Turtle Beach Ear Force PX24 Review

Looking to pick up a new, affordable headset for yourself or an avid gamer you know this Christmas? Well, once again, Turtle Beach has the answer for you with the Ear Force PX24.

Device/Accessory: Turtle Beach Ear Force PX24
Price: Amazon £65.99, Turtle Beach £69.99

(Review headset provided by Turtle Beach)

Getting straight to business, I should start by mentioning the Ear Force PX24 headset is compatible with the PS4, Xbox One, PC and mobile devices. That itself is a massive plus point given that most headsets are one platform or the other, especially when it comes to the current crop of consoles. At its price point, you’ll be hard pressed to find another quality headset that does the same. The main reason behind this is the universal 3.5mm jack connection. You simply connect it to the headset jack of your chosen device and you’re good to go… Well, kind of.

Yes, there’s a slight niggle. You see, connecting the 3.5mm jack to your PC, mobile device or PS4 (via the controller) is no problem, but a slight issue if you’ve got an old Xbox One pad. Having purchased my console on launch day, the pad doesn’t have a connection that supports the PX24. The newer Xbox One pads do, thanks to having a 3.5mm jack at the bottom. I borrowed a friend’s spare pad to test out the headset, but I doubt everyone will be able to do the same. In that case you have two options, buy a new Xbox One pad or shell out £29.99 for the Ear Force Headset Audio Controller. Given that the pad is around £10 more, I know which option I’d recommend!

That slight niggle aside, connecting the Ear Force PX24 to your chosen system/device is very simple. To get the best out of the headset, you’ll want to use the SuperAmp that comes with the package. It is the main selling point after all! Plug the headset into the SuperAmp and then that into the system/device of your choice. You’ll have to tweak a few very minor bits via the PS4 and Xbox One settings to get things going on the consoles, but there’s a handy quick start guide in the box to assist you with that. As I said, it’s very simple. I didn’t have any issues, so (trust me) you won’t either. You can skip using the SuperAmp too, and you’ll get decent audio, but (as I said) you’ll be missing the point of what makes the Ear Force PX24 special.

Once you’re all set up, if you’re a bit of an audiophile, you can customise the experience to your liking. The SuperAmp gives you control over six key options, four of which are volume, virtual surround sound level, mic monitoring levels and bass boost. Yes, that’s right, for a very affordable price you get virtual surround sound, mic monitoring (make sure you’re not shouting) and bass boost adjustment. It’s brilliant. You simply adjust these options by the scroll wheel on the side, stopping when you hear the beep for minimum or maximum. You also have option to mute your mic, but it’s the final option that is the best. I’m talking about the Superhuman Hearing button that enhances the audio, allowing you to hear footsteps, chatter and other sounds you wouldn’t normally. The standard output without this option enabled is good, but this just makes it that bit better. If you play online multiplayer games like Call of Duty or Halo a lot, the Superhuman Hearing is a Godsend. The virtual surround sound mixed with this, well, it’s quite simply audio heaven!

I tried out quite a few games with the Ear Force PX24, including Call of Duty: Black Ops III, Halo 5, Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate, Rise of the Tomb Raider, Star Wars Battlefront and Fallout 4. It goes without saying, but every game sounded better with the headset. Not all of them benefitted from the Superhuman Hearing, mainly Rise of the Tomb Raider, but that could be down to personal preference. I preferred to hear slightly less given the nature of the game, if that makes sense! On the other hand, playing Star Wars Battlefront with the Superhuman Hearing was just spectacular. This might sound cliché, but it was like I was there in the Star Wars universe. Either way, you can tweak all the options with Superhuman Hearing on too, so you can get the audio exactly how you like before you start playing. It’s worth mentioning the SuperAmp does need to be charged, so if you want the best out of the Ear Force PX24 don’t forget to do that. There’s a charging cable included in the box, with a full charge getting you 30 hours of audio goodness from the SuperAmp.

Outside of the gaming stuff, I tried the Ear Force PX24 with my PC and Android phone, with both tests yielding similarly impressive results. Testing it with the latter actually surprised me, working really well with the Skype app. The person I called could hear me really well and vice versa – couldn’t ask for more really. I also tested a few blu-ray movies (via both consoles), and was left impressed. Some tweaking of the options was required to get the audio nicely balanced (I’m picky), but once I did that I thoroughly enjoyed being immersed in the worlds of Lord of the Rings, Star Wars and The Dark Knight. Oh and I should mention the headset itself is very comfortable. I had one Fallout 4 session that lasted 5 hours and never did it feel annoying or uncomfortable. The microphone is incredibly easy to adjust too, falling in line with the design of most other Turtle Beach kit. Simply put, the Ear Force PX24 is a genuinely excellent, all-round headset.

VERDICT

At this price, you’ll be hard pressed to find a headset that’s compatible with so much, offers up plenty of options and delivers such high quality audio. The ace in the pack is the fantastic Superhuman Hearing. If you’re a regular player of online multiplayer games, it’s simply brilliant. Turtle Beach has done it again. If you’re looking for an affordable, high quality headset this Christmas, pick up the Ear Force PX24.

9/10