Turtle Beach X1 Headset

I decided I needed a good gaming headset to maximise my gaming experience. I had a look around and I finally decided to purchase these. I originally chose these as they were not as expensive as many other headsets, only £59.95, and also because I liked the look of them and Turtle Beach is a well known quality brand.

When they arrived I decided to try them out on MW2. And all I can say is ‘WOW’. The sound quality coming through the headset was just simply unbelievable, it was like I was actually there. I also found that the quality of sound actually improved my gameplay. It isn’t surround sound but it’s still very easy to hear the footsteps of an enemy from really far away and know what direction they are coming from. This makes this headset ideal for playing Search and Destroy when you desperately need to locate the enemy and kill them. You can also use Ninja Pro which really helps as then you can only hear the footsteps of the enemy.

However, don’t get the impression that the Turtle Beach’s are only good for shooter games. I didn’t realise the full quality of the sound until I tried the headset on PGR4 and FIFA10. You can literally hear everything. It really does take gaming to a whole new level and it adds a completely new perspective to video gaming. Sounds like the car changing gear and the murmurings and mutterings of the crowd which are normally inaudible, are now made available. It’s fantastic.

Another good thing about the Turtle Beach X1s is the volume control. There are two volume control dials on the headset itself. One controls the volume of the game sound and the other the volume of people who are talking to you. Wether it be in game chat, party chat or private chat. This means you are not disrupted by your friends talking to you really loudly when you are trying to concentrate on the game you are playing on. You can turn down the voice volume really low but it is still possible to hear clearly what someone is saying. Again brilliant.

However, there are a few problems. One of them is that after an hour or so of wearing the headset, it can start to hurt your ears. It isn’t too bad but it does result in me having to take them off for maybe a minute or adjusting them to make it more comfortable. The other issue is the wires. They are very long. I am afraid it is a price you have to pay for purchasing the cheaper wired headset. Constantly they get tangled up and because I occasionally use a wired controller it can get very annoying. Although, the benefits of the headset easily outweigh the negatives.

9/10