eDimensional is a company that has attracted global attention by focusing on increasing gaming enjoyment in unique and innovative ways. Their products have introduced gamers to motion tracking and 3D vision but the company has proved that it is restless in its quest for improvements for the gamer and has now turned its sights on gaming audio.
Why should gamers demand and enjoy beautiful visuals but still rely on the dry, one-dimensional sound provided by their run-of-the-mill headphones or sound system?
eDimensional has taken the above question, worked on it and has created the AudioFX headset as its solution. But what can a headset offer that can claim to enrich the enjoyment of in-game audio by the player? Will that enjoyment also change the way music and movies are heard? According to eDimensional, …the AudioFX is a home theater for your head! Force feedback and directional sound provide the most immersive listening experience ever. The company talks the talk but let's see if its headset will walk the walk.
What You Get
It looks the business
The AudioFX headset comes in a plastic package which, on the reverse side, carries the installation instructions (just in case you need any) and the features of the headset. Once you remove the headset from its, oddly persistent, plastic cage you immediately notice that comfort was an essential part of the design. The ear cups feature richly padded cushions and swivel for a better fit, while the adjustable headband also carries a layer of padding for enhanced comfort. The headset also features a noise canceling microphone which can be positioned easily and rests in the optimal position, slightly to the left of the user's mouth.
The first question any consumer has to ask before purchasing any device is: what am I getting for my money? The answer in this case is: …primarily a gaming enhancement. Granted, the AudioFX headset provides sound for movies and music, discussed in detail further down, but its main appeal will be to the gamers among you.
The innovation achieved by eDimensional through the AudioFX is the force feedback function. In its simplest form the function works by picking up sounds generated by your PC, some under the 20Hz minimum of human hearing (human range is 20Hz-20KHz) and therefore inaudible to the human ear, and translating those into appropriately powerful vibrations. The neat feature of this effect is that the vibrations come from the direction that corresponds to the origin of the sounds so that the user is actually receiving useful information. The effect is one that can be compared to the surround sound feature of some headsets but one which brings the tactile sense into the experience.
She's a hardened gamer, I'll have you know
Now that you know some basic facts about what goes on inside the headset you need to focus on what will go on inside your head once you put them on. The first experience will feel as if one of your in-game enemies has managed to sneak a grenade into your head and that it has gone-off. The first game we tried the headset with was Call of Duty 2 and the results can only be described as stunning. Each shot fired at you whistles by and each one that actually hits you is felt like a little explosion in your head. This was the only time Infinity Ward's controversial choice to get rid of the health status bar and use heartbeat and heavy breathing sounds instead, seemed like a positive move. The first time you hear your heart beating and your heavy breathing, in-game, with the vibration function turned on you almost panic. Once you get used to the overall effect of the vibration function you realize that the force feedback adds another layer of immersion to the game dragging you into the world of the game even further.
We also thought that another FPS title with frantic action and explosions of varying strengths would also be appropriate so we went with F.E.A.R. Using the AudioFX headset, the results were nothing short of inspiring. Having become accustomed to the headset and to what we could expect from the vibration function we discovered that there was more. The atmospheric sound employed throughout the game is enhanced by the force feedback and becomes a very ominous low-sounding base sound which will creep-out even the most composed, Doom 3 seasoned gamers while the clearly defined weapon sounds, coupled by the sound of empty shells hitting the floor will have you screaming various expletives at your screen.
Having tried all that we decided to give another seasonal favorite a go with the headset and this time Need for Speed: Most Wanted was selected to receive the AudioFX makeover.
The deep sound of a Murcielago engine and the song of the Dodge Viper will cause your belly to rumble while revving-up your engine, while every high-speed impact will cause you to flinch in your seat. While your engine will cause quite a few vibrations, it will not drown out other sound information and the music and police radio chatter, for example, remain crystal clear and available to the player.
We also tried the headset, with impressive results, in World of Warcraft, Quake IV and Half-Life 2, War Rock and CS-Source. In all occasions the combination of sound clarity and force-feedback greatly enhanced the gaming experience.
Throughout our gaming sessions which, at times, lasted for 3-4 hours, the headset never once caused any discomfort to wear while the in-line control box did become warm to the touch after those 3-4 hours but never uncomfortably so. Another issue you have to factor in is that the lights on the side of the headphones that light up when using the vibration mode, can get you at the wrong end of a few mean jokes which you most probably won't even hear. Although you cannot see the lights yourself, they can look good in LAN party settings and especially when the lights are out. We also tried using the lights in a name that tune kind-of-way, on a slow news day, but it turns out you can't recognize a song by the way the AudioFX lights come on and off.
