Psyko 5.1 Gaming Headset Review - PAGE 1

Today's article features Psyko's unique 5.1 gaming headset. Now why is it unique, and what differentiates it from all the other 5.1 surround headsets? It's the PsykoWave technology. This headset tech basically consists of placing the speakers on top of the head of the player, and letting the sound travel to the ears through two tubes; one on the front and one on the back. Since the speakers are farther away from the ears, the headset needs an amplifier, which will be shown in details later.

Beginning with a patent filed in 2003, Psyko Audio Labs Inc. was born in 2007, after its CEO, James Hildebrandt, had developed technology to accurately render surround sound through an innovative 5.1 headphone, ultimately becoming the company's current product. It all began approximately 8 years ago when Hildebrandt's friend was arguing that he could not play first-person shooters at 2 o'clock in the morning while being able to use the surround sound capabilities of his system arranged like those found in home theaters. Using such a setup so late would wake his family, so Hildebrandt's friend wished for headphones that would be able to accurately deliver surround sound.

Hildebrandt took this as a personal project, using his knowledge of acoustics coming from his background; a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering with a specialization in acoustics. After eight years and many prototypes, Hildebrandt's company Psyko was born with PsykoWave to its name.

The technology works by leveraging what is known about how the human brain normally picks up and interpret sound.  When a sound is emitted from any speaker, it will travel in the appropriate tube in both directions, and both ears will hear it, but with a different timing and volume. This is part of the information that the human brain needs to locate a sound.

Sounds caught by the ear are reflected by the pinna, which is the oddly-shaped external part of the ear, and picked up by the auditory canal. When reflected by the pinna, their frequency is modified depending on the direction it comes from, and this is the third and last information needed by the brain to be able to locate a sound. This is called the pinna effect. Each ear has a unique shape and thus alters frequencies differently, and the brain is accustomed to these unique signatures.

Simulated surround in standard stereo speakers attempts to reproduce this pinna effect, however the signals end up sounding the same for everyone and thus do not really match the natural tones. PsykoWave technology attempts to rectify this by letting the sound reflect freely on the pinna, so frequency modifications are reproduced more naturally.

Specifications

It is now time to open that box!