with them works great.
Therein lies my problem. You get $25 sound out of $130 headphones. Ugh.
I'm a huge Sennheiser fan... but man, I hate those things. $130 can net you a pair of 280 Pro's and a really long fairly high quality headphone extension cable from Grado to run behind, under, or over things to hide your wiring.
And given that this is Sennheiser, I'd bet their wireless set sounds better than the Turtle Beach set 
I'll bow out now though. I know there's a lot of people that simply don't care as much as I do about sound quality.
heavyfeul wrote:That is a good comparison. They (RS130) sound similar to a pair of 201's, but they are a bit more detailed and when you use the SRS they do open up a little bit. For me they sound a bit too bright, but overall I am pretty happy. Watching a movie in bed with them works great.
Therein lies my problem. You get $25 sound out of $130 headphones. Ugh.
I'm a huge Sennheiser fan... but man, I hate those things. $130 can net you a pair of 280 Pro's and a really long fairly high quality headphone extension cable from Grado to run behind, under, or over things to hide your wiring.
And given that this is Sennheiser, I'd bet their wireless set sounds better than the Turtle Beach set
I'll bow out now though. I know there's a lot of people that simply don't care as much as I do about sound quality.
I care about sound quality very much. I just think you are overstating how bad wireless headphone are. I am not an audiophile but I definitely go for the best my budget can afford. I was able to get my RS130's for 62 bucks, so I feel like they were a good buy. I don't expect them to sound as good as my HD555's, but they do not sound bad. They just don't sound great. Their performance is average.
The X41's are appealing because they come with a Dolby Headphone amp (which you can use with wired headphones), they are wireless, they integrate XBL chat, and they do well with positional audio. They are not going to sound as good as a $180 pair of headphones, but they serve a very particular purpose and as long as they do that well I will be happy.
Different headphone serve different purposes. When I sit at home and listen to music, my HD555's are my favorite. On the go I love my KSC75's. Gaming, definitely the ATH-D700's FTW. Watching a movie before bed on my bedroom TV, the RS130's are perfect.
I am hoping the X41's are mature enough of a design that they excel at one thing...Xbox Live multiplayer gaming late at night.
I care about sound quality very much.
If you like the RS130's for any purpose at all then I could argue this for hours, but let's not
heavyfeul wrote:I care about sound quality very much.
If you like the RS130's for any purpose at all then I could argue this for hours, but let's not :P
Send the troll back under his bridge!
I am hoping the X41's are mature enough of a design that they excel at one thing...Xbox Live multiplayer gaming late at night.
I can confidently state that this is the primary reason for their design and they nailed it with the X4's (hissing aside). I'm tempted to upgrade to solve the only, minor problem I've had with these suckers.
Expensive? Yes. Worth it for me? Absolutely!
That is what always kept me from getting the X4's, the hiss. Based on some of the reviews, it seems they have reduced the hiss considerabley in this model. The one really nice feature that I wish they had was rechargeable batteries. My RS130's charge through the headband when you place them on the cradle. It works really well. I never have to worry about batteries.
Anyone get these yet?
I think I might bite the bullet and be the guinea pig here. I have some amazon gift cards stashed away that will offset the high price.
I'm getting a pair for my birthday at the beginning of December, if you want me to go "first." I'm not a huge audiophile, though. What sounds better to me might be unacceptable to someone else. 
If you do get them and hate them, that's more what I'm concerned about. Comfort is also a big factor. Probably on par with sound for me (I know, I know). I'm so used to playing at infinitesimal volume levels, that anything louder than a whisper is going to sound great to me.
I caved. I put the order in this weekend. I should have them on Tuesday or Wednesday.
I caved. I put the order in this weekend. I should have them on Tuesday or Wednesday.
You, sir, are my hero.
Do you think a wired version would reduce the hiss? I'd be ok w/ wired ones.
Do you think a wired version would reduce the hiss? I'd be ok w/ wired ones.
The wired version should be less prone to a background "hiss," but it could still be present. It won't come from the wireless signal, but hiss can be a factor in wired headphones that come paired with an amp, like the "X" headphones from turtle beach. You then add the voice channel coming through the headphones, as well, and there is a possibility of a significant background hiss. Even the inline volume control can add noise to the signal.
I would check the Amazon reviews and reviews on other sites to see what users have been reporting about them. My guess that the hiss will be minimal and not noticeable at normal listening levels, but I could be wrong. The voice channel, which is wireless if you are plugging into a wireless controller, is the most likely source of a problem.
The X41's arrive today. I will give them a quick run through and post some impressions this week. I traded in a lot of my 360 games (including COD4) to make room for some upcoming releases, but I do have a couple games left to try. Right now I have Batman: Arkham Asylum in the tray, so I will probably play that first.
What I really want to test them on is Modern Warfare 2 when it releases next week.
I took the X41s for a test drive last night with Batman: Arkham Asylum. Here are my initial impressions:
PROS:
1. The surround sound processing is simply amazing. The soundstage is massive and I was able to easily pinpoint where sounds were coming from. These things really shine in this regard and they blow away the Astros. I am in danger of getting hyperbolic here, but they absolutely knocked it out of the park. These are the best gaming headphones I have ever used.
