I'm a gamer and, as any gamer will tell you, headphones are crucial if you're going to compete in a league.  Why?  The number one reason is the use of voice communication software such as Teamspeak or Ventrilo.  Until recently, the only disadvantage to using headphones was the lack of surround sound.  Well, those days might just be over.

Today, we'll look over the Listen To Believe AC97-M True 5.1 Surround Sound Headphones.  Can a product with a street price of around $60.00 give you quality surround sound?  Lets find out...

---

---

If you've been paying attention to the headphone market lately, you've seen that more & more companies are producing headphones that re-create 5.1 surround sound.  Most notably, Zalman's Theatre 6 (ZM-RS6F) made a big splash when it entered the scene.  These headphones have three speakers per ear, which are fed by dedicated lines that you plug into your sound card's (or motherboard's) specific outputs.  The 5.1 sound is a nice addition for watching movies late at night, for instance.  However, I believe that 5.1 headphone technology has the biggest impact on the gaming audience.  The separation of sound makes an enormous difference if you're trying to hear, for example, which direction those footsteps belonging to the guy trying to sneak up on you are coming from.

Slap an integrated mic onto the Theatre 6's & what've you got? The LTB AC97-M, that's what. Well, mostly, anyway. The main difference being that the AC97-M's use a USB-powered break-out box to encode the signal, while the Zalman's do not.