Thrustmaster Y-250CPX Universal Gaming Headset Review

Thrustmaster is an established gaming peripherals company that has been standing strong since 1992. They are known as a leader in racing game accessories like the Ferrari 450 racing wheel and joysticks for all consoles and the PC. Thrustmaster has always set the tone for the creation of high-tech and innovative designs for their peripherals and the introduction of great solutions to allow gamer to immerse in a one of a kind gaming environment. Today, Thrustmaster has let us review their top wired headset, the Thrustmaster Thrustmaster Y-250CPX Stereo Gaming Headset.

Specifications

• Full compatibility to almost all handhelds and consoles, as well as tables and smartphones.
• Cable Length: 5.20m
• Impedance: 32 Ohms
• Independent Volume Control for Game and Voice Sound
• Noise Cancelling Detachable and Adjustable Microphone
• Has hidden microphone included in the Headset.
• 50mm drivers.
• Double electro-acoustic bass sound amplifier.
• Audio Sensitivity: 102db @ 1mw
• Audio Frequency Response: 10 Hz to 15 KHz

Closer Look

Packaging

The front of the box displays the Thrustmaster Y-250CPX Headset with the detachable mic attached and also showing off the headset when connected to the advanced sound control module. Thrustmaster graciously points out to us the name of each part. Also included here are some of the consoles and platforms that you can plug the Thrustmaster Y-250CPX in. To cap things off for the front are 3 of the many features of the headset.

Looking at the right side of the box are the list of contents inside and the Electro-acoustic bass amplifier.

On the left side are some more features of the Thrustmaster Y-250CPX and a great view of the left side of the headset, as well as the barcode.

Out back you will see the rest of the features of the Thrustmaster Y-250CPX and a Frequency Response Curve Chart which shows the testing that was made by Thrustmaster in their lab by using an artificial ear, showing us the superb quality of this Thrustmaster headset.

What’s inside

Manuals. Cables and other Accessories

The package contains the Thrustmaster Thrustmaster Y-250CPX Headset, detachable and adjustable microphone, the inline controller for the advanced sound control, a talkback cable, RCA cable and the manuals.

Let’s now take a closer look at the inline controller of the Thrustmaster Y-250CPX. When connected, the LED will light up and turn orange if the Mic is not in use and Blue if it is. There are four volume controls for the user to play with: Game for when using the Thrustmaster Y-250CPX as a console headset, Chat for the XBOX 360 and PC volume, Mic Gain for the voice control of your Mic, and finally the Bass. Also included here are controls to enable the voice when using the detachable microphone and turning the Mic on and off. Also, there are two ports here that can be used. The one in the bottom is for the connection to the Headset and the other one is for the XBOX 360 chat.

Thrustmaster Thrustmaster Y-250CPX Headset

The Thrustmaster Thrustmaster Y-250CPX is a bit of  large headset. The frame is coated in black plastic with silver highlights that traverse overhead from one side of the headset to another that fittingly forms a “Y”, simple yet elegant, which is just right.

A leather memory foam can be found below the headband. It provides the user with just the right amount of softness and cushion to provide comfort.

The earcuffs are coated with the same memory foam used for headband. There is enough space between the ears to cool it without sacrificing the quality of sound.

The detachable microphone can be attached to the left side of the headset. Thanks to its curved design, it is wonderfully positioned at near the front of your mouth while giving you enough space not to be a nuisance. If you need for the positioning to be adjusted, it is flexible near the base for you can move it wherever you desire.

Speaking of adjustment, you can move and extend the headset top fit the size of your head. When extended, it shows an aluminum frame that supports the headset, which shows that Thrustmaster values stability for your money.

Testing

For testing, we used the test provided by AudioCheck to verify the strength and quality of sound of the Thrustmaster Y-250CPX.

Frequency Response

This is a test to measure the bass extension of the headset. There are two ranges that we will use to measure this: 10Hz to 200Hz and 22KHz to 8KHz, For the first test, The Thrustmaster Y-250CPX was stable throughout the test and gave out clear and superb audio from 10Hz to 200Hz. As for the second test, I started to hear the high pitch tone at 21 KHz, which is what great headsets produce. It still delivers top notch audio, even as the frequency dies down.