2. There is an audible hiss in the background, but it is only audible when everything is quiet. Basically the only time I heard it was when I was in the dashboard. That is it. Even when the mic was hooked up to the controller. This is in a room with another pair of wireless headphones and two baby monitors and a wireless network adapter. I didn't get any interference. The his is definitely there, but you will never notice it when a game is loaded up. Even ambient sound and music drowned it out.
3. They are very light and comfortable. My ears fit inside the earcups just fine and they stayed securely on my head. I played for about 2 or 3 hours and I didn't feel any head clamping and my ears never got sweaty.
CONS:
1. Build quality is not the best. These do not fell like they could take much abuse. If you baby your stuff like I do, it is not a big deal, but if you tend to chuck your headset across the room in frustration, then you might want something with a much smaller price tag. They feel solid, not flimsy, but compared to quality stereo headphone they definitely feel cheaply made.
2. The amp is not silent. I plugged in a pair of regular stereo headphones and that background hiss I mentioned was there too. When I turned the volume knob back and forth it made a scratchy sound. The really chinced-out on the headphone jack and analog volume control.
Even though these feel like a cheap made in China product, they did so well when it came to the surround sound effect that I forgive them. These performed beyond my expectations. I just wish they spent a little more money, time, and energy on build quality.
I did wire up the mic and tethered to my wireless controller. I did not play any multiplayer last night, so I do not know how it works in game, but the mic sensitivity was fine and only when the chat volume is turned way up do you here any added hiss from the voice channel. I recorded a message and it recorded and played back just fine. Once I get a chance to dig in to some serious multiplayer sessions next week I will post up.
Even though these feel like a cheap made in China product, they did so well when it came to the surround sound effect that I forgive them. These performed beyond my expectations. I just wish they spent a little more money, time, and energy on build quality.
While I don't really support 5.1 anything in headphones, from what I understand this is one criteria where the Astro A40's blow away the Turtle Beach sets. They're supposed to be really well put together.
heavyfeul wrote:Even though these feel like a cheap made in China product, they did so well when it came to the surround sound effect that I forgive them. These performed beyond my expectations. I just wish they spent a little more money, time, and energy on build quality.
While I don't really support 5.1 anything in headphones, from what I understand this is one criteria where the Astro A40's blow away the Turtle Beach sets. They're supposed to be really well put together.
I have not used their headset, but I do have a Mixamp that I used with a few different pairs of headphones. The Mixamp might be designed to complement their headset, so I could definitely be wrong. If you pair the Mixamp with the Astro headset, it might work better. I don't know.
All I know is that the X41s, which uses Dolby Headphone just like the Astros, impressed the hell out of me. As soon as I loaded up a game and the 5.1 signal kicked in full force the openness and accuracy was mind blowing. It actually felt like the sounds were coming from a distance instead of right around my head.
I felt for a long time that just getting the right stereo headphone with the right amp would be better than any gaming/5.1 headphone, but I am a convert. The X41 are perfect for gaming. The problem is that there are very few products like it (single driver headphones paired with a Dolby amp). The Astros and Turtle Beach models are the only one I can think of.
Glad to hear they're working out for ya, but I'm sorry to hear the hiss was still there. I was considering dumping my X40 for the 41's if they had aced that problem..
Another nice touch is that you can use multiple headsets off the same receiver/transmitter, thus saving a bit of cash if you need them for multiple players.
I assume you can adjust the "delay" between the speakers i.e. front to rear, left to right for better positional sound. Couple of my buddies have Trittons and they do that for the surround. Glad they are working for ya. Can't wait to hear your impressions after you play MW2. Also don't forget to check back in with us a few months down the road after they are broken in.
Um, Heavy, I wasn't talking about the mixamp or sound quality, but build quality. The A40's are supposedly put together as well as a lot of higher quality sets of headphones.
Glad to hear they're working out for ya, but I'm sorry to hear the hiss was still there.
It definitely is, but, like I said, it is almost immaterial. It's quiet enough that I only hear it when there are no other sounds going on. I never heard it when in-game.
I assume you can adjust the "delay" between the speakers i.e. front to rear, left to right for better positional sound. Couple of my buddies have Trittons and they do that for the surround.
No. All of the processing is done in the amp and then sent to the headset. The Trittons are one of the multiple-driver-type headsets and you can adjust the relative timing and volume of the different channels. I believe they have 4 speakers in each ear cup.
With the X41s, the Dolby headphone processing in the amp takes the multichannel (e.g. 5.1) feed and turns it into a stereo feed that sounds like surround sound speakers. All of the processing is done in the amp. You don't have to tweak anything.
Um, Heavy, I wasn't talking about the mixamp or sound quality, but build quality. The A40's are supposedly put together as well as a lot of higher quality sets of headphones.
Oops. My bad.
I could definitely see that. The X41s have that plastic toy feel.
For myself and late night gaming I'm thinking about combining that old JVC dolby headphone amp with my pair of Beyerdynamic DT-770's and that Madcatz throat mic with the earbud for voicechat.
I'd get dolby headphone piped into a really nice pair of cans, and have a way of using voice chat that didn't interfere with using said headphones.
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