Turtle Beach X12 Headset (Xbox 360)

I've used the entry level Turtle Beach XLCs (which I bought from my local supermarket for around fifteen quid) for around a year now and come to the conclusion that I need to change. Basically, the XLCs offer stereo sound of the X12s, but at a way inferior level of comfort. Within the next two months, we're looking at Battlefield 3 & Modern Warfare 3 arriving and I need better headset comfort for the next 6 months as I level up!

Let me suggest the obvious; these headphones are - at around £[] - a good deal. Build quality seems good and the adjustable headband fits all sizes from small (my 10 year old tried and fit on smallest setting very nicely) up to massive head. I've got a big head and I only have them opened half way, so don't worry, they'll accommodate you.

I'm using HDMI so need the aftermarket adaptor to enable me to use these. It's only a couple of quid from sellers on Amazon (where I got mine from) and gives you an optical out, too, for when you're not using your headset. Cable length of the X12s is humungous! I haven't measured it, but it must be close to 14'. Thank goodness for the little velcro cable tidy that is attached. I bundled my excess cable together with this to make it tidier.

As I say above, these are stereo headphones, eg. offer left and right channel separation only. They will not give you a virtual surround field. You can buy the optional EarForce DSS adaptor at a later date to give you a 7.1 Dolby certified sound. May do this if they last the course of time, which they should do. I have chosen to give the product five stars as they do the exact job they were bought for in a simple, effective manner.

Only had a quick game of Headquarters on Black Ops to test them so far and have to say that the microphone monitor (your voice through your headphones) works well, the bass boost brings explosions to life (!) and the left and right channel separation does a good job of telling you the direction of fire. Miles more comfortable than the XLCs already.

In summary, a good looking, well built headset with good sound quality. The other review on here and elsewhere suggest some issues over white noise or hissing. I can only comment that I haven't experienced this so far. Maybe the other units these people bought were duds. Get them back under warranty and exchange for another pair. I'm looking forward to using them for an extended run.

Ok so i'm a big fan of turtle beach and have owned 4 or 5 of there headsets, this one is superb and i bought it to replace my faultering x11 that had started losing sound in the left cup and am delighted with these as a replacement.

why are they better than the x11? i feel i can answer this as my x11 lasted close to 15-25 solid gaming days thats 500ish hours.

My game of choice is Modern Warfare 2 and these do improve on the x11 in the following ways.

The sound is crisper.

The control is excellent having a bass wheel really helps control how you like to play.

Its actually more comfortable.

It looks awesome.

I'm sure i'll find other reasons why this is a better headset but for the time being thats it, one thing i will say though is that i don't feel these are worth buying if you're x11 is in great working order, that headset is also top notch and while this does improve it in the ways i've outlined i don't think its that much of an improvement to "upgrade" to it.

Bought them as a Christmas gift for myself.
From the moment I plugged them on my laptop, the sound quality was top notch. Perfect for long gaming hours (ears don't become hot and almost zero pressure is applied by the X12s)

They are rather bassy also. Cranking the bass boost will give you some nice eardrum massage ;)

The microphone clarity is awesome, perfect for Skype use.

The only thing that I didn't "like" was that the small amplifier is hanging, and when it's in the air, I feel like it's pulling down the right side. (so I leave it on the desk, haha)

In general terms, I highly recommend them. They are comfy, and the sound/build quality is great. Definitely worth the money.