Back in November at the VGXPO I had the chance to run into the guys from Tritton USA. Since it was a consumer event, I didn’t spend that much time talking to the guys as there was a constant wave of people coming by to get a look at the products, and to try them out on a few game consoles that they had set up, and to be immersed in the game – sometimes for the first time. A little while ago I was in contact with Tritton’s PR people, and a few days later a set of the AXPRO’s were sitting on my doorstep.

Once I had opened up the box, I did realize that, among other things, there were two power adaptors. One of the adaptors was to drive the control box, and another to power the headphones themselves. The headphone power both powers the “T” logo on the sides of the headphones as well as the remote buttons.  One drawback with that is that the control box has a power button, but that doesn’t power off the headphones. Although that’s not a big deal, they can easily be disconnected from the power when you’re turning off the box.

Strictly speaking on the sound quality, it cannot be beat. The technology that's built into the earphones to introduce the feeling of a 5.1 channel surround channel is what makes these stand apart from the competition. Even when you are not gaming, these can still be used for PC usage via gaming, online chat via programs like Skype, or even just for listening to your music on PC or the home theater.  With the technological features – which include a variety of inputs ranging from the digital audio (fiber optic) to analog, the usage can be adapted to integration in many systems. Many modern HDTVs as well as home theatre systems have digital audio outputs, so that process would be quite seamless.

Another good thing here is the multi-system compatibility.  Owners can easily swap these between the Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and PC platforms. The only downside to this is the task of moving the wiring between your gaming setup to the PC. With USB functionality, on the PS3 and PC it’s just plug and play. The one drawback to the technology is not on Tritton’s part, but due to Microsoft’s 3rd part integration policy.
In order to have in-game chat via the Xbox 360, a second wire is required to bridge the headphones and the Xbox 360 Controller. With the detachable microphone, the headphones can be used for audio only when you’re playing off-line or late at night as well. I imagine playing Resident Evil 5 late at night with them  on would be a good experience as well.

Originally, I had an issue getting that to work right on the 360, but after everything was set up, I was surprised at the clarity and quality of the voice communications. I've been talking to some of the people I have via Xbox for a few years now – but only using the Official Xbox accessories – The factory default wired and the Wireless headsets, and with those in comparison, the quality is not worth using ever again. I do believe that if the audio was coming directly from the console via a USB connection instead of being streamed to the controller the quality would be even higher, but as it is compared to what most of us are using, it will blow you away.

For being such an advanced set of headphones with a wide range of applications, both gaming and home theater/music enthusiasts sound definitely give these a listen. The specialized power distribution setup gives the headphones the power that they need to provide a deep sound experience that utilizes the 5.1 surround sound technology to immerse the listeners into the movie, the game, or the music while the comfort of the headphones makes them enjoyable to have on throughout the experience. With these, the price is around $150.00 USD, and it is money well spent.