Turtle Beach Ear Force XP400 Dolby Surround Sound Gaming Headset

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $219.95
Sale Price: $169.99
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Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program About 2 years ago my fiance was complaining about the noise from my surround receiver and my gaming habit. I took the plunge and bought the Ear Force X41 and couldn't have been happier... except for the near constant popping and clicking I heard. Moving the receiver away from my wireless router fixed some of this, but still, I would get the pops at random intervals and it could be quite annoying. Don't even try to use the microwave if you have the X41s turned on and on your head!

I then received a Steel Series Spectrum 7xB via Vine and did a comparison to the X41s. The 7xBs were only marginally better at keeping down the interference and the extra features over the X41s really didn't make me want to move into using them day to day, so I went back to the X41s not long after my review for the 7xB.

Now I'm comparing the XP400s to the X41s and I think I'm going to be sticking to the XP400s this time around.

First, there is NO interference to be heard on the XP400s. You read that correctly, NONE. I put the receiver almost on top of the wireless router that caused all my issues with the X41s and the 7xBs and not once in 4 hours of playing like this did I hear even a faint pop or click! I even tried to use the microwave and... still, no pops or clicks! For many people this alone will be the single best reason to upgrade from previous Turtle Beach models.

Pairing to the wireless controller communicator was done at the factory, so it really was a matter of: charge the headphones, plug in the receiver to the 360 (I used optical and replaced the X41 receiver), plug the headphone puck into the controller and power up the headphones. Powering up the headphones also turned on the wireless puck.

You can control the volume of game chat with buttons on the right headphone, mute is also on this headphone as is the Bluetooth pairing for cell phones. Being able to pair via Bluetooth is also how this headset also works with the PS3. PS3 chat isn't bad, but not as nice for me as the 360 chat, for which these headphones seem to have been designed. I paired this to my phone and made a few calls everyone thought I sounded OK, just a little tinny.

Another nice feature is the mic gain control. This is what changes the mic sensitivity. With it turned all the way up, I hear a near constant hiss and those in my party commented that they could hear a lot of background noise, such as the heater running and family members talking in the background. I dialed this down, which eliminated most of the hiss, if not all, and my chat partners all commented that I was then quite clearly heard, however, I was still described as sounding "tinny."

One feature I really liked about the X41s was how no matter what volume I had the game volume set to, I could always clearly hear my party's conversations because they had some algorithm to figure out and volume match in game audio and raise chat volume when explosions and other loud audio is heard in game. The XP400 do as good a job as the X41s, which means it's quite a solid experience to hear conversation clearly as well as in game audio. The 7xBs had a similar feature, but it would actually audibly turn the volume down of game volume, which was kind of distracting, which was another reason I went back to the X41s.

The detachable microphone is nice, and seems to be about the same as the X41, though the XP400 is a bit thicker and beefier. The connection seems to be the same, though I haven't yet tried swapping mics between the two. I preferred the 7xB due to the retractable mic, but that feature alone wasn't a big enough reason for me to use them all the time.

In terms of sound quality, since the XP400s can use digital audio output from the 360 (and it can also take analog, that red and white connection), you get very clear audio and darn good surround sound as well. In terms of the X41 vs the XP400, I think the XP400 has a little bit of an edge in terms of sound quality. In game surround just sounds better with the XP400s to me. The XP400 also has the ability to change the surround configuration to 4 different presets, all changing how it mixes each "channel" of audio in headphone. I've tried all 4 presets and each does change surround configuration subtly. I find the original surround mode works best for my ears.

Another nice feature is the preset "equalizer" modes. You can enhance nothing (what comes from the 360 is what you hear), you can enhance just bass for bigger explosions, you can enhance just treble for some dialog enhancements and other higher pitched sounds and then you can enhance both. I find I prefer the "both" option as it makes the audio sound a bit richer. All of these settings sound better, to me, than the 7xBs.

