Tritton AX720 Gaming Headset Review
The Tritton AX720. Glorious. Pristine. Stunning.
Before I even begin to saddle this new-fangled device over my particularly bulbous cranium, these words and many like them flash through my mind as I become enraptured by the sleek design this headset offers. This headphone device is really, truly, pleasing to look at. Even better, people attracted to shiny things might be prone to mistaking you for a time traveller, and not just an audiophile.
There are many reviews for this product online, and in a vain attempt at sounding different, I’m going to attempt to skip the false bravado and jump to the nitty-gritty: this game-tailored headset is a godsend.
Included in the package is all the necessary do-dads and bo-diddlers required to function with all consoles and handhelds, excluding the Nintendo Wii. Though the Wii isn’t directly supported, you could easily find a female RC-to-1/8” headphone jack to couple on to the Wii’s existing audio outs, hence turning the headset into a very capable stereo headset (sans voice chat capabilities).
The wires do not become overbearing.
The last negative comment about the 720’s included connectors, is that the included fibre optical cable is only 3 feet long and can be hard to deal with in some larger rooms.
The AX720, like most gaming headsets in this calibre, comes equipped with an external amp. The design of the amp seems larger than it need be, though it is still compact enough to sit resting almost anywhere in your home theatre setup.
The simple controls rest on the front side of the amp, as they should, and have the mandatory power and sound selection buttons. For some reason, Tritton found it prudent to also include two volume buttons- neither of which will ever be utilized by the user, since the headset itself also includes a volume option for both chat and game audio.
Even the tiny amp is aesthetically pleasing. Sorta'.
The sound options include 5.1 Dolby Digital, Dolby Headphone, and two other modes supposedly tailored to either game or music sound. The difference between any of these modes is so subtle (or negligible), it is often recommended to leave your experience tuned to “Game Mode,” simply to avoid confusion.
Also on the front of the amp, are two highly specialized ports for your headphones. Two ports were included so you and a buddy can enjoy a multiplayer experience, though in this day and age, it just feels weird. Firstly, the Tritton headsets are proprietary designed ports, so anyone else wanting to co-op Gears of War 2 is going to have to supply their own Tritton headset. Secondly, if your friend is willing to shell out the money for his own set of these phones, he’s probably going to insist on bringing his console setup over to your house or insist in online play.
Your buddy won't be able to hook into your second headphone line unless he's using another AX720. Smart move.
On the back of the amp, we have a standard power-in jack, a port for USB microphone audio on your PlayStation 3, and the all-important fibre optic port. It is a minimalistic and efficient design; however, one might begin to wonder why a second optical port was not included, hence minimizing the user the complexity and hassle of switching cables between consoles and computers.
Wait a minute! Where is the second optical in option?
The headphones themselves, though many would argue uncomfortable and heavy, really didn’t seem too clumsy for my rather large skull. Mind you, I find it necessary to stand up from gaming every hour as it is, but even in the occasional marathon session, my head never began to feel squished or tired from holding my head up with the extra weight. They are heavier than other headphone options, maybe, but compared to other sets in this level of quality the 720’s seem quite normal or even lighter. This is an advantage of being powered by a cable, rather than battery operated.
The ear cushions are also comfortable and allow a large space for most people’s ears. A complaint I found, however, was that the cushions themselves didn’t do a fantastic job at sound cancellation, seeing as how they were fashioned from a cotton-like substance, and not leather. An example of mediocre cancellation would be this: I have a release day Xbox 360. It is loud. I have a fan strapped to the back of my console powered by an external source. It is just as loud, if not more so. With the AX720’s strapped to my ears, I can still hear the console whirring away, though admittedly, it is muffled.
The headphones feature a 12′ long cord that will easily stretch along most floors. If managed to be stretched to its limit, the amp connected to it is quite light, and is easily flustered by this disturbance.
