Reviewed: October 19, 2009
Reviewed by: Mark Smith

Manufacturer
Turtle Beach

Type: Gaming Headset
System: PS3 (PC)

Rating: 7.0

What's in the box

But putting aside my personal situation, I do realize there is a need for products such as the new Turtle Beach Ear Force P21 Gaming Headset for the PS3. Turtle Beach has been around for over 30 years and is one of the most respected brands in audio hardware. Their latest addition to the PS3 line of gaming headsets includes several popular features like:

• Independent volume controls for game and voice signals make it easy to balance PSN chat and stereo game sound.
• Variable bass-boost control makes explosions, gun shots and other deep-bass effects more dramatic by allowing the user to increase or reduce low frequencies as needed.
• Proprietary Chat Boost feature automatically increases PSN chat levels during loud gaming sequences, so online communication from teammates isn’t drowned out.
• Stereo Expander spreads the stereo signal for a wider sound field.
• A microphone with rugged, oversized, flexible boom accurately reproduces the gamer’s voice while keeping out unwanted ambient noise.
• A microphone monitor keeps gamers from raising their voices louder than necessary and avoids the "clogged ear" feeling that results when you can’t hear yourself speak.
• Premium sound is delivered by wide-bandwidth 40mm speaker drivers with high-density magnets and DC-coupled amplifiers for low distortion.

While my personal setup experience for the P21 was problematic, I would have to assume that normal setup is far simpler for the casual gamer. The P21 connects in two ways, via USB for the chat functionality and with the red and white stereo cables for stereo audio. Since I was already using HDMI to go from my PS3 to my Onkyo receiver and then to my TV I had some extra work ahead of me not only re-cabling my PS3 audio, but also going into the PS3 system setup and changing my audio settings in there as well. Fortunately, I was able to still use HDMI for my 1080p video signal, otherwise this would have been a deal-breaker.

The included RCA pass-through connectors allow you to use the headphones as well as the TV audio if you wish, or you can just go directly from the PS3 to the P21 and skip the whole pass-through setup. You’ll need a PC Stereo Audio Splitter (sold separately for $4.95) to use the P21 with your PC or Mac. This cable converts the green PC audio to RCA jacks while allowing you to pass the audio onto existing speakers. I have a THX 7.1 surround system on my PC as well but that still uses a single green audio line, so installation on the PC was much simpler than it was on the PS3.

Once you have the P21 connected you’ll find the 16-foot cable is more than long enough to let you sit just about anywhere in a normal size living room. An in-line control box allows for separate volume control for game, bass, and chat levels, a stereo expander, and a mic mute. It's all powered through the USB so no hassles with AAA batteries.

Aesthetics - 9

The Ear Force P21 is pretty slick and stylish for cup-style headphones. Styled entirely in glossy black plastic with cushioned mesh cloth for extended wear comfort, you can easily adjust this headset or even spin the cups flat for easy storage. The in-line control box does tend to dangle a few feet down the line, but it does offer a clip so you can attach it to your shirt. The boom mic curves nicely around your face and can swivel to any position you like including completely behind you and out of the way when not in use.

Durability - 7

The Ear Force P21 is surprisingly light, which sadly and perhaps unfairly makes them feel a bit cheap, most specifically, where the swivel cups attach to the headband. We’ve had many headphones come into the office for review that swivel, some of which appeared stronger than these, and they have all broken within a few months of regular use. Only time will tell with the P21, but I have my concerns.

Performance - 7

Once you have the P21 hooked to your PS3 (or PC) it all boils down to audio quality, and while the P21 has technically solid audio output, you are limited to two-channel stereo, which seems a bit counterproductive to the whole concept of next-gen gaming. Then again, not everyone has a 5.1 or 7.1 sound system, and for those of you who still playing games using your TV speakers, you’ll have no regrets.

The first game I fired up was Uncharted 2, where I dove right into some co-op and competitive gaming sessions. The sound quality was quite good, but having come off of an 8-hour single player session in 7.1 surround, the experience was understandably a bit flat. The environments didn’t feel as open and alive and I was missing those directional cues that told me where the enemies were coming from. I then loaded up Resistance 2 and Killzone 2 to try out those games and found similar results - excellent stereo sound quality with a nice frequency range for effects and music.

The stereo expander button opened up the soundscape slightly, but it seemed a bit artificial – certainly no match for true Dolby or DTS audio. I also played around with the bass boost, and while this punched up the low frequencies, it also seemed to muffle the high end. I ultimately found that leaving the bass boost off provided the most pleasing results.

Perhaps the best feature of the P21 is the chat functionality and voice quality. In every online game I played I was always asking the other players how I sounded on their end, and I was always getting positive feedback. Often, people would comment before I even asked, saying how good my voice quality was and asking, “what Bluetooth was I using?” The mic monitoring is a great feature that actually lets you hear your own voice in the headset, so you don’t talk any louder than you need to. Most of my testing was done in a quiet room but when there was “other noise” around me I was told that it did carry over through my boom mic, so the input isn’t very directional or isolated.

One issue I did notice was just how much ambient noise was “leaking” through the cup-style headphones. While these aren’t being marketed as noise-canceling headphones you normally expect a certain level of isolation from the over-the-ear design. For whatever reason, the P21 allows just as much ambient noise into your ears as on-the-ear flush design and quite possibly ear buds, which could present a problem if you are using these at a LAN party.

Value - 6

While $80 isn’t a lot of cash for a good quality headset – you’ll spend $40-60 for a good Bluetooth for voice chat only – I still think the Ear Force P21 is on the high side of the price spectrum. You could spend twice that and get a 5.1 headset (sans chat) otherwise you have to start looking at other brands and models where prices can soar close to $200. It’s nice that you can double up the P21 and use them on the PC but the $5 cable should have been included. And it would have been even better if Turtle Beach could have added 360 compatibility in there for multi-platform owners.

Overall – 7.0

This is really a tough call. The Turtle Beach Ear Force P21 is an attractive, comfortable headset with great stereo sound and superb voice chat quality, and if you find yourself in a situation where you must play your games without waking the family or the neighbors then you should definitely check out a pair. Then again, most gamers who commit to the PS3 are going in for the full HD surround experience, and the P21 is sadly lacking in immersive audio or an isolated listening experience. It’s an easy recommendation at half the price but seriously check out your options before committing $80 or more to this or any console headset.