POLK AUDIO 4SHOT - XBOXONE - Comparison verses other HEADSET
Options
Comments
-
The static & drop outs are effecting all brands with the ms adapter. The low mic volume is mostly polks.
-
The static & drop outs are effecting all brands with the ms adapter. The low mic volume is mostly polks.
If you try the 4shots on a phone using the mic on the headset, volume levels are fine. I tried mine yesterday on a phone call to the wife and she said I sounded normal (even when whispering), no muffled or far away sounding voice...fast forward to Xb1 and low and behold, folks can barely hear me.....tried my Trittons using the MS adapter and chat volume to others did improve, but, the trittons also have a mic boom that can go right in front of the mouth. Sounds like a gain issue on the adapter. hopefully this fix comes soon. -
Sounds like a gain issue on the adapter. hopefully this fix comes soon.
Yeah, I suspect this is what it is as well.
Still, 2 weeks and waiting... Xbox really need to get their act together here, this is taking far too long to fix. -
I love how this thread HAD official support earlier on before release of the 4 shot. Now, those mods/techs/engineers are no where to be found. What is the status, Faux-olk?
-
I love how this thread HAD official support earlier on before release of the 4 shot. Now, those mods/techs/engineers are no where to be found. What is the status, Faux-olk?
I don't think the attitude and name calling is going to get you results. They are working on it and are shipping boom mics as a temporary fix. What else would you like to hear? I'm sure it is going to take time to get this worked out. -
I love how this thread HAD official support earlier on before release of the 4 shot. Now, those mods/techs/engineers are no where to be found. What is the status, Faux-olk?
Status on what exactly?
Polk is sending out free boom mic's to those who register as an interim fix for the mic problem. As far as the actual fix....well that's all in Microfail's hands. The issue lies with the Xbox controller/adapter software NOT the Polk headset. The low gain and other issues are NOT exclusive to Polk, there are issues with Turtle Beach and Astro as well. -
Status on what exactly?
Polk is sending out free boom mic's to those who register as an interim fix for the mic problem. As far as the actual fix....well that's all in Microfail's hands. The issue lies with the Xbox controller/adapter software NOT the Polk headset. The low gain and other issues are NOT exclusive to Polk, there are issues with Turtle Beach and Astro as well.
This is a Polk issue. There aren't any issues with the Turtle Beach XO Sevens as for as low gains. In fact, the XO Sevens are extremely sensitive and you have to keep the mic about 6 inches away from the mouth, or it with blow your friends ears out.
I've had 3 pairs of the 4Shot and one Melee set in a week and a half, and the problem is the near-field microphone for the Polks.
I recorded my voice on my smart phone 15 times and I could only it about 15% gain each time. It's extremely low and muffled. I could barely hear myself and I was talking really loud. I had to take off the headset and basically put the mic in my mouth, just to get some audible gains. The mic is just terrible. It's terrible on the phone which means that the issue is the mic itself.
I still have the 4Shot because I like the look, the sound and they are extremely comfortable but I'm waiting forever on a patch.
At the moment, play with the XO Sevens when I'm in a party chat, so I can talk to my friends. But, I use the 4Shots when I'm playing alone.
Thankfully I can afford to have both headsets and I have faith in Polk. It's a Polk issue though, not Microsoft. -
That's odd natemurder
Did you try the smart phone test with the other cable at all?
That's what I did with both Skype on my iPhone and a normal phone call and I came through loud and clear. I actually covered up the phone itself and the cable with a towel to rule out anything else picking up my voice except the near field mic and it worked perfect.
I'm personally convinced it's a Microsoft issue now, but frustrated by their slow response in addressing the issue.
They're leaving it all on Polk atm to provide updates which I think is pretty damn ordinary. -
When i play fifa 14 the sounds drops out on the headset is this a fifa problem also when I'm looking in the xbox menu it will make a static noise but when i watch youtube the headset is amazing and i have recently been playing titanfall in them they sound great but its has a little delay when I'm in the titanfall menu anyone know why?
