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We are still undecided about the leather surface for the cups. On the one hand it does offer improved noise isolation and is easy to keep clean, but the lack of breathability may prove to be too big a sacrifice for users in warmer climates. The past week and a half here in the UK made the headset somewhat uncomfortable to wear for prolonged periods of time. Though, under normal conditions it works well.
I tend to believe I do not have a comically oversized head and was surprised by how tight the headset clamped onto my head during the first week of usage. After a while the headset has loosened a little, though it is still too tight for me to comfortably wear around my neck. It almost feels as if the rigidity was designed to fit the skinny stereotype of a gamer.
Connecting the headset is a simple process. Console users can make use of the clear instructions provided by Turtle Beach, while PC gamers can simply plug the headset into an empty USB port and wait for the drivers to finish installing. After the installation has been completed, it is a matter of getting to grips with the Audio Control Unit.
The Advanced Sound Editor, which is also used to update the firmware, can be downloaded here. We will be taking a closer look at the Advanced Sound Editor on the next page. For now, we will look at the headset's performance with default settings.
At this price point it is important to note that many audiophiles will argue that gaming orientated headphones will never deliver the same level of aural fidelity as high-quality studio headphones or a full-fledged surround sound setup. For the purposes of this review we are judging these headphones based on average usage e.g. a healthy mix of music, videos and games at comfortable levels.
In order to test music playback performance I used uncompressed recordings of The Jimi Hendrix Experience’s album Electric Ladyland as well as a 192kbps recording of the eponymous album Alexisonfire by Alexisonfire.
Depending on which preset is used, the difference can be quite staggering. Using presets which focus on bringing out the lower registers will drown out the higher frequencies slightly. However, using a ‘flat' preset without any virtualization or other enhancements provided crisp audio. Even at its maximum volume there was no distortion, courtesy of the capable 50mm drivers.
Even though the XP Seven was not made with a focus on listening to music it is nonetheless very capable of producing high quality sound.
In order to test gaming performance I used Counter-Strike: Source, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Battlefield 3. These games were chosen because Counter-Strike relies heavily on sound spatialization while Battlefield 3 on the PC brings together 64 players with an array of weaponry and a wide range of ambient sounds. More information about sound spatialization in Counter-Strike and some background on the sound design of Battlefield 3 can be found here and here.
Using a flat preset I was able to discern footsteps, and the direction they were coming from, clearly amidst explosions and gunfire. It was more difficult to accurately determine the direction of gunfire and footsteps in Battlefield 3, though this is more to do with the game itself, rather than the headset.
Deep, rumbling sounds such as tanks rolling past or jets flying overhead did not drown out any of the higher freqencies, making for an immersive experience altogether. Combined with the noise isolating properties of the leather cups the XP Seven really does let you get carried away.
The boom mic provides excellent clarity and eliminates background noise efficiently. I used my phone to play some music approximately 1 meter away from me while I used the microphone but did not notice any significant background noise while listening to the microphone
The in-line mic proved to be sufficient. Other players noted that it sounded as if I was communicating from the bathroom due to the fact that it picks up more background noise and slightly reverberates sounds. However, they were able to clearly understand me at all times.
To test the surround sound capabilities of the headphones I used the opening scene from Saving Private Ryan and The Dark Knight. Saving Private Ryan’s opening scene is a perfect way to test any surround sound setup, or virtualization solution, with its mix of explosive impacts and rifles being fired in an open field. The Dark Knight on the other hand has booming, impactful bass scenes and is a great way to test a headset’s capability to accurately produce high and low tones.
Using the default settings the bass was slightly overwhelming during The Dark Knight, resulting in voices being drowned out while producing nearly deafening explosions. The hospital scene stands out as a scene where I took the headset off as it was starting to give me a headache.
However, the headset performed admirably during the opening scenes of Saving Private Ryan, with every little sound and every big explosion clearly defined and separated.
Of course, using only the default settings negates the hard work and most prominent feature of the XP Seven, its presets and the option to customize those. We are going to delve deeper into these on the next page.
