Creative Labs EF0210 Fatal1ty USB Gaming Headset with Sound Blaster X-Fi Technology (Black)
by Creative
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List Price: Category: CE See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Creative Labs EF0210 Fatal1ty USB Gaming Headset with Sound Blaster X-Fi Technology (Black)
Customer Review: Great Sound and Compatibility
Summary: 4 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
It's been a while since I have tried a headset, and this set turned out to be much better than I expected.
It's mostly made of plastic, giving it a cheap feel, but don't be fooled, the sound quality is actually really good. I really like the detachable mic too, as you may not use it all the time and this allows you to get it out of your way.
I decided to take a different tack than most reviewers, and tried this set out on both Windows and Mac OSX operating systems. Although Windows is the only supported operating system from Creative, it worked well on both. Note: It seems to me that the real reason Windows is explicitly supported, is likely because the drivers provided with the headset, allow you to get the full 3-D X-Fi surround sound with certain Windows games. That said, it works well without the drivers, but lacks the high-end game support.
The first operating system I tried it on was Mac OSX 10.5.5. It was plug and play. I just had to go into System Preferences and set the Input and Output to the headset (displayed as Creative Headset"). THe sound was great and I tried recording with both Adobe Soundbooth and Apple Soundtrack Pro without issue.
Next, I tried the headset on a vmWare Fusion virtual machine (Windows Vista 64-bit). Now, I didn't expect it to work perfectly, since 64-bit Windows always has driver annoyances. But I was surprised to find it worked well and the drivers installed without issue. Both the headset and mic worked great, and again, the sound was impressive. I would recommend a reboot after installing the drivers in any case, it always helps and never hurts to do so.
Finally, I tried booting (via Apple Bootcamp) into a Windows Vista 64-bit Windows session and found the sound and mic worked great without drivers, and still worked with them installed (yeah, I'm surprised about this with 64-bit Windows anything ...).
Unfortunately, I did not have any supported games to try the 3-D Surround sound, but I can say that even without it, I am really impressed with the quality of the headset audio. I can only assume that it's much better running it in Windows with a supported game and using the provided drivers.
I did get to try the headset and mic with Rosetta Stone (German) and found it was really comfortable and worked great. The voice recognition seemed better than anything I had used before (i.e Dragon Naturally Speaking). I have to believe that the mic quality has a lot to dow ith this, since my pronunciation of German could not have been that good.
All in all, I think you get a lot of bang for the buck and would not hesitate to recommend this headset to anyone. The plastic may give it a cheaper feel, but it does not take away from sound quality and is a bit lighter on your head which makes for better long-term use and comfort.
Customer Review: Clarity in and out, padded comfort, easy controls, plug and play with Vista -- what else might you want?
Summary: 4 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
For whatever reason, it's easy to find bad gaming headsets. Poor construction leading to a broken connection, usually right above one speaker or the other on the headpiece. Poor audio output quality. Poor input quality on the microphone. Poor controls along the cable. Discomfort while wearing the piece over longer periods. Clunky proprietary software necessary to operate. The list can (and often does, in other product reviews) go on, leaving consumers like myself wondering why it's so hard to make a solid solution. It seems as if they (the engineers) just needed to collaborate with someone who actually uses their product, and uses it often, in order to overcome the common complaints, because with the Creative Fatal1ty, none of the above (after a month of use) are present concerns.
This headset is solidly constructed given the price, there's no obvious weak point along the adjustable headset that you just know will eventually give as you pull them off your head. The audio, both in and out, is crisp and clean. The controls along the cable are conveniently placed, and include an on/off toggle for the mic, and volume for the speakers (I do wish it included a mute button for the speakers as well, just as an instant off option). These headphones are very generously padded, particularly under the top inside curve of the headband itself (at least 3/4" of plush padding), and around the ear cups as well -- each leading to a very comfortable experience that doesn't press too hard anywhere, even over extended periods of use. Running 32-bit Vista SP1, I was able to plug this in and use them immediate, without installing any extra software.
I can think of no better praise for a product such as this than to say they're comfortable enough and the audio quality in and out is clear enough that you can basically forget that you're wearing a headset, allowing you to focus on whatever game or software you have before you at the time. I've owned several headsets that were distractions, either due to discomfort, poor audio quality, over (or under) sensitive microphones -- and that's just not the case here. For the price, you can rest assured that it does what it claims well, and is more comfortable than most.
