Psyko 5.1 Surround Sound Headphones Review

Final Thoughts, Pricing, and Conclusion

Final Thoughts

After doing a thorough analysis of my notes during performance testing and taking into account the overall features and specifications available with the Psyko 5.1 headphones, I have determined that Psyko’s goal to use “sound as a weapon” during FPS gaming is definitely validated through my subjective testing over the past three weeks. I fully enjoyed the 5.1 sound and directional sound capabilities of these headphones, which provided with my with a unique experience that possibly has changed the way I play FPS games forever.

Being able to rely on consistent and precise directional sound is a new concept for me as I’ve mostly used two-channel headphones with synthetic surround sound properties when I played FPS games. It was actually a bit challenging for me to process the sound I was hearing and to incorporate it into my individual and team game play. But, after a week of tweaking the sound to my personal gaming preferences, I noticed more and more that the sound was becoming a critical part of my overall gaming strategies. This is important to note because it wasn’t just about the “twitchiness” of my game play, but how I reacted to the new sounds I was hearing as well. My reaction times changed dramatically as a result of these headphones, and I truly don’t know how I could go back to standard gaming headphones.

With that said, there was one glaring issue I had with these headphones from the moment I started the performance testing phase of this review. Right when I started playing Bad Company 2, my wife tapped me on the shoulder and said she thought she could hear World War II coming from my office because of these headphones. I didn’t understand what she meant until I took them off and went back into the game. You can actually hear the sounds very clearly and loudly from the outside of the headphones. I guess it didn’t dawn on me that the five speakers on the bridge of the headset wouldn’t be isolated to the wave guides as the sound traveled down to the ear cups.

This is a pretty significant issue for me because one of the main benefits of having headphones is to have an exceptional personal listening experience that is for you and you alone. This also could be an issue during LAN and tournament gaming, especially if you can hear not only the game’s environmental sounds, but also possibly your team’s communications as well. I think it would be difficult if your team’s communication could be overheard by outsiders who could pass this information along to a competing team.

Pricing

The Psyko Audio Labs is available at PsykoAudio.com for $299.99 plus free shipping. Consumers can also purchase these headphones at Newegg, Buy.com, Amazon, ZipZoomFly, and Tiger Direct for $299.99.

Conclusion

We’d like to thank Psyko Audio Labs for providing their 5.1 headphones for our review today. These true surround sound headphones really changed my point of view on how sound should be used and incorporated during FPS gaming. I used to think of sound as a secondary part of gaming, but during testing I actually started to focus primarily on where sounds were coming from and how we could change our strategy to take advantage of this new dimension in the game.

The $300 price tag could still turn off many budget gamers who just want a decent set of gaming headphones with good highs and lows. But, real enthusiasts who like to tweak everything about their gaming hardware will want to take advantage of every edge they can get, and these 5.1 headphones will provide them with excellent directional sound and good overall sound for today’s latest FPS games. Using sound as a weapon is now possible through the Psyko 5.1 headphones.