Introduction

It was over 2 years ago that I reviewed the original AudioFX Force Feedback headphones from e-dimensional. They were a great set of headphones, being comfortable and producing great sound, with a great mic, I liked them a lot. When I heard there was a newly updated Audio FX headset on the market, I couldn't wait to try them out.

Headphones can also offer the serious gamer with an advantage over speakers - you can really benefit from either stereo or 5.1 surround when using headphones. It is so much easier to tell what direction a sound is coming from with a 5.1 headset on, especially important for shooters like Ghost Recon.

So now we know why we need a decent set of headphones, let's look at the functionality we require, and how this new set stands up.

The Design

Edimensional are making a big deal about these headphones being designed by Ben Heck, and rightly so. The design is extremely slick, functional, and robust. I will admit that before they arrived, I did wonder about the tan leather look as seen in the photographs, but in the flesh they look extremely professional - much more so than the previous version's silver design, and a refreshing change from the customary black design afforded to most headsets.

The Cabling

The cabling for this set is a little different from the old one. The length is still generous, so you'll easily be able to lay back in your chair with the headset plugged in even if your tower is not right next to you. What is different though is it's even easier to use now. On the old set there was a USB connection, a speaker plug and a mic plug. Now there's simply the USB cable to plug in. Very handy for LAN parties and on my Antec case I simply plug it in to the front of the unit when I'm using it and unplug it when I'm done, dead simple.

There is a handy inline controller on the USB lead that allows quick adjustment of the volume levels, and also a mute button for the mic. If you plug your headset in and find the mic is playing back through the headphones, just hit the mute button and the feedback will stop, leaving the mic functional for teamspeak or your comms software of choice.

Microphone

The microphone on this set is also a little different from the old one. The foam sock is updated with a solid plastic microphone now. This is cool because I don't know about anyone else, but my mic sock always went missing, and I don't even have cats! You can adjust the mic up and down and it all feels very sturdy indeed.

As far as quality goes it's fair to say that it would actually be difficult to improve on the previous design, which was crystal clear for comms. This Ben Heck set is no different and using teamspeak the comms are top notch, absolutely clear.

When the mic isn't required it can be rotated up and over the top of the head out of the way.

Earphones

The cups themselves are of the fully enclosed type to prevent sound leakage and are comfortable thanks to a healthy amount of soft padding. They are also adjustable as the cups can be pulled out of the headband on both sides by a set of incremental notches. This means you can position the cups exactly over your ears, and I found they gave a very close fit with no gaps at all around the ear. This is probably due to the hinging on top of each cup which allows it to swing inwards around the ear.

This means very little in the way of sound leakage to annoy anyone else in the room. This is probably the best fitting set of headphones I have ever tried. The headband itself is also padded, so you really are not aware of it all during use.

The Rumble

One of the main selling points for the Audio FX range is of course the rumble feature. I'm going to be brutally honest here and admit I have not really tried this feature out fully. Maybe it's because I am getting on a bit but I don't really want to turn the volume up so far that my hair starts falling out, it's doing that just fine without any help. But for anyone who does want that extra level of immersion when playing games or watching DVDs, you can turn the volume up, flick the Force Feedback switch on the inline that I forget to mention earlier, and enjoy explosions that not only sound like the are in the same room, but feel like it too! It is pretty cool.

Sound Quality

The sound quality is excellent all round. I've played shooters, racers and RTS games. I've tested the Audio FX 5.1 with Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter, Company of Heroes, Crysis, BMW M3 Challenge, and Half Life 2 and they have all sounded superb. I've listened to mp3 files, ogg files and movies and the clarity has been superb.

I also tried them without the included software - yes, you can plug and play without any problems. Throughout the sound quality was top notch.

Conclusion

I've given the Audio FX 5.1 Ben Heck headphones well over 8 weeks of testing before writing this review. I wanted to make sure I'd tried them out in all sorts of games, movies, sound levels etc. I've never felt anything other than extremely satisfied with them, and I'm more than confident that the build quality will easily last me through the next few generations of PC upgrades. In the end these headphones are a great option.

So yep, I recommend the AudioFX Pro 5+1 by BenHeck - get it on your Santa list now!