Polk 4 Shot Xbox One Gaming Headset
The Microsoft Xbox One$349.99 at Amazon doesn't work with many headsets out of the box. In fact, without the Xbox One Stereo Headset Adapter,
it only works with the included monaural headset and its special
connector that plugs into the Xbox One gamepad. Polk Audio offers its
own Xbox One headset in the form of the 4 Shot, which includes the
aforementioned adapter. It's a well-designed, comfortable headset that
can easily work with any smartphone or tablet, but it suffers from a
very bass-heavy sound profile, a funky microphone, and a rather high
$159.95 price tag. With the $25 Xbox One headset adapter available
separately, there are just too many solid alternatives from both the
audio enthusiast and gaming ends of the spectrum in the same price
range. The Marshall Monitor headphones and the Plantronics RIG headset, are just two examples.
Design
The headset is
remarkably sleek for an over-ear pair not primarily focused on portable
use. No clunky boom mics or gaudy colors are in sight. The outside of
each cup is covered in glossy black plastic with a flat gray stripe and
an embossed Polk logo. The arms are a matte black plastic, extending
into a leatherette-covered steel headband. Polk offers two more,
slightly flashier versions: white earcups with brass highlights and a
black headband, and gray earcups with blue highlights and a white
headband.
The leatherette of the headband and the leather-like insides of the
earcups are padded and feel comfortable on the head, without being mushy
or risking getting too hot from long periods of use. The earcups are
mounted on arms that extend over their corners, letting them adjust
easily by pivoting up and down to fit the shape of the user's head. The
cups can also turn 90 degrees to sit flat for storage, though the arms
don't fold and no carrying case is included.
The left earcup holds a hidden microphone that pops out of the bottom
edge. Instead of a boom mic that extends near the mouth, it's a simple
wedge of plastic that rests under the earcup and disappears when not in
use. It's a functional and unobtrusive design element, like the rest of
the decidedly elegant headset. The bottom edge of the right earcup
holds a 3.5mm port for either of the included two four-foot cables. The
gaming cable is a simple audio cable with no button or microphone,
intended for use with the bundled Xbox One Wireless Headset Adapter. The
other cable has an in-line one-button remote and microphone for use
with a mobile device.
Connecting the Headset
Plugging in the cable with
the in-line remote and microphone disables the mic built into the
headset itself. You can use the headset mic with a mobile device by
using the non-remote-equipped cable, but this resulted in a much lower
recording level than my Google Nexus 5's own on-board microphone. The
headset mic seems to be designed specifically for game systems (and even
more specifically the Xbox One), and isn't suited for
phone calls.
The headset comes with Microsoft's Xbox One Stereo Headset Adapter,
which you can purchase separately for $24.99. Like the wired headset
that comes with the system, the adapter plugs into the bottom of the
Xbox One gamepad, into a port that looks vaguely like a micro USB port.
The adapter is a small plastic trapezoid with five buttons on the face
for adjusting game/voice chat balance and overall volume, and for muting
the microphone. A 3.5mm port sits on the underside, to which you can
connect the 4 Shot (or any other 3.5mm-using headset).
Performance and Microphone
The headset mic is
fairly functional, but suffers from an issue that Polk claims it's aware
of and is working to fix with a software update: The mic is so close to
the driver in the left earcup that it tends to pick up audio from
whatever game you're playing, in addition to your voice. Polk says this
is not an issue with the hardware. For now, be prepared to mix game
volume way down and chat volume way up if you want your voice to come
through your game.
As pure headphones, the 4 Shot has a very sculpted, bass-heavy sound
that doesn't quite offer the level of performance and balance that
similarly priced, non-gaming headphone pairs like the Marshall Monitor
and Sennheiser HD 280 Pro
£82.47 at Thomann
(which lacks a microphone) can produce. It handles low end very well,
just as a gaming headset should; it reproduced both the bass synth notes
and the heavy kick drum hits in The Knife's "Silent Shout" with strong
presence and no distortion at maximum (and unsafe) volume levels. For
very thumpy, bass-heavy tracks, the 4 Shot indeed sounds excellent.
However, outside of songs built from the ground
up to shake the listener, the 4 Shot is hit-or-miss depending on the
track's mix and just how prominent the bass is. For example, The Rolling
Stones' "Gimme Shelter" has a very clear and warm opening that here
gets eclipsed by the song's usually forgettable bass line as soon as it
kicks in. The plinky notes of the opening guitar usually cut through
every other aspect of the song before the vocals, but the 4 Shot's
emphasis on the bass blunts what should be a crisp edge to the guitar
sound. Blue Oyster Cult's "Godzilla" fares a bit better, since the
entire song revolves around its iconic bass riff, but both that and the
kick drum drown out the rest of the percussion. It's clear the 4 Shot is
built for video game audio and action-packed sound effects, and not a
remotely flat response for accurate music listening. It by no means
sounds bad, but the weak high-end makes it seem far less appealing as
your go-to pair of headphones.
Conclusion
The Polk 4 Shot is a very
well-designed gaming headset that sounds fantastic when you're playing
games on the Xbox One. However, its microphone is finicky and its
general audio quality outside of games doesn't justify its $160 price
tag. Considering its included adapter is available separately for $25
and can work with any phone headset or headphone pair with a 3.5mm
connector, the 4 Shot isn't a particularly compelling package. If you
can spend slightly more, the Editors' Choice Marshall Monitor
$130.25 at Amazon
offers excellent all-around audio performance and, with its in-line
microphone, can work easily with the Xbox One Stereo Headset Adapter for
a much more flexible listening experience. The Plantronics RIG
$89.94 at Amazon
is another solid candidate for use with the adapter, and its boom mic
is much more functional than the 4 Shot's. And if you want a really
inexpensive option, the Tritton Kama
$29.99 at Amazon offers solid performance (though not nearly as good as the aforementioned headsets and headphones) for just $30.
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