The delay is probably just simply the latency using wireless for audio. I notice it when I use Turtle Beach X41's which are wireless. I have yet to receive a chat adapter to try the Melee on the Xbox One though. I can even notice it with a wireless controller versus the old wired ones on the 360. -
natemurder wrote: »This is a Polk issue. There aren't any issues with the Turtle Beach XO Sevens as for as low gains. In fact, the XO Sevens are extremely sensitive and you have to keep the mic about 6 inches away from the mouth, or it with blow your friends ears out.
I've had 3 pairs of the 4Shot and one Melee set in a week and a half, and the problem is the near-field microphone for the Polks.
I recorded my voice on my smart phone 15 times and I could only it about 15% gain each time. It's extremely low and muffled. I could barely hear myself and I was talking really loud. I had to take off the headset and basically put the mic in my mouth, just to get some audible gains. The mic is just terrible. It's terrible on the phone which means that the issue is the mic itself.
I still have the 4Shot because I like the look, the sound and they are extremely comfortable but I'm waiting forever on a patch.
At the moment, play with the XO Sevens when I'm in a party chat, so I can talk to my friends. But, I use the 4Shots when I'm playing alone.
Thankfully I can afford to have both headsets and I have faith in Polk. It's a Polk issue though, not Microsoft.
Note that I stated "other" issues with TB and Astro, not specifically low gain issues like the Polk. I have used my Melee's on my HTC one as well as skype on my laptop with zero mic issues.
Here is an IGN article stating there are issues with TB and Astro w/out mentioning Polk.
http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/03/13/microsoft-investigating-xbox-one-headset-adapter-issues
At the moment, I too play with an old Tritton headset on the XB1 because the mic issue does not exist with that specific headset. BUT, I also do have other issues with both my Polk and Trittons on the XB1 controller/adapter setup. My controller freezes and audio drops out randomly while playing games. The 2nd issue only started occuring AFTER the controller software was updated to use the new stereo adapter. -
My controller freezes and audio drops out randomly while playing games. The 2nd issue only started occuring AFTER the controller software was updated to use the new stereo adapter.
Yep, exactly the same thing here too.
Something definitely broke with the controller update which is pretty sad, but I'm going with my gut on my Polk4Shot and have held onto it to wait and see what happens once a fix rolls out.
I have to admit, I'm not actually that happy with a boom mic being sent out and would strongly prefer a firmware fix instead - but I get this sinking feeling this fix might be a while in coming, so I'll have to make do until then.
This HAS to be impacting 4Shot sales in a very big way though... nearly every Xbox community group I'm a member of universally slams the 4Shot for it's bad mic performance and is giving it a wide berth. A shame because the audio on this thing is excellent and they're very comfortable to wear.
Sigh. -
That's odd natemurder
Did you try the smart phone test with the other cable at all?
That's what I did with both Skype on my iPhone and a normal phone call and I came through loud and clear. I actually covered up the phone itself and the cable with a towel to rule out anything else picking up my voice except the near field mic and it worked perfect.
I'm personally convinced it's a Microsoft issue now, but frustrated by their slow response in addressing the issue.
They're leaving it all on Polk atm to provide updates which I think is pretty damn ordinary.
I used my Galaxy Note II and a voice recorder app to see if the issue was the adapter or the mic and it's definitely the mic. It's just too far away from the mouth. I'm hoping that a software patch can remedy the problem but I still it's the microphone itself.
My buddy was using his iPhone, I was using my Note II. I could barely hear him and he could barely hear me.
The mic boom will greatly improve the temporary fix but I'm still thinking it's the mic as the real problem.
I have had a lot of gaming headsets and here's my list in the last 8 years.
Turtle Beach: X1, X2, X3, X4, X41, PX5, PX51, XP510, XO Seven
Tritton: AX Pro, Warhead
Astro: A40 2011 wired and wireless, A50, A40 2013 wired.
