• Posted June 3rd, 2011 at 12:14 EDT by Steven Williamson
• 4 Comments

Mad Catz latest addition to its range of quality gaming headsets, the TRITTON AX Pro, is a beast of a headset that stands majestically head and shoulders above its competitors like a royal family member lording over his subjects. The AX Pro comes packaged in a big box, one of the largest we’ve seen for a gaming peripheral. It’s not just its size and stature that impresses though, as the AX Pro has a long list of features and specs which elevates it effortlessly to the top of Mad Catz current range of gaming headsets.

What makes these cans truly stand out from the competition is they come packed out with Dolby Digital True 5.1 Surround Sound. Four speakers in each cup represent the front, left, right and back speakers of a surround sound set-up – that’s eight speakers in total designed specifically to deliver sound to complement your HD video gaming experience. Aesthetically, the impact of the AX Pro is immediate – this is a very stylish-looking headset - but it’s really the promise of true 5.1 that gets the juices flowing. Has the AX Pro really got what it takes to deliver luxurious gaming comfort, and can it possibly deliver the aurally perfect videogame experience that its specs suggest? Let’s take a look…
 

All boxed up
Many headsets come wrapped in clamshell packaging that requires a sharp knife and the strength of an annoyed elephant to open, but Mad Catz has managed to pack a lot of stuff neatly into the box without the need to secure it all so drastically. Instead of having to rip boxes and packaging to get to your headset and its components inside, you can slide everything out effortlessly. It’s good to see that this head-set, particularly being the relatively high-priced product that it is, is packaged extremely well. You could quite easily pack the contents back in with little effort if you did want to transport it.

The TRITTON AX Pro isn’t cheap, with a recommended retail price of £149.99 ($169.99), but as soon as you open up some of the boxes inside and discover some of the pleasant surprises, you begin to see where some of the value may lie.

The TRITTON AX Pro comes complete with:

AX Pro 5.1 headset
Extra earpad and headrail pad set with cup removal tool
In-line volume control with breakaway braided cable
Removable, flexible microphone
Decoder box
Power Adapter
Xbox Live Communication Cable
Optical Cable
USB cable
Regional plugs to allow you to use it across the globe

That’s a lot of bang for your buck. We particularly like the addition of an extra earpad covered in a leatherette material. This is different to the soft padding material on the existing cups, giving you choice depending on your preference. In fact, many of the extras you get seem to be largely about Mad Catz wanting to give you choice and options for comfort and sound, while also ensuring you have everything you need to get set up on any device that features a digital optical or 3.5mm analog 5.1 outputs. For the purpose of the review, we’ve tested out the headset extensively on PlayStation 3, but have also used it with Xbox 360 and iPod Touch with equally impressive results.

Style over substance?
The AX Pro is immediately eye-catching and stylishly designed, decked out in silver and black with the orange TRITTON symbol emblazoned on each of the rectangle-shaped cups. It feels quite heavy to hold, weighing approximately 12oz, but when placed on the head it sits snugly and feels surprisingly light. The circumauraul cups are a rectangular shape with fleecy padding, so they cover the whole of your ear to enclose the sound and give you the full effect of the eight speakers inside. The headset has obviously been built to last. The earpieces are protected well by the high-quality outer shell of the speakers and the headband feels robust and sturdy. The headset can be adjusted simply by sliding the headband or pushing it down on your head. There are seven settings in total so even if you’ve got a head the size of a bowling ball you should be able to get a comfortable fit. Small ... (continued on next page)