Eight 5.1- And 7.1-Channel Gaming Headsets, Reviewed

Name: Razer Megalodon - Eight 5.1- And 7.1-Channel Gaming Headsets, Reviewed
Author: Don Woligroski

by Don Woligroski February 9, 2012 at 10:00 PM

Razer Megalodon

Razer made a name for itself by designing a number of different premium gaming peripherals, so we’re curious to see how its headset family evolves. The upcoming Razer Tiamat is not quite ready for prime time, so we're looking at its older Megalodon this time around.

Razer’s Megalodon costs $127, tying it for the second most expensive headset spot in our round-up. Fortunately, the product does not disappoint at that price point, providing great-looking features and a classy finish. The ear cups sport an illuminated Razer logo, there is plenty of padding around the head, and construction is sturdy. Weighing just 8 oz, this is by far the lightest contender in our story, which helps keep the headset comfortable during extended gaming.

You can push the microphone boom out of the way, but that doesn't automatically mute the mic. For that, you need the remote control's pod.

The headset plays host to two 40 mm neodymium drivers rated for a frequency response between 20 Hz and 20 kHz. Resulting sound reproduction is excellent, second only to Corsair's Vengeance in our subjective tests.

Razer calls its remote control pod the Maelstrom Audio Engine. This large block contains the USB audio chipset. It can switch from stereo output to virtual 7.1-channel sound dynamically with the press of a button. The pod is attractive, completely illuminated, and armed with the ability to adjust each channel's volume independently. There are also mic mute, sensitivity, and level controls.

Our only complaint is that the touch-based control wheel isn’t nearly as responsive or pleasant to use as a solid dial would have been. The Megalodon requires no driver, which is both positive and negative. Although there are no settings to configure, you also don't have the control panel or graphic equalizer to tune.

The Megalodon doesn't offer analog connectivity. It's USB-only.

Razer’s headset comes with a storage/travel case and a documentation folder that includes a quick start guide, a master guide, a certificate of authenticity, Razer's product catalog, and two stickers. The functional storage case is a really nice touch for gamers who go to LAN parties, making it easier to protect the fragile audio equipment.

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xtreme5

amazing stff.
cleeve

xtreme5amazing stff.

Wassat stand for... "Space, The Final Frontier"?
spookie

great read! Never thought virtual surround sound was that good
cleeve

spookiegreat read! Never thought virtual surround sound was that good

Yeah, me neither. Surprised the hell out of me.
Thanks Toms for doing a review on 5.1 headsets. I been researching one for the past two weeks on other review websites, and online stores, but didn't feel satisfied. Could you guys do a review comparing these headsets you reviewed already to a dedicated audio card like the Asus Xonar Essence STX (with a pre amp) with a Sennheiser HD 598 Headphones (or HD 800)? I want to know if it is like night and day compared to these 5.1 headsets (also make readers see what they are missing from using onboard audio). I know its a few hundred dollars more, but i found out that i was more happy gaming with a $70 audio card than seeing 8x AA (using Nvidia Inspector) with a $500 GPU.
cleeve

bunnywannyCould you guys do a review comparing these headsets you reviewed already to a dedicated audio card like the Asus Xonar Essence STX (with a pre amp) with a Sennheiser HD 598 Headphones (or HD 800)? I want to know if it is like night and day compared to these 5.1 headsets (also make readers see what they are missing from using onboard audio).

I like the idea, but it'll probably take a while to make it happen.

Next up on the audio to-do list is a full-sized 5.1/7.1 surround system comparo.
killeeeeer

It would of been great if you tested the Roccat Kave but other than that great review. Been searching for headset for long time , now ill go with the Corsair Vengeance 1500 for sure .
crysex

Thanks Toms so much for doing this review. I have been searching one for a long time. Ready to buy a good quality sound card + headset after my next paycheck!
iamtheking123

I'll stick to my $100 stereo headphones instead of $20 headphones + $80 spent on fake surround sound and marketing. We've all tried virtual surround sound in PowerDVD or WinDVD and it sucks. Makes everything sound underwater and no where close to having 5 actual speakers set up throughout a room.
tomfreak

I am still sticking with more expensive traditional speakers, simply due to my ear need some air to breath. These headphone arent comfortable especially during summer.
cleeve

iamtheking123I'll stick to my $100 stereo headphones instead of $20 headphones + $80 spent on fake surround sound and marketing. We've all tried virtual surround sound in PowerDVD or WinDVD and it sucks. Makes everything sound underwater and no where close to having 5 actual speakers set up throughout a room.

I disagree.

