Hey heres some stuff i dug up on this. This is from another forum.
They have arrived at last, and are now up and running on my computer!
Here is my report for anyone else that may want to consider these headphones:
Having looked initially at the Zalman offering, I began to realize that there are more than one set of headphones out there for in true 5.1 that would be suitable for gaming. I learned also that there are the SpeedLink Medusas and the Gainward Hollywoods (Trust also market a set available at Maplins which I'm almost certain are the same as the Gainwards but finished in silver)
The Zalmans were what I had looked at when I first learned there was such an animal as 5.1 headphones! But the reviews for the Zalmans were mixed - they seemed to be loved or hated, many had problems with them and with the sound quality.
The Medusas seemed to be getting good reviews and faired well when compared to the Zalman offering.
The Gainwards - well! I've not read anything bad about them at all, and I have to say they look stunning! For me though, the fact that they don't have a microphone made me look harder at the Medusas.
There are of course other brands - one from a company called 'x-stock' selling on ebay had some 'unknowns' which I found out were called 'Professors' but I could find no reviews at all. On e-mailing X-box they assured me that they had sold lots and had had no complaints.
In the end I decided on the Medusas as they seemed to be getting consistently good reviews, and had a microphone.
Next I needed to find a seller. I looked on e-bay - prices there fluctuated wildly and some greedy people wanted to charge an arm and a leg for postage, so I spent two hours surfing the net trying to find someone who would sell me a set of Medusas at a sensible price and not rip-me off with over-the-top postage charges - I found them here:
http://www.core-digital.co.uk/produ...products_id=223 £28 + VAT (£32.90 inc) Postage was £5 - VERY cheap as I bought two of these items and the resulting box was indeed quite big and heavy!
After ordering over the internet I had cause to call Core Digital to find out the expected delivery date - they were extremely helpful on the phone, and have responded to my e-mails immediately in a fun, but professional manner. I cannot recommend this site enough (at least for these headphones!)
The parcel arrived on the date they told me it would, and was in perfect condition, and items (two sets of Medusas) well protected with the packaging. (why two? - A friend of mine wanted a set)
This afternoon I spent some time setting them up (I was a tad confused at first but when I sat down and read my sound-card info properly and the handbook from the headphones which is very well-written I worked out what plugged in and where) and have now tried them out.
I play World-War II Online so immediately jumped into game to try them out. http://www.wwiionline.org.uk/module..._op=MostPopular These arrived in good time as a new sound patch is released today!
Prior to using the Medusas I was using the Plantronics Audio 90 which are really very good and I have no complaints at all about them. However, the difference with the Medusas was quite astounding. The sound quality was slightly clearer than the Audio 90's and with no speaker hiss, but immediately noticeable was the superb directional enhancement!
Unseen vehicles moving out of sight could be accurately tracked until they became visible - before it was slightly guesswork as to where an enemy tank was going to appear.
Shots fired from my own team behind me could be ignored as I knew who was behind me.
Inside buildings, listening to footsteps was very misleading before, now if someone is inside the same building as me I know which doorway they are going to appear at and I can be ready! The immersion just gets better!
Again my thanks to Core Digital for not being greedy and for being so helpful!
Do I recommend the Medusas? Yes, absolutely - Money very well spent if you are a keen gamer.
I've not yet had a chance to do serious battle or need comms, so I will report back here on what I think of the microphone and add a little more when the headphones become battle-hardened!
EDIT:
Still not used them for flight-simming that will be later this week or perhaps next week as I have too many chores to do now, but I used the microphone this evening and it works great - those listening in reported clear 'fives' at all times. In the confusion of battle with stuff happening all around it was far easier to keep track of position (audibly) of other people and objects