Customer Review: Wonderful gaming headset, pretty decent headphones
Summary: 4 Stars
I have been in the market for a new headset for what seems like forever, and finally committed to buying these, since I specifically wanted a "gaming-grade" headset. I went for the USB version because I have dedicated headphones I use for music (I'm a bit of an audiophile) and I didn't want to constantly reach behind my computer to switch the input/output ports. Since my desktop has front-loading USB, I can easily just plug it in and I'm ready to go.
I play World of Warcraft and very recently, Left 4 Dead and use voice chat over 90% of the game in both games. My previous solution was separate headphones/microphone. I could never fully wear my headphones and talk at the same time though, because I could never hear myself talk--which resulted in me basically yelling without even knowing it.
When I first picked these headphones up, the first thing I noticed was how light (and unfortunately, cheap) they felt. I can definitely see myself breaking these if I were to just throw them in a bag for example. I would not recommend these for people who do a lot of mobile gaming.
The pro to them being light is that you can wear them for long periods of time and not be bothered. The felt surrounding the ear is incredibly soft. My ears don't heat up or feel bothered by wearing these for a while.
I plugged in the headphones and they were instantly ready to go, using Windows Vista x64. The sound quality (I have a Creative X-Fi card) is actually pretty good. It's obviously nothing like my professional headphones, but it's great in games and very crisp. I can finally chat with my teammates and hear all the action, without sacrificing one or the other like I had to before.
Note: If you find you're having odd sound troubles, make sure you visit Creative's website, because there is a firmware upgrade for this headphones that supposedly fix issues some people are having. I personally did not have any problem, but I've read a lot of reviews complaining about the product not working at all.
So overall, if you're in the market for a headset designed for gamers without compromising sound quality, I'd recommend these for sure. The only thing keeping me from giving this 5 stars is the light plastic feel of it...I am very careful in handling it, because I'm afraid it might break!
Customer Review: A few minor problems, but great sound and build quality
Summary: 4 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
I've tried using other gaming headsets in the past, and none have come close to the greatness of this one with regards to sound quality, and build quality of the actual headset. The headset is built sturdy, and comes with a protective case. Everything feels very comfortable, and durable. My favorite part of the headphones is the sound quality. The sound quality on these headphones is AMAZING! Everything sounds crystal clear, and I hear things in games that I never heard before through other headsets/speakers. In addition, the headset manages to give you the full surround experience so things that are behind you sound like they are behind you. The sound quality on these things is unbeatable.
With all my compliments about the device, you are probably wondering why I gave it 4 stars. Well first of all, the install was very annoying. I am installing this on my brand new gaming computer, and the whole process from cd insert to final boot up after installing everything took about a half hour. Also, for some reason you have to type in an activation key before you can use the headphones. Seems sort of silly to think somebody is going to try and "pirate" headphone driver software... As with most installs these days, the CD also wanted to install some sort of media ad/spyware bar to my Internet Explorer as well (which I declined). The other thing that bugs me would have to be the ease of use. With all the software I installed for these things, it would be nice if when I plug them in the sound just transfers to them, and when I unplug, the sound goes back to the speaker. Rather, you have to go to control panel and change your default sound output each time.
Aside from some "interface" issues, these headphones are simply amazing. If you are looking for a nice set of gaming headphones, I'd say this is a fairly reasonable price for the quality that you are getting with these.
Customer Review: A well-designed gaming headset
Summary: 4 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
The Creative Fatal1ty is a well-designed gaming headset with solid sound that strikes a good compromise between quality and price. There are plenty of cheaper gaming headsets, but you will see some improvements with the Fatal1ty that make it worth the extra money. They are distinguished from the standard Fatal1ty headset in that they use a usb connection rather than plugging directly into the soundcard, which for most people will be much more convenient and well worth the extra cost.
The necessary drivers and such install quickly, although there's some "extras" that will come along with the drivers that you may or may not want to actually install as well. Sound quality is very good, with distinct left/right separation, and they also proved surprisingly good at simulating full surround with certain titles as well. Bass is pleasantly strong, and highs, while not quite as clear as I'd like, were still good enough quality for most games needs.
The headset was also quite comfortable, with lots of padding. They fit on the ears, rather than over them, but they still were comfortable to wear even while wearing glasses too. They hug your head firmly, which helps improve bass sound, but does make them slightly tiring to wear after more than a couple hours. I also appreciate their relatively understated design, with just a bit of flair without looking over-the-top clownish on your head like some of the cheaper headsets do.
The microphone works well, providing clear sound, and is more flexible than most in adjusting to (and holding) whatever position you want. In a nice touch it also easily detaches if you want to play a game without it getting in the way if you don't plan on talking to others.
Overall this is a very good choice if you want something better than the basic headsets out there, but don't want to lay out the cash for the really high end.