Kotaku 
Enter your username and password.
Denver, 10:17 AM
Tue Nov 24
64 posts in the last 24 hours
Tip us:
Editor-In-Chief:
Brian Crecente
| AIM | Twitter
Deputy Editor:
Stephen Totilo
| AIM | Twitter
Senior Editor:
Michael McWhertor
| AIM | Twitter
Senior Contributing Editor, Japan:
Brian Ashcraft
| AIM | Twitter
Contributing Editor, East Coast:
Michael Fahey
| AIM | Twitter
Contributing Editor, Oceania:
Luke Plunkett
| AIM | Twitter
Contributing Editor, Weekends:
Owen Good
| AIM | Twitter
Correspondent, San Francisco:
AJ Glasser
| AIM | Twitter
Columnist:
Leigh Alexander
Columnist:
Tim Rogers
Original material is licensed under a Creative Commons License permitting non-commercial sharing with attribution.
09:17 AM
09:17 AM
Nintendo needs to put up the import version: Excitebike VS., the Famicom Disc System exclusive that allowed local multiplay.
Or, they could, for once, put up like a 200 point DLC to allow local play in hindsight. I would buy that.
09:06 AM
08:19 AM
They also have some really nice custom designs.
05:02 AM
Open headphones like the Sennheiser 595s are great, but if you spend the summer months next a loud air conditioner (or even louder neighbors), you really need to look into closed headphones or IEMs.
11/23/09
11/23/09
11/23/09
I researched 5.1 surround headphones for several months and feel like I know a great deal about this. First off, straight up ignore anybody who says 5.1 surround in headphones doesn't matter. IT DOES.
Second, please realize that there is no unit in the 5.1 Surround headphones market that is "Cheaper and Better." If you are looking for the best all around experience, you are going to pay the good money. Fortunately, I saved the money and finally dove into the Astro Gaming A40s + Mixamp.
[www.astrogaming.com]
I will run down the things that were most important to me:
I have a wife and usually, the only time I get to play is at night when her and my son are asleep. This means that all that beautiful surround sound and awesome audio built into movies and video games would be lost to me because I had to have the speakers down so low. I needed 5.1 surround headphones that I could crank up for Movies, PS3, Xbox, and Wii.
I needed headphones that were wireless or as close to wireless as possible.
I needed headphones that would take TOSLink Optical.
I needed headphones that either had a built in microphone or could "add on" a microphone easily. This was very important because playing multiplayer on XBOX or PS3 requires a headset with friends.
I needed headphones that sounded retardedly bad ass.
It came down to these 3:
Turtle Beach EarForce X##
Tritton AxPro
Astro Gaming A40 + Mixamp
The Turtle Beach EarForce were immediate ruleouts for me because they were not compatible with the PS3 and TurtleBeach does not offer a surround sound PS3 and X360 solution.
This left the Tritton AxPros and the Astro Gaming A40s. Initially, I was put off SLIGHTLY by the fact that the Astro Gaming A40s were a little more expensive than the Tritton AxPros, so I invested in the AxPros and ended up quickly returning them for the following reason:
Very noticeable hissing sound when there should be silence
There were "gaps" in the surround sound. For example, if somebody was shooting back and to the left of you, you wouldn't hear it until you turned slightly more left or slightly more right. If there is a sound happening behind you and you spin in a circle, the sound should travel around the headphones depending on how you are oriented based on the sound. As you would turn around, the sound of whatever you are trying to isolate would face in and out because of these gaps.
Finally, there are two humongous freaking AC adapters that you have to plug in in order for the damn things to work AND the headset has TWO cables running from it. One to power the damn things and another to connect to the base station. I found this to be REALLY ridiculous and unnecessary.
I returned the Tritton Ax Pros and purchased the Astro Gaming A40s and have never regretted a single penny spent on these beauties. You save some money if you buy the MixAmp and Headphones together, which I did. I purchased the MLG Edition because the earcaps are not only replaceable and modular, but you can now actually make your own custom earcaps. The standard setup comes with 3 earcaps. 2 that are just flat and have whatever design you ordered, and 1 that has a hole in it so that you can plug in the microphone if you are gaming with the microphone. This is great because if you are not gaming, you can remove the microphone and use one of the flat caps and they just look like regular headphones.
The microphone is 1 single piece of flexible silicon and it plugs right in to either the left or right can.
Another great thing about these is that there is NO AC ADAPTER REQUIRED. This is awesome! The MixAmp runs off of USB, so you can plug it into any USB port that supplies power and there are no batteries or AC Adapters required. There is a battery compartment, though, so if you are gaming on the go and don't have a USB port available, you can use batteries, which is awesome.
Also, there is only a single wire running from the headphones to the MixAmp and it is a VERY thin wire. It is like the size and weight of a pair of earbud headphones. If you are using them for the 360, there is also a wire that runs into the controller, but this is also a very thin wire. The only downside about wiring that I found was that I had to buy an adapter to get it to plug into the PS3. However, the adapter was cheap and they provide you with instructions on setup.
The sound is perfection and the surround sound works fantastic!
