Psyko 5.1 PC Gaming Headphones

Posted: 01.08.2009, 12:47pm
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The Pitch: When guns are blazing in your favorite first-person shooter, eyes in the back of your head would be a handy thing to have. Until PC game systems start supporting 360-degree monitors, though, the best you’ll be able to do is get surround sound audio so you can hear that other guy coming — even if you can’t see him. The thing is, getting a proper 5.1 surround sound audio system for your gaming rig can be a bit of a daunting task. The answer? The Psyko 5.1 gaming headphones. These bad boys will not only provide you with a private surround sound theater for gaming — they look pretty badass, too.

Pros: The ear cups can be opened up for ventilation when you’re starting to overheat, and the clear panels let you see the gadgets inside that actually create the audio magic. The Psyko 5.1 headphones even come with a matching, detachable boom microphone.

Cons: In a word: cost. At $299, these things can really take a bite out of your gaming budget.

Recommendation: If you are a hardcore gamer, even of the non-FPS variety, having a full 360 audio awareness of your in-game surroundings is going to be a competitive edge that you will want — even if you have to give up lunch for a month. As such, I think the Psyko 5.1 headset is worthy of making it to the next round of Last Gadget Standing.

  • Brilliant idea. A want a pair! The perfect room indeed. Sellers of surround sound systems are not going to like you :)
  • PCM
    Mr. Rocky - you're comments are correct...when referring to multi-configuration headsets that put more than one driver in each ear cup. These headsets appear to place the drivers in the headband and channel the sounds to your ears. This makes more sense because the sounds will travel down the hollow tubes and flow across the ear with the correct timing just as they would do if someone was talking to you or if you were using a surround sound home system. The headsets are based on Psychoacoustic sciences which study the way your brain understands 3D audio and directionality.
  • I've used 5.1 surround sound headphones for quite a while, and I'm sorry to say but I'd defy anyone to make the distinction during a game, between a sound behind them, or to the side. Think about it, the speakers in the cup are only millimetres apart, there's no way your ear is capable of differentiating between them.

    Nice idea, but in practice it falls flat IMO.
  • Kevin D
    I got to try a pair of these out side by side with one of their closest competitors and it was no contest. The 3D audio is amazing...you can hear exactly where the bullets are coming from! Price wise they are more expensive than your $6 ear buds, but come on, true gamers don't use onboard graphics cards either! It's a small price to pay to give you a major advantage.
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