Introduction

I would like to thank Saitek for making this review possible.

Saitek is an established company and has made a name for themselves with their gaming devices. They also offer chess computers and audio solutions.

This is how Saitek describes itself:

Founded in 1979, Saitek entered the gaming market in 1993 and since then has grown to become a major brand in gaming peripherals for the PC. All our products are designed by gamers for gamers, to help them get the best out of their favorite PC games.

Our 2004 range includes many exciting new products, as well as enhancements to our existing product range to improve their performance further. We’ve also refined our manuals and programming guides to make it even easier to install and customize Saitek controllers.

We pride ourselves on the quality of our products. All our controllers are produced in our wholly-owned factory to ensure that they perform to the highest standards today and for many years to come. Saitek PC Gaming – superb design; total control.

We will be taking a look at the Saitek GH50 Surround Sound Headset. While many manufacturers use actual 5.1 speaker setups inside the headset, Saitek has opted for the use of SRS instead.

Features:

• Uses patented SRS® TruSurround XT® technology for an immersive, virtual surround sound experience
• Emulate multi-channel surround sound through stereo speakers
• Total immersion to enhance any listening environment
• Totally flexible mic boom; find your optimum position for crystal clear communication
• Fully adjustable headphone and mic boom for a precise fit to suit all preferences
• Cushioned, over the ear cans for total comfort during prolonged periods of use
• Inline controls for volume, mute and surround sound

Packaging

The GH50 headset comes packaged in completely see-through plastic. It is cleanly soldered shut, so you better have some scissors at your disposal. The packaging does have the advantage of letting the potential buyer see the entire unit with the SRS and volume module. The back lists the afore mentioned features in multiple languages.


Besides the headset itself, the only other items inside the package are two single pages of paper. One lists service addresses around the world, while the other is a text only manual. The print is rather small and there are no images, so get ready for a very focused read.

A Closer Look

The headphones themselves do not really look out of the ordinary and have a very solid feel. As you can see, the two cups are connected via two sturdy plastic straps, while a second, inner strap is used for wear. This means that you will not feel the weight of the entire headset, as the Saitek labeled strap carries some of that.


The outside of the cups are made of metal mesh and plastic. There is an SRS symbol on either side and it feels very well built. The microphone can be shaped a bit and seems long enough even for large heads. The tip is covered by some foam. The entire microphone cannot be removed from the headset, but can be turned 90° to point upward if not needed.


Saitek opted to use two black connectors for the audio input and output. So you have to take a close look to read the symbolic label on each, before plugging them in. It would have been better if these were in green or pink colors, to denote each function.

SRS Unit

The cable is roughly 3 three meters long. Saitek decided to place the SRS unit at the one meter mark from the headsets. This means that you will loose a bit of cable length, if you decide to secure it somewhere on your upper body. The front of the unit houses the big SRS power switch. The red LED turns on once that switch is used. The right side of the device features the general volume control and a hi/med/low switch. This adjusts the microphone level.


The back is taken up by a solid, metal clip, so that the device can be secured on a piece of clothing if you wish. The last side houses the surround meter.


While the headset does work without an additional power source, to use the SRS feature an AAA battery is needed. Saitek decided not to include one inside the package, so you better have one handy if you want to use what you paid for right away. There is no mention as to how long the GH50 lasts on one battery.