Creative HS-1200 Review

I just purchased a headset from http://www.newegg.com , and must say as always Newegg ROCKS!! The Creative HS-1200
http://us.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=437&subcategory=442&product=17506

This is not your normal gaming Headset. This one has no attached wires. It seems to be similar to a blue tooth setup requiring a pairing process, this allows multiple headsets to occupy the same radio space. NOTE:: This is NOT a blue tooth device, so don't expect it to pair with your cell phone.

In The Box::
I have to say I was a little disappointed when I opened the box. I was expecting full surround headphones that go over the ears, not large pads that just cover the ears. I have used several headphones in the past and this type generally can only be worn for an hour or so before your ears start to hurt. The package came with a setup disk, manual, USB puck, and headset.

Get r' done::
The installation was painless. I did make the mistake of installing more than the headset drivers though. I was given the options of what to install, but found out later that the only required one was the headset driver. The other negative is Creative wants to install a background utility that will check for updates. I generally do not like these types of applications 1. They are generally poorly written 2. they take up memory space 3. they don't let you know they are running until you get a pop up...... The list goes on and on. The setup requires a restart of the computer. Once XP decided to return to a desktop I connected the small USB puck to an open port. There is a blue status light that starts to flash (looking for headset) after XP finds the new hardware. You may have to have XP find the HID driver after it is connected, I would guess this is for the extra buttons located on the headset to control your VOIP connect and disconnect functions. I turned on the headset and bingo bango bongo it was paired (I did not have to do anything.)

Usage::
This is where the experience changes. Once I placed the headset on, I did not get the expected pressure on my ears. While the pads did not go around my ears they did seem to cut out a majority of the background noise. I cranked up some music much to my enjoyment the speakers seem to have a high dynamic range (Don't expect these to replace your $30,000 speaker set.) There did seem to be a digital noise every so often, but I would expect no less on a set of wireless speakers.
So how comfy were they? I had them on my head for 7 hours today without any ear/head pain.
What kind of distance did I get? I was able to move 50' in all directions before the digital noise overcame the music. This was in a building with metal stud construction and lots of mass for the radio signal to travel through. It also reached the 2nd floor.
How about VOIP and SKYPE? The best I have ever heard, and the people on the other end enjoyed the clear mic sound. I was not able to get the SKYPE answer and hang up to work, but may have a solution for that now.
How long does the battery last? It was a little under the manufacture spec coming in at 7 hours of run time. The headset starts beeping to let you know you need to charge it.
How long does it take to charge the battery? 2 hours to charge over a laptop USB port. The USB puck has a wire that connects to the headset to charge it. The nice thing about this is if your in the middle of a game you don't have to remove your headset and place it in a charger, just connect the wire and your off and running.

Pros::
NO WIRES and it is a headset!
Sounds Great
Very light on your head
Comfortable

Cons::
Price
Digital Noise (even when close to the usb puck)
SKYPE setup was not an out of the box experience

Score::
4.5 out of 5

GameNight

When:
September 19th 5:15pm Start to setup
6:00pm hope to be playing.

Where: Please contact me for location details.

Who:
If you received an email your invited. If you would like to bring a friend --- they are invited too.

What:
BF2 -- getting old but not much else out there to play yet
TeamFortress2 -- You may not all have this but it's fairly cheep $20.00

Bring:
Your best gaming computer
Your headset
Your monitor
Your Mouse
Your Keyboard
10' patch cable
misc cables to make it all work nice together.
and don't forget you!

Food:
Bring $5.00 cash or equivalent food supplies to be shared. (pizza is on the menu unless you have another suggestion)
I will provide soda for the players