Sharkoon X-Tatic Digital Headphones

In this, the first of our hardware reviews, we take a look at the 5.1 surround sound headphone market and there is no better place to start than with Sharkoom’s excellent X-Tatic digital package. Sharkoon have been at the front end of 5.1 headsets for many years and now the German manufacturer has upgraded and further perfected their product with the release of Version 3 of the Sound Control Unit (SCU) which is the heart of their headphones operation, but more on that later.

Package Overview

Just what do you get for your hard earned cash, and will you have to go out and buy more cables to get the best from this headset? Well, the simple answer is no. The Sharkoon X-Static package comes with everything that any Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 owner needs to get 5.1 surround sound pumped straight into their ears.

Naturally there are your lovely shiny pair of headphones, and these are accompanied by the SCU which is used to process the incoming sound signals and also acts as a breakout box so that a connection can be made to other devices. The cables that come shipped with the unit include; a breakout cable that allows you to export the processed 5.1 signal to separate front, rear and center speakers via an amplifier, a 2.5mm jack cable to allow connection to your Xbox 360 controller for voice communication, and an additional USB cable to allow connection of a PlayStation 3 microphone. It’s worth noting at this point that the microphone that ships with the headset is detachable, so for those moments when you’re not online you can remove the mic easily and store it away. Unlike other headsets on the market there is a power adapter for the SCU that also has a breakout cable to allow power to the in-line volume controls on the headphone cable, which allows easier adjustment of the 5.1 experience.

Technical

As with all sound products that claim to have Dolby processing capabilities, it’s usually a minefield for the general public to know if they have the right piece of kit for their particular needs and in this case the Sharkoom SCU leaves nothing to chance. It has the capability for both Dolby Digital 2.0, Dolby Digital 5.1 as well as Dolby Pro Logic ensuring the whole range of uses that both PC and console gamers will encounter are covered.

The SCU is the heart of the operation and provides the signal processing, and, as we mentioned earlier, also acts as a breakout box for both connection to the headset as well as external amplifiers. For those gamers that want to connect another set of Sharkoon headphones for their local opponent can do, as the SCU supports connection of two headsets.

Here is a list of the SCU connections.

• Digital optical input (S/PDIF)
• 2 analogue audio outputs for the X-Tatic headset
• 3 analogue 3.5 mm audio outputs (front, rear, center / subwoofer)
• 1 microphone connector for PS3 (USB A to USB B)
• 1 power connector

The SCU also comes equipped with various adjustment buttons, for making changes to the time delay for the signal processing to both the surround sound and center speakers. This allows for a more spacious listening experience as well as adjustment for the Dynamic range control, so that the user can tailor the sound perfectly to their tastes.

The headset volume is can be adjusted by means of an in-line control unit mounted on the headphone cable itself. It allows adjustment of the front, rear and center volumes and also has the ability to raise all 3 volumes at the same time. The volume controls buttons also change colour and intensity as you raise and lower them, so you can instantly see which volume is higher or lower and easily becomes a great little feature of the unit.

Performance and Operation

In our testing of the X-Tatic headset we used several current gaming titles from a variety of genres that we thought would give entirely different listening experiences, and through are extensive play testing we found some very interesting results. You would think that when playing a first person shooter with what is basically 8 speakers in close proximity to your ears, that the noise would be a sheer cacophony of gunfire that would make you want to remove your headset. However I am pleased to say that whist playing Activision’s popular Modern Warfare 2, the X-Tatic headset performed extremely well – gunfire both near and far was well balanced, and the deep bass at the low end from the subwoofer was very good. However in saying that, the subwoofer did have to be lowered in volume to equalize the overall volume.

To experience the spaciousness of the true 5.1 experience, as you would from a conventional 5.1 speaker system, you have to play something that will allow you to pick out voices, noises and be able to discern where they came from. For this we used Assassin’s Creed 2 from Ubisoft, with the packed streets and lonely rooftops of Venice becoming the perfect testing ground. Firstly I have to say how clear the sound of running across the rooftops was, with every slate and tile that moved under Ezio’s feet being perfectly crisp. The packed streets from roof level sounded very good and you could clearly distinguish direction from the front to the rear. Although we did find that we had to tweak the time delay ever so slightly just to get the balance right at greater distance. At ground level the voices and packed streets sounded very clear and the feeling of total immersion in a city bustling with life was where the X-Tatic headset came into its own. Church bells tolling in the distance and the clear direction from where it came was easily picked out, and even with the in-game soundtrack, which overlays the games more energetic moments, the overall sound was continually well balanced.

Of course gaming has a large online community and talking to fellow gamers to discuss tactics and general tittle tattle is something that is a given in modern day games. The microphone carries good clarity and is far superior to that which comes shipped with the Microsoft Xbox 360 headset. The microphone volume of the incoming voice can be adjusted on the in-line controls and enables you to balance out the game sound and the chatter, with a mute button also being included.

Final Thoughts

In summary, the Sharkoon X-Tatic Digital 5.1 Headphones perform very well. The range of the highs, lows and mid-tones are all very clear, although sometimes the subwoofer can be a little on the heavy side and will need lowering. The issue then is that when it comes to switching to another game, you may have to tweak a little for each that you play. This can be a slight issue but really isn’t something that will bother too many people. However, the main issue I found with this set-up was that once you were ready to start playing, you found yourself in a total myriad of wiring with wires to the headset, wires to your controller and wires powering both the headset and SCU. It doesn’t make for pretty gaming and if you’re going to play in a room with other people the jungle of wires may be just too much. With that aside though, and from a listening point of view, I would recommend the headphones to anyone and given the fact you can also use the SCU to break out to other audio devices it makes for a cheaper alternative to an expensive second 5.1 speaker set up. The in-line volume controls work well and the unit feels incredibly sturdy, however the side mounted mute and mic volume buttons feel slighty cheaper and you will feel that they may need a little extra care when in use. If its good surround sound quality at a reasonable price then look no further than the Sharkoon X-Tatic Digital 5.1 Headphones, just make sure you have somewhere for the wires.

Lost Gamer Verdict: 8/10