Ear Force AK-R8

When the name Turtle Beach is stamped onto a product, chances are very good that you will be receiving an item of great quality, employing solid dynamics and comfort.

Along comes the Ear Force AK-R8 headphones, a PC peripheral that features true 5.1 sound and its own set of drivers that work independently of whatever audio drivers may already be on your PC. If there is one complaint, it is that the sound does not get loud enough … but then again, when playing rock through headsets, if the people in the next room can’t hear the music, it is not loud enough (ya, ya, there are specialists in hearing loss diving to find my e-mail address even as they read this). Okay, kidding aside, the sound produced by these headsets is bright, crisp and full editable.

The Ear Force AK-R8 headset comes in several parts. There is an independent microphone that snaps into the left ear piece (unless you reverse the headset) and the mic arm is seven inches in total length, with a middle piece that is flexible. There is also a USB audio interface that drives the multi-channel headphones, but also has separate plugs for 5.1 or 7.1 analog and digital outputs. The outfit also comes with an optical S/PDIF adapter for connecting to home-theater systems. There is an installation CD with the Audio Advantage SRM console.

The headphones have the over-the-crown configuration with a piece that auto adjusts to secure a snug fitting. There are eight speakers in the headsets and dual sub-woofers for a solid bass sound.

The set-up is easy. The headphones USB connection does key on one particular USB port and if you plug the headphones into a different port, you will get a pop-up asking you to plug them into the port previously used. The audio drivers are independent of drivers already installed on your system. There was some concern here. The host machine has a Creative Labs sound system driving a Logitech 5.1 speaker system. That was left alone by the Ear Force drivers.

Pulling up the Audio Advantage console reveals four tabs – speakers (the setup), equalizer (with eight presets and 10 sliders for refining the audio experience), effects (you can customize the environment from 27 settings as well as adjust the level of surround sound and speaker positioning) and a mixer for adjusting volumes for playback and recording. You can name your own settings and save them.

Of course, all this is a precursor to the sound of the headphones themselves. They are listed a professional gamer headphones, but anytime headphones come through the door, the first step is to fire up some music, and crank the volume.

The headphones were put through some paces, playing songs from Judas Priest to Corey Hart’s ‘Sunglasses at Night’ (which has a nice bit of bouncing left-right audio pulse) to Led Zepplin, Damn Yankees, Black Eyed Peas, Ted Nugent, Dio, ELO and so on. Using the Audio Advantage console to tweak the 10 slider bars created a customized audio experience that was absolutely wonderful.

Next it was on to gaming. EVE Online, EverQuest II, Guild Wars, Overlord, The Lord of the Rings Online were all played through the headphones. The vibrancy was terrific, with environment sounds clearly rendered in surround sound. There is a great sense of immersion when you can hear sounds of something approaching from behind or target by direction. The Ear Force headset brings all that into play.

The ears only got a little hot after three hours of continuous wear.

The Ear Force headphones retail for $149.99 but deliver with amazing sound that is certain to please audiophiles looking for great quality headphones to enjoy their music a little more privately. As for gamers looking for headsets that deliver great sound and seem to provide crisp voice for clients that utilize voice for playing, the Ear Force fits that bill as well.

Pros:
The sound is top-notch and the headset is comfortable to wear for extended periods.

Cons:
The USB interface is a heavy little sucker and can weigh down the cord connecting the headset to the PC.

Overall: 9.4
These are awesome headphones. High quality construction, great surround-sound capabilities, crisp audio presentation and sound vibrancy – the Ear Force AK-R8 headphones are an easy recommendation.