* * * Review Update (03/11/10) * * *

I may end up replacing the video review with something newer later on down the line, but for the time being, I’m leaving it as it is as a reminder to everyone that when you purchase a product of such relative newness, you run an increased risk of receiving an item from a bad batch with potential defects. That being said, if you accept the risks and do receive such an item, you should (obviously) have it exchanged immediately. This particular instance found me fortunate to have been helped by one of Creative’s guys here in the US: Mr. Ryan Schlieper. You can find his contact information in the comments of this review.

So yes, I missed the UPS guy the other day and was forced to wait until today to actually try out the headset. And to be honest, it was a rather painful 24 hours to wait (made even more so by the fact that the replacement set was OVERNIGHTED to me), but obviously I survived. Opening the package, I found that it had been already opened (for testing, as per Mr. Schlieper), but the wrapping and whatnot on the headset itself was still intact. Removing it from the box, I fished through the cardboard cradle in the box to find the USB transmitter.

I plugged it into my desktop and was relieved to see that Windows didn’t report any type of malfunction with it as it had the last one. I powered on the headset and noticed an immediate change from the first headset: instead of flashing rapidly from red to blue, this new headset pulsated slowly from red to white to blue.

This was already promising!

Crunch time at hand, I pressed Connect on the headset for three seconds… Check: Rapid blue blinking.

I literally held my breath as I pressed Connect on the transmitter for three seconds… SUCCESS! The two connected with each other almost immediately.

The battery in the replacement headset was apparently pretty low, so I plugged it into the desktop with the included USB cable, and got to work messing with the Audio Control Panel. Ever since I’d heard about it, the one aspect I wanted to play with was the VoiceFX technology due to being a stickler for gimmicks.

You’re given a few different selections to choose from in terms of who you want to sound like, ranging from a Gnome male to a Felguard all the way on up to Malganis. Though they were all pretty neat to tinker with, it was the Gnome male that got me (which is miraculous, as I despise Gnomes).

Have you ever heard a laugh that sounded so ridiculous, you couldn’t help but laugh yourself?

This was that laugh. Immediately upon hearing my Gnome-ified voice, I laughed. And that laughing caused me to laugh even more, and more, and more. Literally, I laughed for a solid five minutes before I couldn’t take it. Then I checked out the Village Elder setting, and there’s a distinct… warbling noise on this filter that got me once again. So if you DO end up getting this headset, you need to check those out IMMEDIATELY.

As I’ve said before, it’s truly the little things in life.

While I’m discussing mic-related issues with the headset, I’d like to make it clear that I haven’t had a chance to actually test out the headset’s mic in the field, as it were. Nobody was online at the time, so I just have the VoiceFX test to go by, but if it’s any indication of the quality to expect, I believe I’m in good hands. It’s not perfectly crystal clear, but it’s close enough for me. Certainly not distorted by any stretch of the imagination. What’s more, the mic appears to be quite sensitive: it was able to pick up the voices of the TV program I had going in the background, even though the TV was nearly muted.

Most impressive.

That aside, the Audio Control Panel is very easy to use. It lets you choose from a multitude of different colors for the lights on the headset, as well as the (already discussed) VoiceFX technology, and the THX configuration. The ACP offers an equalizer to let you control a few different aspects of the headset, including bass and surround sound. In this area of the ACP, a segment from the WotLK intro cinematic is placed to give you a baseline to adjust the settings to accordingly. For some reason unbeknownst to me, the audio from this cinematic was being piped through my speakers, even though everything else (error dings, Winamp, etc.) was coming through the headset.

No matter.

I loaded up WoW and headed on up to the Argent Tournament. Another reviewer had used the Cultist area in his review, saying that he’d heard things he hadn’t heard before, so I wanted to check that area out for myself. Honestly, I couldn’t hear anything I didn’t already hear through my speakers. This isn’t at all a bad thing, however, as my speakers are ALSO THX-certified. So to have a headset share the same quality of sound as an actual speaker system was simply amazing. Hell, even the surround sound was surprising. To review that particular aspect, I went and harassed one of the flying Frostbroods near the Tournament grounds, and rotated my character. Sure enough, the sounds did seem like they were coming from the front/sides/rear of the character, respectively.

