vVv Buzz's Review
I recently picked up a pair of the SteelSeries Spectrum 5xb's. They are by far the best headset I have owned to date. The headset offers a lot of features that no other headset has to offer. These features include but are not limited to; The braided wires, retractable mic, sound quality, and dis-assembly.
Sound
Overall the headset offers great sound quality compared to the Turtle Beach x1 and x4 headsets. The sound is picked up clearly and can be told what can also be easily figured out which direction the noise is coming from. I love the sound features the headset, it may lack the feature of 5.1 surround sound but the quality of the speakers defiantly make up for it. The Turtle Beach x4 includes this feature but because of it is only on the wireless headset it commonly has issues with being used at lans, signal interference, and sounds may often be dropped. where the SteelSeries is a wired headset does not face these issues
Universal Features
The headset offers great features to be used on various platforms other than the Xbox 360. The head can easily be used on the PC, an iPOD and any device that offers a head phone jack or the red and white audio composite cables. Unlike the Turtle Beach x1 the headset does not require a a usb outlet to operate the headset unless you are using them on an Xbox360 and the Turtle Beach x4 which requires you to have an electrical socket to operate the wireless transmitter.
Durability
The Steelseries spectrum 5Xb offeres a wide range of features to make their headset last, My favorite would have to be the wiring because they made sure to use nice thick wiring to ensure that it keeps a solid connection and will not easily wear out. The headset even offers a special feature on the main wire where it is reinforced with a braided outside to keep the wires from damage. This is one of my favorite features since I often find my self throwing my headset down and the wire may often get caught onto something while I am walking away.
Storage
The Steelseries offers an excelent storage feature where it can be dis assembled into 3 pieces and put away where as Turtle Beach headsets have many things that will hold you back from wanting to put them away such as annoying wires and on their wireless headsets, they are a hassle because the tower is always out and the headset is rather large and often left somewhere out in the open where it can easily be damaged.
Retractable vs. Detachable mic
I love the retractable mic because on other headsets the mic always stood out and made me want to limit my use with them on other devices or platforms, the retractable mic allows me to simply hide the mic within the headset and not feel weird using it in public with an ipod or similar devices. The Turtle Beach x4 offers a feature where the mic can be detached from the headset. But there were countless times where I lost the mic.
Overall I highly Recommend the headset to anyone looking to buy a new headset because of its great quality and universal usage.
Link to actual thread: http://www.vvv-gamin...rum-5xb-review/
Post #26
vVv michs09's Review
Innovation at its Finest
If you haven't heard or just don't know yet "SteelSeries" is one of the largest suppliers of high end gaming accessories. For many gamers across the world a top end headset, mouse, or keyboard could be the difference between taking your game to the next level!
----->The Spectrum 5XB is the first Xbox compatible headset produced by SteelSeries <-----
Product Info + Feature
The Spectrums offer amazing comfort with larger ear cushions that allow gamers to put in session upon session without any irritation or pain. Yes that's right I said "PAIN" there have been multiple headsets before I made the switch to SteelSeries that would cause extreme discomfort and ruin my gaming experience. If your main focus in gaming revolves around "shooters" then having an exceptional headset is mandatory for sniffing out clever opponents and pin pointing location quickly. A SteelSeries trademark with nearly all of their headsets is the retractable microphone which enables easy traveling while protecting an important portion of the product.
Style
These bad boys are attention grabbers, and definitely in the RIGHT way. It's a sure thing to send a message at LAN events that you mean business and plan on taking home a check. The Spectrums are your ALL-IN-ONE headset� (Compatible with the Xbox, PC, Subs, Ipod, etc�)
Cons
It's too bad the Spectrums are a wired headset, I have plenty of cords around the TV and would have loved to see this product come wireless!
Price: $89.99
The price is actually on the cheap side in comparison to high end headsets on the market especially ones that offer all the features and compatibility of the Spectrums.
