MaximumPC 2005 05

THE UPSHOT

THIS MONTH: Surro und-Sound Headphones!

MAY 2005 MA XIMUMPC 

Rich music playback, more pronounced surround

effects, and features aplenty.

EPISODE IV

EPISODE I

Somewhat bulky design, tough-to-reach volume

dial, and a bit tough to configure.

$800, http://www.sonystyle.com

MA XIMUMPCVERDICT 9

P

ioneer failed to win a single category, but that doesn’t mean the

800Cs aren’t excellent—especially if you’re on a budget. The

Sony’s are just a step ahead. There’s bad news for PC gamers

hoping to quiet their lives with these headphones, however. Neither

set sports 5.1 analog inputs, therefore most soundcards are incapable

of delivering a true 5.1 signal to the ‘phones. That means no positional

sound in most games. The good news is that with the proper signal,

both sets deliver on the promise of natural-sounding surround effects.

These headphones can’t match the floor-quaking effect of a booming

multichannel surround-sound system, but they’re the next best thing. n

SONY MDR-DS

Headphones: The DS8000 headphones have a round, open-air design

that provides a cooler fit and slightly richer sound, but this does render

them more susceptible to interference from background noise. The

headset controls are on the interior of the right speaker pod, so the

volume dial can be tricky to use without taking the headphones off.

A pod above the left headphone houses Sony’s Gyrotrak head-

tracking system, which enables you to move your head

without changing the directional effect of the audio.

With Gyrotrak, you can dance around to a con-

cert DVD without destroying the illusion of

being front and center. (Not that we did

this, of course—at least there aren’t

any pictures.) Despite the open

design, Sony’s headphones

are bulkier than Pioneer’s,

and they weren’t quite

as comfortable for long

stretches. But three

features trump these

drawbacks: Gyrotrak,

an auto on/off feature,

and a longer infrared

range (33 feet).

Winner: Sony

MDR-DS

Performance: The MDR-DS8000s delivered crisper, more pronounced surround-sound effects

across all categories: music, movies, and games. They were also slightly better than the 800Cs

when it came to delivering conventional stereo audio. Winner: Sony MDR-DS

Sound processor: The MDR-DS8000 transceiver not

only does more than the 800C does—it looks and

sounds better while doing it. It features two digital

optical inputs, plus a set of analog RCA inputs. This

stylish kit will decode just about any digital audio signal

you can think of: DTS, DTS ES, Dolby Digital, Dolby

Digital EX, Dolby Surround, Dolby Pro Logic II, and

MPEG-2 AAC. It can also replicate not just 5.1-

channel surround sound, but 6.1-

channel sound, too. Winner:

Sony MDR-DS