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Turtle Beach PX5 opinions

post #1 of 176
4/20/11 at 7:11am
Thread Starter 
Hi,
I´m thinking on getting this headphone since it will work with Xbox and PS3.

Also i like the idea of having a pass through for the Optical Digital input so if i want to use the HT5.1 instead the Headphones i can without unplugging anything.

Any one who own this could give me his opinion?

I´m not a demand person in audio quality. I have a Logitech Z-680 5.1 surround system and i´m very happy with it.

Do you think this Headphones quality will compare to that?
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post #2 of 176
4/20/11 at 9:10am
I've had mine for a month now and I love them.
The bluetooth makes them perfect for many applications besides gaming.
You won't regret getting them if you want a headphone that can be used with both systems.
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post #3 of 176
4/20/11 at 10:43am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by jammybastard View Post

I've had mine for a month now and I love them.
The bluetooth makes them perfect for many applications besides gaming.
You won't regret getting them if you want a headphone that can be used with both systems.

Thanks Jammybastard.

How is the audio quality? Do you have a HT 5.1? i´m going to miss the 5.1 bass and audio quality? I mean the audio sounds metallic?
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post #4 of 176
4/20/11 at 2:55pm
I think its pretty good but this is my first headset so I dont have anything to compare it to. You can kinda pinpoint where the footsteps(preset 7) are coming from. I would like to know how to download the presets to your headset. Does the downloading bar have to turn green when its going to the headset?
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post #5 of 176
4/20/11 at 4:28pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by booker21 View Post

How is the audio quality?

Excellent.

Quote:
Originally Posted by booker21 View Post

Do you have a HT 5.1?

Yes. Yamaha RX-V663

Quote:
Originally Posted by booker21 View Post

i´m going to miss the 5.1 bass and audio quality?

Nope.
Unlike every other headphone on the market you can change the eq on your PC and save it as a preset on the PX5.

Quote:
Originally Posted by booker21 View Post

I mean the audio sounds metallic?

Nope.
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post #6 of 176
4/20/11 at 7:24pm
Thread Starter 
Great i can`t wait to get this one!

Thanks for your opinions
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post #7 of 176
4/21/11 at 11:17am
I bought a set last week, they should be arriving any day now.
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post #8 of 176
4/21/11 at 2:44pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by kev0ut View Post

I bought a set last week, they should be arriving any day now.

great please let me know what do you think of them. Compared to a 5.1HT entry level. If the difference make you miss your HT or you are perfectly ok playing with either of them.

Audio quality and what about the bass quality?
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post #9 of 176
4/22/11 at 7:20am
Just got mine last night. Not only does it not make me miss my 5.1 HT, I actually had to take the headset off a few times to make sure my HT was actually off. The bass quality is excellent. It's also a very comfortable fit but gets hot after awhile, but then again I sweat everywhere so that might be just me.

You will need to have a direct path to the transmitter or else you'll get random drops and pops, otherwise the sound is flawless. The only exception is when I paired my iphone via bluetooth. I tried streaming pandora and every time it was downloading a new song the headset would go haywire and start dropping sound. I don't know why, it shouldn't take that much wireless bandwidth to load a song from pandora. The bluetooth pairing worked perfectly if I'm just streaming from the ipod itself, though.

Also, I know it says there is a "footstep preset" but this makes the game sound horrible and I wouldn't recommend it. The full bass & treble preset worked fine for me.
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post #10 of 176
4/22/11 at 7:40am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by kev0ut View Post

Just got mine last night. Not only does it not make me miss my 5.1 HT, I actually had to take the headset off a few times to make sure my HT was actually off. The bass quality is excellent. It's also a very comfortable fit but gets hot after awhile, but then again I sweat everywhere so that might be just me.