Bottom Line
Does SteelSeries ever put out mediocre products? NO!! This isn't any different they have followed suit and constructed a durable yet light headset with premium sound quality at an affordable price.
What more can a gamer ask for?
I would like to thank vVv Gaming for supplying the Spectrums and allowing players across the nation to come together either as community members, professional gamers, or even just visitors.
Link ---> http://steelseries.c...es-spectrum-5xb
vVv Havik's Review
After owning a pair of Spectrum 5XBs for alittle under a month now, I feel Ive had enough time to truely give my review for this headset.
Earpieces The earpieces for this headset are extremely comfortable, made of cloth (not some crappy leather material like TBs) and fit around my ears easily. They do not rub against my ears and cause them to become irratated after a couple hours of gameplay which allows me to play and use them longer. The earpieces reduce any background noise significantly which helps prevent being distracted when trying to focus on in game sounds while playing.
Audio Quality The audio quality for this headset is excellent, by far the best quality from any headset Ive used to date. This headset if definitely a good choice to have when is comes to casual or competitive gaming. When I first used the headset it was kinda difficult to tell where the sound was coming from exactly but it didnt take long for me to adjust to the headset and being playing better.
Microphone The microphone voice output is great. Everyone can hear me very well and never complains that they cant hear me in the game. The microphone is pretty sensitive though but that isnt any major issue. The addition of the mic being retractable in and out of the headset helps ensure that it will not break.
AudioMixer This is the only major issue Ive had with this headset. The mixer doesnt form to the xbox 360 controller that well and can get annoying very quick. Due to the fact that is doesnt form to the controller when you plug the headset into it, you get this constant humming noise which get very annonying. It also produces the humming nosie through the mic every now and then and people that you are in a party with or in a game with cant hear it, and they will NOT like it.
Misc The ability to separate the headset into three pieces is a little but nice addition to the headset. You no longer have to worry about your headset breaking in your bag whenever you go places due to the bag being tossed around or getting crush by anything else you are carrying in the bag. The LiveMix feature on the AudioMixer is another nice addition. You are able to turn this feature on or off at anytime you choose. However, when its turned on the in game noise gets dropped way to low when someone talks. If someone on your team or in your party has a sensitive mic, whenever it goes off the LiveMix drops the game sound so you can hear them, which can be a problem when all they are doing is breathing into the mic.
Overall I strongly reccomend to anyone looking to get a headset to save thier money for this headset. This is an all-round excellent headset. Rating: 9 out of 10.
ForBoston's Review
So I picked up the Steelseries Spectrum 5XB off Steelseries's website for 90 USD. I used a coupon code I found here for 10% off to
There's a lot of reviews out there from big name reviewers but I'd like to make a quick one from an actual consumer. I've had these for about 3 weeks now and I love them, so i'll get to the pros and cons.Pros
� Very, Very comfortable ear cushions.
� Durable, braided cable is a nice add and the adjustable part bends without breaking well.
� Adjusts well to all head sizes
� Amazing sound quality
� Easy access mute functions
� Separate game volume and chat volume controls easily accessible
Cons
� Microphone quality isn't amazing
� Livemix feature, frankly, sucks
All in all, this is a very great headset for the money. I've never personally used Astro A40's but I've spoken with people who have and they claim the 5XB rivals them. As far as the cons go, the microphone sometimes bugs out and makes my voice sound real quiet and choppy. It's enough for my teammates to tell me to fix my mic but it doesn't happen all the time. The Livemix feature is a really good idea but it gets pretty annoying. If a teammate breathes into his mic just a bit it lowers the game volume very low for longer than necessary. What could have been done was to lower game volume based on how loud your teammates/party members are talking on some sort of scale, not just lower the game volume to a certain point everytime someones mic opens up. This isn't a big deal though because you can easily turn the livemix off. These flaws are too petty to hinder the greatness of the headset and if you are in search of a new one, I would recommend to anyone trying this one out.
Final Rating: 9/10
Thanks for reading
Edited by vVv Asylum, 15 November 2011 - 08:57 PM.
