Got my official Microsoft stereo headphones today directly from the Microsoft store online. First impressions are mostly good. The box contains the headphones, usb cable and headphone adapter. The usb cable is used to update the firmware of the controller so it can support the headphone adapter. I have the March preview installed and I am not sure if the ability to update the controller is included in the Feb or March update. If it is the March update then those that don't have the preview may not be able to use the stereo headset until the update is official. The headphones themselves seem to be of good quality but are a little lighter then I thought they would be- I figured for $80.00 they would be a little more substantial. They are easy to use, just pop on the adapter and plug the 3.5 plug from the headphones in and you are good to go. The audio is really clear and I detected zero hiss at all unlike the Turtle Beach X12 headphones I have been using for the 360 and Xbox One (for the Xbox One I was using the headphone out on my monitor to get sound with the X12s but could not use the mic). I tested the new headphones with BF4 and COD Ghosts. The sound was very clear and stereo separation was excellent. The bass was adequate- it was there but not as deep as I could get with the Turtle Beach headphones, however the TB ones have a powered amp with a bass setting. I also connected the Xbox headphones to my Lumia 822 and was surprised how good the sound was- music was clear and the bass was quite good- I do not use any EQ setting on my phone either. I will play with various game sound settings to see if it makes a difference- COD doesn't have any but BF4 does and I did use the headphone setting in BF4 when I tried out the new ones. Overall I really do like them. The stereo separation and sound is much clearer then the TB X12s and the lack of wires going to the console it great.
Also just a little side note about the headphone adapter- game sound and mic will only work with headphones that use a 3.5 plug. If you have stereo headphones that have a mic you can tell that if the 3.5 plug has 3 stripes on it. If you have headphones that have a separate 3.5 plug for audio and a 2.5 plug for mic you will have to use one or the other. I am not sure if you can get an adapter that would take both plugs and covert it to one 3.5 plug with 3 stripes or not. Also, if you have Turtle Beach Xbox 360 stereo headphones (such as the X12) that use usb to power the built in amp they will not work with the adapter unless you still get power from the usb connector. I did try a pair of Samsung earbuds/mic that came with a cellphone we have and the audio and mic worked fine with the adapter. So if you have a pair of earbuds from a phone you could just use those with the $25.00 adapter. Hope this helps answer a few questions.
Also just a little side note about the headphone adapter- game sound and mic will only work with headphones that use a 3.5 plug. If you have stereo headphones that have a mic you can tell that if the 3.5 plug has 3 stripes on it. If you have headphones that have a separate 3.5 plug for audio and a 2.5 plug for mic you will have to use one or the other. I am not sure if you can get an adapter that would take both plugs and covert it to one 3.5 plug with 3 stripes or not. Also, if you have Turtle Beach Xbox 360 stereo headphones (such as the X12) that use usb to power the built in amp they will not work with the adapter unless you still get power from the usb connector. I did try a pair of Samsung earbuds/mic that came with a cellphone we have and the audio and mic worked fine with the adapter. So if you have a pair of earbuds from a phone you could just use those with the $25.00 adapter. Hope this helps answer a few questions.
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