Product Reviews

Wireless headphones are great for watching movies or playing games. Hauppauge's XFones claim to have the added benefit of 5.1 surround sound. This is achieved through the Dolby Headphone feature of the CyberLink PowerDVD 7 software included. This can create the impression of 5.1 directional sound through any headphones. The surround-sound emulation was convincing, but not as good as a set of 5.1 speakers, particularly at the front and rear of the sound field.

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XFones are easy to use. We just had to plug in the USB dongle and switch on the battery-powered headphones, and they took over as our PC's primary sound device. Sound quality was good, with a rumbling bass boost that was effective for games and movies.

Despite the price, the XFones don't look expensive and were uncomfortable, as they strained to fit larger heads and slipped off smaller ones. Bass boost and volume controls are on the right side, while the power switch is on the left. The bass-boost button doubles as a pairing button, letting you re-link the headphones to the transmitter if your connection is lost.

The XFones use RF, which produced better quality over distance than similar Bluetooth devices we've tested. The headphones worked well 10m away from our PC. However, they soon cut out when we went around corners or up stairs.

Hauppauge's XFones are fairly expensive, but you're paying for PowerDVD, which normally costs around £25. They sound good and work well, but we were disappointed by their poor fit and cheap feel.