You will need to have a direct path to the transmitter or else you'll get random drops and pops, otherwise the sound is flawless. The only exception is when I paired my iphone via bluetooth. I tried streaming pandora and every time it was downloading a new song the headset would go haywire and start dropping sound. I don't know why, it shouldn't take that much wireless bandwidth to load a song from pandora. The bluetooth pairing worked perfectly if I'm just streaming from the ipod itself, though.

Also, I know it says there is a "footstep preset" but this makes the game sound horrible and I wouldn't recommend it. The full bass & treble preset worked fine for me.

Thank you for your impressions. When you say you have to be directly to the reciever. How direct do you mean? I`ll be around 8 feet from the tv, just in the middle of the tv. The receiver will be on the right of the tv. So my eyes won`t be exactly pointing the receiver but it should be pretty direct. Is this enough or i`ll get some pops?
Also do you have a WiFi router near the receiver? i heard they cause interference and Pops on the sound if they are too close the two. How close do you have it?

Regarding the presets i don`t want to tweak the original sound from the game. I knew the "foots" preset was more marketing than a real option.

I`m wondering if you DO have to select a preset or if there is an option to listen the 5.1 sound as it come from the source?
Maybe just rising the bass a bit, but i don`t want to go beyond that.
It`s possible?

If there is an option to listen the source as it dev wanted. Do the bass is powerful enough or do you think it`s sound best with the Bass preset (bass higher than normal).
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post #11 of 176
4/22/11 at 8:46am
By "direct" I just mean an unobstructed path. I tried it with the transmitter behind a tv and it cut out a lot. I put it on top of my dvd tower (which is actually right above my wireless router), and it worked fine because it was unobstructed.

You don't need to tweak the presets, the main profile doesn't add any effects. I think the full bass & treble setting is the best though.
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post #12 of 176
4/22/11 at 10:11am
Here's the facts about using a wireless headset, specifically the PX5.

The PX5 base station transmits on a radio frequency of 2.4Ghz.
There are many devices in the normal home that also use this frequency.
Wireless phones as well as wireless G antennas on laptops and routers are the most common.

*DO NOT* put a phone, tv, laptop, etc...between your transmitter and your headphones or you will experience RF dropout which will cause the sound to cut our or sound like static.

Other suggestions: put your transmitter up as high as possible for maximum unobstructed coverage.

Here's my living room, the PX5 transmitter is to the right of the XBOX360:


notice there are no obstructions btwn the base station and the rest of the room. I can sit anywhere in it and have no problems with my PX5s.
I recommend you do the same.
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post #13 of 176
4/22/11 at 11:35am
I have my transmitter 5 feet above my router, no matter where i put it, it gets interference when streaming pandora
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post #14 of 176
4/22/11 at 2:11pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by jammybastard View Post

Here's the facts about using a wireless headset, specifically the PX5.

The PX5 base station transmits on a radio frequency of 2.4Ghz.
There are many devices in the normal home that also use this frequency.
Wireless phones as well as wireless G antennas on laptops and routers are the most common.

*DO NOT* put a phone, tv, laptop, etc...between your transmitter and your headphones or you will experience RF dropout which will cause the sound to cut our or sound like static.

Other suggestions: put your transmitter up as high as possible for maximum unobstructed coverage.

Here's my living room, the PX5 transmitter is to the right of the XBOX360:


notice there are no obstructions btwn the base station and the rest of the room. I can sit anywhere in it and have no problems with my PX5s.
I recommend you do the same.

Could you upload the picture again.
I can`t see it is says : The photo is currently unavailable.

I i`ll be placing the receiver right next to my tv,it won`+t be any object between me and the receiver. It won`t be high, but it will be in the same level as my head when sit.
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post #15 of 176
4/22/11 at 2:12pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by kev0ut View Post

I have my transmitter 5 feet above my router, no matter where i put it, it gets interference when streaming pandora

Do you get any interference while playing games without doing anything extra? Or just clean game audio?
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post #16 of 176
4/24/11 at 8:54pm
well, I'm returning the headset. After dealing with random audio drops and pops, the pandora problem, and irritating voice chat drops (which happen CONSTANTLY), I just can't take it anymore.

