These headphones can be used without the Dolby headphone decoder box however you will only get two-channel audio. The input on the top of the decoder box will take a stereo or optical cable depending on what you will be plugging into.
The LEDs on the decoder box let you know what input (analog or digital) is being used as well as what decoding (Dolby Pro Logic II, Dolby Headphone, DTS, or stereo) being used. As a note you want the DTS led to turn red when DTS decoding is being used.
There are three buttons on the box; one that mutes the audio, one that changes the output, and one that tests the headphones for 5.1 capabilities. There is also an on/off switch so that you can turn the box on or off. Since I didn’t receive any rechargeable batteries I picked up some name brand AAA so I could test the decoder box.
After a few hours of use the charge LED started to blink letting me know my batteries were almost dead. Knowing this I’m glad HC Technology does include rechargeable with this set of headphones. On the right side of the decoder box is a jack so you can plug the decoder box into the wall that will charge the batteries. Also on the right side of the decoder box is a volume dial which turns the volume up and down as expected.
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| Optical cable in Playstation 2 | Optical cable in DVD player with DTS |
Test setup
These headphones were tested on my Gigabyte K8NS Pro which uses the Realtek ALC850 Audio AC’97 Codec for eight-channel audio. I tested MP3 playback and PC games with my computer, my standalone DVD player which has a DTS output test DVD playback, and my Playstation 2 to test console gaming.
MP3s
MP3 playback was provided by my computer using the AC’97 codec. I had the stereo cable hooked to my computer into the decoder box with Dolby Pro Logic II turned on. I started out by listening to Headnoise – Haunting Enigma and the quality was amazing. Punk doesn’t use a lot of bass but the mids and highs were very clear and loud. I also listened to some techno with a lot of bass and with all the songs I listened to the bass had good kick to it and didn’t drown out the mids or highs. I continued listening to more songs from different genres and couldn’t find a thing that made these headphones sound bad.
PC games
PC game testing was done using Counter Strike: Source set to 5.1 and high quality audio. Knowing where sounds are coming from is extremely important while playing a first person shooter like Counter Strike. Knowing where your enemies are can quickly give you an advantage allowing you to get the kill. My normal speaker setup is a set of 2.1 Logitech Z-2200 speakers which are great 2.1 speakers but obviously lack the 5.1 capability. Using these 5.1 HC Technology headphones made game play much better, I was easily able to tell where people were and where gun fire was coming from. The quality produced from the 40mm drivers was exceptional clear and crisp. The bass, mids, and highs were all high quality and didn’t lack a thing.
DVDs
To test DVD playback I used my standalone DVD player to watch Pirates of the Caribbean. I hooked the long optical cable from the DVD player to the digital decoder box input then plugged the headphones into to the box. Before watching the movie I went into the audio setup and changed it to 5.1 DTS for the best quality possible. As soon as the movie started playing I was amazed with the quality of the audio. The quality was almost equal to that of being in a theater, all packed into headphones. I was able to hear every little detail from the DVD and enjoyed it even more than on a regular set of speakers.
Playstation 2
I then moved the optical cable from my DVD player to my Playstation 2 and loaded up Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance. Again the quality was amazing, especially compared to the regular TV speakers which are of course quite weak. Throughout my gaming I was able to pickup sounds that I had never heard before while the normal audio sounded much crisper and more detailed.
Conclusion
These headphones are simply great; there was nothing I could find that I didn’t like with this setup. From the box to the design to the sound quality everything was superb. I have never used a set of headphones that have impressed me this much.
With Dolby Pro Logic II, Dolby Headphone, and DTS you’ll be hard pressed to find something these headphones can’t handle. For an avid gamer wanting a great set of 5.1 headphones for that upcoming LAN party these will have everyone asking you what they are and where you got them. Not only do they offer high quality 5.1 audio but they can be used with almost any audio device on the market.
Keep in mind though with nice technology usually comes a high price tag, these headphones will run you $150 which is somewhat expensive but well worth it.
I really like these headphones and am going to give them a 9.5/10 and award them the OCmodshop Seal of Approval. I would really like to thank HC Technology for the sending these headphones to review, you can buy them from their online store here.
Pros
- Dolby Digital 5.1 headphones
- Dolby Headphone technology
- Dolby Surround Pro Logic II
- DTS 5.1 quality is amazing
- Comes with every cable needed
- Audio quality is amazing
- Very comfortable to wear
- Quality storage bag included
- Excellent design
Cons
- Batteries were missing
