The Base Station looks like a futuristic Rocket Launcher, and the Warhead itself has a "New Gen" appearance, with curvy lines, embosed "Tritton" Logo, and Glossy finish. There is a magnetic faceplate on both the Base Station and the Warhead for the batteries as well. On the Headset you will various buttons. On the left side, you have a Stereo to Optical button, a Volume Switch for Voice Chat, and your Selectable Voice Monitoring Button. On the right side, you have a EQ Option to four pre-set Options (None, Game, Music, Movies), a Volume Switch for Game Volume, a pairing button on the left side and a power button on the right side.
All in all, everything worked properly and there were little to no problems. The only complaints I do have is the Optical Cable being a bit flimsy, the Warhead's finish a fingerprint magnet, and while the button's are tactile and responsive, they do feel cheap.
Setup and Layout:
The Warhead is easily the most simple headset I have ever used. Just simply plug your A/C adapter and Optical Cable (or RCA Cable) in, put in those rechargeable batteries (one in the Warhead, and the other in the Base Station), turn on your Xbox, pair your controller, and you are good to go. This Setup took me about 1 minute, 10 Seconds, and for setup, that's fast. As stated above, all of your controls are at your fingertips, so changing various settings on the fly is simple. The Base Station also has an indicator telling you how many Warheads are hooked up. If your friends have a Warhead, then it can be paired up with your own Base Station, and up to four are allowed. As for the Layout, it saves space. No Cables running out to me, and no tethered cord, which works very welk with the Warhead. Even better, those two Rechargable Batteries are 3.7V, 1,800 mAh. Let me repeat that, two 3.7V, 1800 mAh batteries. Now the manual says 12 hours, but I got up to 18. This beats both the A50 and XP500 hands down, the former getting 9-10 hours, and the latter getting 9 on the dot.
Overall, very pleased with the setup. No issues here, pretty much everything worked fine. The battery life, though, is just icing on the cake, and it is something ASTRO Gaming and Turtle Beach should pay close attention to.
Comfort:
The Warhead does not feature Memory-Foam Padding, but there is a great amount of plush in the earcup. The Earcups themselves are removable, but no secondary padding was included. The stock faux leather padding was more breatheable than in the older AX Models, and your ears will not get as sweaty, keyword being "as." I had gotten on average 3-5 hours, which is not bad, but is not great either. To give a comparison, the XP500 and A50 had much better padding materials. Continuing on with the Warhead, the Earcups do swivel for breaks, and the Earcups can contour with larger or smaller heads. The headrail is also adjustable for larger and smaller heads. The Flexibilty of the Warhead is good, but not great. It does feel stiff compared to the Astro A50 or Turtle Beach XP500, but it can get the job done. Inside of the earpads though, is no padding at all, so those of you who have bigger ears, all I can say is "OUCH!"
In the end though, the Warhead is good to wear for long sessions, but there is somewhat of an anomaly. The Warhead is so comfy, but is comfy enough that I noticed the Warhead being there, which is not a bad thing, but not a great one either.
Sound Performance:
Well, it is all what you have been waiting for, the Audio Performance. The Warhead solves the usual wireless problem by going up to a 5.8Ghz wireless frequency. By doing so, 2.4Ghz devices, such as Wireless Routers, will not interfere with the Headset. In my testing, I did not experience any static or hiss, unlike the XP500, which, in my case, is appearent. For the Stereo Setting, the sound was surprisingly underscored. The sound was good, but for the $300 Pricetag, its underwhelming and a bit dissapointing. The low end was good but it lacked some definition, the mids were warm but vocals could not be heard clearly or blended in too much in music, and the high end was clear, but dark and mildy squashed at times. Listening to songs like "I am all of Me" by Crush 40 or "Higher Ground" by the Red Hot Chili Peppers shows off how good the Warheads are for music Overall, for stereo, it is good, but not as good as the A50, and to an extent, the XP500. Thankfully, you have Dolby Digital options so here are the results, but before we get into that, let me explain how Dolby Digital works:
Science of Dolby Digital:
In order to recreate a 5.1 Surround Sound Setup, Dolby Headphone is mixed with Dolby Digital. Dolby Digital then uses 5.1 Channels of audio in a Surround Sound Setup, then uses various DSP's (Digital Sound Processors) to Simulate 5.1 Channels of audio to the Headset. For 7.1, Dolby Pro Logic IIx is added in as two rear filler channels with the 5.1 signal to get Dolby Digital 7.1. One important note though. Although the Warhead says "7.1", the Xbox only Outputs 5.1. The EQ Settings change the Dynamic Range and Compression of Audio
Now that you know how exactly the Warhead works, take a look at the results:
Music:
Definitely the worst of the three EQ settings. The low end does get kicked up a notch, and even though it (thankfully) did not drown out the mids and highs, in games like Call of Duty: Black Ops, it can be a problem. Footsteps were easier to track, but gunfire did not give me a realistic feel. Other games, like Hydro Thunder Hurricane, or Split Second, did have a more natural feel. Overall, though, this option is not what I recommend. The highs and mids are great, but amplifying bass can be a bit of a problem.