I tried updating the firmware using the TB software to see if it would solve my issues, and it bricked the headset. It won't power on now even when connected via usb. Sigh
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post #17 of 176
4/24/11 at 10:39pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by kev0ut View Post

well, I'm returning the headset. After dealing with random audio drops and pops, the pandora problem, and irritating voice chat drops (which happen CONSTANTLY), I just can't take it anymore.

I tried updating the firmware using the TB software to see if it would solve my issues, and it bricked the headset. It won't power on now even when connected via usb. Sigh

That's not the headphones, that's due to the amount of RF in the room, probably from your router.
If you have a lot of RF traffic in the room, specifically from a 802.11 Wireless router, no wireless headphone on the 2.4GHz frequency is going to work perfectly because the router will hog the majority of the RF spectrum that is available. RF spectrum isn't infinite, it fills up quickly if you have a lot of devices in the room operating on it.

That's why putting your PX5 transmitter 5 ft above your router won't solve the problem.

Did you look up the problem on the TB Cust. Support forum? Other people have reported it as well and TB has posted solutions to help.

If you look you would see that they posted this:

Quote:


There is a distinct possibility that the Bluetooth RF and audio RF may interfere with each other straight out of the box. If there is an N router or other bandwidth hog in the vicinity, the possibility exists that the PX5 won't work in that area, even after adjusting settings, etc.

Check this thread out as well: http://turtlebeach.com/support/index...ryID=830516923

Quote:


Move closer than 10 feet from the Transmitter and move the Transmitter further away from the Xbox or PS3. If this does not help, then it might be Wireless Interference due to a congested Wireless Network. Too many Wireless devices in the vicinity "fighting" with each other for space, reducing the available bandwidth, which in turn results in connectivity drop-outs. This may also result in depleting your batteries too soon, while attempting to find a free segment in the wireless range.

- Turn off (temporarily) the power to the WiFi router and see if the clicking, popping, static in the headset goes away.

- Try to time the 'pops' as to how often they happen. The odd click or pop every 5 minutes or so is actually normal for an RF audio headset. If however you have constant, repeating clicks/pops or static in the headset, it might be due to interference from other RF and/or wireless devices in the vicinity.

- If you have a WiFi network router and you locate an X-series transmitter right next to it, you may find that your WiFi router's signal is suddenly weaker or that clicks/pops appear in the X-headset playback. This may be caused by the X-series transmitter's radio-frequency (RF) signal being too close in frequency to the router's RF frequency.

- If you're using a Wireless internet connection a Wireless 802.11n router may be the cause of the problem. You see, 802.11n uses a significant portion of the available spectrum used by all RF wireless devices. Since the Xbox 360 and any PCs or other devices you have nearby are also wireless, adding the wireless X31, X41 might be using up all of the available RF bandwidth.

The 802.11n router will "squat" on the bandwidth it needs, which gives it and the PCs with wireless network interfaces very reliable connections, but may exclude other RF wireless devices (such as our headsets) from being able to connect. Most RF wireless gadgets will "hop" across all the RF wireless channels looking for available channels to communicate on. This is so they don't knock out computer wireless devices (these "hopping" RF devices are very neighborly compared to the RF "squatters").

The result is that the 802.11n router may be squatting on all the available bandwidth, knocking out the X31. Try turning off the 802.11n router (temporarily) to see if the X31's wireless connection works better. If it does work with the router powered down, please refer to the options below as possible solutions:


SOLUTIONS:
1) Go into the setup utility of the 802.11n ("N") router and set it to "Standard" instead of "Wideband." This option may also be labeled as a 20MHz/40MHz option. You want to select 20MHz, this reduces the reserved bandwidth your router uses by 50% and should free up room for the X31/X41 to operate correctly. This will not slow down the performance.

