I’ve recently had a chance to wrap my ears around Turtle Beach’s XO Seven Pro headset, and after many hours of putting them through their paces, I’m here to deliver the verdict.
The XO Seven Pros are primarily for use with the Xbox One, with a custom adapter port slotting in snugly to the bottom of the controller. Using the adapter you’re able to control game and chat audio separately, toggle mute and Superhuman Hearing functions (more on this in a second), as well as choose from mic and audio equaliser presets. It’s extremely convenient having all this right near where your hands are on the controller, and is far superior design-wise to the in-line mixamp unit that dangles from the controller like in the Turtle Beach PX24s. It also has the benefit of not being battery-operated, meaning it’s always ready to go as long as your controller is juiced up.
However the trade-off for these conveniences seems to be rather high, as this headset doesn’t feature surround sound, and its finer features are only usable with the Xbox One (compared to the PX24s which are multi-platform compatible). So the fact the PX24s are currently priced at around $150 AUD and the Turtle Beach XO Seven Pros are $270 AUD is perhaps a little hard to swallow. However, there is of course a major difference in audio quality, which is what you’re forking out the extra pesos for here.
The XO Seven Pro’s 50 mm neodymium drivers do an exceptional job of producing quality stereo sound with fantastic depth over their standard 20 Hz – 20 kHz range. There is no better way of drawing out the aural subtleties in a game’s design than with a quality headset, and the XO Seven Pros really manage to bring soundscapes to life in this sense. This is further augmented by a choice between various presets which can boost bass or treble frequencies, however don’t expect to have fine control over the equaliser, this is more of a David Guetta level of interaction with your sound levels.
One of my favourite features of Turtle Beach headsets in general is the Superhuman Hearing option, which for first-person shooter fans is so good it comes close to being an unfair advantage. Activating Superhuman Hearing selectively amplifies sharper sounds like footsteps, gunfire and even enemy weapon reloads, giving you indispensable information on the battlefield. The Superhuman Hearing augment is crystal clear on the XO Seven Pros, and doesn’t sacrifice audio fidelity as much as cheaper models featuring this option.
In terms of design, the XO Seven Pros are a very sexy looking unit, and also incredibly comfortable. As someone who wears glasses, comfort is of paramount importance, and the cushy head strap and memory foam ear cushions mean long gaming sessions didn’t end up in a headache from having my glasses dug into the side of my face. They feature an over-ear design that has great breathability too, although as someone with slightly larger ears I did find they only just managed to cover them. There’s also an omni-directional boom mic that is easily removable if you’re not intent on having the lobby listen to the screams of your teething baby.
It should be mentioned that although the XO Seven Pros are designed to truly shine on an Xbox One, a cable with a 3.5 mm audio jack is provided that plugs into common devices like mobiles, PCs and… PS4s (traitor!). Swapping the cords out is painless and the same great audio quality is on full display, but keep in mind you’ll lose the features such as quick volume control, Superhuman Hearing and audio frequency booster presets.
Final Thoughts
The XO Seven Pro headset was clearly designed with a few key features in mind for the avid Xbox gamer. First and foremost it was designed to deliver superb audio quality, a quality which is certainly impressive for a mid-tier headset. The headset is also incredibly comfortable and follows a highly simple plug and play attitude. An easy set up and convenient operation designed specifically for the Xbox One controller makes getting up and running quick and painless, and adjusting settings on the fly is also exceedingly simple. The omission of surround sound is disappointing, and the fact you are painted fairly firmly into the Xbox corner does make the price a little harder to justify, but if Bill Gates is your main man then you could do far worse than a pair of XO Seven Pros.
The cheapest local (Australian) prices we found for the XO Seven Pros was through The Gamesmen, where you can nab a set for $169.95 plus shipping.
