PS3 Wireless Stereo Headset

Looking for opinions / thoughts on this product from anyone that has experience with it. It's been getting fantastic reviews and is sold out at most every best buy in my area (not an indicator of quality but certainly of popularity).

I'm new to PS3-- GF bought me one for Xmas. I've been relatively disappointed by the headphone / headset options available for the PS3. I currently have a turtle beach DX11 which I use in the office on our second Xbox (that's where I play CoD). I've been extremely happy with the performance and sound quality of the headset as well as the Dolby headphone technology built into the DSS. So much so that I'd like to add something similar on our main HT for late night ps3 gaming or movie watching. While wired would be an option (although I'd prefer wireless as my living room is very "clean")-- I'm not really happy paying another 80-150 bucks for a wired headset! Especially as this unit won't be used as much as my dedicated gaming setup in the office. The Sony, which is currently selling for less than 100, caught my eye as a relative bargain with it's wireless receiver, rechargeable battery and 7.1 surround.

I read in the product FAQ that the 7.1 surround does not work with blu ray movies! Wtf? It also states that ps3 3.7 or later is required to enable the surround effect.
It sounds like Sony may be using something like the matrix encoding that Dolby uses between pro logic II and Dolby Headphone. Other companies have developed their own solutions for this without paying Dolby-- pioneer's headphone surround and yamaha's silent cinema-- my question is: why disable this feature for movie watching?? Even if Ty's a faux surround effect without actual positioning it would still be worth something-- like the difference between SRS' stereo widening and the more precise imaging of Dolby Headphone fed from a 5.1 source. This is a major bummer for me in my consideration of this product. Sure, it's still a value price but it's clearly more focused than I initially thought-- one of the turtle beach options would have a wider range of applications.

So I finally found one of these in my area-- decided to pick it up (my girl is gifting me for my birthday this week). I discovered last night that the ps3 doesn't actually charge the USB ports while the system is powered off... Strange... How do they expect you to charge the controllers/headset? Either way I charged it up on the pc and will give them a trial run tonight. For the price I'm not expecting them to replace my senn's for music but if they can present a decent soundstage for games/movies I'll be happy.

Initial reactions: headset is mammoth! Seems comfortable enough-- not quite as comfortable as my turtle beach but that may be more a reaction to the added weight of wireless hardware. The faux leather earpads and head band seemed an odd choice. They don't breath well and I worry about their long term durability. Of course, the cloth pads on my turtle beach are more comfortable and breath exceptionally well but do little to isolate outside noise and are starting to look a bit rough after one year of consistent use. We'll see, I have one week to return if these don't fit the bill.

How do you like your Astros for movie watching? I have the DX11s and while I love them for gaming I typically replace the headset with my senn's when watching a movie. The result is a bit mixed-- I don't think the open ear headphones were really designed with dolby headphone in mind.

As for the Sony's: they sound OK. I think the big draw here is the wireless and the price. I have to say that the wireless performance is at least as good as the turtle beach X41's I had and they ARE more comfortable than that headset. Still, I miss the Dolby headphone... Even when watching a DTS movie when the Dolby is in "virtual" mode with PLXII, the sound is bigger and less confined. It sounds more like you're in the movie than the movie is in you head...

Posted this is response to another guys thread asking how this set compares to turtle beach's offerings. Thought I'd copy it here.

I have both.

I have a pair of DX11s that I use to play CoD in my den (equivalent to the PX11 for Sony) and I have the PS3 Wireless Stereo Headset the I use to play PS3 and watch movies with late at night in my living room.

I like them both and for different reasons.

DX11 pros:
Wired-- no battery to replace or charge and no chance of wireless interference.

Dolby Headphone technology-- gives the absolute best positioning and surround sound experience when fed a Dolby Digital 5.1 source and is less fatiguing when listening to gunfire and explosions for hours on end.

Exceptional comfort-- the X11 headset is extremely lightweight and features oversized cloth pads that breathe better than leather allowing you to wear this headset for hours without discomfort.

Superb mic and chat controls-- mic quality is top notch and the simple two volume system of adjusting chat independent of game volume is a plus.

Flexibility-- works with anything with an audio out. (chat only works with Xbox 360/PS3 on the PX11)

DX11 cons:
Wired-- one cord with two connections to the DSS and another two from there to your console.

Dolby Headphone limitations-- works best when fed a Dolby Digital source, DTS and stereo up-mixed to surround not as impressive.

Lack of sound isolation-- the breathable ear cups don't do a very good job of keeping out noise OR keeping sound in.

Bass-- this might not be an issue on the PX11 version as it has a bass boost function but the DX11 has noticeably less bass than the Sony's. I think this has more to do with the ear cups not making a tight seal than the drivers themselves and either way I find too much bass while playing CoD to be distracting and exhausting.

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Sony Wireless Stereo Headset pros:
Wireless-- oh man. Free at last, free at last, thank god allmighty I'm free at last! Wireless connectivity is convenient and consistent-- can wander my 1100 sq foot apt without a hint of break up or interference.

Rechargeable-- no AAAs to deal with, hours of life.

Virtual 7.1-- not nearly as good as Dolby Headphone but satisfying none the less.

Comfort and sound isolation-- the leather earcups do a fantastic job of keeping noise out and music in. The headset itself is very light for being wireless and I found it to be comfortable for several hours.

Bass-- if the headsets ah-rockin'...

Looks cool-- it really does. Your friends will be jealous... If they're nerds that is!

Price-- the price is a steal for what you get.

Sony Wireless Stereo Headset cons:
Recharging-- you have to plug them into a USB device and you're on your own for a cable.

Virtual 7.1 doesn't work with Bluray-- this may be my biggest gripe. Sure the surround mode is a glorified stereo widening and lacks the precision of Dolby Headphone... But why disable it for movie playback!? Ultimately it's more comfortable to listen to the virtual surround for extended periods as the sound is less 'in your head'. I really found I missed this feature about an hour into a movie...

Chat/game balance slider-- the headset features an Astro-like balance slider which allows you to modify the mix between chat and sound... It didn't work on the Astros and it doesn't work here. Separate volume controls FTW. Not a big deal as I rarely chat on PS3.

Long-term comfort-- let's be clear here that I've used these for hours at a time and have been perfectly happy... However... After a couple hours the combination of the added bulk for all that wireless gear and the zero breathability of the wonderfully sound isolating leather cushions begins to wear on me. I probably wouldn't even mention this if it wasn't for the fact that you can wear the X11s all day without even noticing they're on.

Proprietary-- these work with two sources: your PS3 and your PC.