| Mad Catz Tritton Pro+ 5.1 Surround Headset |
| Reviews - Featured Reviews: Audio | |
| Written by Steven Iglesias-Hearst | |
| Wednesday, 05 December 2012 | |
Mad Catz Tritton Pro+ Headset Review
Manufacturer: Mad Catz Interactive Full Disclosure: The product sample used in this article has been provided by Mad Catz. Before current generation consoles were even conceived, PC gamers and enthusiasts have been able to enjoy the benefits that headsets offer. In recent years XBOX 360 and PlayStation 3 users are now also able to enjoy those same benefits. Today Benchmark Reviews will be taking a look at the TRITTON Pro+ True 5.1 Surround Sound Headset from Mad Catz. The TRITTON Pro+ is compatible with PlayStation 3, XBOX 360 and PC (Europe) via an optional cable. The TRITTON Pro+ boasts true Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound via eight individual neodymium drivers - four in each earcup (Front, Center, Surround, Subwoofer) - each with independent volume control. Visually speaking there isn't much that separates the Pro+ from the rest of the TRITTON range of headsets; it's all about what's inside, so let's find out more.
During the course of this review we will look at the aesthetics and features of the TRITTON Pro+ 5.1 Surround Headset before moving on to testing. The TRITTON Pro+ 5.1 Headset will be put through it's paces on the XBOX 360, PlayStation 3 and PC in a range of scenarios including games, music and movies. Features & SpecificationsTRITTON Pro+ FeaturesImmersion. Isolation. Control. - Dominate the leaderboards with the TRITTON Pro+ 5.1 True Surround Headset. Featuring eight precision-balanced speakers that accurately reproduce a 3D sound field, you gain the competitive edge by hearing each and every disturbance within a game's atmosphere. Individual backlit volume controls allow you to fine-tune each channel - - front, rear, center, and subwoofer - - while premium-quality ear pads deliver hours of gaming comfort. Avoid a late-night shouting match with Selectable Voice Monitoring, next-gen technology that allows you to hear your own voice through the headset. Immersive 3D Directional Audio Powered by Dolby Digital Technology - Utilizing proprietary Dolby Digital technology, the Pro+ replicates the immersive feeling of high-end home theater setups. Envelop yourself in a richly detailed, 3D environment as 5.1 channels of sound collaborate to reveal previously hidden details within the backdrops of your favorite games. The Only True 5.1 Headset for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 - Rather than rely on stereo drivers and emulated surround sound, the Pro+ houses four speakers in each earcup (Front, Center, Surround, Subwoofer), creating an adjustable, three-dimensional, true 5.1 audio experience with highly detailed channel separation. Just like 5.1-channel home theater setups, true discreet audio feeds each speaker individually. Frequency response is always optimal - - the subwoofer only has to produce lower frequencies, while the front, center, and surround speakers output mid to high frequencies. Newly Designed for Extreme Comfort - Headset comfort is of utmost importance during extended gaming sessions. The Pro+ keeps your ears comfy with its padded, adjustable headrail - - which extends an extra 1.25 inches on either side to accommodate a wide range of head sizes - - and soft, pliable earcups which encapsulate your ears in an immersive sound field while keeping ambient sounds at bay. A new, more flexible headrail improves both comfort and durability, and the earcups now swivel to provide a comfortable around-the-neck resting position. TRITTON Pro+ SpecificationsSource:https://www.trittonaudio.com/proplus Closer Look: TRITTON Pro+ HeadsetIn this section we will take a close look at the TRITTON Pro+ True 5.1 Surround Sound Headset and discuss the main design and features.
The design of the TRITTON Pro+ 5.1 Surround Headset isn't all that different from any of the other headsets in the TRITTON range, an intentional move by Mad Catz as this gives instant brand recognition. The Pro+ 5.1 Surround Headset is rather large but thankfully not too heavy, the microphone is detachable and fully adjustable to any position you like. The earcups and headband are generously padded and finished in faux leather. The earcups can tilt and swivel to allow for greater surface contact with your head and ears.
When connected to a PlayStation 3 or XBOX 360 console the TRITTON Pro+ 5.1 Headset is driven by this Dolby Digital decoder box. The design is intuitive and setup is really simple when you follow the quick start guide. The inline remote, which we will discuss in the next section, controls 99% of the headset functions so you won't have to interact much with this unit after setup is complete. There are some controls on the decoder box that don't feature on the inline remote but the TRITTON Pro+ does not ship with any instructions (besides the quick setup guide), so if you want to know what the buttons on the decoder do then you must search the TRITTON audio website for the instruction manual.
Round the back of the digital decoder box are the audio and power inputs. Audio can be received from USB (PC only) or optical (SPDIF). The analogue outputs allow you to hook up your 5.1 channel receiver (PC sound system).
