Sharkoon Xtatic SX Review

SX Overview

[p]Sharkoon is a company based in Germany and Taiwan who manufactures PC parts and components, as well as PC and Xbox 360 gaming peripherals. Sharkoon is only some-what recently taking on the console peripheral market where they face some significant competitiors.[/p][p]
The relative thread regarding this article can be found here: [a href=";http://www.cybergamer.com.au/forums/thread/182884/Sharkoon-Xtatic-SX-Headset:-Review-Competition!/"]Sharkoon Xtatic SX Headset: Review & Competition![/a][/p][p]
Sharkoon's Xtatic SX is a stereo headset designed for the Xbox 360 but is also able to be used on the PC. The SX is comparable to what a large majority of gamers use; the X11 headset. The SX boasts some great features as we've come to find in Xbox 360 headsets these days and this review will cover all the important aspects of the Xtatic SX headset.
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Features

[ul][li]Simple connection via analogue interface (RCA)[/li][li]Powered by USB[/li][li]Flexible, detachable microphone[/li][li]Microphone connected to the Xbox 360 controller (2.5mm plug)[/li][li]In-line amplifier for powerful games sound output[/li][li]Master volume control and microphone mute[/li][li]Separate volume control for voice communication over Xbox Live[/li][li]Suitable for PC also[/li][/ul][ul]
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Specifications (headphones)

[ul][li]Driver Diameter: 40mm[/li][li]Impedance: 40 ohm[/li][li]Sensitivity: 118 dB /- 3 dB bei 1 KHz[/li][li]Frequency Response: 20 Hz, 20 kHz[/li][li]Power Output: 40 mW[/li][li]Cable Length: 370cm /- 10cm[/li][li]Connectors: 3x3.5mm connectors, 1x USB (Power)[/li][/ul][ul]
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Specifications (microphone)

[ul][li]Diameter: 6x5mm (LxB)[/li][li]Directivity: Omni-directional[/li][li]Sensitivity: -58 dB /- 3 dB[/li][li]Impedance: 2.2 k[/li][li]Frequency Response: 100 Hz, 2 kHz[/li][/ul]

Package Contents

[ul][li]Stereo Headset: Sharkoon Xtatic SX[/li][li]Detachable Microphone![/li][li]Adaptor Cable (3.5mm stereo plug>2x Cinch)[/li][li]Chat Cable (1x3.5mm stereo jack>1x2.5mm stereo jack)[/li][li]Manual & Instructions Booklet[/li][/ul]

Description

[p]Sharkoon's Xtatic SX is a stereo headset with two 40mm drivers. The speakers are easily visible in the imagery below. The headrail of the headset is of a soft leather or polyester design with plenty of cushioning. The adjustable sides tailor to fit any size or shape head. The earcups are designed to fully enclose your ears (Circumaural) adding to the comfort aspect of the headset. Furthermore, the earcups are padded with soft cotton with a polyester trim.[/p][div class="article_iw tm"][div class="imgwrapper"][div class="border"][img src=";http://files.enjin.com/408/sx1.JPG"][/div][/div][/div][p]
The earcups boast snazzy looking branding on each side, clearly marking the headset as made by Sharkoon and that it is the SX model. These earcups are adjustable in that they can tilt inwards or outwards which is very useful in accommodating people with different jaw lines. The microphone is detachable however when put in, it clips into place so it cannot easily be removed. The microphone is flexible in order for you to move the microphone to get the best quality of your voice input.[/p][div class="article_iw tm"][div class="imgwrapper"][div class="border"][img src=";http://files.enjin.com/408/sx2.JPG"][/div][/div][/div][p]
The cabling connecting the headset to your Xbox 360 is quite thick and is not easy to get tangled. It consists of 3.7 meters of cabling to allow extra movement or distance away from your console. The cabling also has a clip attached which you can tack onto your shirt so the in-line voice control and amplifier is never too far away from the user. This comes especially handy as the in-line control box is actually quite heavy (as far as its counterparts go) and can become a nuisance if it were to dangle down to the ground.
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http://files.enjin.com/408/sx3.JPG"][/div][/div][/div][p]
The in-line control box features a voice volume control dial, a game volume control dial, a microphone mute/unmute switch and an input plug for the Xbox live communicator cable. All dials and switches are easily accessed and thankfully the microphone mute/unmute switch takes some effort to move back and forth – meaning you'll have less accidental microphone mutes![/p][div class="article_iw tm"][div class="imgwrapper"][div class="border"][img src=";http://files.enjin.com/408/sxinline.jpg"][/div][/div][/div][p]
Having both dials separately for voice and game volume enables the user to balance out how loud each aspect of their gaming should be. So have no fear, you'll be able to turn up your mates voice to hear those precious communications over the nearby gunfire.[/p][p]The plugs pictured below include a USB plug, a 3.5mm stereo plug and a 3.5mm microphone plug. The USB plug is used to power the headset via a USB port in your Xbox 360 or PC. The 3.5mm jack can easily be plugged into the RCA to 3.5mm stereo adaptor to gain stereo audio from your Xbox 360. If using a PC, simply slot the 3.5mm green stereo plug into your green 3.5mm stereo input plug on your PC.[/p][div class="article_iw tm"][div class="imgwrapper"][div class="border"][img src=";http://files.enjin.com/408/sx8breakout.JPG"][/div][/div][/div][p]
Here is the collection of cables and adaptors you get with the Xtatic SX. At the top we see the Xbox Live communicator dongle which plugs into your Xbox 360 controller and the in-line control box of the SX. To the left we see the aforementioned RCA to 3.5mm stereo adaptor, and to the right we see the USB plug, 3.5mm stereo plug and 3.5mm microphone plug.[/p][div class="article_iw tm"][div class="imgwrapper"][div class="border"][img src=";http://files.enjin.com/408/sx9allcable.JPG"][/div][/div][/div][p]
Further information regarding the contents of Sharkoon's Xtatic SX package and how to set up the headset can be found in the video below.[/p][div class="article_embed"][div class="imgwrapper"][div class="border"][object width="462" height="374"][param name="movie" value=";http://www.youtube.com/v/6ZXFbWwfP3M"][param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"][param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"][param name="wmode" value="opaque"][embed src=";http://www.youtube.com/v/6ZXFbWwfP3M" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="462" height="374" wmode="opaque"][/object][/div][div class="overlay" style="display: block; "][/div][/div][/div]
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