The headphones themselves are surprisingly light and are VERY well designed. The headphone piece itself has a wire that hangs from the ear that you connect to the wire that runs to the MixAmp. This means that you can disconnect the headphones from the wire that runs to the MixAmp so you can go to the bathroom or get a drink or get up and do something without having to take the headphones off. This is made even better by the fact that the headphones fold inward and lie flat against your chest so that you can take them off your head, disconnect from the "dongle" and let them rest around your neck and on your chest. It is amazingly convenient and well thought out.
The headphones come with a heavy duty carrying case that will carry wires and spare headphone caps. When I say heavy duty, I mean it. The damn thing is probably bullet proof. If you own a pair of Oakleys, you know the cases they sell at the store that are really hard? This is like that, except even more badass and heavy duty. That's not to say it is heavy, because it isn't, its just very durable. Your headphones definitely feel safe in there.
List, man. You will pay good money for the A40s + Mixamp, but it is WELL worth it. I wouldn't have typed out this entire thing if I didn't truly believe in them. I'm not freaking rich and I'm not spoiled, but I saved the money for these and do not regret it whatsoever. They are the best pair of heaphones I own now and even when I am gaming during the day, I decide to put these babies on instead of playing through my speakers because they are just THAT DAMN GOOD.
Don't deal with the TurtleBeach incompatability issues and don't hassle with the Tritton AxPros ridiculous amount of wiring.
Buy the A40s and be happy.
PS: To demonstrate the AstroGaming awesome customer service:
When I bought the MLG Edition set, they were out of the MLG Edition Earcaps. Instead of canceling my order and asking m to just get the regular ones, and instead of going "Out of Stock" on them, they just sent me the original version of the headphones with a letter that promise they would send me the MLG Earcaps at no extra charge as soon as they were available. 1 week later, I recieved a package that had a brand new set of MLG Earcaps for absolutely no extra cost. I got $20 bucks worth of Earcaps (the standard ones) for free and it took no effort on my part. Secondly, I sent them a thank you note and telling them I would be investing in their BlackBird case hanger and instead of saying thanks, they sent me the hanger ($20 value) for free also. I invested in Astro Gaming and they invested in me. As soon as the next version of these headphones comes out, I will be purchasing them without hesitation.
GET THE A40S!!!
11/23/09
11/23/09
11/23/09
So again, many thanks! :)
11/23/09
11/23/09
The microphone picks up sound very well. My wife sleeps in the next room over and I do a medium whisper and everyone can hear me pretty well. If I talk with a soft voice, but still slightly below normal, people hear me just fine also. On occasion, if it is during a really loud sequence of shooting or action, I have to talk a little bit louder, but I do that more instinctively than as a requirement. I feel like because all this sound is going on, I have to talk a little louder, but that is because the others are probably hearing that same loud noise and I want to make sure they can hear me over it.
Basically, I can talk with a soft voice and people hear me fine. I doubt you will have a problem with having to talk loud. I know how loud the 360 headset requires you to talk and I can tell you that I don't have to talk anywhere near that level with the A40s. On the PS3, it is probably much better than talking into a bluetooth headset because the mic sits right next to your mouth pretty much.
Like I said, I doubt you will have a problem with people hearing you even if you talk a little lower than normal. You definitely do not have to raise your voice.
11/23/09
11/23/09
Add in the fact that the Megalodon's are not nearly as flexible in the areas of how modular the cans are on the A40s and being able to move the mic to either side or remove it completely on the A40s.
I can't vouch for the sound of the Megalodon's, but it doesn't have the feature set of the A40s.
11/23/09
seriously dude im like you, i too have wife and kid, and cant be blasting ps3 after hours. thank you so much fo ryour in depth review!
/salutes/
11/23/09
11/23/09
No seriously. Excellent review.
12:34 AM
12:36 AM
01:14 AM
I was having difficulty finding some good headphones that I could use with both the ps3 and pc I was looking at the Turtle Beach set as well, but not having it ps3 compatible made that a no goer.
Cheers.
02:42 AM
03:03 AM
The only issue with using proper audiophile headphones is that you need to get a separate mic. I just use the normal 360 one around my neck, but it isn't the most ideal solution.
05:18 AM
Off course, I'm aware that it doesn't have a Microphone, so it's not an option for you. But for people who doesn't care for online multiplayer (or to talk in a online match, for that matter) like myself, it's a very good option.
09:07 AM
Yeah, the Pioneers are a great consideration if you don't need a mic. A microphone was one of my requirements, but you are right, if you do not use a mic, they are probably perfect for you. I would also consider the Sennheiser HD650s, but the 5.1 surround on the Pioneers is a great feature to have.
The AxPros are good enough for some people. I just couldn't deal with how bulky the setup was. Two wires running across my living room just wasn't my thing, especially when on the other end was an AC adapter. It just wasn't for me. Combine that with the hissing sounds and gaps in the 5.1 and it just made for a terrible experience.
I would rather save a few extra months (In fact, I did) and get the superior experience than settle for the lower cost solution and regret it.
Take my advice and save up for a few months. You will not regret it.
