Customer reviews:

Customer Rating:
Summary: Great Surround Emulation
Comment: At first I had no idea the X41's were gonna work or not. I had read other reviews and had not been convinced they were gonna do what was expected of them. And for the price tag on the headset, I was really unsure but I took a chance... and it payed off. This headset is great. I don't have much experience with surround sound headsets but I have to say I'm very pleased with turtle beach. I didn't expect these to actually create a good surround effect since they only have two speakers but they work very nicely. I play games like call of duty and they work fantastic. I can hear an enemy sneaking up behind me (whether I get the chance to turn around and kill him in time is a whole other story). In big maps you can hear gunshots from far away that you sometimes can't even make out on a surround system unless you have the volume full blast. I play other games like resident evil 5 and final fantasy 13. For these games and movies alike you might not be completely satisfied with the performance but you can't expect everything to work as good as a real surround sound. The only problem the x41's have with these types of cinematic games and movies is the ambient sounds get lost within the rest of the noise coming from the center and front left and right channels. If you're not a surround enthusiast then this shouldn't bother you in the least bit. The x41's are also great for night gaming or watching movies while everyone else is asleep. Even if you use the headset function at night they are great. With the mic monitoring you actually don't have to yell cuz if you can hear yourself then more than likely so will your teammates (unless you forgot to take the mic of mute). The mic does have to be connected to the controller through a cable but if you're playing a videogame this shouldn't be a problem. And unless you're watching a movie while in a party the headset allows you to go from the living room to the kitchen to get a drink or something without any wires constricting your movements. I do have to add that I haven't really noticed the battery life on these. To start off, I got myself 4 AAA energizer rechargeable batteries. I keep 2 batteries charging (or in reserve) until the headset gives up the ghost and needs new ones. In heavy use I only have to change the batteries every other day (heavy use for me is over 8 hrs of gameplay straight). Now, if you're a bass endthusiast you may not like the bass in this headset. It's not gonna sound natural like a sub but it does give a good kick. Better than just regular headphones anyways. The RCA ports in the back of the base are great for attaching an MP3 player or another device that does not produce surround sound like your camcorder or PC (though I did have trouble at first with a really nasty and unnerving hum from my PC which I still don't know how I fixed). I had read some reviews that said they had trouble with getting their system to receive 5.1 from the base if their tv was connected to it but I have had no such problem. I have a 37" Vizio with my 360 connected straight to it by HDMI. From there I have the S/PDIF (optical) out going into the headset base and again out to the surround sound system. Full 5.1 from movies and games alike. I also have my time warner cable box (with HD) connected through HDMI and again full surround sound. The front port for an extra pair of headphones is great too. I have studio style headphones I use on my PC for recording music and they have really big speakers. I used these with that headphone port and I thought they sounded almost identical to the wireless headset. It was amazing. I also have some really nice headphones ($60 Sony) I use for my MP3 and I wasn't as amazed. Maybe it had something to do with the size of the speakers in the headphones themselves? Hmm... All in all great product. I would recommend this to anyone who plays lots of multiplayer games (like Halo: Reach comming out next week) or just likes to game at night without waking up the wife and kids (or mother depending on your situation). They sound great and they are now cheaper than what I bought them for, I believe. If you've got the means and you're really looking for that little extra for night gaming then look no further. The x41's are a great surround headset you just can't live without.

---

Customer Rating:
Summary: Good
Comment: I got these for my girlfriends brother. He thinks they are the cats meow. I have not tried them out yet myself but he loves them. A little pricy but its good quality sound and well if your a spouse or a sister its great so your not awake in the wee hours of the night listening to other peoples racket untill they start cussing because they suck at call of duty or something. All in all well worth the purchase.

---

Customer Rating:
Summary: Worth Every Cent
Comment: I've had my X41 for a while now and it's well worth the money. sound is amazing. and it's $50 cheaper on amazon than anywhere else. Get it!