Comfort-wise, no complaints here. I could see myself wearing these babies comfortably for HOURS on end. The padding along the underside of the top of the headset keeps the earpieces right where they need to be without any sort of waggling. Clearly, the design of the headset was very well thought out; very sturdy. The padding around the ear pieces doesn’t make contact with any part of my ears, so there’s no irritation on that front, either.

As can be seen from the images here on Amazon, the headset’s appearance is absolutely gorgeous. In fact, I dare say that its modeled in an almost Horde-like way, which most likely feeds into the excellent durability of the set. The usefulness of the headset (for WoW alone) is infinite. As I live in an apartment, the volume over the speakers has to take a considerable hit during curfew hours to placate the neighbors, but with these, that’ll no longer be an issue (which is good, because you need that volume to be able to hear the shooooom of a stealthed Rogue trying to grief you during your dailies).

Ease of installation and ease of use are pretty well matched. Some folks have reported that you can use it right out of the box, but I know that with mine on XP, the USB transmitter REQUIRED the drivers to be downloaded and installed (a paltry five-minute ordeal).

Ultimately, now that I’ve been issued a working set, I can’t imagine anything I’d want them to do differently with the headset. It’s comfortable, sound quality is excellent, mic quality is great, and the whole experience–from packaging to actual use–is very well done.

The only two (and a half) things I would recommend for Creative are the following:

The cardboard cradle that holds the USB transmitter, cable, and interchangeable Horde glyphs for the headset has no labeling of any sort. There are four distinct compartments where the items could be hiding, and only two of them, I think, are actually used. Perhaps a sticker or some sort of printing on the cardboard to show what’s in each compartment?

On the note of the glyphs, why not go ahead and make the Horde glyphs the defaults on the headset? I mean after all, Horde > Alliance. (Kidding. OR AM I?)

Initial support was grim, at best. It took a little over a full 24 hours before I was replied to, and even then, it wasn’t helpful at all, maybe even a little condescending, given that I selected “advanced user” from the list of choices in terms of computer experience. Still, Mr. Schlieper was incredibly helpful here on Amazon, and for that, I applaud Creative. Never before have my complaints been heard and addressed quite so efficiently.

So yes, if you want an excellent headset, this one is definitely worth checking out. Though as I said in the opening, if you buy a product early on… well, you know.

Apologize for long-windedness, but it needed to be said.

TLDR: AWESOME HEADSET WITH POTENTIAL PROBLEMS FOR EARLY PURCHASERS. VOICEFX IS LOL, SOUND QUALITY AND COMFORT ARE WIN, MIC QUALITY IS KK, AND CREATIVE SUPPORT NEEDS IMPROVEMENT IN CERTAIN AREAS. PEW PEW.

* * * Original Review (03/04/10) * * *

I apologize for the poor quality in the video review. Not going for a Pulitzer or anything, though.

So I just got mine in the mail yesterday and I was impressed from the outset, what with the beautifully designed packaging containing an equally beautiful device.

However, upon unboxing the item, the problems began.

I’ll be sure to update my review, of course, but to this point, I am still unable to pair the headphones with the USB transmitter. I’ve followed the included directions to the letter, and still no joy.

I sent an e-mail to Creative customer support nearly a day ago, and have yet to receive a response.

And I’ve done all I can to eliminate possible interference from other devices. To that end, I’ve actually POWERED DOWN my router and wireless mouse. Still no joy. Drivers were successfully installed, but still: after attempting to let the device pair, it times out after a minute or so.

Obviously, aesthetic beauty can’t make up for a device that WILL NOT FUNCTION.

Update 03/05/10: Just received a reply from Creative customer support. Nothing remarkably helpful, but at least it’s something. Will continue to keep the review updated until either return of the product, or resolution of the problem.

Update 03/06/10: One reply… Read more ›