As mentioned in the article, six blindfolded testers were consistently able to point out the source of virtually-placed audio behind them, beside and in front. Every single tester.

That's hard evidence that cannot be ignored.
Hi, Do you check current prices when you make these comparisons? The Logitech G35 is only $95 on Amazon.com and has been for several months. Seems like you should use current pricing to make the comparison.

The Corsair 1500 is only $10 cheaper and im curious if the Logitech software extras and minimal price difference actually beat the Corsair headset? I have the Corsair set and im not to impressed with the bass on it. For 50mm drivers i would have thought it would have better bass. (yes i tweaked things in the equalizer and put the first 3 columns all the way up and its still not very bassy).
cleeve

keylayHi, Do you check current prices when you make these comparisons? The Logitech G35 is only $95 on Amazon.com and has been for several months. Seems like you should use current pricing to make the comparison. The Corsair 1500 is only $10 cheaper and im curious if the Logitech software extras and minimal price difference actually beat the Corsair headset? I have the Corsair set and im not to impressed with the bass on it. For 50mm drivers i would have thought it would have better bass. (yes i tweaked things in the equalizer and put the first 3 columns all the way up and its still not very bassy).

Well, in our tests the Corsair beat the heck out of all competitors except the Megalodon when it comes to the whole sound spectrum. There are some models with heavier bass, but it comes at a price as there are significant lows in other parts of the spectrum.

Yeah, we check current prices, but I must have missed that Logitech $95 deal on amazon. I'll check again, might have to adjust the article a bit.
nikorr

Very cool. Great review Don Woligroski : ))
Earnie

wow!no roccat kaves,no sennhieser,no logitech 930's.....seems like the better ones were left out.
cleeve

Earniewow!no roccat kaves,no sennhieser,no logitech 930's.....seems like the better ones were left out.

I understand that the Logitech 930's are simply a wireless version of the G35, so no difference there.

Sennheiser refused our invitation to the roundup.

Roccat, well... can't find them for sale in the USA, and this is a US-based publication.
Eman25th

this was a great review, i received a pair of corsair 1500s two weeks ago and i love them. I was worried about the virtual surround sound at first because i have a Logitech 7.1 setup for home use, but the 1500s sound just as good, only complaint is that i cant hear teammates at LANs very well with them on, but then again i cant hear my wife either
jasonw223

I've got a G35, and just so you know, the red light doesn't just come on when the boom is folded up. It's mainly meant so that when you push the mute button on the side of the one headphone (and the mic is in front of your face) - you don't forget it on. With my last headset I did that plenty of times and wondered why everyone was ignoring me...

And secondly those 3 buttons are great for pausing music and changing tracks if you don't have media keys on your keyboard. Although I think playing Starcraft using your headphones instead of your keyboard would be pretty sweet.
mrkdilkington

iamtheking123I'll stick to my $100 stereo headphones instead of $20 headphones + $80 spent on fake surround sound and marketing. We've all tried virtual surround sound in PowerDVD or WinDVD and it sucks. Makes everything sound underwater and no where close to having 5 actual speakers set up throughout a room.

You're a fool if you think 'virtual sound' in PowerDVD is even remotely the same technology implemented in these headphones.
Maziar

Great review,but it's strange that in a fairly older review of Megalodon,the writer didn't give it a good score overall(and only 7/10 for the Comfort)
http://www.tomsguide.com/us/Surround-Sound-Headsets,review-1357-5.html
"Intel Core i7-920 (Sandy Bridge), overclocked to 3.6 GHz, 8 MB shared L3 cache, power-saving settings enabled, Turbo Boost disabled" is not Sandy Bridge, is Nehalem - Bloomfield
swyn01

I am interested in a comparison in the surround sound experience of the true 5.1 and the virtual units. It seems that this articles benchmarks ignore this and only go after the sound quality produced (which the 5.1 units have a disadvantage at the start due their smaller drivers). I would imagine that physical speakers would make for a more interesting experience, but in truth, I really have no idea and it would have been nice if this was addressed. Still, all in all, a nice review! Thank you!
cleeve

MaziarGreat review,but it's strange that in a fairly older review of Megalodon,the writer didn't give it a good score overall(and only 7/10 for the Comfort) http://www.tomsguide.com/us/Surrou [...] 357-5.html

Well, the thing about headset reviews is that they can be subjective, unfortunately. But having spent a lot of quality time with these headsets over a couple months, maybe I found some nuances that James missed in that review.
cleeve

swyn01I am interested in a comparison in the surround sound experience of the true 5.1 and the virtual units.

It did, check the top of the last page!