Turtle Beach Ear Force Z6A

Turtle Beach Ear Force Z6A PC Gaming Headset

Unnecessary features are easy to forgive in most devices, but when those features are implemented in a way that hinders, it's a problem. For example, 5.1-channel surround sound in headphones is unnecessary, because even with individual drivers for the channels there isn't enough space or acoustics for the channels to image accurately and give a real surround-sound experience. That's not to say that they can't still serve as great stereo headphones, but when the design of headphones requires you to have a 5.1-channel surround sound card, the unnecessary feature limits the usefulness of an otherwise-solid product. That's the main problem with the Turtle Beach Ear Force Z6A ($99.95 list). It's a 5.1-channel gaming headset that feels and sounds great for its price, but requires a special sound card in your PC to work, even if you want to listen to content in stereo. DesignThe headset has an attractive, metallic aesthetic to it, with mostly black ear cups trimmed in chrome and blue. The ear cups and headband are lightly padded, and hinges and pivots where the ear cups meet the headband ensure a comfortable fit with little adjustment. I popped the headset on my overly large head and it sat comfortably without having to mess with the headband.