Review: Dragon Ball Z – Ultimate Tenkaichi (PS3)

I was surprised to find the Sharkoon Xtatic Headset and Microphone combination when I came home from E3 recently.  Normally, companies like to give a heads up before they send out a product, but not in this case.  Over the next few weeks, I spent a lot of time testing out all the different hook ups and sound tests that I have, and overall, I was highly surprised by the quality of the headset in both construction and sound quality.  A few nagging issues hold it back, but depending on your needs, the Sharkoon Xtatic could be the perfect 5.1 headset combination for your gaming needs.

Just from lifting up the box, I was surprised by the weight of the overall package.  Opening the box showed off a stylish and comfortable headset, along with a bevy of cables and manuals.  No matter what your needs, you will find a cable for just about any way to hook up the headset. Be it via an optical link, USB or even 3.5mm jacks, it can all be found in the package.  About the only hook up missing was a digital coax cable for sound, but I would not be surprised if that ends up in the retail package.  Also in the package, were a nice detailed manual, as well as an easy to follow quick start guide.

Setting up the Sharkoon Xtatic headset was a little more time consuming than I thought it would be, as I had a ton of manuals, but getting all the cables plugged into the right locations along with accessing the back of my gaming consoles took a fair amount of time.  You can plan on anywhere from 20-50 minutes to get the entire headset working properly.

Once the headset was up and running, I put it through a series of games that I consider to be fantastic when it comes to 5.1 sounds.  First up was Dead Space.  This was the first game I ever played that showed me the significance of wearing a headset when playing a video game.  As I worked through some of the early moments in the game, the surround sound kicked in nicely, giving a great sound to the eeriness that is infused throughout the Dead Space world.  The Xtatic had nice crisp high notes, as well as a full low range, although the bass did not give as much kick as I was hoping for with the headset.  Moving forward, I also popped in Forza Motorsports 3, where surround sound is used to locate other vehicles that might be looking to pass me on the road.  The engine noises were full, and the low end bass sounds seemed to be a little more full with Forza, more so than they were with Dead Space.  For my last test, I popped in Mass Effect 2, if only because it has some great voice acting, along with some great set pieces that have great sound.  Again, the Xtatic showed its range, with a full, rich sound for the opening sequence in Mass Effect 2, as well as some of the dialog sequences.

For some, you may use your headset for more than gaming, and if you use it for things like music, you will be happy with the range of sound that the Xtatic produces.  Using some of my FLAC lossless compressed music tracks, I was highly impressed with the high end range listening to some classical tracks, while the low end kicked in nicely when listening to some hip hop and deep bass rap tracks.  Watching Blu Ray discs was also a nice experience on my PC, as the uncompressed digital audio was very nice.  The sound in Batman: The Dark Knight, was astounding, with explosions and gunfire dancing in my ears.

All is not perfect in the world of Sharkoon however, as I did find the time to set up, hindering your entry into the world of 5.1 sound.  Just opening the box, and seeing all the cables might be daunting for the less technical crowd.  Yes, there are clear instructions in the box, but some people might get overwhelmed by the amount of cables in the box.  Unfortunately, I found the cables to also be a little short to get across my living room so I could sit down while playing.  Instead, I had to sit down on my floor in order to use the headset.  This may be an issue for only a few, but you may want to be careful if you have a long haul from your console to your couch.  Lastly, I felt that the headset became a little heavy on my head over long periods of gaming.  I normally took this as a sign of needing to take a break from my gaming exploits, but for some, it might be troubling when the heft of the headset starts to toll on your skull.

For all the minor complaints, the Sharkoon Xtatic 5.1 Headset still packs in a ton of quality sound and performance.  You will get some great highs and deep lows all in true 5.1 digital surround sound quality.  Whether you want to hook it up to your computer or to your consoles, you will experience a solid sounding experience that will leave your ears in aural ecstasy.  The Sharkoon Xtatic 5.1 Headset and microphone set get 4.5 out of 5 Aeropausonauts.