Beyerdynamic: MMX 300
Sennheisers: PC360
Polk: Melee, 4Shot
The Beyerdynamic MMX 300 and the Sennheiser PC360 are primarily PC gaming headsets. The only way to use them on the Xbox 360/XB1 or the Sony PS3/PS4 is by using as a combination with the Astro Mixamp.
I like the Polk 4Shot/Melee for specific reasons.
1. The natural sound.
2. The aesthetic look. It's unconventional and retro at the same time. They're sexy.
3. Comfort, which is extremely important. It's as comfortable as Astro headphones. The XO Sevens aren't comfortable at all.
The last need is a great mic. It has to be crystal clear when gaming. Polk is known for it's great sound. All they need now is a great mic. -
Note that I stated "other" issues with TB and Astro, not specifically low gain issues like the Polk. I have used my Melee's on my HTC one as well as skype on my laptop with zero mic issues.
Here is an IGN article stating there are issues with TB and Astro w/out mentioning Polk.
http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/03/13/microsoft-investigating-xbox-one-headset-adapter-issues
At the moment, I too play with an old Tritton headset on the XB1 because the mic issue does not exist with that specific headset. BUT, I also do have other issues with both my Polk and Trittons on the XB1 controller/adapter setup. My controller freezes and audio drops out randomly while playing games. The 2nd issue only started occuring AFTER the controller software was updated to use the new stereo adapter.
Those audio cut outs are definitely a bummer. I would expect a software remedy in the near future. -
natemurder wrote: »The last need is a great mic. It has to be crystal clear when gaming. Polk is known for it's great sound. All they need now is a great mic.
Yeah you won't get any arguement from me there mate.
It's very strange you had issues and I did not and I'm inclined to believe this is a MS issue based on my experience, but I'm told we're a couple weeks out from a possible fix rollout on the software.
polk @polkaudio 5h
@Austacker yes, we're looking at a couple of weeks. We'll send out an update as soon as we receive more information.
Fingers crossed the software update from MS actually fixes this issue and puts all doubt to rest because it goes without saying if it does not, the fit will hit the shan. -
Yeah you won't get any arguement from me there mate.
It's very strange you had issues and I did not and I'm inclined to believe this is a MS issue based on my experience, but I'm told we're a couple weeks out from a possible fix rollout on the software.
polk @polkaudio 5h
@Austacker yes, we're looking at a couple of weeks. We'll send out an update as soon as we receive more information.
Fingers crossed the software update from MS actually fixes this issue and puts all doubt to rest because it goes without saying if it does not, the fit will hit the shan.
Lol, I'm with you on that. -
Part of the beta test group you can update your controller again and it fixes a lot of audio problems. Before I would play Nba 2k and the fans cheering were choppy and cutting out (Microsoft Problem) after the update it seems to be fixed. I still don't see any mic gain in settings yet tho. I have also tested 4 shot on my phone with the field mic and its decent as you can expect for were the mic is at. A firmware update will sure deal with that. The boom mic was a good idea to get people to keep the 4 shot until MICROSOFT fixes the mistake they really though polk audio under the bus with this one and I give Polk props for not just going full force figure pointing back at them to take some of the PR off them.
-
=== Final Update ===
After pre-ordering the 4 Shot, returning them because of the mic issue, trading for the XO7, returning them because Polk said they would ship a boom mic as temporary fix, and then buying the 4 Shot for a second time I returned the 4 Shot yet again. Why? Because I was simply disappointed with the glorified stereo and no real surround sound. When I pre-ordered the 4 Shot last year I never imagined that they would not have 5.1 or 7.1 surround sound. Combine that with the overall low volume and I knew I just couldnt keep either the Polks or the TBs.
The fact that Xbone has gone backwards in so many regards is extremely frustrating and deserves its own thread, but taking such a huge step backwards in audio quality was the last straw for me. So I kicked in the extra $100 and pulled the trigger on the Astro A40. I have been wanting these since I first tried them out at the COD XP event down in LA back in 2011. So I have been eyeballing these bad boys for some time now.
So how are they?
