There’s one company who never fails to impress me with their quality products and that company is Sennheiser.  From run of the mill ‘bones’ to whack into your MP3 player to high end headphones that offer the highest clarity and pin sharp audio available.

Today, we’re taking a look at their latest PC gaming headset, the PC333D.  Offering features galore, there’s enough to get casual and hardcore gamers excited about delving deeper into their audio world.  So many gaming headsets that offer 5.1/7.1 sound fall short somewhat of the mark, can Sennheiser’s latest headset change this?

Features

More spacious sound field – 7.1 channel surround sound powered by Dolby Headphone to accurately pinpoint noises from all directions in the gamescape

Superb Sennheiser stereo sound – Sennheiser quality speakers deliver great acoustic performance from games, music, movies and internet calls

Great for LAN gaming – the circumaural closed acoustic design of XL ear cups blocks out noise around you for hyper-realistic gaming with total immersion

Quick team talk – at just a swivel of the DJ Hinge on the right ear cup, you have direct contact with teammates

Noise cancelling clarity – the professional microphone reduces ambient noise for crystal-clear conversations without the need to shout

Intuitive design and automatic microphone mute – the volume control is integrated in the right ear cup and you can mute the microphone by raising the boom arm

Essential extra – supplied with a protective carrying pouch

Peace of mind – 2-year international warranty

*Dolby is a registered trademark of Dolby Laboratories

Delivery Includes

3D G4ME1 7.1 USB sound card,

USB extension cable,

Auto driver CD,

Quick set up guide,

Protective carrying pouch

With such features and offerings on the card, how do they shape up?  To test gaming, I simply fired up Modern Warfare 2.  There’s nothing more annoying then someone camping and sniping at you.  The continual loop of respawning only to be shot in the head can be truly annoying, especially when trying to work out where the blighters are.  Whack on the PC333Ds and you experience the genuine joy of being able to actually work out where they are and take them out.  The surround sound IS that good.  Deep rich bass, beautiful treble and voices are pin sharp that not only enhances your gaming but also in a way gives you truly a new experience.  Bullets ricochet, explosions are rich and deep; pair these bad boys up with some 3D glasses and you’d truly believe that you were really in the battle field dodging enemy fire.

With the microphone, communication is a thing of joy and according to my team-mates my voice was crystal clear and the noise cancellation that seems to be standard these days worked beautifully. On the flip side, their voices were also received in total clarity.  One of the fantastic features that this headset features is the simplistic way you’re able to mute your microphone.  I couldn’t tell you how many times that I’ve had to mute the microphone because my son or my wife was calling me.  All you do is simply raise the microphone and that’s it, you’re muted and ready to reply to the people in your not so digital world.  Overall volume control’s located on the left ear cup, so combined with the muting system in place, you’re able to turn the volume down and stop broadcasting your family life in mere seconds instead of having to scrabble around and fumbling.

Another fantastic usage of the PC333Ds is for movies, with the bass and treble range, 7.1 sound and comfort you’re literally able to wear these for hours at a time without discomfort that one tends to suffer with other headsets and genuinely relax and immerse yourself truly and deeply into your flick.  You can hear literally a pin drop and work out what direction it came from with the surround sound enabled and that’s really saying something.  I’ve used 5.1/7.1 headphones previously and whilst yes, the sound was pretty good, you wasn’t really able to work out the direction of the source.  Sennheiser have done themselves proud with the PC333D and if you’re a gamer, a movie enthusiast or even someone who simply listens to music and makes the occasional Skype call, I can’t recommend these enough.  They are in the pricier bracket but you can truly tell by the build quality, the packaging and of course the fantastic audio you’ll experience.

Looking to invest in a headset that’s suitable for a plethora of audio uses and excels in all areas?  Then the PC333Ds are for you, buy them.  You won’t be disappointed.  Oh and they come with a 2 year, international warranty!