Fat Ninja

Now, I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking, “Geez, Merc, didn’t you just get a new headset a little bit ago?” And you’re right, I did. I traded in some old games and picked up Motorola’s X205 Gaming Headset, which, mind you, is a decent piece of hardware. Still, I think my review was a bit premature in its gleaming praise for the device. Sure, the sound quality was always great, however when I used the term snug in my review, I meant it in a positive light.

As my time with the X205 went on, that snugness began to take on some very negative undertones. It started to feel like it was crushing my head at times. To make matters worse the vaccuum seal that the earpiece created when strapped to my noggin nearly guaranteed that my ear would actually sweat. If you’ve never had a sweaty ear, you’re lucky. Sadly, these deficiencies weren’t apparent to me early on, so I apologize to anyone who rushed out and purchased the X205 based on my gushing endorsement.

Despite my issues with the X205, it still did a damned fine job of allowing me to communicate with squadmates. In that respect my opinion of Motorola’s device remains unchanged. On account of this, I was willing to live with the comfort issues. However, when we moved and I set up shop in the office area of our new house, my gaming hub was suddenly at little more than arm’s length from our bedroom. Not only that, I now had my mother-in-law and brother-in-law living below me. Gone were the raucous nights of ruckus. In search of some way to have my cake and eat it too (what’s the point of cake you can’t eat?), I ordered Turtle Beach’s X1 Ear Force headset.

The headset arrived yesterday, and right when I got home from work I set about extracting it from its plastic cocoon. Setting up the X1 proved a bit more complicated than the procedure required by other headsets. Between hooking up the RCA cables, plugging in the USB and jacking in the mic, it was somewhat of a procedure. I wouldn’t really chalk this up as a strike, however, simply because it’s a necessity given the functions that the X1 provides. Once I got it all set up and tucked all of the wires away, I went about testing the new ware.

The first thing that I noticed about the X1 was that it was feather-light. Not in that flimsy sense, mind you. I mean, it feels like the product of some solid craftsmanship. In addition to being ultralight, it was honestly the most comfortable headset I’ve worn to date. It didn’t feel like it was pinching or constricting my cranium, but it never felt like it was gonna slip off my dome either. The ear-cups are well padded and can rotate 360 degrees, ensuring a nice comfortable fit for anyone. The boom mic is long and flexible, and the headband has a nice bit of padding and a great range of extensions to fit heads of any size.

Comfort aside, I figured with the X1, I could bump my game as loudly as I wanted, all while being able to chat with my team. Naturally, I had some doubts about how well the two sets of audio would be delivered. I figured some sacrifices would have to be made on one front or the other. However, when I test drove these puppies last night, I found that the game audio came through in crystal clear stereo, while the chat laid right over top of it seamlessly. I didn’t encounter any kind of interference between the two whatsoever.

In the end, I think the X1 is a fantastic piece of hardware. The lightweight and ergonomic design make it perfect for those late night gaming binges I tend to go on. The sound quality is superb on both the chat and game sound fronts, with nothing lost in between. If you’re looking for something with this sort of functionality and you’re willing to shell out the dough, I highly suggest you take a look at the X1.

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