They fricken rock! Easily the most comfortable headset I have ever owned and the sound is amazing! There was a noticeable difference compared to both the 4Shot and the XO7 as soon as I started navigating the dashboard. As for playing Titanfall, it was like a whole new game as I could hear things coming from their proper directions as well as awesome sound overall. And the volume levels.... BAM! Both the 4Shot and XO7 have such weak volume compared to these cans! That's expected of course since they are only receiving their power/volume from the controller but the power of the mixamp is even louder than my old Tritton Black Ops headset.
I also think there is measurable benefit to the true surround sound as my overall K/D made a significant turn upward over the course of the night. I don't recall any specific instance where I heard a directional sound that helped me get a kill, but it must be working as my numbers were positive all night. They weren't out of this world stats, but at least they didn't suck either.
So are the Astro A40's worth the extra $100 over the 4Shot and XO7? Without a doubt, yes by a mile! The reality is that both the 4Shot and XO7 should be priced in the $80 dollar range as the $159 is a rip off IMHO. The only downside to the A40's are the cables I have to lay across the floor, but that's a small price to pay for such awesome sound. On the positive side, they plug into the Xbone via USB for power instead of having to plug an adapter into an outlet like I did with my Trittons.
So it took me the three different returns to GameStop, but the fourth time was a charm. The Astro A40's are the bomb and I'm keeping them. Good luck to the rest of you on your audio quest and I hope you find the headset you like best. -
Yeah, I'm seeing a lot of positive feedback on the Astros with the 40 being more popular than the 50 for the reasons you described above.
Polk are in a bit of a pickle here as their headset audio is good for what it is. Of all the controller only connected headsets I think Polk are right up there.
Yes, the mic is a total deal breaker and no doubt has done a lot of damage to this model's reputation and sales. I applaud Polk for trying to come to the party with an alternative, but a plug in boom mic I don't honestly think is the answer.
Either the firmware update from Microsoft properly fixes this issue or as far as I'm concerned this headset is a write off. Considering how long after the adapter launch we've had now with the mic still useless, most of the people I game with either said screw it and bought another headset or returned their polk.
Whilst I've been strongly critical of this situation and very disappointed with current state of play, I'm literally the only person in our large gaming group who actually kept their Polk which honestly makes me sad, but that's just the consumer world we live in.
Either get it right straight up and impress the market, or go home because you won't get a second chance.
Go make a post on Reddit, Amazon or any other common gamer hangout on the Polk4Shot and you'll get a common answer - 'it's crap, avoid. Go buy a Turtlebeach or Astro instead'
It'll take a gargantuan effort for Polk to turn that rep around with gamers, if they ever can at all I'm afraid.
For people who are just into their Polk for Audio, I've no doubt there's no dramas at all. But gamers are a completely different breed with very different requirements.
The mic is AS important and the audio itself and for it to not work just makes the whole headset completely useless, no matter how good the audio actually is. -
Austacker, put a sock in it. EVERYONE here is tired of you.Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
Little problem here, so in order to get the free boom mic I need to register my headphones correct? Well I seemed to have misplaced the little register card with my serial number on it. Is there any other way to register my set so I can get the boom mic? Can I find the serial number somewhere on the headset itself? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
-
You need to CALL Polk about that one.Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
Austacker, put a sock in it. EVERYONE here is tired of you.
Speak for 'everyone' do you?
Nice to know.
You're the elected representative of fanboys on the official forums?
You get to tell people who are rightly complaining the product doesn't work to STFU and have a nice day?
No worries, happy to provide the link abroad that complaints about this product on the official forums will ensure you are met with this level of response.
That's PR gold that money can't buy. I'm sure Polk will be delighted you're doing all you can to further piss off already pissed off customers.
Well done. -
There are others that asked you to stop before I did, so deal with it and just stop.Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
There are others that asked you to stop before I did, so deal with it and just stop.
Absolutely not.
The product is still not properly functional & as a consumer, I've every right to be disgruntled and share that feedback on their official forum.
Like all the other fanboys here, you're doing Polk absolutely no favours by harrassing customers who are here to complain. In fact, you're doing even more damage their PR honestly doesn't need.
