Turtle Beach Earforce Z60 DTS Headphone X Review

Peter Donnell / 9 years ago

Final Thoughts

Price

The Turtle Beach Earforce Z60 isn’t cheap at £79.99 from most major retailers on Google Shopping, but it is on par with similar specification headset from a few big rivals. It marks about £20 above headsets from Turtle Beach (such as the Recon 320), but adds a few new features and if you desire more dynamic surround sound from your headset, it can be worth the extra investment.

Overview

This is a really nice headset, albeit one that isn’t perfect. Headsets can be a very subjective product, one persons needs may not be the same as the next persons and for myself, I typically listen to more music through headphones than I do gaming, so I personally wouldn’t invest in this headset. However, if you play a lot of games, be that single player or competitive multiplayer, you’ll find a lot to love about the Z60.

The in-game chat audio is really nice, it’s bright and clear and voice have a nice natural tone to them that certainly reaps benefits to online gaming. There’s a separate volume controller for both game audio as well as game chat, giving you absolute control over what’s more important on the battlefield.

The surround sound modes do work very well, but I still think the stereo mode offers better acoustic performance. If you want that extra bit of quality and power, stick with the surround mode off. If you want to hear enemy footsteps coming up behind you, at the cost of a little sound quality, at least you have the option to do so.

Build quality is very good. The headset feels durable and I have no doubt that it’ll survive a few hard knocks and bumps with no issues; good news for those who plan on travelling to LAN events with the headset chucked in their backpack. The cables and microphone are fully detachable too, which again helps prevent them from becoming damaged in transit.

The Z60 is a little tight on the head, but it’s designed to wear into the user. It gets more comfortable after extended use and after a couple of days using it myself, I now forget I’m even wearing it.

Pros

Durable build quality
Detachable cables and microphone
Mobile and desktop use
Built-in surround processing
Nice gamer friendly aesthetics
In-line controller with separate chat/game volume controls

Cons

9dBa difference in max volume between 3.5mm and USB connections

Neutral

It is a little expensive, but it’s about on par with offerings from rival brands

“A great headset for those who play a lot of games, with great chat performance and a durable design overall. Gamers will love it, but those want to focus on movie and music playback may want to look elsewhere; such as the Turtle Beach Recon 320.”