The Turtle Beach PX21 is an entry-level headset that can be used with Xbox 360, PS3 and PC, but is it worth buying?
We’ve been using it for six months now and put it to the test in our comprehensive review.
Product: Turtle Beach PX21
Platform: Xbox 360, PS3, PC
Producer: Turtle Beach
Release Date: Out now
Price: Around £50 to £60
Reviewer: Dom Sacco
If you’re looking for a video game headset, the PX21 is a great place to start.
It’s comfortable, adjustable, and works on the three major gaming platforms to boot – Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. It connects via USB, but if you want to use it to chat with other gamers on Xbox 360, you’ll need another cable as demonstrated in the video below.
The bass boost is superb and really adds a sexier dimension to in-game music and sound effects, especially in atmospheric titles like Halo, Mass Effect, Call of Duty and Alan Wake. In fact, if we were to judge the PX21 just by its sound quality alone, it really is a fantastic piece of kit.
The in-line volume control is a bit fiddly and you may accidentally brush it and increase the volume, which can go up to ear-deafening levels, so make sure you clip the control switch to somewhere secure like a jean clip or your shirt.
Although the earphones are generally comfortable, after three or so hours of continuous play, they may get slightly uncomfortable. You can also adjust the length of the headset to fit your head.
The microphone is excellent quality and is flexible so you can rearrange it to suit you.
And it may not have Dolby Surround Sound built in, but you can buy an additional processor to add this to the headset if you want. Check Leet over the coming weeks for our review of this.
There have been reports of some PX21 earphones falling apart, but it seems this is rare and Turtle Beach will replace any headset that breaks within one year of purchase.
For the full review, check out our video:
Verdict
There are better Turtle Beach headsets out there today, but for the money you can’t go wrong with this. A brilliant entry-level headset for any type of gamer.
7.5/10
Pros: Excellent sound quality, bass boost is sublime, reasonably comfortable shape, good price.
Cons: Control switch is a bit fiddly and it’s easy to accidentally change the volume, you can’t chat online on Xbox 360 without buying an extra cable first, can get uncomfortable after long periods of play.
What do you think of the Turtle Beach PX21 headset?
Dom is an award-winning writer and finalist of the Esports Journalist of the Year 2023 award. He graduated from Bournemouth University with a 2:1 degree in Multi-Media Journalism in 2007.
As a long-time gamer having first picked up the NES controller in the late ’80s, he has written for a range of publications including GamesTM, Nintendo Official Magazine, industry publication MCV and others. He worked as head of content for the British Esports Federation up until February 2021, when he stepped back to work full-time on Esports News UK and offer esports consultancy and freelance services. Note: Dom still produces the British Esports newsletter on a freelance basis, so our coverage of British Esports is always kept simple – usually just covering the occasional press release – because of this conflict of interest.
These headsets rock, but don’t pay to much for them. I can find you the cheapest if interested. But I love the quality of this set for such a good price.