Polk Audio's Striker Pro P1: One headset for multiple platforms

Hot on the heels of the small handheld keyboard, we have a gaming headset to put through the gauntlet and these come courtesy of Polk Audio, the Striker Pro P1. This headset is built to work across platforms that include the PS4, Wii U, PC, Mac, tablets, and smartphones. As you recall, we previously reviewed the Polk 4 Shot shortly after the release of the next gen consoles and while they are a decent headset, the retractable microphone needed some work. Luckily the Striker Pro’s use a newly designed removable microphone that has a push button mute. Three detachable cables are included for use across multiple devices and both the headband and ear cups are wrapped in a leatherette material for comfort during extended play times. Let's see how they perform.

The Striker Pro P1 is a great gaming headset and could easy the only headphones one could need. I will start with the lay flat pivoting cups, they make this large headset quite a bit more compact to take on the go and the durable build quality did not feel flimsy at all, even the cables were pretty thick. The removable flexible microphone works great, without changing any settings, those in my party were able to hear me clearly without feedback, even picking up my dog playing in the background. The sound is equally amazing, from movies and music to games, these can deliver in spades at any volume, I would have just preferred a bit more bass. The Striker Pro's packaging emphasizes the tuning of the drivers with Polk Optimized Electro-Acoustic Tuning (POET) so I figured I would use Battlefront to give them a beating and they sounded beautiful with crisp and clear sound, making the a fully immersive gaming experience.

 

A few things that I was not so fond of out of the box was the overly snug fit, the optional in line remote, and the inability to hear myself speak. In regards to the snug fit, the headband is made up of sturdy metal, so firm use of thumbs at the top and a few test fittings and it no longer felt like they had a Kung Fu grip on my dome. The over the ear for do such a good job at blocking out so much noise, such as yourself speaking at higher volumes so it was often times hard to hear myself speak or other party members in the middle of loud firefights. At lower to medium volume, I did not have this problem at all. Lastly, the OPTIONAL in line remote, mine may have been defective as I got constant feedback and would not recognize the microphone. Like I said it is optional, so it did not take away from my experience.

I love the Polk Striker Pro P1's as there are no one trick pony. They now go with me just about everywhere thanks to the fold flat design and I even use them while working to take and lead conference calls. Even using on plane, the headset does a great job at blocking out engine noise, chatty neighbors, and crying babies. When using them for what they are made for, online gaming, is where I truly appreciate what they had to offer, as I got immersive sound with party chat without the loss of sound quality from using a cheap headset so I could talk with teammates. Polk's Striker Pro P1 is available now and priced at $129.95 but at the time of this review, they are modestly priced at $99.95 with free shipping from Polk's site.

Polk goes to the next gen with the 4 Shot headset

We have the first headset specifically designed for the next gen consoles, specifically the Xbox One from Polk Audio and the cans in hand are the 4 Shot High Performance Wireless Gaming Headphone System. The 4 Shots are just what the console was lacking if you are like most gamers that share space with roommates or family members and easily allows the high performance sound that Polk is known for without the clutter of numerous cables to the console for power and sound. Now that this tailored headset for the Xbox One are out of the package and ready to go, let's see how they perform.

This headset is incredibly easy to set up and use out of the box and to my amazement usage is not limited to the Xbox One. This headset was made to be used with not only the new Xbox but also tablets, phones, and while not advertised, it works with the PlayStation 4. The sound is great providing clarity and range but the real high point of this headset has got to be how comfortable they are. The 4 Shot's comfort comes from the over ear fit and leatherette wrapped plush ear pads topped with pivoting cups to make sure they snugly fit for short or long gaming sessions without pain or discomfort over time. Lastly, in the packaging are a couple different cables based on what you are using the headset with, but in order to use with the Xbox One, I had to use the included headset adapter that plugs into the controller after a quick update to place the audio control in my hands unlike when using with Sony's next gen console.

During my time with the 4 Shot's there were some nuances, the first being the retractable near field microphone, which was a clever way to mute and use during online play, but the mic did not do well at picking up speech unless I yelled and it still sounded distant. Polk is aware of this and included a boom mic to make online chat functional but also makes the retractable mic pretty much useless. The other issue would be that the headset is considered wireless, but not exactly what you would expect as it does require a cable connection to the controller, but at least now you don't have cables running across the living room to the console.

When all is said and done, I had a great time with Polk's 4 Shot headset, whether using with my phone, tablet, or next generation consoles as they do a damn fine job at bringing sound as it was intended to your ear holes without waking roommates or family members. On top of using at home, I actually used them as my primary headphones with my phone at my desk or watching Netflix from my phone and the experience was great with loud clear sound to hear games, movies, and shows as intended all without an additional power source. The 4 Shot is available now in three different colors for the price of $159.95.