2) Try changing the broadcast channel in your router settings: Typically 1 through 6 for North America where channels 1-11 are supported, with 12-13 being available in Europe and possibly elsewhere. Since you do not know what channels other devices are using (including a neighbor's wireless) you would need to experiment with each one of the channels until you find a better connection. NOTE: If you do not know how to make the changes above please read your router documentation or contact your router manufacturer.

3) Identify any other RF wireless devices and shut them off or keep them away from the X31, X41 transmitter and Headset. If turning one of these off makes the clicking/static in the headset go away, then you now know which device is interfering with your headset's RF transmission. A few examples of these kinds of devices:
•WiFi routers or computers with WiFi network interfaces *specifically Laptops*
•Cordless telephones
•Cellphones
•RF controlled toys
•RF wireless speakers, etc.
•Amplified FM Stereo antenna or large TV antenna
•Shortwave radios or similar
•Your big-screen LCD HDTV! (These also emit RFI) NOTE: Some users were able to overcome this issue by switching from a wireless (WiFi) network to a wired (Ethernet) network.

4) If you are still having trouble try moving the Xbox360 WiFi adapter or X-series transmitter further apart from each other so their signals won't be so strong when they overlap. If the wireless router is also very close to the transmitter you should try to move this further away. The optimal setup for the transmitter is at least 2 feet above floor level and as close to the headset as possible, within 15 feet is preferable.

5) If you put the X31/X41 transmitter on top of or next to the TV set, it's very possible that the TV's RFI field may "swamp" the headset RF transmission. Move the headset's transmitter at least a couple of feet away from the TV set.

6) "Pair" again the Headphones to the Transmitter. This might temporarily disconnect your Wireless connection but you can restart your Xbox to reconnect click here

7) Last but not least, make sure that the batteries are good. Batteries may still appear to have and work in other devices but because of the high power draw of the headset it may not function correctly when their charge gets low. Try fresh from the package alkaline batteries (from a different brand, if possible). NOTE: Rechargeable batteries eventually lose their ability to hold a charge.

NOTE: Pops may also happen when you receive text messages or phone calls while your Turtle Beach headset is plugged in.

***********

In closing, please note that this is not an issue with the Turtle Beach Headset (and it is not defective) but a limitation of the RF Wireless Technology. There is only so much bandwidth available and it can easily reach the "saturation" point when pushed to the max with multiple Wireless devices. If none of the above solutions work in your case, the only alternative option might be to use Wired Headphones.

In my living room I have a a wireless phone, my cell phone, an LCD TV, and a laptop.
All of those use the 2.4GHz frequency from time to time, but none of them are between my PX5s and it's base station/transmitter. I'm guessing that's why I haven't had any problems.
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post #18 of 176
4/24/11 at 10:58pm
I've tried it in several different positions for the transmitter. I've tried it 3 feet away from me, as far from the router as possible, with no other wireless devices active, and I still get random pops and constant voice chat drops. The voice chat is especially annoying and unacceptable.

All this is moot however, because I can't even turn the damn headset on anymore. For $200 I shouldn't have to deal with nonsense like this.
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post #19 of 176
4/25/11 at 6:07am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by kev0ut View Post

I've tried it in several different positions for the transmitter. I've tried it 3 feet away from me, as far from the router as possible, with no other wireless devices active, and I still get random pops and constant voice chat drops. The voice chat is especially annoying and unacceptable.

All this is moot however, because I can't even turn the damn headset on anymore. For $200 I shouldn't have to deal with nonsense like this.

I don´t have the headset yet, but did you try to turn off the Wifi router, just to verify if this is actually a RF issue in first place?

