If you're enjoying movies or games on a huge flat-screen TV or massive widescreen PC monitor, you know the distinct entertainment pleasures involved. Maybe you've added a surround-sound speaker system. Now we're talking! Bring on the 360-degree, multisensory nirvana! My problem lies not with the capabilities of my home theater and gaming-PC setups. I just don't have enough opportunities to blast the glorious, booming surround sound. If you live in an apartment or have entertainment tastes that aren't shared by others in your home, this might sound familiar. Maybe you watch movies late at night when the sane people are sleeping. I often want to watch a new action movie that my wife couldn't care less about. Unfortunately, “Cloverfield” just doesn't cut it in the wee hours with the volume down low. To satisfy my need for a private yet full-volume movie experience, I've come to love a good pair of surround-sound headphones. For a niche product, there is a surprisingly wide selection of surround-sound headphones. I've spent the past two months auditioning six pairs. I favor bombastic, complex soundtracks in movies and games for which dialogue and explosions need to co-exist in audible harmony. Action entertainment produces a sonic range from earth-rumbling bass to screeching highs – a convenient torture test for headphones. Final testing was done with the “Cloverfield” DVD, “Enemy Territory: Quake Wars” on PC and the Xbox 360 version of “Rainbow Six Vegas 2.”SENNHEISER Sennheiser is a headphone heavyweight, no doubt. Its RS 130 ($180, sennheiser.com) is the only surround-sound headphone the company offers. Like the others in the home-theater group, the RS 130s are wireless and use digital signal processing, or DSP, to achieve the surround audio effect. While the Sennheiser was among the most comfortable over the length of a movie, it fell short in performance. Sony and Panasonic use proprietary DSP, but Sennheiser relies on SRS Headphone, a variation on the technology used in many TVs to simulate a 3-D soundscape. It's not very convincing in TVs and, unfortunately, the same holds true here. During the intense battle scenes between the army and the “Cloverleaf” monster, there was little clarity and a limited amount of directional effects. Stereo TV programming sounded great and the Sennheiser is the least expensive of the home-theater bunch, but I expected more from such an established and well-regarded company. Sony, Panasonic The Sony MDR-DS6000 RF ($300, sonystyle.com) and Panasonic RP-WF6000-S ($250, panasonic.com) headphones are similar in numerous ways. Both use the 2.4 GHz radio frequency for transmission and reception between the base unit and the wireless headphones. The 100-foot range comes in handy for keeping tabs on the movie during bathroom breaks. The downside is that, unless you have a dual-band 2.4/5 GHz network router, wireless Internet access slows to a crawl anytime the headphones are used. Both models exhibited the same network-killer effect. Now, I don't spend a lot of time online while I'm watching movies, but the rest of the household wasn't too pleased. Fortunately, they usually were asleep. Digital audio is accommodated in both models through an optical input – a definite step up from the Sennheiser's lone analog connection. All you have to do is run an optical cable from a DVD or Blu-ray player. If you're using an HDMI connection between the player and HDTV or receiver, you now have a use for that optical audio port. Rechargeable batteries, a built-in charger in the base unit and selectable effect modes (cinema, dialogue, etc.) round out the common features of these two models. While both were acceptably comfortable, if slightly bulky, the Panasonics edged out as the winner thanks to the soft and fuzzy ear pads. The big difference is the sound -- Sony being exceptionally good and Panasonic merely mediocre. The Sony's soundstage felt huge and open compared with the crowded Panasonic sound. The Sony headphones also produced clearly superior bass; when the “Cloverfield” monster's footsteps could be heard echoing through the streets, I had to check to make sure we weren't having an earthquake. Pioneer Pioneer's SE-DIR800C ($400, pioneerelectronics.com) is a textbook example of getting what you pay for (even though these can be found for up to $100 less online). They're noticeably lighter and more comfortable than the bulky, looser Sony and Panasonic. The IR transmission, like a regular remote control, means no wireless network interference, although the range is reduced to about 30 feet. You may want to check, but my kitchen and bathroom are both within range. Three virtual room settings simulate a reverb-free mixing room, a regular living room and a small movie theater. I found the theater setting, with more reverb, to be best for movies with dynamic audio. Pioneer wisely chose to use Dolby's Headphone Processing DSP technology and the results are spectacular. The frequent explosions in “Cloverfield” blasted through my head with tight, powerful bass and I could hear shell casings pinging on the ground. Best of all, the spatial, directional effects were spot on. Sounds pan accurately across the soundstage; even audio normally handled by rear-channel speakers is simulated with excellent results. Saitek Gamers, I haven't forgotten about you. Saitek, known for its Eclipse keyboards and flight sticks, is branching out into other peripherals. The Cyborg 5.1 headset ($80, saitekusa.com) uses six drivers instead of DSP to produce surround sound. You don't need a dedicated PC sound card with multichannel audio decoding since the Cyborg uses its own in-line hardware. Just plug it into an available USB 2.0 port and you're good to go. Included is a detachable, noise-canceling boom mike. The frequently hectic, 360-degree firefights in “Enemy Territory: Quake Wars” took on an immersive, clearly defined sonic quality. If you've never played a first-person shooter with surround-sound headphones, the results can be startling. Hearing the footsteps of those sneaky people who insist on running up behind you for a quick kill can even give you an edge in the game. Tritton Tritton's AX360 headset ($100, trittontechnologies.com), featuring four drivers for each ear cup, is a console-friendly bass monster. The headset is amply padded and comfortable for the duration of marathon online battles. I used the headset for “Rainbow Six Vegas Two” multiplayer matches on Xbox Live with impressive results. The addition of a dedicated subwoofer driver created the loudest, lowest bass I heard through my testing period. The in-line controls for front, rear, center and subwoofer channels were a welcome feature but they were difficult to discern. I usually adjusted them blindly until I got the best effect. Make sure you have the Advanced AV cable for the Xbox 360 because you'll need the optical jack to connect to the AX360 control module. A USB adapter also is available for PS3 use. Conclusion I decided I couldn't live without the brilliant-sounding Pioneer SE-DIR800C and, after a little online searching, found several sources selling them for around $300. Should you decide to save a few bucks, Sony's headphones would be a solid second choice for about $100 less than Pioneer's Web price. My high-volume, private movie and gaming time has been a blessing. Just ask the neighbors. – Seattle Post-Intelligencer __
