irock! 5.1 Theater Sound USB Headphones will rock your world

Posted by Dennis Sellers Aug 23, 2005 at 11:06pm

Okay, let’s go ahead and let use the obvious pun: First International Digital’s irock! 5.1 Theater Sound USB Headphones really rock. I had hoped they’d be quality headphones, but they surpassed my expectations.

Mac OS X (10.1 and higher) and Windows compatible, the headphones feature six speakers (yep, six), each in an individual sound chamber. The US$59.99 irock! 5.1 Theater Sound USB Headphones are designed to provide “virtual” surround sound for portable home theater and gaming applications. And I was surprised at how well they capture the essence of surround sound in a headphone design. In scene 4 of Master & Commander, the irock! 5.1 Theater Sound USB Headphones, enveloped me in the battle scene. I could not only hear, but feel, the cannon blasts and explosions all around me.

They’re also good for gaming, immersing me in the dark, dangerous world of Doom 3 and the gunfire-filled, run-and-gun environment of Halo. What about music? Vocals were crisp, bass was pleasingly deep and the overall sound crisp on songs ranging from Bruce Springstein’s “Brilliant Disguise” to Patty Loveless’ “You’ll Never Leave Harlan Alive.”

The headphones measure 5.1×5.1×3.2 inches and are collapsible, so it’s easy to stash ‘em away for travel. They plug into a Mac or PC via the USB 2.0 port, so no sound card is required. A carrying bag, CD-ROM with documentation and a User’s Manual (which you won’t need) are included. The headphones retail for US$59.99.

These aren’t the first multi-speaker surround headphones, but they are, from what I understand, the first to have six speakers. Still, it’s interesting that FID should call ‘em “5.1.” I thought that the ”.1” in these standards refers to the presence of a subwoofer.

Complaints? The irock! 5.1 Theater Sound USB Headphones weren’t as nimble as I would like. It’s easy to go from quiet to eardrum-shattering volume if you’re not careful. And since they’re USB 2.0, they won’t work with iPods, so if you’re traveling with your laptop and iPod, you may need two portable speaker systems. But that’s not really a complaint about the FID product; after all, they’re designed for USB connectivity.

Otherwise, there’s no doubt about it. The irock! 5.1 Theater Sound USB Headphones are the finest I’ve ever used with my Macs.

System requirements: Mac OS X 10.1 and higher.

Macsimum rating: 9 out of 10.

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