Seems that something went wrong with the FW update. I won´t be updating my FW i guess

jammybastard,
Do you get pops and audio drops every 5 min? That´s kind of annoying. Could you confirm this is true? because in your post you wrote that this is "normal" for a wireless headset.
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post #20 of 176
4/26/11 at 8:18am
Quote:
Originally Posted by kev0ut View Post

well, I'm returning the headset. After dealing with random audio drops and pops, the pandora problem, and irritating voice chat drops (which happen CONSTANTLY), I just can't take it anymore.

I tried updating the firmware using the TB software to see if it would solve my issues, and it bricked the headset. It won't power on now even when connected via usb. Sigh

Hi there, this is Jack from Turtle Beach. I'm sorry you have had trouble with your new PX5.

Try the following steps with your headset, should solve your problems. And, if you need to get in touch with us, you can email support@turtlebeach.com and we'll be happy to help you out.

1. Remove the batteries and put them back in.
2. Hold the preset button while plugging in the USB cable.
3. Boot the PX5 Presets Manager software
4. Go to the Config tab and click on the restore all defaults button.

This will reload the firmware and the headset should work fine.
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post #21 of 176
4/26/11 at 9:06am
Quote:
Originally Posted by booker21 View Post

jammybastard,
Do you get pops and audio drops every 5 min? That´s kind of annoying. Could you confirm this is true? because in your post you wrote that this is "normal" for a wireless headset.


No, I don't get ANY pops normally.

You need to understand something:
1."pops" = dropout.
2. dropout is caused by 2 things
a. RF interference btwn the transmitter and the headphones.
b. using up all the RF spectrum available.

The only time I do get pops is when I am downloading or streaming something to my laptop (wireless G)
AND
the laptop is placed directly btwn the PX5 transmitter and headphones.

I have to do BOTH of those to get any pops/dropout in the audio signal.

I use my PX5s at least 3 hours a day for a variety of uses and never have any problems with them.

The reason kev0ut is getting dropout is because he's using Pandora, which is streaming music to his headset via RF from his router.
Streaming music takes up a lot of bandwidth on the RF spectrum and as I stated before dropout happen when you max out the available spectrum.

Again, it's not the fault of the headphones. There is only so much bandwidth available in the 2.4GHz spectrum. If you use it up streaming high quality audio then there isn't any left for other audio signals.
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post #22 of 176
4/26/11 at 10:57am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by jammybastard View Post

No, I don't get ANY pops normally.

You need to understand something:
1."pops" = dropout.
2. dropout is caused by 2 things
a. RF interference btwn the transmitter and the headphones.
b. using up all the RF spectrum available.

The only time I do get pops is when I am downloading or streaming something to my laptop (wireless G)
AND
the laptop is placed directly btwn the PX5 transmitter and headphones.

I have to do BOTH of those to get any pops/dropout in the audio signal.

I use my PX5s at least 3 hours a day for a variety of uses and never have any problems with them.

The reason kev0ut is getting dropout is because he's using Pandora, which is streaming music to his headset via RF from his router.
Streaming music takes up a lot of bandwidth on the RF spectrum and as I stated before dropout happen when you max out the available spectrum.

Again, it's not the fault of the headphones. There is only so much bandwidth available in the 2.4GHz spectrum. If you use it up streaming high quality audio then there isn't any left for other audio signals.

Thanks jammy. That makes sense.
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post #23 of 176
4/26/11 at 4:37pm
how do you download those new presets from your pc to your headset? Also I got two nukes on mw2, playing free for all last night. This is my first headset and I was on preset two or four I think.
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post #24 of 176
4/26/11 at 4:42pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mike08 View Post

how do you download those new presets from your pc to your headset? Also I got two nukes on mw2, playing free for all last night. This is my first headset and I was on preset two or four I think.