Game:
This option tones down the bass so that mids and highs have a little more breathing room. This can be good for games like Black Ops and Halo Reach, but the bass does not suffer as much as one would think. Still, this is a solid option. While playing Black Ops or Reach is fun, you might wanna play something else, and that is were game falls a bit short. Unlike a bit too much bass for the Music EQ, Game EQ does have good bass, but not enough for me to hear the roar of the engine or hear footsteps. Overall, the Game EQ setting is solid. Not having enough bass just could not cope with me, and sometimes, the highs were a bit too bright.
Movie:
*Hallelujah, Hallelujah, HALLE-LUU-JAH*
As you can see, you can guess which one was my personal favorite. Movie EQ lowers the mids but highs and lows stay the same. Madden 13's Demo definitley showcased how well the sound was. Jim Nantz and Phil Simms were clearer, audibles could be heard more easily, and crowd's did feel more expansive. Other games like Call of Duty and Hydro Thunder sounded better overall. Footsteps were easier to hear, and the roar of the engines were more smooth. Overall, Movie EQ was fun to listen too, and my recommended setting for the Warhead.
Overall, the Sound Quality is deserving of the $300 Price Tag, but the A50 definitely is a superior choice, and, to an extent, the XP500 (Emphasis on "extent").
As for the Microphone, it performed well. My teamates could always hear me and there was little to no static during playback or testing. When using the Selectable Voice Monitoring, hearing myself saved me from shouting into the mic, but it does pick up some background noise. Thankfully though, it was not appearent to my teamates or me. Although SVM does not have a volume ruler for it, it is not much of a deal breaker.
Ratings:
So, with all of these categories done, it is time for the ratings.
Out-of-the-Box and Look
Result: 3.5/5
The Warhead feels like $300, but certain elements, along with standard fare packaging, keeps this Headset from earning anything higher, but the look of the Base Station and Headset definitley is its saving grace.
Setup and Layout
Result: 4.5/5
I did enjoy myself with the Warhead's setup. It is the best Wireless Headsets to setup, and boasts the best battery life. Nothing even comes close.
Sound
Result: 4/5
While it does haven some quibbles here and there, the Warhead's 50mm provide a very spacious feeling. Not as good as the A50's, but usually better than the XP500. Mic quality is the same story, although it is better than the XP500. (Again, High Emphasis on "usually").
Closing Comments:
Is it safe to say Tritton has finally done it? After so many backfires on the old AX Series, the Warhead just might be Tritton's long, lost answer to their enemy, ASTRO Gaming. While it does not have Cross-Compatibilty like the A50 or XP500, it is the World's First "Truly Wireless" Headset, and major headphone companies better take notice quick, as Tritton has a commanding lead. If you only game on the Xbox 360, and in dire need of a headset, Tritton's Warhead will make sure you are satisfied.
Overall, I am giving the Warhead a four out of five stars rating.
Well, this has been D-Day1944, and thank you for reading. I hope you join me next time were we will take a look at the Astro A40 Gaming Wired System. Personally, I think this review is long overdue.
Again, this is D-Day1944, signing off.
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