Creative Sound Blaster Recon3D Omega Wireless Gaming Headphones - For Fraggers

Features for Gamers

There's no doubt that the gaming industry has become extremely lucrative for businesses willing to venture into new waters. Be it PC, PlayStation or Xbox, people are willing to spend their hard earned cash on their gaming pursuits. Realizing this, manufacturers have released a slew of peripherals to enhance the gaming experience for users. Brands such as Cooler Master and Corsair, which are better known for other products, have introduced audio accessories for gaming. Our very own Singaporean audio expert Creative has also released a pair of high-end gaming headphones called the Creative Sound Blaster Wireless Recon3D Omega Wireless. Though it has been in the market for more than half a year, it's still a formidable entry from Creative. Also, we're in the process of rounding up some good gaming gear, hence we've a detailed review of this headset today:-

The 'Sound Card'

While the full name of the gaming headphones "Creative Sound Blaster Wireless Recon3D Omega Wireless" might be long, it does give a full picture of the product which includes a USB-based audio processor (the equivalent of a sound card on a PC) as well as a pair of wireless headphones. The Recond3D soundcard had been released some time back in both a PCIe and USB version. The gaming headset comes with the latter flavor for compatibility with both PCs and consoles.

Similar to the previous X-Fi series of sound cards, the new Recon3D will feature four independent digital signal processors of the Sound Core3D chip. However the 56-pin chipset has been improved from older offerings and brings a high quality HD audio decoder, 24-bit 102dB digital-to-analog converters and 101dB analog to digital converters. In addition to the impressive hardware, the audio processing unit from Creative is also equipped with decoding capabilities for Dolby Digital 5.1 and THX TruStduio Pro.

Fundamentally, the Sound Blaster Recon3D external sound 'card' is designed to help provide you with an improved audio listening experience, including re-creating '3D audio'. This is not only intended to enhance enjoyment of music and movies, but also to provide an edge when playing first person shooters. We will be thoroughly testing out the headphones to see how well they handle sound and how the Recon3D augments our game play.

The Recon3D external unit itself is a small, flat almost rectangular box with a small footprint. Its THX TrustStudio Pro capabilities are prominently featured as part of a circular button wheel. You also have the choice to switch into scout mode which is intended to improve the directionality of sound. On the top of the device you will find the Optical port and a micro-USB, along with a slot for the wireless connectivity card. The bottom of the device features ports for connecting headphones and a microphone. Sliders on the right hand side can be used to adjust the microphone volume while a similar slider on the left hand side shifts the modes between PC and the console of your choice.

The Headphones

With the Sound Blaster Recon3D 'sound card' portion of the headphones package out of the way, we move on to the actual gaming headset which also retails separately as the Sound Blaster Tactic3D Omega Wireless. The ear cups sport a distinctly chunky and squarish design while its overall matte black plastic finish does not make it standout in any particular way. The monotony of the aesthetics is broken by a glossy, glass-like covering on the outside of the ear-cups. As the device is powered on, mild electric blue highlights appear to give the headset a cool factor. Even so, we would not rank its looks anywhere near the coolest of the bunch such as the Razer Chimera.

Picking up the gaming headphones, you will realize that they are actually quite heavy. Thankfully there is a good serving of padding on the headband which mitigates the weight of the product somewhat. While the Sound Blaster Recon3D Omega Wireless (aka Sound Blaster Tactic3D Omega Wireless) headset packs 50mm drivers, which is on the top end side for gaming headphones, ear-cups are somewhat small. This is sure to affect the comfort levels and fitting of the device, but more on that during our performance testing.

Since it's a wireless gaming headphone set, all necessary control buttons are found on the right ear-cup, without any messy wires and dangling control units to contend with. You will find handy buttons to adjust the volume, mute the microphone as well as a button to power on the headphones. The positioning of the buttons is easy to access if you are right handed. Unfortunately, there is no left handed version of the product.

While the device is capable of working wirelessly, you will find a deeply recessed 3.5mm port as well in case the need for wired operation does arise (like when the built-in battery is out of juice and you can't afford to charge it). Under a rubber flap you will find a standard audio connector for consoles, handily denoted by the controller icon, and a micro-USB port which can be used for charging the batteries of the gaming headphones.

