Matthew Shanks
11-12-2009, 04:30 PM
<p><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/resizer/thumbs/size/600/dht/auto/1256510070.usr108523.jpg" style="border: 0;" /></p><h6><strong>Product Category:</strong> Wireless Headsets / Headphones</h6><h6><strong>Manufacturer: </strong><a href="http://www.turtlebeach.com/products/efx4a/home.aspx" target="_blank" title="Turtle Beach X4 Headset">Turtle Beach</a></h6><h6><strong>Where to Buy:</strong> <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/digitalhomethoughts-20/detail/B000V7N54A" target="_blank" title="Turtle Beach X4 Headset">Amazon</a> [Affiliate]</h6><h6><strong>Price:</strong> $149 USD</h6><h6><strong>System Requirements:</strong> Compatible with the Xbox 360 and home theater systems.</h6><h6><strong>Specifications:</strong> 50mm diameter speakers, 270g, >20 hours battery life with 2 AAA batteries.</h6><p><strong>Pros:</strong></p><ul><li>Very lightweight and comfortable for long periods of use;</li><li>High build quality, good industrial design to match the Xbox 360;</li><li>Microphone works seamlessly with the headphones;</li><li>Excellent recreation of Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound.</li></ul><p><strong>Cons:</strong></p><ul><li>Fairly expensive;</li><li>Chat connector still wired to controller;</li><li>Muddy bass during loud scenes with deep bass;</li><li>Line of sight required for IR transmitter;</li><li>No low battery indicator, microphone volume suffers with low battery before speaker sound loses definition. </li></ul><p><strong>Summary:</strong> The Turtle Beach Ear Force X4 Wireless Xbox 360 Gaming Headset is a well thought out product that caters to Xbox 360 gamers, while still allowing home theater enthusiasts an outlet to listen to music or movies wirelessly and without disturbing others in their homes. It provides excellent Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound and its integrated microphone and chat features allow for complete immersion during online chatting or competitive multiplayer games. While it could use some improvements, it remains a piece of hardware that I continue to enjoy using in my home theater. <MORE /></p><h1>X4 Wireless Xbox 360 Gaming Headset</h1><p>The Turtle Beach Ear Force X4 Wireless Xbox 360 Gaming Headset is a pair of wireless headphones with an IR transmitter, made specifically for use with Microsoft's Xbox 360 gaming system. While the headphones are primarily designed for use with the Xbox 360, they can also be used with other components or integrated into a home theater setup. I purchased a pair of these headphones earlier this year to use while playing my Xbox 360 to avoid disturbing my wife during the day or late at night. Wireless headphones with stereo sound are relatively commonplace these days, but there are very few products made specifically for the Xbox 360, and even fewer that boast Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound. I had investigated wired headphones for use with my home theater and Xbox 360, but gravitated towards these wireless Turtle Beach headphones as the Xbox 360 controllers are already wireless and it made little sense to tether myself with wired headphones.</p><h2>Integrated Chat</h2><p>The Turtle Beach X4 Headset's main feature is that it provides a Dolby Digital 5.1 gaming experience and allows use of the Xbox 360's in-game chat functionality in a single wireless headset. PC gamers have long been reaping the benefits of using gaming headsets while playing and chatting. Turtle Beach has been providing this headset experience to Xbox 360 gamers since the introduction of their wireless X2 headset in 2006.</p><p>Typical Xbox 360 setups utilize a separate set of television or freestanding speakers for the game audio, as well as a wired or wireless headset for in-game chatting. One of the main disadvantages of this setup is that you end up covering one of your ears with the headset to listen to the chat channel. This prevents you from being able to fully focus on the game audio, and forces you to balance your main game volume with your chat volume to ensure you can still hear what's being said while playing.</p><p>The X4 headset has an integrated boom microphone that connects to the Xbox 360's controller microphone port using a cable with an in-line chat volume control and mute button. The chat volume control is independent from the game audio volume control on the headphones, allowing for adjustment as necessary. The combined headphone and microphone allows the gamer complete immersion in the game's audio, while still allowing the ability to speak to friends, teammates or opponents. I initially felt that the wire between the controller and the headphones was a limiting factor for the ease of use of the headset, but I was able to get used to it quickly, given my previous experience with the Microsoft wired headset that also connects directly to the controller. An improvement for future headsets would be eliminating the wire between the controller and providing a truly wireless audio experience, but this feature would likely drive the cost of the headset up too much. Turtle Beach has introduced several other features for their microphone that really improve the functionality during gaming. The Chat Boost increases the volume of the chat channel as the volume of the game channel increases, ensuring that the conversation is not lost. It also incorporates Microphone Monitoring, mixing a portion of the microphone signal into the headphone signal to allow you to hear yourself, and not talk loudly as you will with a traditional gaming earpiece or headset. Both of these features work well, enhancing the gaming experience. The headset also features a Bass Boost, although I found that during loud gaming moments such as explosions, the bass can be muddy even without the bass boost turned on. I leave it off during normal use, but others may find it useful for music or quieter games.