5. Listening Test

For our listening test we used a PC with NVIDIA's nForce2 chipset configured for 5.1 multi-channel sound. After connecting the headphones, we listened to a number of DVD movies with the Dolby Digital 5.1 sound switched in. The front channels sounded fine but the center channel was a little too quiet for our liking. As far as the rear channels were concerned, they seemed to be virtually absent in comparison with a speaker-based system. The bass sounded relatively good for headphones. On the whole, channel separation was also good.

In stereo, and particularly when listening to music, the sound quality is very good. The mids and highs are clear, as are the bass frequencies. Sound quality is equivalent to that of a good mid-price hi-fi headphone.

Even with FPS (first person shooter) games, sound effects come across well. You can pinpoint the location of the various background noises (cars, rain, wind, etc.) just as with a normal loudspeaker setup.

Summary

Zalman's first audio product is a 5.1 headphone that is sure to elicit a positive response from the gaming community. To win over home cinema enthusiasts, however, the company needs to further improve the product's sound quality. The quality of the rear effects channels and the center channel (which should be more dominant) is inferior to that of a normal multi-channel speaker system.