---

Customer Rating:
Summary: Top of the Line sound for a reasonable price
Comment: My wife bought me this gaming headset for my birthday, and I can honestly say it's improved my game from the start. I mostly play MW2, the headphones improve your ability to hear footsteps and sense direction of enemy players. Helped the most in FFA but it's changed my game 100% for the better. The sound quality is excellent; I haven't had a use for the 'bass boost' but it probably will have a purpose someday. I have heard of people saying there is a 'static' in the background when using chat: it's minimal and you won't even notice it during the game. Even when it's quiet you won't really pick it out. It should not be a reason to avoid this headset. I was worried about batteries vs. being wired, but the only batteries needed are for the headset itself and they last a good amount of time. They are comfortable, your ears do NOT sweat (unlike some other headsets) and you have the ability to play for hours, with the volume UP, without bothering anyone. You will be a better gamer with them, and yes, the wireless and 7.1 surround is worth the extra cash. Buy these if you want to go positive more often.

---

Customer Rating:
Summary: An improvement? I guess so....
Comment: I purchased this pair of X41's as an upgrade to my X3's (now renamed X31's). I have always been happy with my X3's, as they had rich, deep bass, and an overall good balance of high and low tones. The only problem with them was the weak construction. So I splurged for the X41's. While I'm not totally blown away, it is an improvement. Here are some of the pros and cons I have experienced with this particular product. While most of the comparisons are for FPS games, I have yet to test this set on movies, action games or others.

Pros:

The bass is not nearly as rich and enveloping as the X3's. This may sound like a bad thing, but given the fact that the X41's produce much clearer high tones, it balances itself out nicely. I can hear footsteps, static (game noise), bullets clinking on the ground, etc. Explosions sound great. For example, in Halo 3, I could hear static and hissing along with electrical noises in a destroyed ghost. It was amazing!!

The wireless is good as well. I have a Linksys Wireless N Router about 4 feet from my Turtle Beach receiver. I have not had any problems with too much interference. I do turn off my computers and laptop when I use the headphones as a precaution.

The headset is considerably lighter than it's predecessor, the X3. The ear cups fit nicely, and are cool and comfortable. It does seem as if it will need some TLC to keep them in good working order (i.e., putting them back on the stand after playing). These are not headphones that you can just toss of your head in a fit of rage (already went through 2 sets of X3's that way...shameful =]) Treat them gingerly, and they will treat you well. It even fit well over my nerd glasses. =] No digging into my head after a few hours of gameplay. The headband itself is much wider. I have a small/narrow head, so I was skeptical as how they would fit me. No worries though, they fit great.

There is a removable mic, which is great if you want to use this with a PC or other kind of device. It also features a separate headphone jack in the front, so a friend can listen to Dolby surround sound as well. I hooked up a pair of SkullCandy Ti's to it, and it sounded great! This is good for guests who play online (they cannot chat anyway).

Cons:

Occasional popping and hissing with these headphones. I too concur that I experienced the infamous snap, crackle, pop of all the other reviewers. While it's not constant, it does get annoying sometimes. I cannot say that I am entirely disappointed either. I bought a wireless headset. It's bound to have some hiccups along the way. The X3's also had a low humming/hiss as well, and when someone walked in front of the IR receiver, the sound would cut out completely! The X41's are a definite improvement over the X3's in this matter.

Shotgun blasts sound as if you were shooting them out of a tin can. The bass is not nearly low enough for these particular sounds. For example, the X3's shotgun blasts (on Halo 3) sound AMAZING. A deep, guttural rumble that you can feel the vibrations from. With the X41's, you get a higher, treble filled shotgun blast. You can hear the snap of the shells leaving the chamber, and the pump of the shotgun sounds more like a mechanical tinker than low series of deep click-clacks. This is just a nitpick. The mauler (on Halo 3) sounds offensive at best. Hammers, BR's, Assault Rifles all have amazing sounds. Sniper rifle fire is accompanied by a whiz of the bullet (if being fired in your direction). Reverb is also good on Sniper Rifles.

All in all, it's a good headset. I do not believe that it's worth the 160 dollar price tag. I would say drop it to 100 bucks and it would be a great deal.

If you're looking for a good headset, but strapped on cash, check out the X3's (X31's). They are a good alternative for a smaller price bracket.

Happy Gaming!!

---