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Q: How does Dolby® Headphone technology create 5.1 surround sound with stereo X4 headphones?
A: Most XBOX® 360 games include a 5.1 surround sound audio track that’s encoded in Dolby Digital format, which is accessed by using the XBOX digital output connector. In order to hear the 5.1 surround sound, your audio system has to split this digital stream into 5.1 channels, each of which is sent to the 6 speakers in your 5.1 speaker system.
The X4 transmitter includes a digital signal processor (DSP) with an optical digital input that connects to the XBOX 360. The DSP splits the Dolby Digital audio stream into 5.1 channels and then uses Dolby Headphone post-processing with Head-Related Transfer Function (HRTF) technology to combine these individual channels into a special type of stereo signal that simulates the way your ears hear natural sound. The result is an astoundingly accurate surround sound experience with the freedom to move around with wireless stereo headphones.
Q: Why doesn’t the X4 use multiple speakers in each ear cup to create 5.1 surround sound, like the Turtle Beach HPA2 headphones?
A: The HPA2 is wired, so it’s easy to connect 6 channels to the headphones. The X4 is wireless, which makes it a lot more complicated and expensive. In fact, it would require a transmitter that sends 6 separate channels (for 5.1) instead of 2 (for stereo) and headphones with three sets of stereo receivers to pick up the 6 individual channels. This would make the transmitter and headphones more expensive, as well as make the headphones require more battery power (therefore heavier). Instead, Dolby Headphone technology accomplishes the same thing by encoding the 6 channels into signals that simulate the way your ears would hear them if played on a 5.1 speaker system.
Q: What’s the difference between the X4 Dolby Headphone Technology vs. the HPA2 discrete 5.1 speakers?
A: Surround sound on PC games and XBOX games works differently. The HPA2 is designed for PC gaming, so it has six separate analog inputs that connect to the outputs on a PC sound card to provide individual control over the Front, Surround, Center and Sub channels. The HPA2 can therefore be used with any surround sound source generated by the PC, which is very useful because surround sound on a PC is not always in Dolby Digital format. Even when it is, the Dolby Digital stream is split up inside the PC and sent out as 6 separate channels via the sound card. In contrast, surround sound on XBOX games is transmitted over a digital optical cable and encoded in Dolby Digital format. The X4 transmitter splits this XBOX Dolby Digital signal into 6 channels and sends it to the X4 headphones in Dolby Headphone surround sound. So, even though the HPA2 and X4 are both “surround sound headphones”, they’re specifically designed for two different gaming platforms.
Q: Why is there a bypass switch on the X4 transmitter to turn off the Dolby surround sound processing?
A: The Bypass switch lets you hear what the audio sounds like without Dolby processing. For example, if you’re listening to a TV show with the X4 headphones, you may not want the sound to be processed and instead may want to listen as it was originally recorded.
Q: Why does the X4 transmitter include analog stereo inputs if Dolby surround sound uses the digital input?
A: The analog inputs let you connect sound sources that are not digital (e.g. your TV or MP3 player) and listen with the X4 headphones. When a digital signal is detected, the analog inputs are turned off. So, for example, you can leave your TV connected to the analog inputs and whenever your XBOX is active, the sound of the XBOX overrides the TV sound and you don’t have to be bothered switching cables.
Q: Can I use the transmitter and headphones for listening to DVD movies with Dolby 5.1 surround sound?
A: Yes, you can. Just connect the X4 to the digital output on your DVD player and you can enjoy Dolby 5.1 surround sound from your DVD movies with the X4 headphones. You’ll be surprised how much it improves the movie watching experience because you’ll hear subtle sounds that are missed on speakers! You can also remove the microphone when watching movies, so you won’t look like a total geek.
Q: Why does the X4 (and X3, X1) use a wired connection between the headphones and XBOX controller rather than a wireless signal for XBOX Live chat?
A: Well, for one thing, the XBOX controller uses a proprietary RF communication system that is not made available to third party product developers. But more importantly, RF would add substantial cost to the headphones for very little benefit, since you have to hold the controller close to your body anyway.
Q: Why does the X4 (and X3) use an infrared (IR) wireless connection rather than Bluetooth® or another RF wireless technology?
1.) IR takes a lot less current than RF. So, the headphone batteries last a lot longer.
2.) IR is a lot less expensive than RF technology.
3.) IR is immune to RF interference from microwave ovens, wireless phones, wireless LANs, etc.
4.) IR signals in the X3 and X4 are transmitted in uncompressed format, while Bluetooth audio is compressed.
5.) There are no delays with IR. Under some conditions, Bluetooth can cause delays between the sound and video.
6.) Playing XBOX 360 requires you to look at a TV screen, so the line of sight requirement for IR is not an issue.
Q: Does it matter which way I put the headphones on my ears for the Dolby effect to work correctly?
A: Yes, the ears cups are labeled with L and R indicators. To get the full Dolby surround sound effect, you must wear the headphones with the microphone over your left ear and the headband on top of your head (not behind your head).
Q: Can I use my X3 headphones with the X4 transmitter?
A: Yes, you can use X4 headphones with an X3 transmitter and X3 headphones with an X4 transmitter.
Q: Can I use multiple X4 headphones with the same transmitter at the same time?
A: There is no limit to the number of headphones that can receive the game signal from one transmitter. However, there is a limit to the number of players that can participate with XBOX Live on the same console.
Q: Can I use the X4 headphones for just chatting on Xbox Live without listening to the game?
A: If you want to just chat, you’ll have to play some sound in the background to keep the headphones on. For instance, you can connect your MP3 player to the analog inputs and listen to soft music while chatting. People on the other side of the conversation won’t hear the music.
Q: How long will the headphone batteries last?
A: Alkaline batteries will last for more than 20 straight hours of game play, and often even longer than that. You can also use rechargeable batteries, which won’t last as long, but hey, they’re rechargeable!
Q: Do the headphones have an automatic shutoff to help extend battery life?
A: Yes. If there is no game sound for more than several minutes, the transmitter will stop sending the IR signal. If the headphones do not sense an IR signal for more than a couple of minutes, they’ll automatically shut off.
Q: Can I replace the ear cushions?
A: Replacement ear cushions can be purchased on the "Replacement Parts" page of the X4 section on our web site (TurtleBeach.com.)
Q: Can I use the X4 with a PlayStation 3?
A: Yes, you can use the X4 to hear the PS3 game audio in Dolby surround sound, just as you would on the XBOX 360. However, the chat feature won’t work because it’s not compatible with the PS3 chat connection.
Q: Can I use the X4 with my PC games?
A: If your PC has a digital output, you can connect it to the X4 transmitter and listen to Dolby surround sound with the headphones. If your PC doesn’t have a digital output, you can buy the Turtle Beach Audio Advantage Micro, a small USB device that provides a digital audio output for any PC or laptop, available at TurtleBeach.com
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