Zalman Theatre 6
ZM-RS6F surround sound headphones
| Features |
Info
|
- Electro Dynamic
Round Type Micro Speaker
- 50Hz ~ 20KHz
(Extension Effective)
- Straight, Triple
entry 9.8ft (300cm)
- 11.24oz (316.8g)
without packaging
- 89 dB +/- 3 dB
at 50mW
|
|
Zalman is a company renowned for their PC cooling and silencing products. The
Theatre 6 line of headphones is in fact their first venture into personal audio
products, and by our measures it is quite a successful one.
Packaging and
esthetics
The first thing to strike
me about this product was it’s unconventional packaging; unlike traditional
boxes most headphones come in, these are neatly packed in a clear dome-shaped
container, flaunting the headphones inside. Of course, Zalman wouldn’t
decide to show them off if they weren’t eye-candy. Although their size
is quite big (because of the 6 sets of speakers they house), these headphones
are indeed very appealing, the silver and black matching perfectly, and Zalman
logos well placed.
Storage and durability
Zalman seems to have
taken a cue from high-end DJ headphones in the construction of the ZM-RS6F.
The pieces can be folded up for efficient storage, similar to the Sony MDR
line of headphones. The cups are even reversible. Being a part time DJ, I
can see myself using these headphones for monitoring, and they could certainly
take a beating. Being made of a very durable feeling plastic, the ZM-RS6F’s
feel like they’re built to last.
Feel
Wearing them was a pleasure
as well. Ergonomics is definitely a concern for gamers and movie watchers
alike, and, after testing these headphones on for hours, I must say I still
felt very comfortable. The cushioning on the ear cups conveniently pads the
ear and also keeps ambient noises to a minimum. The padding on the crosspiece
makes certain that the headphones are well rested on your head. Obviously,
because of the 3D positioning of the surround speakers, the ZM-RS6F can’t
be worn around your neck, so if you’re sporting a spiky hair-do, there’s
a chance it might get messed up :p.
Performance
Now lets see if the ZM-RS6F
performs as well as it looks and feels. First of all, there are three 3.5mm
inputs (rear, front and centre) on the 10 feet cord. I would prefer to see
coiled cords such as those on the Sony MDR-V500, as well as volume control,
since it can be a hassle at times to change volume through a software interface.
The headphones are designed to be plugged into multi-channel soundcards, or
even portable DVD players, however, a single channel (front) may be used with
typical stereo outputs, such as a CD or MP3 player. We used a Sound Blaster
Audigy 2 for all our tests. Three main areas were tested; movies, games and
music. One last note, however, is that these headphones cannot be connected
to normal AV amplifiers (since they don’t have 3.5 mm outputs for front,
centre and rear), so you will be unable to listen to your home DVD player
without using a separate headphone preamp.
Movies
For movies, we watched
the Matrix and pearl harbour. In both cases, special effects performance was
stunning. Although the frequency response on paper didn’t look spectacular
(10 Hz – 20000 Hz), it sounded very high-end. Bass was warm and clear
during bullet time sequences in the Matrix as well as the bombing sequences
in Pearl Harbour. Surround sound effects are not quite the same as in a home
theatre set-up, however, but very commendable nonetheless. Obviously, because
of the distance between speakers and your ear in a home-theatre set-up, that
effect can never be truly replicated with headphones. But still, I was able
to hear each bullet whizzing past in the matrix, as well as the aircraft creeping
from behind in Pearl Harbour. The ZM-RS6F delivers sound effects in real 3D
thanks to six built-in speakers, and delivers far better realism than so-called
“simulated 3D” speakers or headphones. The only area in which
ZM-RS6F lags would have to be dialog sequences; for some reason, the volume
of dialog seemed a bit low, and also the speech sounded hollow. A little bit
of equalizer tweaking greatly improved that, though.
Games
Gaming
is where the ZM-RS6F really shines. For most users, it will probably be the
main purpose as well. We tested the headphones with Unreal Tournament (FPS)
and Need For Speed Underground (racing). Gaming proved to be a very immersive
experience with this pair of headphones. I was able to gauge where explosions
were happening, and even locate footsteps by hearing in Unreal. As for Need
For Speed, the sound of being overtaken by another car, for example definitely
was on par. I later switched back to my regular stereo Sony MDR V500 after
using these babies, and the difference was astounding. On stereo headphones,
compared to the ZM-RS6F, it felt as though something was missing, and the
gaming experience was relatively dull.
Music
Lastly, the ZM-RS6F’s
handle music quite well considering how they excel in special effects. I listened
to the “Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” and “Trancespotting:
Music from the world of trance” album. Sound quality was very close
to high end Sony MDR V600s and even Sennheiser HD497s. Bass was warm and deep,
but not overdone and was definitely the best part of the music experience
with these headphones. In fact, I prefer its bass response over that of the
Sony models. Highs, on the other hand, were not as crisp when compared to
the other two headphones. Also, relatively speaking, the vocals sounded just
a bit hollow. It should be noted though, that the other headphones mentioned
run in the 70$ price range, and the ZM-RS6F costs much less than that.
Summation
All in all, the Zalman
Theatre 6 ZM-RS6F headphones pack the most bangs for the buck out of any headphone
I have ever tried. Priced at around 50$, their performance is dangerously
close to higher priced Sony and Sennheiser stereo headphones, plus they offer
true surround sound. Thanks to the ZM-RS6F, we can personnally enjoy true
surround sound without disturbing our neighbours, or even shelling out triple
digits on home theatre equipment. Testing this piece of equipment was definitely
worth our while, the first of its kind in fact, and we must thank Zalman for
providing us with the pleasant surprise.
Amit
03.12/15
