A good gaming headset can go a long way in adding to the enjoyment of any game you’re playing, not to mention prevent forcing others around you to listen to you playing the game (aside from you yelling obscenities into the microphone). I upgraded from the standard microphone “headset” that comes with the Xbox 360 to a pair of Turtle Beach x11’s and quite enjoyed them all the way up until they just flat out broke about 2 months ago. I treat my gadgets with a lot of care, so I was quite shocked after a night of gaming when I took my headset off and one of the ear cups just plain snapped. Not wanting to go drop more cash on another headset right away, I patched them up with duck tape and continued to use them. This worked okay, but of course now they didn’t fit right and frankly I was shocked that they had just broken like they did.
Luckily, Skullcandy just released their first product from their line of gaming headsets, the “SLYR”. Now, an audiophile I am not, but I own a pair of Skullcandy Aviators that I use to listen to music, podcast etc., and the sound quality sounds great to me – so I wasn’t the least bit hesitant to jump on another product from them. Being that the only other gaming headset I have owned were the Turtle Beach x11’s, there will be some comparisons and I’ll break down why these SLYR’s are a fine product.
First off, I want to note that the SLYR’s are wired headsets, which I don’t mind. I game a lot, but not enough to drop a few hundred dollars on a decent pair of wireless headsets. The cables don’t bother me at all. That said, the Skullcandy SLYR’s plug directly into the audio out channels of your television set, into the USB port of the Xbox 360 for power, run through their GMX In-Mixer to your controller and headset. Yes, it sounds like a lot of cable, but for anyone out there who has owned a non-wireless headset before this should all be pretty standard. The SLYR’s have plenty of cable length so you don’t feel so tethered and they are arranged in such away that your cables aren’t getting tangled up all the time.
The GMX In-Mixer is easy to use, and lit up by a blue light. Toggle up and down for master volume, left and right to adjust game audio and voice balance, press to mute which will turn the light from blue to red to indicate you are muted and it’s safe to talk to your significant other in your “cutesy voice” without being ridiculed by your teammates. Located on the side of the mixer are three presets for music, movies and games. My only gripe about the mixer is the position of it. It’s a bit far “down” on the cable and I found myself more than once having to reach down to grab it for a quick mute or volume adjustment. It’s a small gripe remedied by just pulling a little slack on the cable so it will rest next to me.
The stereo sound quality is great. With great sound and a rich bass the quality is much better than my old x11’s. My game of choice for my first run with the SLYR’s was Battlefield 3 and the game just sounded fantastic – explosions were jarring, directional sound allowed for me to pinpoint where gunfire was coming from and the entire hectic feel of the battlefield translated perfectly through the audio. Chatting with my teammate for the evening, Kill-Tacular-Tron, sounded much better as well, and after a few small adjustments on the mixer I had the game audio and voice mix exactly where I like it. The audio over all is superior quality, the only downside is that with my previous headset my own voice could be heard through the headset at a lower level to prevent talking too loud into the mic. With the SLYR’s, I couldn’t hear myself and found I had to watch the volume of my voice, but this is something I grew accustomed to quickly. As far as my microphone goes, Kill-Tacular-Tron noted that I sounded much clearer to him when talking and it lacked the slightly muffled effect experienced with the x11’s.
As far as design goes, the SLYR’s were far and away more comfortable than the x11’s. The ear cups fit of my ears that felt both snug and comfortable. With my previous headset I found myself having to adjust them a few times during extended game play, but with the SLYR’s I didn’t need to adjust them a single time once they were on my head. The boom mic position is great; it sits far enough from your face not to be a distraction, but close enough to pick up your voice very well. An added bonus is that you can fold the mic up into the headset (“EZ Stash”), so if you are watching a movie or decide to unhook the line from your Xbox to take these out for use with you MP3 player of choice you don’t have a microphone hovering by your cheek. It sounds silly, but I really found this to be a great feature as I took them for a movie-watching test drive later that evening. The design is very sturdy with limited moving parts and hinges, so I feel less likely to break these or wearing out any unnecessary joints from consistent use.
I am extremely pleased with the Skullcandy SLYR’s, and for those of you looking for a quality gaming headset in the less-than-a-hundred-dollar price range I don’t hesitate in recommending these. Even after trying out a pair of Turtle Beach x12’s (the usurper to the x11’s) prior to purchasing the Skullcandy SLYR’s, I can say the SLYR’s are the superior gaming headset in this price range. With superior sound, comfort and design I would say the SLYR’s don’t just rival other gaming headsets out there, but set the standard. If you’re in the market for a new gaming headset and are looking to spend less than $100, you should definitely pick up a pair of SLYR’s.
Summary: The Skullcandy SLYR’s offer fantastic stereo sound with rich bass along with superior comfort. The GMX In-Mixer is easy to use and allows for easy game audio and voice balance adjustments and the addition of the EZ Stash mic allows for this headset to be used for more than just gaming, offering more bang for your buck making it extremely easy to recommend this product for anyone in the market for a new gaming headset.
PROS:
- Fantastic stereo sound
- Superior comfort, especially over extended game play sessions
- EZ Stash mic that allows for other uses without having a mic visible
- GMX In-Mixer is user friendly
- Sturdy design
CONS:
- The mic does not allow you to hear your own voice at a lower level through the headset, a feature found on a few other products in this price range
- The GMX In-Mixer position could stand to be moved up that cable a bit for easier access
You can pick up a pair of the SLYR’s over at skullcandy.com, as well as check out the other two gaming headsets that are coming soon, the PLYR1 and PLYR2!