Turtle Beach® Announces Next-Gen Ear Force® X3 Wireless Xbox® Headphones

August 22, 2007 (PRLEAP.COM) Technology News
Elmsford, N.Y., August 22, 2007 — Turtle Beach today announced the newest addition to its growing line of award-winning gaming headphones. The company’s Ear Force X3 headphones are designed to enhance the Microsoft® Xbox 360 gaming experience by enabling the user to independently control volume of amplified chat and game audio - a first for wireless headphones.

PC gamers rely on headphones to eliminate distracting noise around them, so they can concentrate on their game play and hear every nuance of the game audio. Stereo headphones with an integrated PC microphone are incompatible with the Xbox 360, so gamers are forced to choose between using standard headphones and talking online. Conventional Xbox communicator headsets cover one ear for chat, leaving only a single ear for hearing game audio from the speakers. The Ear Force X3 overcome this problem by pumping game audio AND online chat through high-fidelity headphones to deliver the privacy, clarity, and competitive edge of PC headphones on the Xbox 360 platform.

Designed for premium sound, the X3s feature 40mm drivers in each ear cup and are powered by low distortion DC-coupled amplifiers for deep, rich bass sound. Engineered for long-gaming sessions, the headphones incorporate a soft, cushioned, adjustable headband, deep ear pads and tilting ear cups to fit the contours of the gamer’s head.

“We’ve had a phenomenal response from the gamers who’ve tried the X3s,” said Seth Dotterer, director of marketing for Turtle Beach. “The perfect fit for both the gamer seeking a better audio experience and the late-night gamer who wants a full audio experience without waking up the whole block – the X3s are a must-have accessory for any 360 gamer.”

The Ear Force X3 also incorporates a number of unique features designed to enhance the gaming experience, including:

Stereo Expander: The X3 infrared transmitter incorporates an expander that spreads the stereo signal to provide a “wider” sound field. This results in a richer, fuller sound than normal stereo, as if it originates from outside the headphones.

Bass Boost: The X3 headphones incorporate a bass-boost feature that produces deep, rich bass tones by increasing the volume of low frequency sounds – just like turning up the sub-woofer on a home theater system.

Dynamic Talkback Expander: The headphones automatically adjust incoming Xbox Live chat levels during loud game moments, so chat from teammates isn’t lost in exciting parts of the game play. When the game volume quiets down, the chat level smoothly returns to the normal volume setting.

Automatic Shut-Off: The headphones are designed for long battery life and will automatically shut off after a few minutes of inactivity, so gamers never have to worry about forgetting to shut them off to conserve battery power. The package includes two long-lasting AA batteries.

Microphone Monitoring: When wearing headphones, people tend to talk louder, (and louder, and louder) since they can’t hear themselves speak. By mixing a portion of the microphone signal with the headphone signal, the X3 headphones let the gamer hear his voice along with the
online chat and game audio—so he’ll only shout when he wants to.

Although designed for the Xbox 360, the Ear Force X3 can be used with any gaming console or PC (note that the integrated microphone only works with the 360) and for enjoying late night TV or listening to music. The Ear Force X3 headphones will be available for a retail price of $99.95, and are available for pre-order now at TurtleBeach.com and your local gaming retailer.

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Turtle Beach (www.turtlebeach.com) designs, manufactures and markets high quality, competitively-priced audio peripherals for video game consoles and personal computers. Famous for its innovative, award-winning line of Audio Advantage® USB and Montego™ DDL PCI computer soundcards, Turtle Beach is winning worldwide acclaim for its growing line of Ear Force® headphones, which are designed for the uncompromising gamer who demands the best audio experience possible.

Turtle Beach, with headquarters in Elmsford, New York, is a division of Voyetra Turtle Beach, which has been a pioneer in the synthesizer, software and network audio device marketplace for more than 3 decades.

Turtle Beach®, Audio Advantage®, and Ear Force® are registered trademarks and Montego is a trademark of Voyetra Turtle Beach, Inc.

Microsoft® and Xbox® are registered trademarks of Microsoft, Corp. All other trademarks are copyright of their respective holders and are hereby acknowledged.