The earcups are surprisingly small considering there are four drivers inside (30mm front and rear drivers, a 23mm centre driver and 40mm subwoofer driver), measuring 80mm x 90mm (not including the hinge). The orange TRITTON logo's light up via internal LED's.
The TRITTON Pro+ True 5.1 Surround headset features a thick sturdy headband (46mm wide) which ensures greater surface contact with your head. The TRITTON logo is prominent and the otherwise plain white canvas is broken by a black stripe for added detail. TRITTON Pro+ Detailed FeaturesIn this section we will take a closer look at the TRITTON Pro+ True 5.1 Surround Sound Headset and discuss the more detailed features.
The inline remote of the TRITTON Pro+ 5.1 Surround Headset is a big advancement over the previous TRITTON headsets. Master volume is controlled via the rocker switch at the top left and there are also individual volume controls for each of the four drivers in each earcup. Also included is a nifty mute button (push the rocker switch), for when you wife/partner/mother interrupts an intense gaming session to talk about something completely unrelated and non-interesting. Sorry love, what were you saying?
On the right of the inline remote there is a microphone mute switch, chat volume control, a selectable voice monitoring (SVM) button that allows you to choose whether or not to listen to your own voice through the headset, and an XBOX Live communicator cable input (from controller).
The quick setup guide allows you to quickly hook up the TRITTON Pro+ 5.1 Surround Headset to your preferred platform and you can be up and running in about 10 minutes (including unpacking). There is also a contents list on the left with a key to make it even easier to get up and running.
There are two options when connecting to PC, either via the analogue 5.1 cable (with USB as power) or via the Dolby digital decoder if your PC features a SPDIF output.
PlayStation 3 is straight forward, simply hook up the optical and USB cables to the decoder and the console, power the decoder and plug in the headset and you are good to go.
The XBOX 360 has three different configuration options depending on which console you have and which video cable you are using. For the older XBOX 360 consoles there is a special adapter cable to allow the use of the optical cable at the same time as a HDMI cable. Testing & ResultsTesting MethodologyThe TRITTON Pro+ True 5.1 Surround Sound Headset was tested in a range of scenarios such as listening to music, watching movies, voice communication and most importantly, its main purpose - Gaming. Since there are no benchmarks that can produce comparative results I will give my impressions on the performance of the TRITTON Pro+ including important factors relating to comfort and ease of use. Since this is a multi-platform headset we will not only be testing on PC, but also on Sony's PlayStation 3 console and Microsoft's XBOX 360 console. Intel Z68 Test SystemResultsReal world Usage: Setting up the TRITTON Pro+ 5.1 True Surround Headset is an absolute breeze, there are no drivers to install and it just works as it should. Fine tuning is a couple of button pushes away, but you will need some time first to get used to the new sound environment. The wires can get in the way a little when you use it with the XBOX 360 LIVE communication cable but a bit of clever routing will overcome this problem. The TRITTON Pro+ performs well when listening to music and watching movies if you can change the EQ of your soundcard (PC) to suit the different environments, but otherwise you will find that it is tuned purely for gaming. The microphone is excellent and the voice monitoring function will ensure you are not shouting when you have the volume maxed out. The inline control is a bit big but it manages to combine all of the essential customization features that make the TRITTON Pro+ what it is. There is great depth to the sound and the surround capabilities give you great location awareness in games. I would have liked more bass but that is purely my preference, I don't really find myself wanting for more in any other area, and I like that it works so well right out of the box. Comfort: The TRITTON Pro+ 5.1 True Surround Headset has quite a high amount of clamping force and can feel quite tight at first, the simple solution to this is to adjust the headband until it feels better, the headband will be somewhat looser but it won't fall of your head. The headband and earcups are padded but not soft, they are quite firm and would benefit from using a much lighter foam. Thankfully the TRITTON Pro+ Headset is not too heavy and you can easily wear it for an extended period of time without fatigue. The earcups tilt and swivel giving you a better chance at finding your comfort zone and a much closer fit.