09:12 AM
Having said that, I own a pair of HD595s and the sound coming from the 595s and the sound coming from the A40s are pretty much the same. The difference is that the 595s leak sound like a motherf**ker and the A40s do not. Additionally, the A40s have a microphone option.
It is useful to have both pairs though, because the MixAmp will push simulated 5.1 to the 595s and it sounds amazing as well.
I use them both at one time on the MixAmp when my wife and I are watching a movie and want to crank it up but our son is asleep.
Since the MixAmp also supports voice communication between them, if I hook up another headset to the mixamp, we can talk to eachother and hear eachother through the headphones and also hear the movie as well.
It's very awesome.
PS: I've never used the Shure SE530s or the AKG K701s. I have used a pair of HD650s, they are my brothers. I would like to replace my 595s with the 650s one day in the future.
PPS: I am not rich, I am just an average joe gamer. I save to buy all my equiptment and I only put my hard earned and hard saved dollars into products I truly believe in. I truly believe in these A40s and they rock my ass off.
09:15 AM
i have a ps3 placed about 6-8 feet from where i play. do i need any extension cables? or will i be good with the headset and amp bundle?
09:15 AM
I own a pair of 595s and I own the A40s and the sound quality of them is the same. The biggest difference is that the 595s leak much much more sound than the A40s. This isn't too big of a deal, but like you said, the A40s have a mic option and the 595s do not, which is why I tend to use the A40s all the time. When my wife and I need to watch a movie though, the MixAmp allows me to use both the 595s and the A40s at one time so we can both watch the movie using the headphones while my son sleeps.
You are right that it does sound sex with the 595s, but it also sounds sex with the A40s, which are more comparable to the 595s than the 555s (Which I owned previously to the 595s but sold to buy the 595s)
09:18 AM
[www.astrogaming.com]
Oh also, for the PS3, you will need the PS3 mic adapter. It is what allows you to use the mic with the PS3. With this adapter, it makes the setup even easier than the included X360 cabling:
[www.astrogaming.com]
Finally, use your own TOSLink Optical cable. I hear the ones that you buy from Astro Gaming can be bad quality. I would buy one from monoprice.com or if you already own one, use that one. I've never used an Astro Gaming TOSLink cable myself, but I trust the people who told me that they had issues with them. So buy your own TOSLink cable. Fortunately, thats the only product that I have heard even a small number of bad things about from Astro Gaming. Everything else they sell is beauty in a box.
09:46 AM
a million internets to you for providing us with this great info.
+1 for you homie
#speakup
11/23/09
I'm getting really tired of having to explain to her that I'm doing the lords work and that I am just anti-trolling the trolls.
11/23/09
Anti-troll? Not so much.
11/23/09
I have been to the other side and it is magical.
11/23/09
11/23/09
Goddamn, this is why I don't play online on consoles.
11/23/09
Total BS, kids always pull the "I'm just a kid card" when they're beat.
11/23/09
11/23/09
11/23/09
11/23/09
They aren't targetted towards "pro-gamers" but I've found that any product that is tends to be priced a lot higher than equivalent products not targetted at gamers.
11/23/09
11/23/09
11/23/09
11/23/09
ok that sucked but you people aren't helping! Must i bestow italics on every pun i make! RAAAAAGRH
Come on! McWerthor himself slipped in 2 puns, then i did 1,5..
you people are crushing my soul...
11/23/09
#speakup
P.S. My white A40 really is pretty.
11/23/09
11/23/09
11/23/09
Interesting to note: Nikola Tesla invented this technology before the turn of the 20th Century. What a world, eh?
11/23/09
Brian says it comes with four battery packs and the panel. Were it just the panel, $50 would be a bit too much.
11/23/09
11/23/09
SOLD
11/23/09
I charge up AA batteries with a small 4-cell charger and keep a ready supply for my Wiimotes, 360 controller, flashlight, TV remotes, GameBoys, etc... that way the charger can go into a bag of chargers and accessories when it's not in use, and the wiimotes can go into a heap of controllers.
I'm also not a fan of induction chargers in general just because as long as they obey the laws of physics, they will lose energy as it is converted from one form to another, and transmitted/received before you even start getting into the energy normally wasted in charging a battery. Also there is some issue of EM interference in a household with a ton of wireless gear, but I really don't know what frequency of signal they send out - it could be comparable to my drawing tablet for all I know... Finally, I'm leery of putting any other gadgets near such a device in the off chance that some part of their circuitry is the right size and shape to induce a potentially harmful current in it - but this is the least of my worries as something rugged enough to survive a cel phone polling the towers (a few watts) should be fine with this I would think.
So I think induction charging is a gimmick for most practical purposes, though I bet people who leave the rubber sleeve on their Wiimotes would love it, and it would make perfect sense then...
11/23/09
11/23/09
To me it's a bit like getting a glass of water by pouring water into a towel, steaming it off onto a collector (and the surrounding area,) then sponging it off that, then wringing it into a glass... it's just extra work and extra waste.
Inductive charging mats are neat to see in action, but it's kind of a solution in search of a problem...