Most of us are now familiar with 5.1 surround sound systems that allow us to enjoy (almost) cinematic audio experiences in our living rooms when watching movies or playing games. The Psyko 5.1 gaming headset aims to offer a similar experience by using air tubes to direct sounds to the ears from five speakers fitted in the bridge and subwoofers within each ear cup.
In a 5.1 room speaker setup, five speakers are strategically placed around the living space, three in front and two more behind. An additional subwoofer can be positioned just about anywhere. Find the correct position in the middle of such a setup and listeners will enjoy a three dimensional audio experience which is generally accepted to vastly improve the enjoyment of a movie or video game.
When it comes to headphones though, what you get is sounds delivered to each ear in a polished dual mono kind of thing or something that's routed through digital processing to try and fool us into believing we're experiencing true surround sound. Neither is ideal. The Psyko 5.1 gaming headset has been specifically designed for gamers but anyone wishing to enjoy surround sound should benefit. Dubbed the "Perfect Room" by the company, the Psyko headset is claimed to put you right "into the sweet spot" every time.
Just like a room setup, the headset has five speakers and subwoofer (in this case, one in each ear cup). Three of the speakers sit at the front of the overhead bridge and another two at the rear. If an enemy in the game is in front, close by and to the left, the Psyko system sends sounds from the front left speaker. The sounds then travel through WaveGuides to the front of both ears. Being closer to the source, the left ear will register the sound first and then sound will flow through to the right, giving instant positional awareness.
Available now for US$299.99, the company says the Psyko 5.1 gaming headset will "deliver all natural sound that everyone will hear to the limits of their audio acuity, with no latency."