Psyko Audio 5.1 Surround Sound Gaming Headset Review

Prev3 of 3Next

The Psyko Audio 5.1 in Music and Movies

Keeping in mind that this is completely extra credit as this is a “gaming headset” and not a “Hi-Fi” headset, we took them for a musical spin. The BGears b-Enspirer audio card offers Dolby Digital, Dolby Prologic II, or DTS which does well with music and movies. The Psyko Audio 5.1 are surprisingly accurate and clear with music encompassing a wide array of genres. I found them to be very responsive especially when manipulating individual audio frequencies via the software equalizer and effect settings. Movie quality was nothing short of impressive.

The X-Fi card produced strong gaming performance, music was similar in stereo mode and slightly flatter with all speakers active. Unfortunately, the integrated Realtek audio was less capable and won’t satisfy audiophiles. But, the headset’s PC AMP at least helps boost the clean volume levels where the integrated audio sounds best. Users with a less discerning ear will most likely find this to be more than acceptable.

Final Thoughts

Great audio really can give you an edge in game. Like many top of the line headsets, the Psyko Audio 5.1 Gaming Headset work best with a decent discrete audio card. In our experience the better the source quality, the better the quality of the sound in the headset. Though it may take a little time to reprogram your nervous system to accept the exceptionally accurate audio it’s definitely worth it. Chances are you’ll hear things in game you never knew existed and you’ll be able to hear a great deal more accuracy in positional audio which is bad for your opponents.

What stands out most about the Psyko Audio 5.1 design are the ear cups which make use of the unique WaveGuide Technology which helps direct each channel’s individual audio directly to the ear. Unfortunately, a small amount of audio also escapes because of the ear cups. On the same note, the WaveGuide feature produced especially noticeable clarity when listening to some elite “muzak”. The headset really brings out the detail in just about any genre of music when coupled with a discrete high quality Dolby/DTS friendly audio card.

Ultimately, it’s going to come down to what you’re willing to pay for in an extremely accurate pro gaming headset. You can spend $75 to $100 on a utilitarian headset for gaming which probably fine for casual gaming. Or you can treat your ears to the tune of $299 US or less for this ultimate gaming headset. It’ll definitely give you an unfair advantage and comes highly recommended by us if you can put together the scratch.

Pros