Summary: The Turtle Beach Xbox 360 Earforce X2 Wireless Headset is a great product that can deliver all your in-game audio plus voice communications wirelessly with excellent sound quality. It is easy to set up and reasonably priced when ordered online. Its only notable downsides are that it transmits via IR, so you must be within line of sight of the transmitter, and it can start to feel uncomfortable to the ears after extended gaming sessions of two hours or more. Details after the jump.

I purchased the X2 as part of a setup that allowed me to continue gaming while staying with family during a move. Most of my goods were in transit across the country, but I brought my Xbox 360 with me. I purchased a 22” LCD monitor and an Xbox 360 VGA cable to continue high-definition gaming. However, the LCD monitor did not have integrated speakers. Furthermore, I did not want to bother the other residents of the house with game audio. The Earforce X2 from Turtle Beach seemed like a great way to solve both problems, so I ordered it from Amazon at $69.99 with free shipping and no tax.

While it took the order about two weeks to arrive (which is an issue with the retailer, not Turtle Beach) I was extremely pleased when it arrived. After tearing into the package I found a manual and setup instructions, but neither were necessary. The X2 transmitter and headset are very intuitive to setup.

The transmitter is a small pseudo-cradle for the headset that looks like a Forerunner structure painted white. It has only two jacks on the back: power and audio in. You’ll also find a switch to designate whether your audio source is outputting at a “high” or “low” level. “Low” seems to be the preferred setting for the Xbox and Xbox 360, and has been more than satisfactory for me. I connected the supplied AC adapter and then set out to attach the audio connections. The end at the transmitter terminates in a 3.5mm plug and attaches to the audio connections of the Xbox 360 (or your audio receiver/amplifier) via RCA connections. In one example of Turtle Beach paying attention to the details, both female and male RCA connections come attached to the audio cable. Simply connect the set that you need and leave the others dangling. This allows you much flexibility in your gaming audio setup. I do wish the transmitter held the headset a little more securely when used as a cradle, which appears to be its intended design.

As mentioned previously, the transmitter does use infrared light (IR) to transmit the audio, so you must stay within line of sight of the transmitter as well as within a reasonable distance. You can easily point the transmitter to achieve best quality. Fortunately, if you’re chatting on XBL you’ll still be able to hear voice. Voice is transmitted through the controller (or both controller and speakers, depending on your personal voice settings) via frequency hopping spread spectrum (FHSS) radio waves which can penetrate walls, unlike IR light. Summary: you can walk into your kitchen and continue chatting but you’ll no longer hear background music from the game lobby.

Next, I opened the side of the headset and installed the two AAA batteries that were included with the X2. This seemed like a significant downside to me when I first read about it in other reviews. I’m not a fan of using disposable alkaline batteries in anything that sees much use because I go through them so quickly. However, my fears were unfounded. I’ve now been using the X2 for over a month, averaging about 10-12 hours of gaming a week, and I’m still using the same set of AAAs included with the X2. Turtle Beach advertises 30-40 hours of battery life per set of AAAs. Part of what makes this possible is another example of Turtle Beach paying attention to the details: auto-off. After two minutes without a signal the X2 automatically powers off. I’ve inadvertently left my X2 powered on before, and I’d be several sets of AAAs poorer if this feature weren’t included. To turn the headset back on after the auto-off feature has engaged simply flip the power switch to “off” and then back to “on” again.

The headset is also very intuitive. Connections and controls are simple:
-On/Off Switch
-Volume Wheel
-Microphone Output to Connect to Controller

You can’t go 100% wireless with this product. If you wish to use the integrated headset for voice communications you still have to use the supplied hard-wired connection to the controller. The small cable is detachable on both ends and includes a slider switch for muting. I don’t find this to be a particular nuisance, but it would be very cool if the next generation could interface with the controller wirelessly like the Xbox 360 wireless headset (just without all the problems of the Xbox 360 Wireless Headset). The boom mic on the X2 has a great flex mechanism on it that allows as much adjustability as you could possibly want. It also rotates up and out of the way should you wish to not use the mic.

One minor, and I mean very minor, complaint is that the volume wheel is a little too sensitive. 0.25 inch-pounds of torque from your thumb or pointer finger will send the volume wheel from mute to 3rd row at a Metallica concert. I know it’s sensitive, so I’m gentle with it, but it would be nice if the knob provided a little more resistance to being turned.

The headset is fully adjustable and fits my head well. The ear cups are soft but do create pressure points that become aggravating (leading to downright painful) during extended gaming sessions. I can use the X2 for about two hours without being bothered by this minor nuisance. However, after about three hours it becomes painful enough that I have to stop (which I should probably do anyway after three hours).

Sound quality from the X2 is excellent. It is not a 5.1 headset, and I don’t think you’ll find many wireless 5.1 headsets, but the stereo audio it delivers is extremely surprising. I always played my 360 with a full 5.1 speaker setup prior to using the X2. I was skeptical that I would no longer be able to pinpoint the direction enemies were approaching from as I can do with my living room’s 5.1 setup. The X2 doesn’t deliver the definition of five separate channels of audio, but the stereo sound quality is good—very good. Using a set of headphones has allowed me to hear minute sounds that I wouldn’t otherwise hear, so while I can’t pinpoint their directions as easily, I am hearing more sounds. It’s almost a wash regarding which one facilitates better gaming.

I’ve used the X2 extensively to play Halo 3 Beta, Guitar Hero 2, and Quake 4. It has performed flawlessly in all scenarios. I was especially impressed with its audio delivery from Halo 3 Beta. Many times I thought noises were coming from behind me, and they were! I would spin around in the game and find the thing I expected (enemy, friendly, vehicle, etc) in the place I expected. I don’t know if it was luck or good engineering from Microsoft and Turtle Beach, but I was pleased.

If you have special needs (like a sleeping significant other) that require you to not blare game audio throughout the living room then the Earforce X2 Wireless Headset from Turtle Beach is the solution to your problem. MSRP is $99.99, which is a little salty, and you can expect to pay that in most retail outlets. I suggest ordering online where it can be had for $69.99 with free shipping and no sales tax. At the approximate cost of a single Xbox 360 game the X2 will enhance your experience of every game and could make you a better player to boot.

Turtle Beach support page with lots of good info and a FAQ on the Earforce X2