Giotek is a UK firm producing third party gaming peripherals. They manufacture everything from controllers to chargers and we have two of their headsets to critique. One is specifically for the Xbox 360, whilst the other works with computers, the PS3 and the Xbox 360. Let’s look at the 360 only device first, the EX-03.
The EX-03 is a wired headset for chat only. It’s mono and attached to the 360’s controller chat output. The build quality is on the whole very good. As with other Giotek products, it’s themed along army lines, and you will feel a little badass using it. Of course, it’s made of plastic but it doesn’t feel cheap in your hands. It utilises a soft, padded form of plastic, a bit like a high quality dashboard, and feels good to the hands and ear. It’s lightweight with a good cable length. In addition the actual earpiece comes with a variety of sizes so you can make sure it’s as comfortable as you are going to get with a headphone that goes in your ear without going to an E and T specialist to get a mould!
The actual headphone comes to the side of the face without being intrusive, and then there is an independent volume wheel and mute switch along the cable, just like the official Xbox headset. The only complaint is that there are no markings on the wheel to show louder or softer, and the mute switch seemed a little insecure. These are minor niggles though.
The actual audio quality is superb. It is far better than a standard Xbox 360 chat headset, with both the volume available and the clarity being consistent and rewarding. You’ll now be able to hear that 12 year old kid dissing you in glorious audio Technicolour.
The second headset is the EX-05. This is a beast of a headset. It’s a fully loaded stereo headset, with chat mic. Ideal for people who live with wives or girlfriends who insist on watching ‘Strictly Take Me Out Dancing in Essex Whilst on Ice’ on a tablet in the same room and then complains that Call of Duty is too loud for them.
The cable is very long and connects to the USB slot on your console (to power the headset), and then to your TV, amp or the multi-out connector on the back of your PS3 or 360. The sound quality is good – don’t expect £200 Sennheiser sound quality, but there is a good mix of bass, mid and treble. It certainly is much, much better than your standard MP3 headphones, and as the speakers are going over the ears, they do a great job of blocking out any surrounding sound. Hence, even when you are not gaming, they can be of use when sitting next to your wife or girlfriend. Truly a useful investment.
As with the EX-03, the chat part works very well, with a good level of clarity both for incoming and outgoing signals. In addition the EX-05 can be used only for chat if you desire, even though the point of that is lost on me, as if the rest of the sound is coming out of your surround sound system then it will be subdued, due to the dampening effect of the headset. Better to use the EX-03 or the PS3 equivalent at that point.
Overall these are two very good products. Whilst these headsets can’t improve the quality of the chat you might hear over Xbox Live or PSN, they will certainly allow you to hear it all clearly, with the EX-05 also allowing you to game well into the night without waking up a soul.
Haha, I’m not sure whether to be insulted or not! Not all us females are partial to watching ‘Strictly Take Me Out Dancing in Essex Whilst on Ice’!
Good review though. Think I might get these.