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Filippo Dinolfo
LoSt-CaUzE Gaming Headphones
November 7,2007 - Rafik “LoSt-CaUzE” Bryant has made quite the name for himself with the numerous Quake 4 tournaments that he has participated in and won over the past few years. In gaming circles, he is well known and well respected. Bryant has teamed with Able Planet, the manufacturer of his headphones of choice to produce a line of co-branded Gaming Headphones for the general consumer and enthusiest alike. So are these the gaming equivelant of Air-Jordans? Nope, Air Jordans are all about style, these have some substance to them.

We took a look at Able Planet's top end LoSt-CaUzE Gaming Headphones with Active Noise-Cancellation. When you first open up the box, which prominantly features Bryant's image on the front, you'll notice that the headphones are packed in a nice sturdy zip-up case. Another nice feature is the detachable audio cable that runs from the headphones to your audio source. This is a nice feature because you never have to worry about stressing the connection to the headphones when you're trvelling. You simply disconnect the cable from the bottom of the left ear-cup and pack it inside the case. On the whole the Able Planet headphones make a very good first impression.

Let's move on to what's really important; How they feel and how they sound. First and foremost, it's obvious that these headphones are designed to be worn for long stretches at once. The size of the head-band as well as the angle of the ear-cups can be adjusted, so it's very easy to find a configuration that will be comfortable. Once you do, only the crisp and clean audio that comes from them will remind you that you even have them on. For a set of headphones of this size they are exceptionally light and comfortable. No doubt that Bryant's input went into this aspect of their design.

The sound that comes from these headphones is nothing short of remarkable. They put out some vey rich and full audio at just about any volume. Naturally if your audio source is putting out too high a volume they will distort somewhat, but this is true of any headphones. The configuration of your sound card's audio output has a great deal to do with how good or bad a pair of headphones will sound. So be aware of that. With everything configured optimally, the result is a stunning listening experience. Whether you're fighting of waves of Splicers in Bioshock or bending the laws of physics in Portal, these headphones let you hear things in the games' audio that you didn't even know were there. You don't need to have the volume cranked up to the cieling to be able to appreciate the richness and depth of the audio either. Even at a low volume, these headphones don't lose any fidelity, which is very nice for those marathon LAN parties, let everyone else give themselves headaches while you keep the volume low but still retain all the aural detail. The LoSt-CaUzE headphones have another ace up their sleeve as well, Active Noise-Cancellation. With this feature turned on, background nose almost completely disappears. In essence, the sound you want to hear is brought to the forefront while background noise you don't want to hear is swept aside.

If there's any sort of blemish to be brought up with these headphones it would be about connectivity. While adapters are provided for the larger 1/4” connector and the two prong airline connector, there is no adapter provided to connect to a game console. A stereo RCA to 3.5mm adapter would have been nice to have had, but for the most part, they cover all the main bases.

To put it simply, Able Planet has made a terrific set of Gaming oriented headphones. They are comfortable to wear and sound great. At $149 they may be a tad pricey for some, but we have no trouble recommending them to people looking for something they can use not just at a LAN party, but every day.
11/16/07 - 11:38 AM
Joined:
7/12/05
Who knew headphones were such a big business? $150 is a hard sell, but it looks like Able Planet has equipped the headphones with some quality features that could last for years.
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