all the answers are in your manual and on the TB support site:
http://turtlebeach.com/support/
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post #25 of 176
4/26/11 at 8:59pm
Yesterday I paid $250 for a pair of Wireless Headsets (TurtleBeach PX5) and they are totally worth the money and more. I do alot of gaming at night when the Wife and Kids are sleep and wanted a very good pair of Headsets to listen to that have 5.1 surround sound and I have found them. I use them on my PS3 and PC. I have a pair of TB X41 (for my Xbox 360) and the PX5's make them sound like garbage. No hissing or static whatsoever. I am so happy I bought these. I got what I paid for and more. 8 Preset sounds. Bluetooth for the PS3 and my HTC EVO if it rings (I can answer my phone with the headsets while in a game, Awesome). I use the New 2500mAh Eneloops, and theybarecwonderful. I can go over a week without having to reenergize. The PX5's sound Wonderful. I LOVE Wireless and these are the BEST Wireless Headsets on the Market. Remember, YOU ALWAYS GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR.

I will ALWAYS pay for quality and have No problem doing it.
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post #26 of 176
4/27/11 at 3:06pm
I am thinking of upgrading from my X41. Anyone using them for both PS3 and XBOX? I was wondering how that works. Read a review that some PS3 games don't work? I can't understand why that would be. Anyone experiance that?
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post #27 of 176
4/27/11 at 5:11pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Boston Litigator View Post

I am thinking of upgrading from my X41. Anyone using them for both PS3 and XBOX? I was wondering how that works. Read a review that some PS3 games don't work? I can't understand why that would be. Anyone experiance that?

They are made to work with both.
You connect to the PS3 via Bluetooth, to the Xbox via the same chat cable that you have with the X41s.
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post #28 of 176
4/28/11 at 2:56am
Hi all, this is my first post, but I thought I would post up my views on the PX5's which I received yesterday.
The reason I decided to register to post is that when I was looking up headset reviews online a few days ago before making a decision, this was one of the main threads I read and based my purchasing decision on.

Firstly, am I glad I purchased my PX5's - well no . The feature set of this headset is awesome and it ticks all the boxes for what a gaming headset should do, props to Turtle Beach for that!
However where they dissapoint for me is the sound quality, I have spent the day trying different settings, connections and sources- game console, cd player and pc, none of them impressed me for such an expensive headset.

Don't get me wrong, if your looking for a unit that does all the PX5's do then go for it, however if you place importance on sound quality I would HIGHLY recommend auditioning these somehow before you buy.

A average set of normal headphones that cost a third of the PX5's will give you comparable sound quality, a decent set of standard headphones for half the price of the PX5's will give you all the directionality in games you need without the 'surround processor' plus hugely better sound quality in everything else. I have used a cheapish set of Sony over ear headphones in the past which let me hear very well the direction of peoples footsteps etc, there was no difference between these and the PX5's!

However saying the above, the convienience factor of having wireless, a built in mic, bluetooth etc may swing it for some people, also I would imagine if you've never listened to a half decent set of headphones then the PX5's would be quite adequate sound wise.
Again though if you have the opportunity I would audition these and also a set of cheaper priced standard ones just for your own comparisson if sound is a high priority for you.

I REALLY REALLY wanted to like these, at half the price they sell at I would be quite content with them, unfortunatley though I will be selling mine on (cant return them) and buying a mid range standard headphone. I'll just have to clip my mic onto my shirt for chat again...

Just wanted to share my opinion
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post #29 of 176
4/28/11 at 4:39am
maybe hang on abit till that advanced sound editor kicks in so you can tweak your sound on your headset.
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post #30 of 176
4/28/11 at 6:15am
Quote:
Originally Posted by mike08 View Post

maybe hang on abit till that advanced sound editor kicks in so you can tweak your sound on your headset.

Yes I did consider that and it certainly is a possibility, but looking at the current profile manager (it's rather buggy and somewhat basic) I'm not confident it will have the options needed, in the short term anyway.

What I'm hearing (or not hearing) with these may be difficult to compensate for even with software tweaks as I think it is the design of the drivers and headphones themselves.

I'm going to leave the PX5's switched on and running over the next few days just incase they need to breakin and the sound might change? Any of you owners notice a change over time?
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