Flaunting a lively graffiti colorway, the Stealth XP Street headset hits the streets alongside a blazing headphone stand that literary "stand out" and it's anything but stealthy!
Stealth XP Street main features include an inline remote that integrates a double-sided volume control wheel and as microphone mute switch. The inline remote (and buttons) is made of hard plastic with thick strong reliefs on both ends of the inline remote. The volume control has a master volume function, which controls the game volume as well as chat volume.
Most gaming headsets have a single volume dial for controlling in-game sound and/or voice chat, which is convenient, although not as useful as having a separate game volume and voice chat volume. A master volume basically sets the chat sound and in-game sound volume to the same level, which isn't always ideal in crucial moments when you need to listen out for enemy footsteps. Luckily (if you have an Xbox One), you can set the audio levels separately by going to the system audio and adjusting the volume and "chat mixer". You ideally want to set the in-game volume level to 100% and the voice chat to 50% to avoid both sounds competing.
With a PS4 (PlayStation 4) console though, it's a different ball game all together because there is no option to hear both game play and voice chat at the same time through the headphones; hence you cannot adjust game and chat volume from the PS4, unless you hook up a mixamp (with optical in) to the PS4.
The Stealth XP Street inline remote is connected to a non-detachable and reinforced 1.2 meter long cable with a single entry via the left earcup. The inline remote has been positioned 38cm away from the earcup; hence it dangles by the navel. There is no clip shirt but given the position and low weight of the remote, you can place the inline remote on the desk or have it dangling without weighing down the headset.
At the other end of the cable, there is a right angled 3.5mm connector, which is compatible with any headset audio source that has a 3.5mm audio input so, you can plug the headset into a PS4 controller, Nintendo Switch, phone headphone jack and the Xbox One controller. You can also connect the Stealth XP Street headset to the original Xbox One controller but, you will an stereo headset adapter, which is not included.
The Stealth XP Street also works with a computer but, you will need an audio splitter (not included) if your computer has two separate jacks for the audio and microphone. The Stealth XP Street headset is automatically recognized by the computer's audio manager as the default device; hence it is plug and play. This is not always the case with a lot of headsets, which require you to manually go to the Sound settings to make the headset the default device.
The Stealth XP Street headphone has a glossy finish without a yoke, which typically has tilt hinges that allow the earcups to move up and down. Sometimes the yoke incorporates a swivel mechanism too that lets you revolve the earcups left to right. Both tilt and swivel adjustment allow the headset to fit comfortably on a variety of head shapes so, without these features the Stealth XP Street may not fit well on large or odd-head shapes. That said, there is height adjustment via a plastic adjusting slider, which has grooved notches for regulating the headset height in five levels.
The underside of the headband is light padded but provides decent head support and it's soft to the touch, thanks to the soft, leathery material. The Stealth XP Street earpads have a firmer cushioning and are also covered with the same soft, leather-like material.
Without additional tilt hinges and swivel mechanism, the Stealth XP Street headphone has a more basic construction than a lot of headphones, which on the upside means fewer part components; hence less likely for things to go wrong. The Stealth XP Street headphone construction consists of four pieces, including the 4cm wide headband, the adjusting band slider and two side pieces that hold the earcups in place. The earcups are attached to the headphone via a pivot arm support that gives the earpads the illusion of levitating over the earcups.
The front panel of the Stealth XP Street earcups has a deep circular groove and a microphone port (left earcup) for attaching the included boom arm microphone. The boom mic measures 16cm long and has a large mic housing at one end and a gold-plated connector with a twist-lock plug at the other end that keeps the boom arm mic secured to the headset. The microphone has a uni-directional pattern, which has naturally a narrow voice pickup that suppresses sound from the back and sides so, it works well for boom microphone headsets. The Stealth XP Street microphone picks up the voice clearly and without distortion.
Being detachable, the boom arm mic can be removed, allowing you to wear the headphones outdoors. A lot of gaming headsets are mostly designed for indoor use because of their space-age design with bulky earcups, which puts the vast majority of people off from wearing them outside. The Stealth XP Street headset, in the other hand, has a similar compact design to most regular headphones with a trendy design that will appeal the fashion-consciousness.
Because of the compact size though, the Stealth XP Street earcups aren't equipped with a virtual surround adapter that typically allows gaming headsets to emulate (via software) 7.1 sound, which really enhances the listening experience with great bass and airy three-dimensional sound. Virtual surround sound does over amplify everything, which works great for a lot of games but, it isn't always ideal for picking up audio cues.
When playing competitive first shooter games, stereo headphones tend to work best as they produce a more accurate sound, although that depends on the soundstage, imaging and separation of the stereo headset. The Stealth XP Street drivers deliver balanced bass with clear sound, decent imaging and instrument separation across a wide soundstage. While 7.1 sound is not built-in, you can get a 7.1 sound-like effect by enabling "Windows Sonic for headphones", which is supported by Xbox One and Windows computers, running Windows 10.
The Stealth XP Street 40mm drivers deliver superb audio dynamics; hence loud volume output. Despite being closed-back though, there is a substantial amount of sound leakage, which is not surprising given the light open design of the earcups, which does make the sound more open and dynamic. Anyone sitting next to you will definitely hear everything you are listening to.
Speaking of earcups, the earpads have 1.5cm thick padding with an oval-shape, measuring 5cm high and 4cm wide internally and 8.5cm high and 7.5cm wide externally. There is a 1cm earcup depth with a thin layer of fabric covering the driver. The fabric has a heat printed logo created from the silhouette of a breakdancer.
Given the headset dimensions, the Stealth XP Street is better suited for someone with a small/medium head and ears. There is no breathable mesh lining the inside of the earcups but the clamping force is on the low/medium side, which prevents heat/sweat from building up as much. If the headset fits your head well, you can easily wear it for many hours without discomfort, thanks to the low weight of the headset, which is 243 grams (including the cable and boom arm). The boom mic alone weighs 14 grams.
The Stealth XP Street headset stand has the same carnival colorway as the XP Street headset and seems to be made with white opaque glossy cast acrylic. It weighs 175 grams and measures 5.7cm wide and 0.4cm thick and 24cm tall. There are no rubber feet but the headset width does provide a secure support. The edges of the stand aren't beveled but have been made bland so, they aren't sharp. A few other add-ons include a cable management velcro strap. You can buy the Stealth XP Street from Argos. If you prefer wireless headsets, check out the review of the C6-500 gaming headset.