Running the Gauntlet

Here at HardwareZone, we have an established set of audio materials that we use to evaluate the merits of any audio product. However, due to the nature of the Creative Sound Blaster Recon3D Omega Wireless Gaming Headphones (what a mouthful), we had to throw in a couple of extra tests. Our usual MP3 Tracks and movies were retained, but we also added in games like Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty on the PC and Battlefield 3 on the PlayStation 3 as challenges that this product would have to overcome.

Obviously, our overall testing process encompassed a wide variety of extra content as well. But for the sake of consistency and in order to provide a benchmark to compare the headphones with other audio products, we will be presenting our findings from our standard test materials.

Formal MP3 Audio Track Testing:

• Hotel California - Eagles
• Sail on Soothsayer - Buckethead
• Melt My Heart to Stone - Adele
• Elements of Life - Tiesto

Formal Movie Title Testing:

• Swordfish
• Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring

Video Games Testing:

• Battlefield 3
• Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty

Surround Sound Supremacy

The Creative Sound Blaster Recond3D Omega Wireless may be marketed as a pair of gaming headphones, but obviously gaming is not the only aspect that the cans will be put to use. Users will most definitely expect the product to also perform triple duty and handle both movies and music along with the rigors of gaming. Sporting 50mm drivers along with a suite of THX and Dolby software, the product is well positioned to put itself in the limelight. Additionally, the provision of an external USB audio processor (or sound card) is bound to be of great help to ensure delivery of high quality audio.

Music Test Suite

By now frequent readers should be familiar with the MP3 tracks we use to provide audio products a challenge. Commencing the listening tests was Melt My Heart To Stone by Adele. The Creative gaming headset had great clarity and bright highs. However in our opinion, the track lacked a certain degree of warmth which can be heard when using the absolute top quality audio products. All in all though, the Recon3D Omega Wireless managed an impressive, dynamic representation of the melody.

The bright trebles and clarity of the device were also suited to our next track, Hotel California by The Eagles. Coupled with a good transient response and attention to detail meant that overall mix of the acoustic rendition of this evergreen classic was lively and atmospheric. Even without the actuation of any extra features, the headphones have a surprisingly vibrant soundstage.

We tested out the lower range of notes by playing Tiesto’s Elements of Life. The 50mm drivers are sufficiently large to provide good bass and we were not disappointed. The low frequencies were deep while still defined. However the bass did lack a slight smidgen of impact. This fault can be easily rectified by switching on the THX TruStudio Pro feature, which we will cover in greater detail during the movie test segment below.

Last up on our list is the hard rocking track Sail On Soothsayer from Buckethead. Once again the mix of chiming guitar lines and heavy distortion was well handled. We turned off the THX effects simply because the song sounded sprawling and muddy with them on. However without the effect, the distortion was controlled and the track sounded great.

Movie Test Suite

When we switched over to testing the movies, we activated the THX TruStudio Pro feature found on the control pod (the Sound Blaster Recon 3D). The audio reproduction standard is intended to provide the most bang from movie soundtracks, so it makes sense to engage the feature. Once activated, there is an audible change in the tonal characteristics of the headphones. First of all, the soundstage morphs and develops a stronger central channel at the expense of directionality. This resulted in the dialogue of Swordfish being delivered with precision and clarity. However, peripheral sounds were slightly weak.

The second aspect of the THX TruStudio Pro was clearly evident during the action sequences of our movies. Lower frequencies had been boosted so as to offer greater impact. Coupled with the strong central channel, the bass performance meant that the explosions in Swordfish and battle sequences for Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring came to life. However if you do prefer the wider soundstage instead of the added oomph, you can always switch over to Scout mode which we will cover in detail in our Gaming tests. The bottom line is that watching movies with the Recond3D Omega Wireless headphones is quite enjoyable and the THX TruStudio Pro does its job brilliantly well.

Games Handling

Finally, we move on to what is meant to be the Creative Recond3D Wireless’ forte, gaming. First, we fired up Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty on the PC. While audio does not play a great role for this particular title in influencing performance, alerts do provide vital in-game information. And Starcraft II does have an extremely good soundtrack, which was handled well by the Creative headphones. Alerts could also be clearly heard over the rest of the sounds.

