4cr Hardware Review – Tritton AX360 Headphones

Surround sound has become a pretty big deal in the gaming industry. It’s no longer just important to have impressive graphics; the sound design also has to hit the Hollywood level. Naturally, every single audio equipment manufacturer has jumped in with their own gaming-focused solution. I’ve been looking for a decent pair of headphones, so when Tritton offered up their AX360 headset for a review, I eagerly took them up on the offer.

I’m definitely a novice when it comes to audio equipment, so I have no idea where Tritton stands in the grand pantheon of audio quality. I was, however, impressed with them right off the bat for one simple reason – compatibility. Out of the box, their headset is compatible with the PC, Mac, and any game system or DVD player that has optical output (they specify PS2, PS3, Xbox, and the Xbox 360). I have a decent set of surround sound speakers on my PC, but nothing on my television. It’s nice having something that I can use on either one. Another nice touch is that they include every accessory and cable that you could possibly need to get started (and a bag to carry everything around in).

One of my few complaints about the headset is that the AX360 is kind of clunky. After connecting one wire into an input box and into the headset itself, I decided that I’d really love a wireless model. The cords are pretty long, but you still feel like you’re tied to a post. The headset itself is pretty comfy, if a bit on the heavy side. The earpieces are nicely cushioned and form this encompassing area around your head. They block outside noises just well enough to keep you immersed in your isolated headspace.

Sure, the look and feel of the headphones is important, but the sound is the important part. The good news is that the AX360 performs just fine in that department. Rather than using some sort of special software, the Tritton headsets simulate a larger surround sound setup by placing four speakers in each earpiece. A dongle attached to the headset cord lets you adjust volume for front, rear, and center speakers, as well as a setting called “vibration” (which is basically bass).

My big gaming test on the Xbox 360 (using optical input) was Condemned. While I could spend an entire article discussing the awesome audio design of that particular shooter, let’s just say that I was blown away. I could hear a needle drop behind me in the dead of night. Other games didn’t impress me quite as much, but that says more about audio design in gaming than it does about this particular headset. Some games require a lot of fiddling to get just right, and no one volume setting on the headphones themselves is perfect. In a couple of titles, the audio sounded vaguely static-y until I turned down the music setting. In general, I kept the volume around 6-7 and vibration at about 5 or 6. Just be prepared to tweak settings a little bit for each game. Movies, however, need far less tweaking. Any DVD with a decent surround sound track will sound fantastic coming through these headphones.

The AX360 headset also has an attachable microphone for voice chat in games. The quality is fine. I probably wouldn’t use it for recording a podcast, but it’s just fine for Xbox Live. One caveat, I would recommend slightly bumping down the audio. It tends to overtake the voices. One major missing feature is the lack of any sort of mute button. It isn’t a huge deal breaker, but it can be annoying during a game.

If you’re looking for a good pair of surround sound headphones and don’t want to break the bank in the process, I definitely recommend checking out the AX360. It should cost you between $80-$100 at most online retailers, way below some of the competition. More and more of the big-budget gaming titles are coming out with some stellar surround mixes, and these puppies do a great job of pumping out the audio. The fact that they work on just about any platform is just icing on the cake. If you have roommates or just dig having that immersive bubble around yourself that headphones provide, you need a pair of these babies.

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