There is one feature, however, that I am completely not happy with on the XP400s. The battery is rechargeable, which is good, however it is built into the headset. It is NOT user replaceable! This means that in 2 years or so, after many recharge cycles, I'll either be forced to buy another pair of headphones or send these to Turtle Beach to pay a fee to have the battery replaced. I absolutely hate this about modern day electronics. Absolutely detest it built in obsolescence so that people have to spend more money with the company releasing the product. iPad, iPhone, many Android phones, other MP3 players, etc. It's a huge load of horse patoot in my opinion. I like the X41s because I can field replace the AAA batteries on my own. 7xBs, same thing, replaceable batteries. Not so with the XP400. Thankfully you can still use the headphones while they are charging, however this means they aren't always wireless. Nothing is more annoying than having the headphones die mid game and then have to plug in. Of course, this isn't a completely different experience over having to replace the batteries mid play either, just different. I understand the need for a more powerful battery given the added features Bluetooth eats battery, being completely wireless eats battery and so on. Just because I understand the need for more power than a few AAAs, doesn't mean I like having to have planned obsolescence and not being able to purchase and replace the battery on my own.

One thing that is an improvement is the XP400 actually gives you beeps to tell you the headset needs to be recharged. There was nothing more annoying with the XP41s to have them just die mid game, especially during multiplayer fighting as you stop hearing game audio AND chat when this happens. At least now I have about a 10 minute warning before the battery completely dies.

Turtle Beach claims 10 hours of battery life on a single charge for "normal" use and 15 for "optimal" use. What I've found is I can actually pull off about 12 13 hours if I turn off the Bluetooth function and just use it for game audio when I'm playing on my own. Adding BT and chat all the time and I'm down to around 11 hours.

Over all, the XP400s are a great improvement in every way to the XP41s in everything except for the battery being non-replaceable by the end user. Of course, the MSRP on the XP400 is about $20 higher than the X41s so there is that to remember.

Pros:

Great surround sound

True surround sound, not simulated when using optical audio

Chat and game audio equalization (chat isn't covered up by in game sounds)

Completely wireless

No interference

360/PS3 compatibility

Can be paired to your cell phone and used while gaming no fumbling to put headphones down to answer a call

10+ hour play time

Can be used w/ third party controllers (see Con below)

A step above the X41s

Adjustable microphone gain if you want to hear yourself louder in the headphones, turn this up. If others in your chat can't hear you clearly, turn this up

BT pairing to cell phone

Cons:

Tinny chat sound during party chat on 360 according to those in my parties

Battery isn't user replaceable

Third party (or 1st party wheels) require a cable for chat, which is NOT included (THOUGH THOSE w/ THE X41s, the cable that came with those headphones DOES work)

Pricey

Why 4 stars? That battery thing does really annoy me. IF you don't mind not having the ability to replace the battery and don't mind the price, these are a solid 5 stars.

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Coming from the X41s, I had high expectations of the XP400s.

-Pros-

Surround processing is very accurate and detailed.

Bluetooth wireless chat.

New Dual-band radio eliminates nearly all interference for my setup.

-Cons-

Chat. Others complain it sounds like I'm talking through a coffee can.

Non-replaceable battery.

EQ modes very limited.

Blast limiter seems like it is always enabled, even when turned off.

Product Features

"Dolby Surround Sound Immersive 360 degree audio lets you pinpoint the direction of every sound"

This it does, and does very well. No complaints here. It even seems improved over the X41's surround processing.

"2.4/5GHZ Dual-Band Wi-Fi Selects the optimum frequency in the 2.4GHz/5GHz spectrums, virtually eliminating interference"

BIG upgrade over the X41. I used to get tons of interference from the microwave, video baby monitor, wireless... pretty much anything that plugged into the wall. Now I just get an occasional drop out... about once every hour or two.

"Dual-Pairing Bluetooth Answer mobile phone calls while gaming"

Great feature, albeit unnecessary. Good if you miss calls because your headphones are too loud.

*update 4/27/12 this feature has come in handy and works very well. It is slick being able to answer the phone mid-game and not have to wrestle around with the phone and headset.

