What it all means is that with just one set of headphones, your consoles and the Xjacker SOniq Rush, you could have great stereo sound. If you’re looking to get full surround sound then you’ll need to go another way as this is just for basic stereo sound.
Soniq Rush with Playstation 3
In regards to the Playstation 3 it can also work with this console for both sound and chat. Chat will require some extra work if you want to use a TS or TRS (that’s the 1/4-inch, round plugs with the lines 2 for stereo, 3 for stereo and voice chat) headphones and headsets. I think their site sums it up best so I’ll point you to the Xjacker website for the full explanation.
To use it with the PS3 for game sounds, even if you’re using HDMI, you need to plug it into the RCA jacks on the three-plug audio/video cable and then switch the audio out to that cable in the Sound Settings menu. That gives you both HD picture capabilities and sound without the need of a Bluetooth headset which you would need to charge and keep track of. Plus, this lets you use full-cup, stereo headsets.
Soniq Rush on the Nintendo Wii
On the Nintendo Wii it was just a matter of plugging the Soniq Rush into the USB port and connecting the RCA jacks from the Wii’s A/V cable to the adapter (included in the Gaming headset amp kits and direct kitS, but not the basic kits). I instantly had sound with complete volume control.
The Xjacker Soniq Rush Target Audience
The Xjacker Soniq Rush is great for those of you who have limited space, already have a great standard headset you’d like to use or don’t want to pack a lot of extra equipment into your gaming space. If you’re using a standard computer monitor for your gaming which doesn’t have sound then you can pick up this unit and just about any standard headphones or headset and you’ve got everything you need.
As I’m in a temporary office space I don’t have all my gear yet, some is still on the way from Europe so I have to work with what I have at hand. What I have got includes a PC, Xbox 360, PS3, Wii and one LED monitor with no sound. What this allowed me to do was to plug a standard set of headphones into my consoles and play without disturbing anyone who might be in the immediate area or allow me to block out sounds around me, because I don’t have any the console specific headphones available to me and don’t want a Bluetooth one for the PS3.
Soniq Rush Technical Mumbo Jumbo
I also tested with some earbuds and when the volume was turned up all the way on the amp, they picked up some local radio signals. But since the amp is so powerful, 26dB (20x gain) no one should be turning it up all the way with headphones or headsets on anyway. I spoke with the techies over at XJacker and we talked about this in depth. It’s because I was using earbuds and not full-sized headphones (which would have more shielding), so when you turn up the power all the way, the earbuds sort of act like an FM antenna. I said, "well that’s just an undocumented feature!"
Seriously, it doesn’t get in the way of game sounds and chat. While that, and the "dirty power" on the USB ports of the consoles were evident when you weren’t playing, when the game sound was on, they were eliminated and didn’t in any way affect gameplay.
One thing I didn’t like about the unit is that, like many USB devices, there is no off switch. The volume can go down to zero, but the unit still draws power from the Xbox 360 even when the console is off, as evident by the light on the Soniq Rush. That’s just energy leakage to me. I generally keep the consoles on a switchable power strip anyway so I can shut off the energy leakage when the consoles are off and idle. With USB devices, if you’re not unplugging your consoles (which you should be doing or have a switchable power strip) when not in use, you should unplug them to reduce wasted energy. Now many of us are lazy and don’t like to unplug and then plug everything back in later, which is where some sort of auto-off would be really handy on something like this.
The Xjacker Soniq Gold Rush
The unit worked great on all three consoles which is what earned it a GDN gold award. The hoops to jump through on the PS3 if you want to use a regular headset with chat are minor and could be remedied in a future version. This doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with the unit just that there’s some room for improvement. A later version might include its own analog-digital converter which would allow for chat through the PS3 or it could be an add-on option, sold separately. It could also include some sort of auto-off or off switch to keep it from continually drawing power from the USB port even when the console is off and not in use. So, while it’s not perfect, it’s a great piece of technology that will certainly work for many of you.
I did some other, random testing which I thought I would just throw in here at the end.
- Sending sound from one PC without speakers to speakers at another PC or the PC itself (works great, I know it sounds like a strange setup, but trust me, it could prove useful)
- Amping up sound on the netbook to headphones or portable speakers (with no volume control) when film/TV show sound is low (works great and easier than fiddling with EQ and amp settings on several media player apps)
