stock market news: TheParanoidGamer Review: Steel Series Spectrum 7XB Wireless ...

August 31st, 2011 at 10:30 pm -

I never understood why anyone would pay for a gaming headset, and I always just shrugged it off as part of gaming; always content with my TV speakers to do the job for me. I can say now that I?m a complete moron? and thankfully I was given the opportunity to review a fantastic headset from SteelSeries.

It didn?t take long before I was fully immersed in my gameplay experience with the the Spectrum 7XB, delivering fantastic sound quality for my gaming experience. Providing fantastic sound quality is great but means nothing when you can hear outside sounds, and thankfully these puppies do a stellar job of omitting outside noise. One of the most important things is whether a headset is comfortable, and the Spectrum 7XB is very comfortable to wear. Even during extending gaming sessions (3-5 hours) they hold up extremely well, and don?t provide any sort of discomfort.

One of the only downsides was the setup. Instead of plugging in the transmitter box to the USB port in the Xbox 360, I had to also connect the headset?s audio cords to the TV. Along with those cords and devices, there?s also the wire connecting to the 360?s controller in order to activate chatting capabilities; because we all know you can?t play Call of Duty or Halo without the ability to trash talk. Thankfully, it?s not a complicated setup and it?s fairly simple to hook up, though PS3 headsets don?t require the extra cords that come with Xbox 360 gaming headsets; so this is somewhat of a downside. The aesthetics of the headset don?t really impress, however they do look nice, and that?s about it. They certainly won?t compete visually with the likes of some Astro and Razer headsets.

Another good feature that will no doubt come in handy to some is the fact that the 7XB can break down into four pieces for easy traveling to LAN parties, or some tourney you may want to participate in.

By default, it doesn?t take much the bring this headset alive, you are then given fantastic sound quality in its default mode. Wait what? There?s multiple sound settings? Well yes, and they offer more options for your entertainment experience. More options is a good thing. Besides the default option which still provides fantastic audio you also get Performance, for all the hardcore Call of Duty fanatics out there, Immersion for optimized environmental sound and game music and, Entertainment for your music and movies that you?re watching. It should be noted that for a wireless headset these provide amazing sound quality. I must say after using the Spectrum 7XB?s anytime I see some Turtle Beach headsets I can?t help feel disgusted by the lack of comfort and even the the sound. It?s like eating from a five star restaurant then right afterwards your done with your delicious meal you head over to McDonald?s to have a happy meal; you can?t help but feel disgusted with what your eating now compared to what you had before.