Spectral Flatness

This is a test to measure the flattest frequency response of your headset. The Thrustmaster Y-250CPX did great on this one, as it provided consistent sound from the start to finish.

Dynamic Range

Dynamic range represents the ratio between the loudest signal you can hear and the quietest. Dynamic range is not part of any headphone specification, but will help you when benchmarking the isolation offered by your headphone in a noisy environment. On this test I was able to hear sound at 48 dB below full scale. When compared to the standart 36 dB below full scale, this was a great performance by the Thrustmaster Y-250CPX.

Quality

Poorly built or extensively worn headphones may start to rattle whenever loud or deep bass content is played. The Thrustmaster Y-250CPX did not rattle or shake, which says that it has great quality. Although it was kind of disappointing that the bass was not that good, even at full bass volume.

Driver Matching

Better headphones have tighter tolerances in the variation of their drivers’ frequency responses. To reproduce a faithful stereo image, the left and the right drivers must respond equally to every frequency in the audible spectrum. When this condition is fulfilled, the drivers are said to be “matched.” For this test, the Thrustmaster Y-250CPX faltered a bit at certain frequencies, where the sound would not stay at the center but at left then right for a very short period then back again at center.

Wiring

Headphones that are properly wired will route the left channel to the left earpiece, and the right channel to the right (this makes sense). More important, relative polarity between drivers must be preserved: when presented with the same input signal, both drivers should move in the same direction, not opposite of each other. The first test measures whether the headset is wired correctly, and it passes with flying colors as I only heard audio at the left ear when I played the left audio and so did the right. The second test measured the polarity, and it passed once again as the sound would stay in the middle when the center audio was played, and the sound came from everywhere except the center when the twisted audio was played.

Binaural Test

Binaural recordings are made by placing microphones directly in one’s ear, capturing the sound that reaches the pinnae. By playing back the recording through headphones, one ensures that each of the listener’s ears get the exact same signal as originally captured. The result is immersive and truly surprising, but only works with headphones. No issues for the Thrustmaster Y-250CPX on this test.

Gaming

Whether it was gaming using the PS3, PC or iPhone, the audio quality was great all throughout. I heard the footsteps of my enemies and successfully took care of them when playing FPS. I also heard some sounds that I have never heard before in League when I used my old headset, so it gave me a new advantage for that game because of using the Thrustmaster Y-250CPX. Even though some iOS games don’t offer much in terms of sound, the Thrustmaster Y-250CPX enhanced the quality a bit.

Music and Mobile Usage

When using the Thrustmaster Y-250CPX for music, it give great audio, just like when gaming, but the bass leaves something to be desired. The hidden microphone shoots out your voice as clear as day and my callers did not have any problems with hearing what I was saying when using it.

Comfort

Let’s put it this way, I started using the Thrustmaster Y-250CPX at 9am and did not fully take it off until 3pm. It gave me great comfort while gaming and chillin at the couch while listening to my favorite tracks, as it did not hurt my neck one bit.

Conclusion

Thrustmaster has once again proved that they are a world wide leader in not just racing peripherals, but with headsets as well, as evidenced by the Thrustmaster Y-250CPX. It’s simple yet elegant design proves that you don’t need the lights and frills to be included in a headset for it to become great.

The Thrustmaster Y-250CPX is very comfortable as well, even lasting for 5 to 6 solid hours of gaming and sometimes you just don’t even notice that its there. Although it can be hot at the ears sometimes, its not enough to drag it down.

Thanks to its 50mm drivers, the Thrustmaster Y-250CPX produces high class audio for every need. Whether for music or gaming, it gives you a distinct advantage of knowing where you targets are while blasting beautiful sound to your ears. Although it does not have any software to equalize and customize your settings when using the PC, the inline controller has some settings that could replace some of the need for that.

Overall, the Thrustmaster Thrustmaster Y-250CPX is a very solid pair of cans that you use for almost everything.  And when all of this features can be accessed on almost all platforms, you wont even feel the need for a new headset. A great value at any price for a headset of this caliber. Highly Recommended.