A headset designed primarily for Xbox 360 gamers. Including an array of features such as LiveMix. This headset is ready to rumble.
Product on Review: SteelSeries Spectrum 5XB
Manufacturer and Sponsor: SteelSeries
Street Price: £85
Whether you’re Preston Marlowe re-modelling buildings, Noble Six desperately stopping the “Covies” or Soap MacTavish taking out the Russians, you want to feel exactly like you’re there. When it comes to multiplayer, you want to know if someone is about to get the jump on you or where they’re shooting you from – ideally without having to pan along the whole landscape. This is where Steelseries enter the equation. Steelseries are well known for their PC gaming accessories. Back at E3 in June they announced two headsets specifically for the Xbox 360, aimed at those who want immersive in-game sound coupled with the ability to talk tactics with team mates or dirty with the enemy.
Today we are taking a look (and a listen) to the Spectrum 5XB. Before we unpackage it, here’s what Steelseries have to say about it:
The SteelSeries Spectrum 5xb is a premium quality, wired headset designed for Xbox 360®. At a glance it is a versatile, durable, travel-friendly headset. If you’re trying to take your game Xbox 360® gaming to the next level, or you are getting harassed at home because of the noise level while gaming, you may just fall madly in love with our Spectrum 5xb.
Specifications
Steelseries have plenty of information on each aspect of the headset here and the technical specifications are as follows:
Headphones Freq. response
– 16 – 28.000 Hz
Impedance
– 40 Ohm SPL@1kHz, 1Vrms: 110 dB
Cable
– 1 + 2 = 3 m / 9.8 ft.
Jack
– 3.5 mm
Microphone Freq. response
– 75 – 16.000 Hz
Pick up pattern
– Uni-directional
Sensitivity
– -38 dB
Impedance
– 2K Ohm
The Spectrum 5XB
The headset comes in dark packaging with a large window at the front allowing you to see the headset and LiveMix Audio Adapter. Above the window is a large banner stating compatibility with the Xbox 360 for communication over Xbox Live, as well as the Steelseries logo. At the bottom accompanying the name of the enclosed headset are four pictures with explanations of some features:
– Optimised for Xbox 360 Gaming
– Independent audio and voice controls.
– XL-sized cloth ear cushions
– Can be dismantled into 3 separate pieces
All packaged up touting its Xbox 360 compatibility
The window through to the headset continues on both sides, the Steelseries logo at the top leaves you in no doubt of who manufacturers the headset and that it’s a high end product. Below the window, each side has another picture with feature explanation. On the right resides a picture and mention of the retractable microphone, with the left showing off the LiveMix Audio Adapter.
Blurb, technical specs and features – they’re all there!
Moving to the back, you can see where all the technical information and other text has gone. Apart from the technical specs at the bottom (as seen on the previous page) all explanations are in four languages: English, French, Spanish and German. The main body of text on the left explains what the headset is about in terms of features and target market. To the right is a diagram showing the headset, LiveMix adapter and an Xbox 360. Parts of the diagram are labelled with the numbers corresponding to features of the headset and Livemix adapter. To list a couple of the seven labelled: “3.5mm mini jacks and RCA connectors for Xbox 360 and PC” and “”Easy access to independent volume controls for the microphone and in-game audio.” Below this is a graph showing sound level against time. Plotted are two lines, one for in-game audio and the other for voice chat. The graph is showing the LiveMix feature of the LiveMix Audio Adapter which will automatically lower game volume to a level where you can hear people speaking but not lower it so much that you can’t hear what’s going on in the game.
The headset, LiveMix adapter, Y adapter, sticker and manual
Unboxing the headset, the quality is quite quickly apparent. Included in the box you get the headset, LiveMix Audio Adapter, a 2x RCA to 3.5mm Y-adapter and some documentation. Obviously if using a Mixamp or DSS then you will not need the Y-adapter but for the rest who plan on using the headset with the 360’s stereo output then it’s great to see you have all you need straight out of the box.
Testing and Thoughts
While many things to do with sound can be subjective, there are also many factors which can be fact. For example if the sound is directional, if team-mates can hear me clearly with no feedback from the headset being too loud and if I can hear them. To give you something to compare to, my normal audio set-up is 5.1 speakers via optical (Logitech’s Z5500s) and either Microsoft’s Official Wired Headset or the Official Wireless one.
The LiveMix Audio Adapter where it belongs!