Roughly 2″ away from the headphones themselves, is the audio control for mic and game sounds, as well as a mute button (for the mic), and the input required for the mic line-in for the Xbox 360 which does not become a hindrance (unless you make the mistake of forgetting you are wired).
The audio quality on the 720’s is simply superb. As one would expect, the audio is crisp, clear and vivid. Quite honestly, the sound managed to help my vision and overall game awareness in titles even as simple as Fable 2, which really didn’t require a 5.1 surround experience. It was if an increased auditory stage closer to my ears granted me better vision. As a man with a wholly-competent 5.1 Dolby experience already installed into my house, I was shocked with this revelation. I began to play games previously defeated to see if it added even more to my previous experience, and I was shocked at what I had missed in games like Ico or Batman: Arkham Asylum.
In terms of audio, the only true complaint I could feign was a lack of deep bass, but I found it a secondary complaint. Sure, music on my iPod might not boom the way I would want, but I was able to overlook this because of the otherwise enlightening experience.
Voice chat is important for forming networked bonds and discussing team strategy online. A gamer requires clarity, and the AX720 provides a nearly perfect experience. For most tests, I was communicating with a young lad who was sporting the Turtle Beach Earforce X31. While the Earforce experience is not in the same league as the product lines Tritton or Astro Gaming offer, it is still an experience that far exceeds your Xbox issued headset.
The results were crisp and clear, though awkward to understand. Firstly, the microphone is detachable from the rest of the headset, and has to be screwed in a little bit to function properly. This is fine, but the first time I recorded my voice to send over Xbox Live sounded, for a lack of a better term, “garbled,” when played back through my Tritton headphones. I recorded the message again and again, and eventually, decided to send as is. The reply back was clear, concise, and mentioned that the audio problem did not appear on his end of the internet. This is weird and has no explanation. I can assure you, however, that it only occurred the one time.
Taking extra care to screw the mic into the headset from that point out has granted me voice chat as clear as can be expected over Xbox Live or PlayStation Network. Voices are dull and flat, but that is each network’s decision in order to compress audio for quicker audio transfers.
There are three negatives to this device. The first is, that it cannot be daisy-chained like the competing headsets from Astro Gaming. This isn’t a big deal, but will stifle Tritton’s appeal to professional gaming.
Secondly, the aforementioned audio port problem. Why is there only one optical input, but two headset outputs? It seems backwards.
Third, for the size of the amp, it could have had an equalizer built-in to tweak your listening experience- even just a little bit. Why am I forced to deal with your custom preset? Why have you taken away my ability to tweak my bass or treble? Even just those two options would be nicely appreciated.
The Tritton AX720 was priced at $189.00 Canadian, which is roughly 123.59 GBP. If I was asked if that was too high a cost, I’d tell you it wasn’t. Consider your options and noise constraints, and you have a fabulous option that places your right in the middle of the scrum for a fraction of the cost of, for instance, my $1,500 surround setup.
Note: The AX720 was not tested on a gaming computer, simply because it never occurred to me to set my rig up with a soundcard with optical out.
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That amp reminds me of Robbie The Robot’s head!
I had serious problems with the AX720. After THREE defective units, I figured I’d splurge a bit more and ended up getting Turtle Beach X41’s. I was hesitant about getting a wireless headset, but must admit that I have not had a single problem with the X41! Compared to the AX720, the X41 has TONS more bass and the audio quality is noticeably better. I noticed that the highs and mids on the Tritton were rather harsh to the ear and the sound stage became collapsed after long periods. This is not the case with the X41, probably due to the higher quality components.
Tritton: 2/5
Interesting. I had briefly investigated the X41 set prior to coming to a complete purchase, and many other reviews mentioned that the AX PRO and the AX720 came out on top.
I have had one or two buddies, other than the one mentioned in this piece, of course, own a Turtle Beach set (though never the X41), and the products they tried to show off to me didn’t seem satisfactory.
And I did not appreciate their wireless limitations of the Turtle Beach stuff. Chances are though, that the X41 has better range.