A Headset for Professional Gamers (and Amateurs, Too)

The Ear Force XP Seven from Turtle Beach features a programmable digital signal processor.

Turtle Beach’s Ear Force XP510 gaming headset is wireless.

Turtle Beach wants to be the go-to brand of gaming headsets.

The company, based in Valhalla, N.Y., offers more than 40 headsets through its Web site, and last year it signed a partnershi with Major League Gaming, an electronic sports organization that holds tournaments around the United States. Turtle Beach has designed a lineup of licensed gear in time for the organization’s next tournament, the MLG Winter Championship next week in Dallas.

The new line includes the Ear Force XP Seven, the official headset of Major League Gaming. Even though that’s just a marketing gimmick (after all, Dr Pepper is the group’s official soft drink), the XP Seven holds its title with pride.

The headset features Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound and a programmable processor with eight preset buttons that allow users to personalize their audio, like adding more bass or treble or increasing the chat volume. It’s compatible with the Xbox and PS3, as well as PCs. And it can be connected to a mobile device, which allows you to take a phone call without pausing your game.

Granted, I didn’t use the h! eadset in a tournament, just in my living room, but I can understand why gear like the XP Seven is so crucial to professional gamers. The sound was astounding, and the audio customization took just a few touches. With a game like “Batman: Arkham Asylum,” you can pinpoint every sound, like dripping water, crackling electricity and approaching footsteps, and relish in the satisfying crunch when you snap the bones of a Joker thug. Even with a SpongeBob SquarePants game intended for children, the XP Seven helps create an atmosphere so immersive that you feel you can keep going for hours. Fortunately, if you do play that long, the over-ear swivel cups are very comfortable.

But all those features don’t come cheaply; the unit costs $280. The headset adds clutter, too; eight cables crisscrossed my living room to connect to everything except the philodendron.

If you’re not a competitive player but still want amazing sound, it might be worthwhile to consider the Ear Force XP510 wireless headset. A $290, it also features the same Dolby Surround Sound and programmable presets, plus you can sync it to a phone or tablet via Bluetooth and stream music when you’re not hunkered down in front of the TV.