The Spectrum 5XB is a gaming headset targeted for Xbox 360 players and as seen previously the box art makes you fully aware of this. So this is exactly where I started. Having connected the Y adapter to the 360’s RCA audio output and the USB cable, I grabbed my controller to plug the LiveMix Audio Adapter in. Those that have used the Official Wired Headset will remember how easy it is to knock the 2.5mm jack out of the controller – commonly mid-game where plugging it back in gets you killed or shouted at because you didn’t cover someone. With the LiveMix Audio Adapter this is not case. On the three Xbox 360 controllers I tried it on, there was no possible way to accidently knock it out due to being so secure. Finally I connected the headset to the bottom of the adapter and sat down to do some gaming.
The connectors and LiveMix switch
Hopping straight into a game of Modern Warfare 2 I started playing with the independent volume controls. After finding a balance I was happy with, I selected my class and started playing. The first thing I noticed was how clear individual sounds remained when going from 5.1 speakers to headset. Air strikes flying over had impressive directionality but didn’t overcrowd other noises such as gun fire or grenades and possibly more importantly were not too bassy. Even with plenty of things going on, I could always hear my team mates and if there was ever a problem in hearing them, I only had to flick the LiveMix switch or do it the “old fashioned” way and alter the volumes of in-game audio and voice chat.
Halo: Reach was next and the headset continued to impress. All of what I had experienced with Modern Warfare 2 was reflected in Reach. I could hear what was going on and all sounds had directionality as well as distance. When in the distance I saw a team mate having a sniper battle with an Elite, the crack of sniper shots sounded like they were distant not as though every sound was right on top of me.
After some long sessions on both Reach and Modern Warfare 2, the headset was extremely comfortable. There was never a point where the headset seemed too heavy or as though it was exerting too much pressure on my ears or glasses.
The Spectrum 5XB is also advertised as a PC headset so tried listening to music and a couple of VOIP calls via Skype. This presented quite a major downfall with the headset. The cable from headset to 2x 3.5mm jacks (green headphone jack and pink mic. Jack) is 3 feet/1 metre which is very short and means you most likely cannot sit back in comfort. Listening to music through the headset was again comfortable and quite enjoyable. Calls on Skype were not a problem either being clear and echo free, of course the length of the cable was limiting and having no in-line control of audio (or the ability to mute the mic) makes the headset no substitute for a dedicated PC headset.
Update: In addition to my initial tests I have continued to use the Steelseries 5XB headset purely because it is so comfortable and is great for listening to music and not disturbing others or those late night gaming sessions where waking the whole house and neighbours up would not end well. Having now played Gears of War 2 using this headset it has only cemented my original thoughts on it.
Another thing to be aware of with audio products is “burn-in”. This process is often compared to breaking new shoes in apart from here you are breaking the diaphragms in. This process is not particularly apparent with the 5XB headset, I assume because they sound pretty good anyway!
Conclusion
In conclusion I’m pleased with the Spectrum 5XB Gaming Headset. It provides great directional audio but still allows you to hear team-mates perfectly and to also be heard by them. The retractable microphone is a neat solution for those that want to play single player without the boom being in the way, just aren’t feeling chatty or want easy access to their favourite gaming snack/drink. When it comes to going back into multiplayer, very little has to be done to be back talking to the world again.
The LiveMix Audio Adapter is very good. With the ability to buy it on its own granting you the freedom to use any PC headset with the Xbox 360, you get independent control of game sounds and voice, the LiveMix feature which takes away your excuse for not hearing your friends over you being shot at and the comfort it will stay in your controller.
Onto something very important when it comes to headsets. Is it comfortable? Yes, definitely so! Despite weighing a bit more than some other headsets on the market (some kitchen scales say 232g) the headset remains very comfortable. Something else I’ve experienced with other headsets is my ears becoming unbearably hot due to no ventilation. Steelseries have done very well in combating this problem by adding ventilation grills to the ear cups and it really does work!
The headset and LiveMix adapter in their full glory
The major downside of the Steelseries Spectrum 5XB is not one that can be ignored. I of course mean the price. With the 5XB headset retailing for £85 or more, when compared to the competition it is not a cheap product and when you compare to the Spectrum 4XB headset which retails for around the £60 mark. The differences are no double braided nylon cable and not being able to disassemble the headset into three parts – which probably are not worth it for the majority of users. This, along with the issues regarding to PC use is the reason the Steelseries Spectrum 5XB Gaming Headset receives a Silver Award from Vortez.
Pros:
+ Clear, directional audio
+ Comfortable during long sessions (and while wearing glasses)
+ LiveMix Audio Adapter – LiveMix feature and stays in controller
Cons:
– Expensive
– When used as a PC headset: short cables and no in-line volume/mic control
+ Clear, directional audio
+ Comfortable during long sessions (and while wearing glasses)
+ LiveMix Audio Adapter – LiveMix feature and stays in controller
Cons:
– Expensive
– When used as a PC headset: short cables and no in-line volume/mic control
