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The Psyko 5.1 PC Gaming Headset is an amazing piece of technology that sounds great but falls on the hard-to-afford side. At times, it’s also a little hard to keep on your head but it’s never, ever hard to listen to.
In fact, the Psyko sounds pretty dern amazing.
Out of the Box
The Psyko include seven internal speakers: two 40 mm directed sub-woofers and five 30 mm directional speakers. Unlike most headsets, where the speakers are creatively crammed right around your ears, these are positioned around your head including the bridge across the top. Sounds is then channeled via tubes to your ears to create a minute delay which, the creators claim, creates a more natural and realistic portrayal of sound.
Each ear piece has a clear, outer cover than can be flipped open at any time. Also, the headset can be adjusted for height with each ear piece independently moving moving up or down.
A color-coordinated microphone ships with the headset which can be easily clicked into the appropriate 1/8 in. jack.
This headset also ships with a 5.1 Amp unit, slightly larger than a deck of cards, with its own power cord. The headphones plug into the amp which is then plugged into your computer’s sound card. Both the headset and the amp have color-coded cables (and, in the amp, ports).
The Amp has LEDs to indicate exactly where sound is being delivered to the Psyko so that you can tune your audio appropriately. The lights have varied brightness to reflect volume. The Amp also includes a Power-Volume knob that lets you adjust the volume mid game as well as a Bass knob.
There is a user manual but no software or driver shipped with the Psyko as neither is needed to run the Psyko or Amp.
Installing the Psyko was relatively simple. The only issue I had was that my sound card did not use standardized color coding for the ports so I had to take a little extra time to figure out which cable when where. The manual did not include a simple chart to help but did have a section that referenced the colors as examples.
On My Head
The headset is rather large , not quite fitting roundly around your head. The clothy portions on top, which are also the non-subwoofer speakers, do make a for a rather comfortable fit. The ear pads are very, very comfy and not one bit o’ plastic touches your head. Very elegant.
I also did not experience any discomfort after wearing this headset for several hours (which is common with most gaming headsets). If you get sweaty ears, which is common with the large-ear headsets, the hinged ear flaps offer adequate temporary venting.
This may be the most comfortable large-form headset I’ve every worn. While it stayed on my head, that is.
When I lean my head back, the Psyko actually slides off (despite the “grippy” cloth mandated for the Psyko). That’s not a good thing for an active gamer to experience, potentially causing a second or two to recover, hands off the mouse or keyboard, losing kill shots of becoming a sudden victim. Even the shortest distraction can make the difference between a team win or loss in a major competition. There really needs to be some type of skull cap or cross support. When I lean forward, they Psyko slides about a half inch at the most, with little threat of falling. Backwards, however, and they slide down to my neck.
The issue is that there is no way to adjust the fit along the top, or the crown of the Psyko, to keep it pressed to your head. That may contribute to its high comfort level but ultimately works against its utility. The only adjustments are with each side independently moving up or down.
Out of My Mouth
Due the the size of the headset, the microphone is pushed a bit far back for my face. I like a microphone to get in at least a little over my mouth.
I tested the microphone with a few online calls and it does have great pickup and a nice quality (or so the callers on the other end claimed) despite its distance from my face.
I still would have liked to have seem a slightly longer microphone but it proved to work pretty well as-is.
In My Ears
I tried the Psyko with several games with surround sound and that should never have surround sound, as well as a few movies and online calling applications.
The surround effect is the best I have heard and especially accurate. The LED feedback of the Psyko 5.1 PC Amp helps to make certain you are tuned to get the best effect. Also, the Amp’s volume knob helps to fine-tune your experience without leaving your game.
Opening the ear vents – simple, clear and hinged plastic cover for each ear piece – allows you to either better hear outside sounds or block them out for better, more concentrated acoustics. You will certainly want to keep them closed to down out opponents (not completely, but enough) and improve the surround sound quality.
In Your Home?
It’s really hard to get past that $300 price tag in recommending this as a purchase. This is a luxury headset with luxurious sound that you pretty much need to hear to believe.
If you are an expressive gamer, I’d recommend testing this before buying because, as I experienced, it did tend to slide off when I leaned even a few degrees back. Most gamers leaning in to a screen, however, will likely not experience this (unless they toss their head backs during a rare defeat).
For most gamers. however, this will simply be out of their price range (that does not mean, of course that you cannot put it on your Holiday wish list).
If you can afford it and can truly appreciate amazing surround sound gaming audio, then you basically need to get this headset. It may be the last one you ever buy.
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