Creative Labs 70GH012000004 Sound Blaster Tactic Alpha Gaming Headset

Bought this headset for gaming - naturally - and it performs excellently. It is very comfortable, with ear cups large enough and deep enough to completely cover one's ears without pressing on your lobes. It is light - after a while I forget it's there. The mic quality is very good for what it is - that is to say, it comes across very clear on Skype and so on. The fact the mic is detachable is actually rather useful. The sound quality is a high standard for what it is: the drivers are relatively precise, and provide full and powerful sound. However, they are certainly optimised for gaming, as they are biased towards the bassy end of the spectrum. But then again, these aren't audiophile cans, so that's just fine. Furthermore, you can use the included EQ software to tweak down the bass. This software is surprisingly good: I didn't think I'd use it, but I fiddled with the EQ to slightly temper the bass, and set up an effects profile for gaming (all the pre-set profiles are a little...er, comical in their extreme bass, reverb, 'surround' and so on). Nevertheless, all told, I don't think this headset is quite good enough for listening to music - while the treble and mid-range are nicely bright and defined, the artificial bass is just too much, and makes tracks sound 'muddy', even with my EQ tweaks. I accept, however, that this may not be everyone's view, and if you listen to mainly dubstep, bass-heavy rap or drum and bass, these may be just fine for music (come to think of it, they sound a bit like those 'Dre Beats' headphones, so maybe people will like the bass!). Finally, the so-called 'surround' sound is the only real let down of this thing. I was sceptical from the off that a 2-driver pair of cans could emulate surround, and I was right: crank up the surround feature in the software, and all you get is a blurry, echoey mess. However, if you tune it more subtly you can achieve some interesting effects which some may like. I haven't taken away any stars for this because I feel that overall, looking at the price, the functionality and the features this headset offers, you get a damn decent product, regardless of the claims it makes to achieve 'surround' sound.

Pros:
- Comfy,
- light,
- good mic,
- sound just fine for games,
- useful EQ and effects software,
- reasonable price.

Cons:
- Sound not quite good enough for music IMO,
- 'surround' is a bit of a red herring.

I used to have Creative Fatal1ty Headset with the cold plate 3.5mm jacks not the USB and I loved them. Bass was great and sound was awesome. Broke them accidentally so had to look for a replacement and I thought to take a step and go for USB headset which still support 3.5mm jacks too.

OK, they are made to work with Tru THX Pro Studio and they work well with it.
Lots of customisation options to make your own profile. Crystalizer, Surround, Bass, Dialog Plus, Smart Volume. There is an EQ and Voice FX options, Even Passcode for the software.
Separate Volume control and Master Volume from the software. There are also pre-made profile by gamers from Team Dignitas and Complexity for games like Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, Counter Strike, QuakeLive, Starcraft II. But prefer to use my own custom profile :D.

Pros:
-Customised Profiles
-Separate Volume Control
-Detachable Mic
-Voice FX
-Light(not heavy)
-Cover your ears nicely
-Comfortable

Cons:
-Not that great sound when using with the jacks.
-THX Pro Studio does not work with Headset when connect with the 3.5mm jacks.
-Bass could been better.
-Major problem I found is that while playing game, or listen to music or anything and I want to plug them in with the USB while playing, the sound doesnt tranfer from speakers to headset. I have to quit the game, stop playing the music or close it, plug the headset with the USB and then start the game. Which really is a big flaw for me. BUT this is only when you use it with the USB.

Overall: The Speakers are great, they do their job with the software. For their price they are good.

Been using the Headset for a month now since I bought it.

I gave this product this rating because it is a very good headset. It works how it should, and in my opinion more. If you are looking for a headset that is for multiple things that has a high quality, then go for this one as I am sure you will not be disappointed. I certainly was not.