Pros: It's cheap.

Cons: The sound quality is abysmal. How abysmal? Picture an old cassette tape. Now copy it. Then copy it again. Then play it on an old car stereo hooked up to a pair of ghetto subwoofers. If the tape deck has that muffling Dolby NR on it, make sure that's on so that all treble and clarity goes away. There you have it. That's what these things sound like.

Overall Review: This is the worst Xbox 360 headset I have ever heard, possibly one of the worst pair of cans I have ever heard in my entire life. The sound quality is absolute sh*te. Actually, now that I think about it, that's the perfect way to describe how it sounds. Forget what I said earlier. Just imagine stuffing your ears full of dung, and then putting on a pair of truly cr*ptastic headphones. That's what these things sound like. So if you're into that kind of thing, you'll love this. I have no idea how good or bad the mic is. I just couldn't get past how truly hideous the sound was. I've heard about MadCatz's performance and quality - or lack thereof rather - for years now. My current budget constraints necessitated that I take a chance on these. I really should have known better.

Pros: The ONLY redeeming feature is that the ear cups were very comfortable (if not a bit too large). The fabric on them was soft and did not build up heat easily. But that simply isn't enough to make up for completely inadequate and unsatisfactory sound quality. After all, I was looking for a decent headset, not a good pair of earmuffs.

Cons: The sound is thin, tinny, and has an annoying reverb. On top of that, the XL1 has no bass whatsoever - not even a little - despite having a bass boost feature. Now, I'm not one of those guys who need a ton of bass, but seriously there was NO discernible low-end frequency response at all. To picture what I'm describing, just imagine plugging a tin can and a string into your Xbox 360, and then having to listen to the resulting sounds from the other end of an echoing aircraft hanger. It was not full, not lush, and had absolutely NO BASS whatsoever. And though the highs were sharp, they were sharp to a fault. On my previous headset, in-game weapons produced clear and impactful reports. Now they sound like a pair of yardsticks slapping against a concrete sidewalk - with an echo to boot. On top of all that, the headband feels incredibly weak and fragile. I get the distinct impression that if I were to handle it with anything less than extreme care, the headband might just snap apart.

Overall Review: Let me just mention that I've been a Turtle Beach fan for a LONG time. One of the first things I used to do in every PC build as far back as 12 years ago was to disable the on-board sound and plunk some money down on a decent Turtle Beach card like the Santa Cruz. And I have been a rabid Turtle Beach fan ever since...until today. The truth is I completely regret my XL1 purchase. The sound is absolutely dismal. The build quality isn't much better. It's just junk pure and simple. I could have gone with a cheaper headset that I've heard good things about, but instead I chose to trust the Turtle Beach name. Thank you Turtle Beach, thank you for reminding me that a good brand name doesn't necessarily mean a good product. I don't know what else to say. I'm trying to be as kind and forgiving as I possibly can, but the fact of the matter is that I am utterly and bitterly disappointed with this headset.