Price

$250 with mixamp needed to combine chatting and surround sound.

Verdict

I still vastly prefer the convenience of Turtle Beach's wireless X41 headset, but I have to admit, the Astro A40 sounds better.
Playing Borderlands, everything from the growls of skaggs to the cadence of machine gun fire sounded richer and rounder on the A40s than my X41s. Maybe the sounds weren't always as distinct, but especially when cranking the volume on each headset, I realized the general listenability—the whole package of sound—was more pleasant with Atro's product, making me long for hearing loss. It's a difference in mid range that, while not absolutely Earth-shattering, will probably be noticeable to most in a side-by-side test.

Both headsets have extremely similar sound localization. And chatting, on both, is an equal joy.

But there's one, huge, horrible, despicable Achilles' heel to the Astro A40s. To connect the headset to an Xbox 360 (or PS3/PC), wires will invade your entire living room because the console needs to plug twice into a mixamp (the big, retro box you see in the lead photo), then the mixamp connects your headphones and controller. That's confusing, I know. Here's the full workflow:

Xbox 360 optical out and USB cord => A40 Mixamp => Headphones/Mic and Xbox 360 controller.
Ultimately, not only are you negotiating four wires for this one headset, but you'll still be tethered close to your console because of one, generally short/inflexible wire: the optical cord from your Xbox to the Mixamp (you can always opt for stereo plugs, but that sort of spoils the fun).

So while I knew the A40s sounded a bit better than my X41s, I couldn't kick back and enjoy the game in the same way. For one long cord or tight quarters PC gaming, I might opt for the A40s. For four cords sprawled across my living room, I'm sticking with the X41s—especially since they're $50+ less.

Maybe you'll feel differently.

Excellent sound

Headphones work with any 3.5mm source, too

Wiring gets obnoxious

The Price

$180 (technically $200, but Amazon sells 'em cheaper)

The History

Read our X4 review if you've never heard of these products before. This article will make a lot more sense.

The Improvements

• 2.4GHz RF instead of IR audio transmission
• USB powered instead of wall jack
• Dolby 7.1 Surround Sound instead of Dolby 5.1

I was skeptical that the Ear Force X41 would be any better than the Ear Force X4. But after using the headset for a week, I'm remiss to return to the X4s I bought last year.

Quite simply, the audio is more consistently clear with the new RF transmission, now that line-of-site and ambient light has become a non-factor. And I think that overall audio quality, while the speaker components themselves remain unchanged, has seen a bump because of this cleaner signal. (For those concerned, I was able to use the headset without interfering with my Xbox's Wi-Fi adapter or my home network—the primary potential hiccup with using RF instead of IR. Results may vary, I'm sure.)

As for the jump from Dolby 5.1 to 7.1 support, you probably won't ever notice. Playing Modern Warfare 2, missiles fly by your head with impressive panning, but the sound localization is no better than it was in the X4s...though to be fair, that's not necessarily a knock, even if the audio lacks the shining moments you'll enjoy in the best surround sound headphones offered by companies like Sony.
Oh, and the headset still requires AAAs as opposed to bundling a rechargeable lithium ion. I will say, however, that the batteries I tested with have broken the 10-hour barrier by a decent margin, and they're still operational.

As a wireless, surround sound headset for the Xbox 360, the X41 is at the top of its class (at least partially because it's still the only product in its class). If you're willing to go wired, you can save about $100+ on a cheaper version of the Ear Force, or you can take a look at the even more expensive but lauded Astro A40s.

In fact, if you guys are interested, let me know in the comments. I may try to call in a pair of those Astros in to hear for myself. [Turtle Beach]

Comfortable

Superb chat quality

RF offers smooth audio transmission

Highly specialized but useful product

Overall audio quality is OK, not stellar

AAA batteries? C'mon!

(This is the new model. It looks similar, I know.)

The infrared system seen in the X4 has been swapped out for a 2.4Ghz RF system in the X41. In other words, you should never get any hiss on the line from interference or loss of line of sight. The other big upgrade is that the formerly Dolby 5.1 headset now supports Dolby 7.1. I'm not convinced that most users will tell an immediate difference, but surely the detail looks nice on the box.

(Oh, and the less-promoted upgrade is that the X41's transmitter runs off Xbox 360 USB if you'd like, so there's no need for an AC adapter. Neat.)