Whilst I'm posting and being bullied and harrassed, many more lurkers will swing by, see how upset customers are being treated and be sure to relay that experience abroad.
You're not helping Polk's situation here, you're making it worse.
Let the customers vent. -
Your problem, and it is your problem, is that after the first couple of rants you now come off as a spoiled 2 year old not getting its way. When people read this thread and all the others you've posted in saying basically the same exact thing I suspect they will come to the same conclusion. Some may even ask if you'd like some cheese with your whine. The fact is some of us have asked you to cease your broken record type rants for your own good, but no one has bullied or harrassed you.
Fanboy I'm not, so get that straight in your head. Not every product made by any company is a home run. For example, the LSi 15 and 25 are not two of Polk's best efforts, which I have stated many times here and on other sites.Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
I preordered these headphones back in 2013 and registered them the day they arrived. I encountered the mic problem on the first night with my friends and immediately reached out to Polk about the problem.
To this day, weeks later, no one from Polk has responded. I have made multiple attempts to contact their support team. Not one single reply.
I have also been watching this thread without comment, being patient, waiting for more than one post from Polk, but seeing negative posts by fellow customers for complaining is just sickening in this situation. Polk should be in this thread commenting, and they should certainly ban posters that tell other customers to shut up on a forum about this problem.
If Polk wants me to trust them they should support their product and respond to valid customer inquiries. If they want to let so called "Loyal Customers" attack new customers they will only be damaging their brand further.
I just want some simple communication from Polk. -
Did you try calling Polk?Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
Spiitz Travsky wrote: »I preordered these headphones back in 2013 and registered them the day they arrived. I encountered the mic problem on the first night with my friends and immediately reached out to Polk about the problem.
To this day, weeks later, no one from Polk has responded. I have made multiple attempts to contact their support team. Not one single reply.
I have also been watching this thread without comment, being patient, waiting for more than one post from Polk, but seeing negative posts by fellow customers for complaining is just sickening in this situation. Polk should be in this thread commenting, and they should certainly ban posters that tell other customers to shut up on a forum about this problem.
If Polk wants me to trust them they should support their product and respond to valid customer inquiries. If they want to let so called "Loyal Customers" attack new customers they will only be damaging their brand further.
I just want some simple communication from Polk.
Not just that, but the crap we have to contend with from the local fanboys on top.
Have a look at a few of the other threads here on this issue where I protest and look at the constant harrassment and bullying I get from these people when I complain.
It's now 3 WEEKS since the release of this product and there's no further update on a software fix or timeline of when we can expect one.
At BEST we have a boom mic being sent out in the next week which honestly isn't what we need here. We just need the mic in the headset working.
Because Polk are chosing to be so tight lipped about progress, Xbox/Microsoft are simply pushing us back to Polk and the local fanboys here as just being *******s over it, I'm having to discuss this outside of the Polk sphere in other social media spectrums.
Sad to say, this has been a very poor consumer and customer experience and after shelling out over $200 Australian for this piece of crap which now sits on a shelf gathering dust, I have a mighty big axe to grind over the issue. -
I am a fan. I bought them after reading multiple reviews and reading all the issues, I still took a leap of faith. Polk is a well respected audio company. To me they sound fantastic. I am not one to purchase multiple headsets like someone posted above. After buying that many you'd think you'd find a winner. In fact these are only the second gaming headsets I have ever bought. I had a Logitech set that I used to play BF2. I prefer to get one and stick with it.
I haven't tried the mic yet, I don't know if it's a deal breaker for me as I do most of my gaming silent and not many of my friends have switched to X1 yet. If the boom mic fixes the issue temporarily until a patch comes out, then that is a good thing. If not, I still have a superb set of headphones. I got them on eBay for $138, saved $30 and they are brand new...if anyone is interested in these at a discount...everyone seems to be unloading them on eBay. I'll be happy until a surround sound set comes out. As it stands they replicate sound placement fairly well.
This discussion has been closed.