Nox Specialist Gaming Headphone review
July 2011 – Continuing our post E3 review of gaming headphones, we had a chance to test the Nox (http://www.nox-audio.com/Products) Specialist headphone which are a muti-platform headset when used with the Nox Negotiator Gaming adapter. These headsets were tested in both single player mode and multi-player mode using on-line chat in the gamng platforms.
Nox Speciallist Headset with Negotiator for Gaming Bundle
Review Summary:
Pro – Clear sound, adjustable microphone, worked on all platforms – PC, Xbox, PS3, iPad, iPhone/iPod, supports HDMI video
Con – wired connection on game consoles, some fit issues with double glasses.
Overall – Very compact and portable, high sound clarity headsets. For those seeking an over the ear style and a great hardcore gaming experience on all platforms, this is the product.
Review Details:
The Specialist headset is a stereo over the ear product, that has a retractable microphone. The primary application for the headset, is both gaming and telephone use on the iPhone an other wired smartphones using a standard 2 function 3 wire headset miniature pin (L, R & Mic). For the PC, iPhone and iPad, it comes in a complete kit – headset with built in microphone, a splitter cable for the PC to separate the head phone and microphone connects, and a case.
The first thing we found was the unique fold up design of the headsets. They fit in a very small travel case, with a swivel design that also allows the shed a lot of the weight normally associated with over the ear headsets. The sound is very clean, crisp and responsive when listening to music of watching videos. The headset stays in place and does not tug on the ear, or more importantly, pull to one side (the cabel side), when in use. The design also incorperates a retractable microphone. This microphone works even when partially extended, which, along with the flexible connector, gives the unit the best ability to position the microphone for operation with a comfortable speaking voice, of any of the units tested. The design of the microphone control is nicely integrated into the “spoke” design on the earpiece.
NOX Specialist folded in Case
The unit is well suited to use on the portable platforms such as the iPhone/iPod or the iPad/tablet. Talking for phone calls was clear and surprisingly free of wind and air noise. The headphones come with an adapter to connect to the PC which has a split connection (speaker and mic). The sound connection is a standard L/R stereo playback without any surround processing. With the connector in place, the unit works well, and also provides high efficiency on sound. Once the The unit was automatically recognized by Windows (XP and 7), it worked without problems for the video conf, search input and voice recognition input control.
To test the units with the gaming consoles, just like the Scout, we used the optional Nox Negotiator product. This product features a wired connection from the Xbox360 and PS3 controller to the console. The connection to the console is through a USB dongle which connects to the controller and also an optical connection to the console. Unlike other game headset systems tested, this configuration using the digital sound channels from the consoles and as a result, allow for the use of HDMI output from the stations, yielding the best image possible. The end connector of the Negotiator takes one of two plug-ins: Xbox and PS3. Once you select the correct option, it simple plugs in to the controller where a normal wireless headset would plug-in. The connector contains a volume control for the headset.
As the connection is wired, and is converted from the digital source, the sound is very clean, and there was no audible dropout or interference from other electronics in the room or other wireless in the room. The use experience was very strong and even though the headset was “, they did not impact the immersive experience of the games.
Like some of the other over the ear headphones tested, there were some comments about “fit” from those with glasses for either standard viewing or 3D viewing. With the light frame on the headphones, and the the size of the ear covers (equal in size to the ear rather than a full ear cover with foam against the head) , there were some issues of “slipping” and tilting when the use had double glasses (regular glasses and 3D glasses). Most found the design comfortable for mid length periods (1-2.5hrs), but our reviewing committee preferred full over-the-ear models for extended use (single sessions beyond 3hrs). This makes the Specialist a the preferred product for those that have multiple platforms, want a single purchase product, with multiple colors (so you can tell them apart from your friends in a group) headset for phone use to heavy duty gaming up to about 3 hour sessions per use. On portable, devices, the extended use was not an issue, and the devices were comfortable for day long use. The clarity of the headset and mic combo, even would work well in business applications where teleconferencing/video conferencing was needed, and then be able to use the same product for media consumption during commute time on the same devices.
Testing Environment:
TellTale Games
The Console hardware was provided by Microsoft and was a new Xbox360 S console with the Kinect. The PC base hardware was a standard Dell Vostro laptop. The Xbox was tested with the network connection both as the default 802.11g wireless and with a wired internet connection. The console games used to test the headsets were Batman: Arkam Asylum, Halo 3: ODST, and Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit, Call of Duty: World at War. The games used to test the headsets on the PC were provided by TellTale Games and several on-line games from Nexon. The tester were multiple people, who range from intermediate to advanced gamers, using the product for typical 2 hour game play sessions.
The reference sound for the PC and portable devices is compared to Beyerdynamic DT 770M studio reference monitor headphones, and the built in microphone of the device. The reference sound from the gaming system, is that from the Xbox360 connected via HDMI to a 5.1 surround sound Sony receiver driving Klipsch KL-7502-THX in-ceiling speakers and a Klipsch SW-450 10″ subwoofer. The games were viewed and played back on a Panasonic Viera TH-58PZ800U THX Certified Plasma TV with HDMI v1.3 inputs.
