After plugging right into the 360 controller and into the headphones, it works just like the previous headsets, but with the X4 you are granted another great option. With the X4 you are able to fix the balance between voice chat and game volume, and it is very simple to flip on the fly.

The X4 can setup, easily, right into your 360 using the Digital Optical jacks and provide the best quality sound; although, I was able to connect it to the Optical Out jack right on my TV. This allowed me to use the X4's for plain old TV watching, or even for use with my other consoles. And yes, they sound fantastic on the PS3. The Wii however, uses more simple sound channels so it ends up sounding mostly just "too big" rather than the finesse and environmental immersion the other systems provide.

A set of gaming headphones can have every feature under the Sun, and sound fantastic, but it's not worth a damn if it is uncomfortable. That isn't the case with the X4's. Their velvet lining and lightweight are incredibly comfortable. It is often easy to forget you are even wearing them, and if it wasn't for the heat the lining generated after long periods of use, you would never notice. Though a company still needs to come along and fix the "air traffic controller" look.

While the X4's are a fantastic auditory experience, there are a few issues to note. Firstly, the battery life is somewhat lacking. The package says it has a system to prevent unnecessary juice from being sapped. But we only got roughly a week's worth of good play before quality started dipping, though it could have very well been attributed to the low quality batteries that shipped with the headphones.

Battery life becomes another issue because, as the batteries start to lose their juice, the sound quality seems to go south. The games will start to get fuzzy during certain sounds, and the background, white noise, becomes fairly noticeable when it wasn't before.

Though, some games have sound issues before battery failure, too. Certain games, when using the X4, seem to have trouble translating certain sounds. Dark Sector, for instance, would constantly crackle and go fuzzy when there was a lot of gun fire, or during loud vocal sequences. Though we couldn't find any other games that had this issue, it is important for consumers to note that their experience may vary from game to game.

Even with the few issues -and the rather high price point- the Ear Force X4 is a fantastic set of gaming hardware perfectly designed to sit alongside your 360. They provide a shut-off to the world and allow gamers to sink into the realm they are playing in, while maintaining the sanity of those around them. Its functionality with Xbox LIVE is not found anywhere else, and can't be beat.