Tritton AXPro Headphones = Obadiah's New Best Friend

It isn’t very often that we get a product that I like so much that I am willing to start throwing around the word “love” but let’s make it official: I love these headphones. It never occurred to me to look into a high-end pair of gaming headphones because I’m cheap. I’ve been using a $20 pair of Sony’s that I got for Christmas four years ago and I’ve always thought that paying more than that would lead to a minimal increase in sound quality. I couldn’t have been more wrong. The difference between my Sony headphones and the Tritton AXPro’s is NIGHT and DAY.

What do they have?

These are the tech specs from their website:

• True 5.1 Digital Audio Headset
• Detachable microphone compatible with Xbox Live, Playstation Network, and PC/Mac
• Digital audio connection for DVD, PC, PS2, PS3, XBOX, XBOX360, and all other devices with Optical digital audio or analog 3.5mm 5.1 output
• Dolby Digital and Dolby Prologic Certified
• 8 speakers, 4 in each ear cup
• Illuminated In-line volume adjustment for Front, Center, Rear and Subwoofer controls
• Separate volume control for voice chat
• Inline microphone and volume mute switches
• Adjustable time delay for center and rear speakers
• Dynamic Range Control
• Includes external 5.1 audio controller with analog 3.5mm 5.1 output
• Lightweight headset with deep circumauraul (around the ears) design allows for comfort even during periods of extended gaming.

What are the best parts?

• Immersion- While using them, I truly felt immersed in the sound field. Several times I forgot that I had headphones on at all and thought I needed to turn the sound down.
• Comfort- You could wear them for hours without noticing them.
• Cool factor- The “T” on the side of each headphone lights up while it is being used which makes you glow in the dark. If you like that sort of thing…
• Forgettable- I constantly forgot I was wearing them. The sound was that good.
• In-line volume control- The volume is on a small “box” that isn’t too far down the line from your headphones which makes adjusting the overall volume levels and the individual zone volumes easy.

What didn’t I like?

• AC adapters- It takes two. TWO adapters. This made it a little too wirey and will make any future travel with them difficult. Despite my initial distaste, once everything was in place, it was fine and I don't have any intention on taking them anywhere.
• Noise- This was a especially a problem when hooked up to my PC: when an audio source was not directly feeding audio to the headphones, I would get an annoying crackling sound. It wasn’t overwhelming and never lasted long, but I could have done without it.

Overall

As someone who frequently games late at night and has to take measures to keep sound levels down, these headphones were a God-send. I can now play games, watch movies and listen to music as loud as I want without sacrificing the quality of the experience. While it cannot beat out the 12” woofer, I would say that having these headphones on nearly matches the experience of using my Logitech Z-5500D speakers. They are a bit pricey thought not unreasonable from Tiger Direct for $159.99. If you have a gamer on your list but aren’t sure what to get, these headphones receive our highest marks.