"Wireless Xbox LIVE and PSN Chat Enjoy complete wireless freedom without the need for chat cables"

GREAT idea, but something isn't right. I've seen others mention the thin sound, like in a tunnel. I can hear them fine, they sound great... but they have a hard time understanding me. I've had quite a few friends complain about how I sound. "what's wrong with your mic?" "are you in a tunnel?" "are you chatting through a soup can?" "What did you say???" For this price, this shouldn't happen. I am currently working with turtlebeach to see if it is an isolated case, or just some shortcut they took on the mic itself.

*update 4/27/12 Worked with turtle beach. Did everything they suggested with no improvement. They kindly offered to RMA the boom itself, and I may decide to try it but I don't have much confidence it will change much. I say that based on the many other comments about the chat.

"Rechargeable Battery Provides up to 15 hours of uninterrupted gameplay and can be recharged while gaming"

This SOUNDS like a great idea, but it has 2 major flaws. If you need to charge while playing, it defeats the purpose of a wireless headset. The charging cable they give you is quite long, so you aren't strapped 4 feet from your 360. Also, at some point, that battery is going to wear out. LiPo (Lithium Polymer) batteries have limited charge cycles. Time will tell the quality of the cells, and what options we will have in the future.

"50 mm speakers; 2.4/5GHz Dual-Band Wi-Fi"

Speakers sound great, read on for my sound complaints.

*update 4/27/12 The sound really is good. It sounds better than the x41s did, as well as better than my sony and sennheiser headphones.

"Digital and Analog inputs as well as a digital optical connection"

Connectivity is simple if you already have an optical audio cable coming from the 360.

"Dolby Surround Sound with adjustable surround sound angles"

This is where I nit-pick. I don't fully understand the point of adjustable sound angles. Dolby surround is VERY specific about ideal speaker placement, and the surround sound processor should stick strictly to that in order to maintain 360 degree, positional sound. See The first surround sound angle option out of the 6 is the one that seems to be set for the correct speaker angles. The other ones all made the sounds to the side and behind seem like they were coming from incorrect angles.

"Dual-pairing Bluetooth Chat wirelessly on Xbox 360 and PS3 and answer mobile phone calls while gaming"

Already been covered. Cool, possibly useful, but a creature comfort.

"Separate equalizer and stereo expander presets can be combined for different gaming situations"

Once again, This headset loses some points for me. Yes, there are 4 EQ presets. Normal, Treble boost, Bass Boost, and Treble + Bass boost. Here's the problem. The normal mode is very flat. Very little bass. Treble boost is way too bright. almost ear piercing. Bass boost alone is just rumbling. Then the bass and treble boost is the least of 4 evils I guess. Still too much bright and too much bass. There really needs to be a happy medium. Right between normal and bass and treble boost would be ideal.

"Dynamic Chat Boost. Chat volume automatically increases as the game volume gets louder."

This function isn't noticeable, so in my opinion that means it is working. It took a day to really tweak the chat volume level but now that I got a good comfortable setting, it is fine.

"Ear Guard(tm) with Blast Limiter. Limit the intensity of deafening game sounds like gunfire and explosions."

Another great idea, but it seems flawed. I understand they don't want you to blow your eardrums, but it seems like it is always on, even when in the "Off" setting.

All in all, I guess I am happy with them. I don't plan on returning the headset, but I do think you should get a little better bang for your buck. Especially the chat mic sounding horrible. I understand that from a $5 generic chat headset, not a $220 set of high tech headphones.

Buy Turtle Beach Ear Force XP400 Dolby Surround Sound Gaming Headset Now

I was able to snag these on Amazon a few days ago for $180, which was a STEAL! I mainly play MW3 (XBOX) so here is my review for now, I will update my review in a week or two with updates on the Surround Sound Angles.

WHAT'S IN THE BOX?

XP400 Wireless Headset

XP400 Transmitter

Digital Optical Cable (approx 4 feet)

Headset Charging Cable (12 feet)

Bluetooth Chat Adapter (PS3 & XBOX Compatible)

User Guide

Turtle Beach Sticker

WHAT'S NOT IN THE BOX?

