Ripten Review: Tritton AX720 Gaming Headset

Xbox 360 headsets are flooding the market. There’s so many choices and I really think there’s too many to choose from for your everyday average gamer. There’s no shortage of confusion about what product is best, if it’s worth the huge price tag, and more importantly, will it help you up your game. Well I’ve definitely found my answer, and I want to help you find yours.

I purchased my first Xbox 360 gaming headset with great apprehension.  I’m a firm believer in good quality sound, and I know that nothing beats a good stereo Music/DJ headset, and I could just as easily plug one of them into a converter and be using a decent headset with my console, but I went ahead and ordered my Tritton AX720′s off of an eBay seller located out of America. All up I paid $220 AUD and recieved my item in about two weeks.

I tossed up between the 720′s and TurtleBeach x41′s (Wireless 5.1 Headset) but leant more towards the Trittons’ due to their solid looking build quality, numerous positive reviews I had read, and the simple fact they didn’t need Triple A batteries, which would’ve been solved with rechargeable batteries anyway. Upon opening the packaging and actually feeling the headset I was quite surprised, and for a number of reasons.

The first thing I noticed was that the headset itself was really solid, and didn’t have much flex. I have a rather large head so I needed it to be flexible enough to sit comfortably, but not put pressure on the side of my head and give me a rather large headache. Secondly I was impressed by the look and overall aesthetic feel of the device, because let’s face it, no-one wants to be wearing something ugly on their hand when they game.

Upon placing them on my head I found they sat perfectly. Two sliders branch out of the top of the headset, allowing the ear pieces, which contain 40mm drivers (More on that soon) to slide perfectly up and down, and sit comfortably. I felt the headset was a bit heavy, however over time that’s definitely something I’ve gotten use to and welcome because it’s that same sturdy design that’s protected it from falling numerous times.

The ear pieces have a some soft cotton feel, and don’t rub or irritate your ears. This blocks a lot of sound out externally also which is good. As well as being comfortable they need to be breathable so it doesn’t feel you’re wearing a sauna on your head, ultimately the Tritton AX720′s do this and do it well. I wore them for 3 hours straight during my initial usage, first playing Halo 3 then watching Saw IV. They remained comfortable, and a few times I forgot I was even wearing them. Another great thing I love about my Trittons is by cranking the sound right up, I can use them as speakers when I lay in bed and watch Seinfeld or anything. I’ve also done this when playing Super Street Fighter IV with my friends.

Sound is received through the Tritton Technologies Receiver Box, which takes sound for the Xbox 360 through and optical connections, from the back of your consoles AV/HDMI/VGA/Component Cable adapter in the tiny hole to the right. This then goes into the back of the Receiver Box, as well as power. If you order your Trittons from America, you will need to buy an Adapter from AU to US Power, or you can use a power box from an everyday item i.e.; Spare Router / External Hard Drive (500GB Upwards).

The front of the receiver is fairly straight forward. You’ve got a power button, Sound level up and down buttons, as well as the Dolby Digital Headphone button, which is the fun part. The 720′s are only imitation 5.1, so they don’t offer “True Surround Sound” instead the receiver scales the optical, with Dolby Technology into Dolby Headphone Digital 5.1.

I have a Logitech x530 speaker system that I use for Music, and Movies on my PC, and I know what proper Surround Sound or more importantly, 5.1 sounds like and this headset isn’t far off. I tested it originally with Halo 3 on Guardian, and everything sounded quite crisp, and the sound placement was spot on.

I tested it with grenades, one to the left, one to the right, and both picked up really well, and I spun around as the sound dissipated, and the sound fields adjusted accordingly. The main gripe with imitation 5.1 is that it’s not real. So you’ve got one speaker on your left ear and one on the right. The Tritton AX720′s feature 40mm drivers, so the sound is quite good and clear, but if something goes off behind you, it’s only an imitation sound so it’s very hard for a headset to deliver sound behind you, when the speakers are right on your ears not literally surrounding you. I definitely adjusted to this over time and I now feel like the sound is literally behind me. These gaming headphones have saved my life in Modern Warfare 2 so much it’s not funny.

That being said this headset does a good job of projecting sound behind you. It doesn’t flawlessly cover the hardware limitation as there is sometimes when it sounds like it’s on top of me, not behind me but then it’s just a mental problem of actually believing the sound is behind you, and forgetting it’s two speakers on your ears. When watching movies the sound is crisp, and delivers hassle free decent sound.

The Dolby Digital Receiver features a Music/Movies mode, although I couldn’t hear the difference between the two. I could however hear the difference between the stereo and the Dolby Headphone 5.1, and I would never go back to basic stereo sound for gaming.

The Headset has fairly long cord (I’d put it at around 1.5m) but it features a Velcro tie, so it never gets in the way. Coming off the main cord is the in line voice controller. This is a device, about a quarter of the way down, which features controls for your game sound, chat sound, and microphone mute. If you’re using Xbox 360 LIVE Chat, you run a cord that comes with the headset, from the sound controller, into the bottom of your Xbox 360 Controller.

The Microphone is made of a bendy, rubber type material, so it’s not prone to snapping like some of the TurtleBeach headsets. It picked up my voice really well, and I liked that if the microphone cord didn’t work, you could just buy a new one, not a whole new Chat Headset like you’d have to do otherwise. My favorite thing about this is that you can control voice sound and game sound completely separately, so when you’re jamming out to a game that doesn’t require much sound you can turn it down and listen to the sweet soothing sounds of Bryce Wilson. Uh, what?

The sound, build quality, and performance of the Tritton AX720 is very respectable. I can see myself using it for my Xbox 360 gaming, as it really does help you improve your game, through precise clear sound positioning, and a sturdy design will keep it playing for hours and hours. I use this on my computer too, and you’ll be able to do the same if you have optical output on your motherboard.

The price tag is the same as for TurtleBeach x41′s which offer True 5.1, but run off batteries, so if you have rechargeable batteries, you could go for the x41′s. The thing to remember with headsets is, talk to someone who has used them. Too many little kids talk themselves into buying them, then don’t and then when someone else needs advice they poison the water of clear thought. Talk to people who have used them, because at the end of the day they aren’t cheap.

The Tritton AX720′s get my HUGE seal of approval, and I can assure you they will help you lift your game right across the board. I almost feel like I am cheating in Modern Warfare 2 by using these, as no-one can EVER get the drop on me.

Note: If you have problems with a “Buzzzzzz” sound, you’ve got too much power running into your receiver box. If you can’t adjust your voice and sound separately, read the manual properly in future. The Tritton AX720′s come with: Decoder Box, Headset, PC 3.5mm Sound/Microphone Cord, Playstation 3 Voice USB Cord, Xbox 360/PC Optical Cord, AC Power Pack, Instruction Manual.

The Rundown:

+ Great sturdy design
+ Awesome sound quality, helps you own
- Price tag is a bit high for some
- Feels like cheating when you destroy everyone

The Tritton AX 720′s are made by Tritton, a company currently owned by Mad Catz Inc. They retail for different prices, and are available through eBay, Best Buy, Walmart, Amazon and occasionally Gamestop. This pair was purchased off of eBay for $220 AUD ($200 USD).