A couple of years ago I went out and bought a pair of PX5’s in anticipation of my wife and I having our first baby. As great as these headphones are for sound quality, I found the wireless signal to be less than optimal with the introduction of a baby monitor (among other sources of potential interference such as wireless access points and cell phones on the coffee table). While this has been addressed with the dual-band technology available in Turtle Beach’s XP400’s and coming Black Ops branded headsets I thought it might be interesting that part of my time at the Turtle Beach PAX booth focus on a wired headset for those players looking for a no-compromise solution for their headsets.
Enter Turtle Beach’s EarForce Seven Tournament Series. While these headsets are designed primarily for tournament play and feature MLG branding there is no reason they cannot be used in a home theater setup. The XP Sevens are created for use with consoles. There is also a Z Seven coming that is designed for PC players and an M Seven designed for the mobile market. Since this is a wired headset with a digital optical connection in to the console there is no risk of interference or loss of sound quality. No official specs were given about the cord length but the unit I had my hands on had a cord length of at least 12-16’. If you’re sitting any further from your TV I hope it is massive.
The build quality of the Sevens feels good, perhaps a bit more durable as the PX5’s and the over-the-ear fit felt every bit as comfortable as I remember mine feeling. One of the most interesting features of these headsets is the programmable control unit that is included. My PX5’s already feature the ability to configure a number of presets by connecting the headphones to a PC via USB. The control unit allows you to change several settings on the fly. Say for example you wanted to control the individual volume of any of the different 5.1 channels. It is as simple as doing just that via the control unit with no need to plug in to a PC. Maybe it is a bit of overkill outside of the tournament setting but I thought it to be a really neat feature.
No pricing has been announced yet but I would expect the Sevens to come in around the $250-300 mark since they trade off wireless functionality for added features and quality. While I think a large percentage of gamers will opt for convenience of wireless, the EarForce Seven series of headsets appears to offer a solution for audiophile gamers looking for the best quality sound. These hit the market in November. Check back with us soon for a full review.