But the real test with respect to gaming was Battlefield 3 on the PlayStation 3. When it comes to first person shooter games, good audio is absolutely essential if you want an edge. After engaging Scout Mode for the Recon3D Omega Wireless, we can confidently say that the headphone’s performance actually helped improve our gameplay. The feature drops the levels of bass while amping up treble as well as expanding the soundstage. This meant that gunshots fired were clearly heard over the din over background sounds such as explosions and vehicles. Not only that, but you could also accurately gauge the direction in which sound was coming from. First Person Shooter games like Battlefield3 are basically a test of reflexes and skill. If you are able to clearly hear the enemy and act on the information, you possess a serious edge; such as that provided by the Creative headphones.

Comfort Level

As a pair of headphones intended for gaming, you can expect to have the Creative Recon3D Omega Wireless to be in use for hours on end. This means that comfort level has to be given serious consideration. As stated earlier, the ear-cups are a bit on the smaller side and we found our ears to be slightly cramped and constrained. Additionally, the leather used for the cushioning on the ear-cups does result in overheating and listening fatigue. Taking into account the fact that the audio performance is top notch, the discomfort of wearing the headphones is actually quite frustrating. However, comfort has always been a subjective issue and we would advise you to try out the headphones for yourself.

Does it Deliver?

With the detailed inspection of the Creative Recond3D Omega Wireless’ features and hardware, along with a thorough evaluation of its audio performance, it is time to evaluate the worthiness of the product.

Intended to provide a better gaming experience, the headphones most definitely delivers on the promise. The provision of the Scout feature most definitely enhanced enjoyment of a variety of games. In fact, the directionality of sound provided by the device actually helped us perform significantly better with first person shooter titles such as Battlefield 3. Living up to its billing definitely helped this product score high marks. 

The headphones not only excelled with games, but it also handled the music tracks with aplomb. Trebles were bright and clear while the bass was deep and defined. This makes the product suited for a wide variety of diverse genres ranging from rock, pop, rnb and jazz. In addition, the THX TruStudio Pro features can be engaged to vastly improve the performance of the product when it comes to movie soundtracks. Whether the outcome personally suits you or not really depends on individual taste, but to us, engaging the respective modes made a positive difference.

In our opinion, the Creative Recon3D is a well-rounded pair of headphones which will serve you well no matter what the task. Undoubtedly, the Recon3D USB audio control pod with built in audio processing is well worth its inclusion. Not only does it improve the quality of sound reproduction, it makes THX TruStudio Pro and Scout Mode features possible, without which the headphones would just be an average product.

Unfortunately its brilliant audio performance was besmirched a little for us due to the uncomfortable fit. On the whole we found the ear-cups to be on the smaller side and the fit to be tight. Personally we prefer our headphones to be loose and to rest gently on our head, like the SteelSeries 7H. In addition, the leather cushioning of the Creative Recon3D used also contributes to overheating of ears. This really makes ear and listening fatigue a problem over extended periods of usage. However, we recognize that comfort is a subjective concept and that the headphones may suit others better.

The Creative Sound Blaster Recon3D Omega Wireless Gaming Headphones are priced at $329. While the figure might seem to be high, you must take into account the features you are getting as part of the package. If you happen to be a console gamer, the purchase of this Creative product adds a dedicated audio processor and sound control pod to the mix. Similarly, the use of this external 'sound card' is bound to spruce up the audio performance of a regular notebook or even a PC. However, if you happen to have a custom specced PC, there might be a chance that the external audio processor may be redundant if you've included a sound card of your own when assembling the rig. If that's the case, you might want to consider just the wireless gaming headset, which is sold as the "Creative Sound Blaster Tactic3D Omega Wireless". Personally we found the wireless operations to be extremely liberating, but unlike the reviewed Creative Sound Blaster Recon3D Omega Wireless, you'll still miss out on the THX TruStudio Pro and Scout mode options to ensure the headphones perform to the best of their ability (at least for the intended group of users).

This means that the value proposition actually merits the price tag. If you are a gamer, be it PC or console, we definitely recommend you try out these headphones. Their multi-purpose functionality and special features will ensure you will not regret your decision (unless otherwise the headset doesn't provide you a good fit). Even if you do not game as much, we would still suggest you give these Creative headphones a shot. The good audio performance should fit all your needs and we are positive you will love with the wireless operation of the product. Only if you are an audiophile intent on just using the headphones for listening to music will you be disappointed by the lack of warmth.

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