Mic's Out
The current prevalence of VOIP chat in gaming, means that no self-respecting headset can claim to be a gamer's dream without a microphone and AudioFX delivers in style. Its noise-canceling microphone offers clear communication without any background noise interference. It's placement to the left of the mouth also avoids picking up any breathing noises or grunts you may generate while playing although all forms of profanity will reach fellow gamers quite well. We also used AudioFX with VOIP applications and found that its performance was excellent with VoipBuster, Google Talk and Skype.
AudioFX is TeamSpeak certified.
The main reason to get the AudioFX headset is its performance in gaming and as we described in the previous pages we highly recommend the device for use in gaming and find that its price (USD 50) makes it an unquestionable bargain and a must-have piece of gaming hardware. We still however, decided to inspect the potential of the headset when used in movies and with music. A complete sound product after all, should be able to perform well in all circumstances.
Fresh off the shelf
Movies
For the purposes of this review we tried a DVD version of the movie Stealth. Now before we you start screaming bloody murder you have to remember that although not a memorable piece of art-cinema, Stealth does offer some excellent sound effects. An additional factor to consider is that any opportunity to experience Jessica Biel and vibrations at the same time should not be viewed lightly and duty compelled us to go down the Stealth road.
Once the movie kicks into gear and the flying starts, the true depth provided by the AudioFX headset begins to shine. The planes whiz past you and the temptation to turn your head in their direction is great. The cockpit ejection scene is also a completely different experience when the headset has vibration turned on. The plane debris can be clearly heard threatening poor Jessica while the explosion of the actual plane gives you the impression that someone has a giant subwoofer behind your head and is moving it, following the in-movie action. The AudioFX therefore, passed the MegaGames movie test.
Music
Even a gaming designed headset needs to provide a certain level of sound quality and we decided that we would put the AudioFX headset through a few tests in order to evaluate its fidelity.
The first song we decided to test the device with and one of our current favorites was the Death Letter song from the Skeleton Key OST. That particular song was chosen since although a fairly low key blues song it features a very rich and full bass. The first surprise came from the rich bass the headset provided with the vibration turned off. We have used Gradolab's SR80s and the Sennheiser HD 280 PRO and the sound quality was almost similar with the AudioFX providing a higher standard of comfort than either of those two brands, both of which cost more than double the price of eDimensional's offering. Once we turned on the vibration in the Death Letter, our entire head came alive, the subwoofer effect mentioned earlier was even more pronounced than when watching movies although none of the other sounds felt uncomfortable but fitted in nicely. We also tried the Bob Sinclair's Love Generation with the same impressive results, excellent bass and clear sound with the guitar as clear as if it was being played right next to our PC. We finally turned to the ultimate test for the headset, The Dead 60S and their Riot Radio and Slipknot's Vermillion. Again in both songs the headset performed very well without the vibration and even better with it. Even Slipknot's rather fuzzy, at best, sound retained as much clarity as its creators had intended.
One observation regarding the music however, is that if you decide to listen to a few songs the headphones can become slightly overwhelming. A song has a lot more drum-beating than a game and if you have the vibration turned all the way up you could end up feeling as if you've been sitting near the speaker for too long at a Cradle of Filth gig. Turning the vibration down to a more comfortable level is advised if you intend to listen to a lot of music.
In AudioFX eDimensional manages to deliver a fully featured product that truly brings innovation to the gaming experience. There is little doubt that most gamers will enjoy what the headset offers during gameplay and a quick look at the product should be enough to convince most gamers of the high quality of the materials of the headset.
The vibration offers a unique approach to a game which adds an entirely new dimension to a game offering positional sound which provides additional information to the gamer while in-game sounds and music are interpreted beautifully. Explosions, gunfire and all forms of sounds sound deeper and provide a fuller experience to the player.
In movies the headset offers a similar improvement although the viewer has to consider the type of movie that is best suited to the AudioFX treatment. Music also benefits from the force feedback function although turning vibration off in both movies and music still leaves you with the very good quality of sound provided by the headset.
The comfort and sound quality as well as the innovation provided by eDimensional's headset coupled with the very well made microphone and the USD 49.95 price tag, make the AudioFX a must-have product for any gamer. eDimensional also offers a 30 day money back guarantee which should allow most of you enough time to decide that you can't do without the headset. Visit eDimensional and grab yourself one.