</p><p><PAGE /></p><h2>5.1 Audio</h2><p>The X4 differs from some competitor's products, and even their own Ear Force HPX PC headphones, in that they only utilizes a single 50mm driver per ear, rather than multiple drivers per ear to recreate a 5.1 audio experience. Dolby Digital 5.1 audio in a home theater environment uses 6 speakers (two front, two surround, one center and a subwoofer), and Turtle Beach's Dolby Digital processing in their infrared transmitter recreates the 5.1 experience through the two headphone speakers. I was skeptical at first that two speakers could provide a convincing 360 degree soundstage, but after extensive use of these headphones, I can attest to the accuracy of the sound positioning. I've actually found myself using the headphones more and more during the day, as they do allow a more immersive gaming experience than my regular home theater setup. The sound quality is excellent and allows the user to hear all the subtle nuances in the game audio. I have not used the headset for music or movies, although based on the headset's performance with game audio, it should work equally well for other applications.</p><p>The wireless transmitter allows a digital optical cable to be connected directly from the Xbox 360 or other audio source, and then passed through to a receiver from its digital output. This allows the headphones to be used at the same time as a home theater receiver, or on their own, with the receiver muted. A separate analog RCA cable input can also be used for a digital cable box, television or other analog device. Although the X4 is designed primarily for use with the Xbox 360, it could further be improved by including an additional digital input for a DVD player or Blu-ray player to be connected at the same time, rather than requiring the user to switch digital cables when they want to watch a movie. One downside to the transmitter is that it must be turned on to pass the signal to an attached home theater receiver. Allowing the transmitter to pass the fiber optic signal through to a receiver without power, or to automatically power itself on when it detects a digital signal would be a welcome addition to future headsets. This improvement would no longer require the user to leave the unit on all the time or manually turn it on, and allow it to be better integrated into home theaters that are controlled with macro based universal remotes that turn the entire system on based on the desired activity.</p><h2>Industrial Design</h2><p>The X4 headset has been designed to complement the Xbox 360, and it matches the white color scheme of the console. The headphones are well designed, lightweight and comfortable for use during long stretches of gaming. The wireless transmitter works quite well, with upwards of 30 feet of range. The only downside to the infrared wireless technology is that it requires line of sight to operate, forcing users to keep the transmitter out in the open, rather than tucked away in a cabinet. Turtle Beach has addressed this concern with the X4's replacement, the X41, which now features a 2.4GHz RF transmitter, allowing for less restrictions on use.</p><p>The battery life easily achieves the 20 hours claimed from two AAA batteries, but unfortunately Turtle Beach has not included a battery life indicator. I experienced an issue after many months of use where friends could barely hear my voice, but the game audio was normal through the headphones. I was unsuccessful troubleshooting the issue through Turtle Beach's website, but soon after discovered that failing microphone volume is the first indicator of low batteries. If you are not using the microphone, consistent static in the game audio is the other indication of failing batteries. A simple battery life indicator would definitely be an improvement for future headsets, allowing users to easily determine when they need to change batteries. Turtle Beach has also addressed this concern with their new X41 headset, which will now operate normally with no degradation in audio quality until the batteries are completely dead.</p><h1>Conclusion</h1><p>The X4 headset is an excellent product for those looking for a competitive advantage in Xbox 360 multiplayer games, or a way to enjoy gaming, movies or music easily and without disturbing anyone in the household. The X4 headset has some truly great features that have allowed me to improve my gaming experience, and I would recommend them to anyone looking for a headset for the Xbox 360. The X4's have now been discontinued and replaced by Turtle Beach's X41 headset, which has improved on the already great design and addressed some of the features that needed to be improved.</p><p><em>Matthew Shanks is a Professional Engineer and Project Management Professional, based in Calgary, Alberta. His interests include <a href="http://shanksphotography.smugmug.com/" target="_blank" title="Shanks Photography">photography</a>, home theater, and gaming. He is happily married and recently welcomed his baby daughter to the family. <a href="http://shanksphotography.smugmug.com/" target="_blank" title="Shanks Photography"></a></em></p><p><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com//ppct/auto/1240336793.usr1.gif" /></p><p><strong>Do you enjoy using new hardware, software and accessories, then sharing your experience with others? Then join us on the <a href="http://www.thoughtsmedia.com/reviewteam.php" target="_blank">Thoughts Media Review Team</a>! 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