Sony headset, How does it match up?

Review of the Sony Wireless Stereo Headset

When Sony first revealed their Wireless 7.1 Surround Sound Stereo Headset I was actually in the market for a headset. Tritton seemed like a good choice and at $130 the AX 720s looked great. Then I saw the new Sony Official headset and immediately started researching about them. In short, I was about to save some money and get a better headset.

So let’s talk about the headset:

Sound

The sound quality of this headset is just spectacular. Given the price I had expected nothing of this magnitude but to give an example, I could hear the icicles dripping water in Call of Duty Black Ops and every bullet shell drop in the Battlefield 3 Beta. The Virtual Surround works amazingly as well giving a great 3D environment allowing you to tell where the enemy is coming from and where they are shooting. In many cases I was able to hear someone coming up from behind me and was able to kill them.

The explosions and loud noises are like nothing I’ve ever heard before. Frag grenades and rocket launchers actually boomed instead of the normal boring “bam” they would usually make coming from your TV.

This headset is also great for watching movies on your PS3 because their hi-fidelity sound makes those action scenes much more enjoyable.

Comfort/Ease of Access

I thought my Tritton AX 180s were comfortable; and truthfully they were, but this headset feels weightless on your head which is surprising because of their large size and build. The ear-cuffs fit snuggly over your ears and the size adjustment sliders are adaptable to even the largest of domes. I could sleep with the headset on they are that comfortable.

I’ll add this in to this section; the headset has a cool feature that gives you On-Screen status updates. It shows the battery life, volume level, tells you if the virtual surround is on and if you muted the other players/yourself.

Design

Large but not huge is the best way to describe to size of these guys. The retractable mic is easily accessed and has a few notches for exact length adjustment. The headset feels very sturdy and not delicate but not bulky at all. The headband does not feel stiff, something a lot of buyers like to know about but reviewers never tell them and the side button is a good feeling button that is easy to push but not flimsy. The only downside to the design is learning where all the conveniently placed buttons are on the headset. Volume and Chat sliders are smooth to adjust and very helpful.

The setup and troubleshooting of this headset is so simple. If you ever have a problem like the headset not pairing with the Playstation 3 or the microphone not working, all you have to do is press two buttons; one on the USB wireless adapter and another on the headset and then turn them back on and the problem is almost always solved. However when charging this headset it takes up a USB port and doesn’t come with a charging cable so you better hope you still have yours that came with your PS3. This can be a problem if you need to charge a controller as well since most people don’t have two cables.

Competition/Other Options

I love this headset; the sound, the simplicity, and most of all, the price. In the scheme of things everyone wants the best, but only if they can afford it. That is what makes this headset of great. Other competing brands such as: Tritton, Turtle Beach and Logitech ask for $150-250 for a 7.1 Surround Sound Headset with wireless capabilities. Sony is offering these for $99 and without the constant post purchase price of AA Batteries for the usual wireless headset. Instead they are fully rechargeable in 3 hrs and can last for about 7hrs or more.

The closest competition to the Sony Wireless Stereo Headset is the Turtle Beach EarForce PX5’s which are $250 wireless and have a large Transmitter box similar to a Wireless Router for Wi-Fi. The Sony headset only needs the small USB flash drive sized wireless adapter to connect to the PS3.

Overall

If you actually read all that and didn’t just skip to the end for the final score then you can easily see how Sony built a headset to completely beat the competition and satisfy eager gamers.

This headset is USB connected so it also has capabilities with the vast majority of PC’s via the wireless adapter.

In the end this headset really has no flaws, except the one thing people keep asking: Why didn’t this come out sooner?

Rating: 9.5/10

Pros

• Great Price for a Great Value
• Incredibly Comfortable
• Retractable mic = compact

Cons

• Only one can be paired to one PS3
• Takes up 1-2 of two USB ports (Adapter and Charging cable)
• Large may not fit smallest of heads