XBOX Live TalkBack Cable

CONSOLE COMPATIBILITY:

XBOX

PS3

PC

FEATURES:

Bluetooth (BT) XBOX Live Chat or optional Wired Chat. I've tried both and the Wired Chat sounds better and breaks up less obviously, but I wanted to be completely wireless so I went with the Wireless BT. BT for cellphones so you can receive, deny or end calls via the headset which is awesome. *Note, the TurtleBeach XBOX Live TalkBack Cable is NOT included.*

Mic, the mic is removable and it has a "mic monitor" dial which is awesome. I turn it all the way up so I can hear myself so I don't scream.

Battery, it has a built in rechargeable lithium-ion battery. I'm not too sure how I feel about this yet, as being able to replace batteries can be nice it can also be very inconvenient. You can also charge the headset while playing with no popping, hissing, humming, etc which was great.

Surround Sound Angles, it comes with 6 surround sound angles, I have yet to find one I like best but they all work surprisingly well. Better than the older X41s and XP500.

Surround Sound ON/OFF Button is also nice to hear the difference.

Blast Limiter, I thought this was awesome. It allows you to "limit" the sound of background blast and gun fire to focus on the soft sounds such as footsteps, which I rely on heavily since I use Dead Silence in MW3.

Tone Presets, it comes with 4 tones presets, flat, bass boost, treble boost, and bass & treble boost. I prefer Flat myself.

SOUND:

Bass/Treble/Mids Amazingly clear and loud, they sound better than the X32's I returned for these.

BUILD: Awesome build, not as cheap as the X32, overall a much better build quality.

COMFORT:

The headset is very comfortable. The ear cups also are comfortable around my ears and they don't put pressure on my head so they don't give me headaches which is nice. They are slightly too big for my smaller head however, but they fit good enough.

HAVE A WIRELESS ROUTER:

I have a Netgear Dual-Band router with a total of 10 devices connected wirelessly, 7 on the 2.4GHz spectrum and 3 on the 5GHz spectrum and I have NO issues of any popping, hissing, humming, buzzing, etc.

HAVE LOTS OF WIRELESS DEVICES:

I have had 2 iPhones, an iPad, Roku, Roku2, iMac and PC laptop connected wirelessly at the same time while I game with NO issues. Keep in mind my Xbox is the only thing I have hard wired. I also have turned the microwave on two rooms away and still have NO, I repeat NO issues.

WIRELESS ROUTER IN CLOSE PROXIMITY:

I also have my headset no less 8 feet away from my router and STILL DO NOT have any issues. This is an amazing headset.

Read Best Reviews of Turtle Beach Ear Force XP400 Dolby Surround Sound Gaming Headset Here

I've had the head set for a couple of weeks now and I have mixed feelings, though overall a positive reaction. I was upgrading from a Turtle Beach X1, which was wired. One of the reasons I decided to get the XP400 instead of the X41 or X42 was because many people complained that the X41 and X42 had interference if they were near a wireless router. I live in a one bedroom apartment and my turtle beach would be within 2 feet of my router so that would be a big problem. I am happy to report that the XP400 has had no problems being next to my router so the claim that it has no interference is true.

Instead of providing your own batteries, this head set has internal rechargeable batteries. I actually like it because you can recharge while playing. The charging cord is as long as the wired headset cords and one cool thing about the charger is that it is a USB cable, so you can charge it in any USB port. I have been charging it from my computer USB port and sometimes from my XBOX's USB port. Not to mention you can use this headset for both PS3 and XBOX 360, which I have both so its a great thing to have.

One feature that I really like that I didn't think I would use is the Bluetooth feature that can connect to a phone. I don't have the greatest phone reception in my apartment so using my turtle beach to talk on the phone has completely fixed that, not to mention that I can now talk hands free! You can also talk while playing, which I've only done once but its nice.

One thing it doesn't do is sync music from your phone, which other headsets do so if thats a big deal you should look at other turtle beach headsets. Also, because chat uses bluetooth, you can not talk on the phone and game chat at the same time. Once the phone call is over, it goes right back to game chat though.

