Introduction

Over the years I have watched 5.1 grow from a new and unfamiliar technology to something now found in most modern homes. Of course, when the technology first came out it was quite expensive and the performance was not fantastic. But now, we are seeing full 5.1 systems selling for under a $100 and every sound card also now offering at least 5.1 channel onboard audio.

Today we have a totally new product from a new company with hopes of shaking up everyone's idea of what 5.1 sound is and how it should sound to the listener. The company I'm talking about here is Sharkoon and what they have is a pair of headphones containing eight, yes, eight speakers! - Their main goal with the X-Tatic is to provide thrilling surround sound to the user in either analog or digital mode, all the while keeping to the benefits a pair of good headphones has to offer over a typical speaker setup.

I'm really looking forward to seeing just how well the surround experience comes across to the user in this tight space; something most other companies haven't been able to accomplish very effectively with their 5.1 headphone designs thus far. Let's now push onward and see what Sharkoon has in store for us with the X-Tatic Digital 5.1 headphones.