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Turtle Beach EarForce PX 21 headset

The PX 21 is first and foremost a gaming headset, to be used with a Mac, PC, Xbox or PS3. And we could end the review right there and say this is the headset for you, just because it works with pr etty much anything, which is unique enough to warrant a purchase.

But that would certainly be too easy plus it wouldn’t tell you much about the PX21, other than you can plug them in to all kinds of gadgets.

Even though the PX 21 is really a gaming headset I use it mainly for listening to music and voice chats at work. It works well enough but if music quality is what you’re primarily concerned with then this is not the headset for you. For voice chats, the PX 21 works very well, however. Without having to install any software or do any special settings, my Mac picked up the headset right away, both as input and output device. The quality obviously depends on the connection but it’s surprisingly good most of the time.

For gaming you should like a heavy bass to use the PX 21. It was almost a bit too much for my taste but there is a bass control on the stereo amplifier, basically small box that sits on the cable about 90 cm from the headset. On the amplifier you also find switches for mic mute and stereo expander, and volume dials for bass, chat and game volume. Although the entire cable is more than long enough I wish the amplifier box had been moved a further away from the headset. Speaking of the cable, from the amplifier on it’s very thick and heavy, something to take into consideration. On the end there’s a USB port and a 3.5mm audio plug.

The earcups are big and well padded. Even after hours of more or less continuous use they don’t hurt my ears, which is quite an accomplishments. I think you can lose yourself in hours of gaming or chat and not notice the PX 21s. The actual cups are covered with a sort of mesh in fabric, which I thought might be uncomfortable at first. But it turns out it allows them to breathe and you won’t get sweaty around the ears, which can happen with a more leather-like surface.

Finally, let’s briefly mention the microphone. It sits on a flexible arm attached to the left earpiece and swings down into position. You then basically bend and shape it so it sits in a good position by the side of your mouth. The voice quality is excellent and it takes very little experimentation to find a good position for it.

For about $80 you get headphones that are suitable for music, gaming and chatting, and they’re comfortable. Plus they work with PCs (Windows and Mac), Xbox and PS3. All together, that’s a truly rare combination, which makes me give a warm recommendation to the Turtle Beach EarForce PX 21.

Magnus Nystedt, @mnystedt

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