Sadly, manufacturer Turtle Beach didn't solve the Ear Force's biggest flaw: its lack of a rechargeable battery pack. While there aren't many other headsets that offer such a niche solution (wireless surround sound gaming with integrated Xbox chatting), most surround sound headsets exploit lithium ion tech so you don't rip through so many batteries. And for $200, it's hard to believe that the X41 goes cheap on the power. [Turtle Beach]

The Price: $200

The verdict: If you've got an extra $200 and play Xbox 360 a lot, buy 'em.

It should be noted that these "surround sound" headphones are really transposing a 5.1 channel signal into two stereo speakers, but the results are excellent all the same. In Call of Duty 4, I could track a helicopter's proximity to me perfectly (with exception of just behind my head). And in Project Gotham Racing 4, cars whizzed by ears with aggressive speed.

As for the chatting, it's a complete pleasure in the X4s. Not only do both sides of the conversation benefit from improved audio clarity, but you hear your own voice mixed in with the game audio. This audio loop is to help keep you from shouting, and I think it works in practice. Plus, the mic's wire is supported by a pliable but durable metal skin—it feels 100x better than the stock 360 headset mic, like production-level gear.

Honestly, the sound quality isn't quite as good as you might find in dedicated surround sound headphones for the price. (My experience with the slightly more expensive Sony DS6000s blew these away.) And we'd really like the headphones to be rechargeable (an industry standard). But given that the sound is still quite decent, I never had a hiccup in the IR signal over hours of play, the ear cups are extremely comfortable and it's given me a manner to chat and use headphone surround sound (this is a VERY niche market of products), I'm quite pleased with the Earforce X4s and strongly recommend them to 360 gamers who need to keep the gunfire down while babies are sleeping, etc.

Featuring both analog and digital inputs, the headphones feature 50mm drivers that promise "deep rich bass sounds and crisp high frequencies" within the oversized cups. The device's removable microphone also has a handy feature of sending your voice back through the headphones, meaning that you'll always hear just how obnoxious you are getting during Call of Duty—and in addition, it will dynamically auto-mix your voice over unforeseen in-game noise.

All-in-all, Turtle Beach's Ear Force X4 headphones are looking pretty snazzy if you've got the $199.95 asking price. We'll try to get our hands on a pair to let you know if they're worth it.

Besides sporting a removable boom mic, it features a 10-band, six-channel EQ and allows you to hear outside sounds as well. (Though I'm not sure why you'd want to be distracted by the real world or your girlfriend during a hardcore fragging session.) The $150 price tag seems reasonable for a solid headset, but that could just be because I'm hung up on the eight speakers—the $30 pair on my desk seem so inadequate now. – Matt Buchanan

Product Page [via CrunchGear]

Press Release

It's better than other headphones since it supports the mic, and with the mic you can talk softly while still being heard. Which is great, since playing Nintendogs on the subway really gets you that authentic fresh urine smell. – Jason Chen

Product Page [Turtle Beach via Gadgetell]

Turtle Beach is known for making high quality audio equipment, so these shouldn't be any different. The X1 headphones are also nice because you can easily swap them between the PC and Xbox 360. – Travis Hudson

Turtle Beach Earforce X1 Headphones for Xbox & PC [I4U]

The ANR-10 are of the wrap-around kind, with foam padding and a single AAA battery to power the noise cancellation features. The battery isn't necessary for normal music listening, just for when the "active noise reduction" feature is turned on.

The ANR-20 is a fold-up standard headphone set, with cushioned cups and a detachable cable so you can have just noise reduction without the music. Their product page didn't specify whether batteries were required, but it's probably safe to say they are.

The ANR-10 is available for $59.95 and the ANR-20 for $99.95. – Jason Chen

ANR-10 Product Page [Turtle Beach]

ANR-20 Product Page [Turtle Beach]

Press Release [PR Web]

Product Page [Turtle Beach]

Turtle Beach makes PC surround sound a snap with its Audio Advantage Roadie USB Audio Adapter. Just a regular little USB sound card that snaps into your USB port, it'll hook you up with instant 5.1 or 7.1 surround sound connectivity, as well as all kinds of outputs to connect your computer or laptop to a bunch of different audio devices (like surround-sound headphones or portable speakers). Built-in stereo mics and a 10 Band EQ are also included, all for just $80. Oh, and looks like if you place your order before February 8th, you'll get a free 5.1 folding headphone worth $40.

Turtle Beach Audio Advantage Roadie USB Audio Adapter [Mobilewhack]