Some people have complained about problems pairing the head set to the turtle beach, an easy way around that is to take the charging cable and plug the headset into the XBOX and then press the pairing button, and just like that they are synced. For the bluetooth chat just make sure you press the bluetooth button on the headset and the chat button on the controller piece at the SAME time and it will automatically sync. It doesn't really explain that, but it is really easy to set up if you know you need to press the buttons at the same time. It took me about 10-15min to set everything up.

The sound in the headsets are great! They have a blast limiter setting which muffles the sounds of gunfire and explosions so you can hear footsteps and small noises better. I have already seen an increase in my scores for shooting games. Another great thing is the surround sound, which allows you to hear the direction of noises. The cheaper model XP 300 is only stereo sound, which is the main difference between the XP300 and XP400 and that is a huge difference to me.

The biggest con is comfort. My X1 headset was really comfortable so I thought this one would be comfortable too, it's not. The problem is that the ear pieces press against your head to try and make a good seal, but the pressure ends up hurting after awhile. Another thing is that its a bit big for my head. I'm a 115 pound girl so my head is pretty small, so if you feel like you have a small head the head set will probably be a bit big for you, still works, just a bit bulky.

Overall Prosgreat sound, great bluetooth feature, works near wifi, PS3 and XBOX compatible, wireless gaming, surround sound, charges while playing, and long charge cable.

Consnot very comfortable, a bit too big for my head, doesn't sync music through bluetooth, if you do not have an XBOX slim you need to buy a headset adapter cable (if you were using HDMI for your headset before, you would have already bought this), and if the internal battery dies you can't replace them.

I personally like the headset and am happy with the purchase, I just wish it was more comfortable considering how much I paid for it.

Want Turtle Beach Ear Force XP400 Dolby Surround Sound Gaming Headset Discount?

I have the equivalent xp500 model and like many others who have at worst a moderately modern level of tech within the house, the set was useless with constant drops, cracks, whistles, the nine. The base unit on their 2.4 ghz line just stunk up the place, I spent hours adjusting positions and everything to get a clear, non-interrupted signal to no luck.

I constantly upgrade my router to the latest tech but have been going the dual band route for the better part of the last few years so I was sort of skeptical on the addition of the 5ghz band on the xp400 but after trying it, I was pleasantly surprised, it worked like a absolute charm. My current router is the top of the line asus rt66u that just came out and I have mutliple devices residing on both bands so I am asking quite a lot of the the xp400 but so far, I haven't gotten one interruption, it's been flawless. For people in my boat, it's worth a try, the new base seems considerably better in tech so far.

As far as flaws, I would say just like the other models, the bass is extremely underwhelming as compared to other companies. That hasn't changed, it's still the same speakers. The xp500 had a lot of buttons on it, I can imagine people complained about that. The xp400 has a more streamlined approach but a few of the buttons have been moved to the base which was silly in my opinion. The surround angles button being on the base just didn't make sense to me. The xp500 had RCA jacks which was nice as you could hook up a system thru the optical wire then go RCA jack from the tv to listen to tv thru them. While possible on the xp400, it involves getting a RCA to 3.5mm adapter. Conversely, the xp400 has the xbox360 transmitter included where the the xp500 required an additional purchase. Only other difference is the xp500/px5 had preset and configurable sound modes that aren't on the xp400, but those sound modes where so pointless and horrible sounding, it just not a flaw to not have them.

I also have a Logitech 2.4ghz headset that has always worked flawlessly regardless of router being used. They are more sound isolating so the sound is much more immersive and bass heavy but as others have stated, the turtle beach line really does do the high frequencies to a level of quality you just don't get in other sets. End of the day, it's a pick your poison. From a technical sound standpoint, the speakers in the xp line can't be matched on the wireless sound front. On a 'I need a punch' standpoint, there are a few out there that really do it much better. End of the day, it's a preference. I love sound isolation for music, but for tv and games, I think prefer not to have sound isolation so for me,the xp400's are the best wireless gaming headsets on the market.