ver07.01.

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Turtle Beach Ear Force X1

http://www.turtlebeach.com/products/efx1/home.aspx

Important Stats

* $60
* Stereo
* Wired

The X1 is one of the most proliferate headsets currently on the market, and for
good reason. Priced at $60 and available in retail stores such as Best Buy, TB
surely did good marketing. However, it is a basic level headset with few added
features.
Turtle Beach Ear Force X3
http://www.turtlebeach.com/products/efx3/home.aspx

Important Stats

* $100
* Stereo
* Wireless

The X3 is available in retails stores such as Best Buy. This headset is basically
the X1 headset with a few upgrades. It is wireless, running off 2x AAA batteries,
and it also has a bass boost feature. There have been some complaints with
static, this is usually due to interference with the wireless connection.
Tritton AX 360/Sharkoon X-Tatic Digital
http://www.trittontechnologies.com/products/TRIGA600.htm

Important Stats

* $100
* Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
* Wired

Considered one of the cheapest surround sound headsets available for Xbox
360, it really shows. Manufactured in China, and marketed by Tritton in the US
and Sharkoon in Europe, it has a cheap construction that is notorious for
breaking. However, the features packed into it make it work looking into if you are
very gentle with it. In addition to the digital optical connection, it includes a PC
adapter in the package that can connect it to any computer or appliance with a
headphone port. The computer adapter includes 4x 3.5mm plugs. Three of them
are for 5.1 audio, and the other is the microphone connection with a PC.
Turtle Beach Ear Force PX1
http://www.turtlebeach.com/products/efpx1/home.aspx

Important Stats

* $80
* Wired
* Stereo
Turtle Beach Ear Force HPX
http://www.turtlebeach.com/products/efhpx/home.aspx

Important Stats

* $80 for most setups

* Wired
* Stereo/5.1 Surround Sound with Surround Sound processor
Turtle Beach Ear Force X4
http://www.turtlebeach.com/products/efx4/home.aspx

Important Stats

* $200
* Wireless
* Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Tritton AX Pro
http://www.trittontechnologies.com/products/TRIGA611.htm

Important Stats

* $160
* Wired
* Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Astro A40
http://www.astrogaming.com/products/detail/12/A40-MLG-Edition/

Important Stats

* $250, $200 for the version with no MixAmp

* Wired
* Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound converted into Stereo
Skull Candy Low Riders


   

Important Stats

* $50
* Wired
* Stereo
Steel Series Siberia
http://www.steelseries.com/us/products/audio/siberia-full/information

Important Stats

* $80
* Wired
* Stereo
* Currently for use with PC's (No Mic Adapter for Xbox 360)
Logitech G35
http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/gaming/pc_gaming/headsets_micropho
nes/devices/5095&cl=us,en

Important Stats

* $130
* Wired
* Dolby Digital 7.1 Surround Sound
* Currently for use with PC's only (USB connection)
Psyko Audio Labs Psyko 5.1
http://www.psykoaudio.com/

Important Stats

* $300 (tentative)
* Wired
* Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
* Currently for use with PC's (3x3.5mm plugs)
* Utilizes new type of surround sound
Razer Carcharias
http://www.razerzone.com/gaming-audio/razer-carcharias/

Important Stats

* $80
* Wired
* Stereo
* Currently for use with PC's (No Mic Adapter for Xbox 360)
There are many different type of audio cables, so I'll talk about them here so you
can see what works for you. Some of them have multiple names, so keep that in
mind.

Optical/Fiber Optic/TOSLINK

This cable is capable of carrying quality digital audio connections in Dolby Digital
5.1 or 7.1 surround sound format. It works by pulsing a light or laser to indicate
two different states. The on state represents a 1, and the off state represents a 0.
By using this binary code, it can quickly replicate a lot of information. It is usually
located in the base of the cable that connects to the back of the Xbox 360, and is
also available for PlayStation 3.
HDMI

HDMI is a one cable to rule them all type of deal. It is capable of carrying 5.1
digital audio and video over the cable. Now available on all PlayStation 3's and
some Xbox 360's, it is the newest type of cable, and really helps to eliminate
cable clutter. No headsets currently take direct advantage of HDMI.

3.5mm/Headphone/5.1 analog

These cables utilized the cable of a standard headphone in order to carry more
channels in analog format (using vary radio wavelengths). A standard stereo
connection is a single 3.5mm cable, and 5.1 digital audio is over three seperate
3.5mm cables. Microphone cables for PC's also utilize a 3.5mm cable. Standard
PC speakers and analog 5.1 headsets connect using three 3.5mm cables. Stereo
analog headsets for PC connect using a single 3.5mm plug (the last two
sentences disregard microphone cables which is another 3.5mm cable).

Red-White/RCA

The most common form of output for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and most forms of
consumer electronics, it outputs sounds for a left and right channel using two
separate cables. Nearly every TV has an input of this type, and stereo headsets
designed for consoles usually utilize Red-White audio adapter. There are many
types of red/white cables such as adapters for connecting to 3.5mm, splitters,
and male/female conversions.

5.1
This refers to the Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound specification. The first number
indicates the number of surround channels, which is five. The second number
reflects the inclusion of a Low Frequency Effects channel (usually output through
a subwoofer). 5.1 is typically output through center, front left, front right, rear left,
rear right, and a subwoofer. These may be combined or split in headphones due
to the two earcup design.

7.1
This is a new Dolby Digital 7.1 surround sound specification. It has been slow to
catch on in the consumer industry due to increasing complexity and lack of
content. The typical speaker setup is Front Left, Front Right, Center, Left
Surround, Right Surround, Left Back, Right Back, and subwoofer.

Stereo
Stereo refers to the output of two audio channels, left and right. This is the most
basic setup.