Impressions - PC: There are two methods of connection when you hook up the TRITTON Pro+ to your PC, both of which require some form of multi channel output if you wish to make full use of the Pro+ Surround Headset's features. The most superior option for me was via the optical port built into my motherboard, connecting the headset through the digital decoder box. I tried first to use the Pro+ directly connected to my PC via the 5.1 analogue ports with USB as power, but there was an annoying digital-like noise in the background reminiscent of a dial up modem connecting to the internet. Impressions - 360/PS3 Consoles: I am a PC gamer at heart, but I grew up on consoles and arcade machines, and there are certain games that just seem to play better with a controller or joystick. The problem is, unless you have a dedicated gaming room set up with surround sound (in which case you won't need surround headphones), you will find that the sound from two external speakers has its limits. The XBOX 360 in my house belongs to the kids, and is set up in the living room. This means that you disturb everyone else when you turn the volume up and there is no full immersion into the game. My wife waits till the kids have gone to bed before she has a bash on it, and then still she has to have the volume low so as not to wake them or disturb the neighbours. The TRITTON Pro+ solves these problems and then some, the sound environment is far superior and you won't disturb anyone by turning up the volume. It's no secret these days that a more immersed gamer will be a better gamer but it is not instant, you first have to become accustomed to this new soundscape and then you have to fine tune it to your preference. Since I have been gaming on the PC for many years I am very familiar to this environment and I felt that it helped me to better enjoy my experience of gaming on a console once again. I was hoping there would be some sort of difference between the sound quality when switching between the PlayStation 3 and XBOX 360, and that one system would emerge more superior than the other, but the experience across the different platforms was too close to call. There have been many different hardware revisions with the XBOX 360 for various reasons and as such there is some extra hardware dependant on your model. The XBOX LIVE chat cable will tether you to your wireless controller but it is only a simple disconnect away. The PlayStation 3 on the other hand deals with voice communications differently and as such does not require a communications cable, allowing your controller to remain fully wireless. On both consoles there is a small amount of configuration in your system's menu to allow voice comms through the headset, but it is all really simple stuff. Surround Sound Headset Final ThoughtsConsoles have a lot of ground to cover if they intend to overtake the PC as the best gaming platform, and it's hardware like the TRITTON Pro+ True 5.1 Surround Sound Headset that will at least assist in getting them there. Of course these are just ideas exported from the PC market and it will take some true innovation on the part of consoles to make them more immersive than PC's. Now if only SONY and Microsoft would add support for keyboard and mouse at the hardware level and encourage game developers to write in support for these peripherals too, then we could all game on a console and the debate of superiority would be solved once and for all.
TRITTON Pro+ Headset ConclusionImportant: In this section I am going to write a brief five point summary on the following categories; Performance, Appearance, Construction, Functionality and Value. These views are my own and help me to give the TRITTON Pro+ True 5.1 Surround Headset a rating out of 10. A high or low score does not necessarily mean that they are better or worse than a similar headset that has been reviewed by another writer here at Benchmark Reviews, which may have got a higher or lower score. It is however a good indicator of whether the TRITTON Pro+ True 5.1 Surround Headset is good or not. I would strongly urge you to read the entire review, if you have not already, so that you can make an educated decision for yourself. The TRITTON Pro+ True 5.1 Surround Headset performs very well when connected through the digital decoder via optical cable to the audio source. When connected to the analogue ports on my PC and powered via USB I noticed a digital-like noise in the background reminiscent of a dial up modem connecting to the internet. The sound range of the TRITTON Pro+ is excellent but I found myself wanting for more bass. The microphone is very high quality and has positional qualities that many PC gaming headsets lack, it is also removable for those of you out there that have no interest in in-game chat. The style of the TRITTON range of headsets doesn't very much from model to model and this allows Mad Catz to keep some form of brand identity which gamers can relate to. The problem only becomes evident when someone decides that they don't like the look and style of the TRITTON range. Personally I think it is modern and stylish, and of course the light up logo's on both earcups adds a lot to the appeal. The TRITTON Pro+ True 5.1 Surround Headset is very well made, while it is mostly plastic construction it still feels really rugged. The digital decoder box and inline remote feel tough too, while still looking quite stylish. There is quite a bit of functionality built into the TRITTON Pro+ True 5.1 Surround Headset, from the individual speaker level adjustments and the tilt and swivel earcups, the Pro+ is really trying to tick all the boxes. It would have been nice to have some pre-defined EQ's to choose from to make the Pro+ perform equally in music and movies as it did in games. The positional qualities of the detachable microphone surpass what we normally see on PC gaming Headsets. As of Decemner 2012, the Mad Catz Tritton Pro+ True 5.1 Surround Headset will set you back $199.99 (Amazon) before shipping. This is a bit steep for a wired headset even though it has a digital decoder box separate, it just doesn't feel like $200. Mad Catz could maybe shave some $$ off the price using less extravagant packaging, the box is absolutely humongous and there is a lot of waste after everything is unpacked. The market for this type of headset seems to be over inflated, looking at the current market leaders the $200 price point seems quite reasonable. But also consider that you can pick up a console for less than what this headset costs, that really puts it into perspective. The TRITTON Pro+ True 5.1 Surround Headset and it's equivalent competition are essentially products for people with lots of money to burn. Pros:
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Comments
The Pro+ is more customizable than the 720+ and they are both the same visually. Chat is integrated into both the 720+ and the Pro+ so that is a non-issue.
Would appreciate if anyone can answer this question.
(for the money are they worth the asking Price?) also, can the 360 version be used with PC?
I know the name from a few years back...
I wish I could tell you which headset is the best but without comparison products it becomes very difficult.
It really is annoying; I decided to ditch my 5.1 speakers and switched to a USB headset.