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The best result was achieved together with C-Media based audio codec’s where the sound was richer and more accurately placed. I did however have problems setting the surround sound up using an M-Audio Revolution 7.1 card. This seemed to have more to do with the drivers not allowing me to swap the centre and subwoofer channels around.

Using the ZM-RS6F headphones with my Hercules Game Theatre 7.1 proved impossible as it doesn’t have a 3.5mm jack for the centre/subwoofer channel. However, they worked well with an nVidia MCP-T based system, but again the surround sound setup would not play either the bass or centre channel.

I do also have to question the build quality of the headphones somewhat since the review sample I was sent ended up breaking during the test process. One of the 3.5mm Stereo jacks got stuck in the back of one of the test PCs and broke when I tried to pull the connectors out. Hopefully this was an isolated incident, but a very annoying one as it is something that can’t be repaired easily.

The ZM-RS6F headphones are more of a novelty product than a real breakthrough, but if you’re cramped for space and want some sort of surround sound effect then you might want to try them. If these headphones are seriously aimed at gamers though, the lack of a microphone is a major issue. It’s a real pain to use a separate mic when you play games online, so hopefully this is something Zalman will consider in a future version.

There is also one final issue, the asking price of £69.33 inc VAT which to me is way too much for a set of headphones from a company that has no previous brand recognition in this field.

Verdict

A good alternative to 5.1-channel speakers, but don’t expect real surround sound. The price is also very high considering that sound quality is variable.

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