Polk Audio Striker Pro Zx Headset – Tech Review

Founded 1972, it’s been the mission of Polk Audio to craft high quality, great sounding speakers, that are accessible to everyone. For the people of Polk, designing and building authentic audio solutions is a true passion. While they started out as a speaker business, they now offer a full line of home audio, sound bars, wireless products, headphones, gaming equipment, and options for car and marine.  Needless to say, whatever you are looking for that plays music or sound, Polk has you covered.

Our friends at Polk know we have some dedicated gamers here at Busted Wallet and recently sent over their Striker Pro Zx.  The Striker Pro Zx is the multi-platform headset for gamers who crave fully immersive audio and crystal clear chat. Compatible with Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Wii U, PC, Mac, tablets and smartphones, the Striker Pro Zx is designed to give you high-performance audio experience that takes your enjoyment of games, music and movies to a whole new level. Over the past two months we gave the headset to our review team and told them to get gaming.  After many hours locked away and many pizza deliveries later, we are ready to reveal the fruits of their labor.  Here’s what we discovered…

Key Features:

• Engineered with custom tuned drivers equipped with Polk’s patented Dynamic Balance® technology for elite, expansive, ultra-clear immersive sound.

• Built with Polk Optimized Electro-Acoustic Tuning (POET) for a richer, realistic audio experience.

• Flexible, removable, omni-directional microphone with push button mute for crystal clear chat.

• A low profile, discrete, in-line microphone is included for chatting on the go.

• Custom high-fidelity, dual-jack cables lower the noise floor, dramatically increasing microphone intelligibility and eliminating distracting crosstalk.

• Xbox One wireless headset adapter. Polk’s headset adapter for Xbox One has a built-in DSP tuned specifically for the Striker Pro. The adapter gives you quick easy access to control both your game and chat volume mix.

• In-Line remote with master volume and microphone attenuator switch (for PlayStation 4) prevents voice distortion during loud chat sessions and heated game play.

• Compatible with Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Wii U, PC, Mac, tablets and smartphones.

• Includes three detachable cables: mobile connect cable, dual-jack console controller cable and dual-jack, extra-long PC connect cable. You can also use your own 2.5mm or 3.5mm cables.

• Quick PlayStation 4 plug and play setup for the ultimate wireless experience.

• PC and Mac compatibility. Connect the Striker Pro Zx to your PC with the included PC connect cable. Mac users will use the console controller cable for audio and microphone connection.

• Phone and tablet compatibility. The included 3.5mm one button remote with microphone lets users play/pause songs and answer phone calls without having to touch their device.

• Lightweight design, leatherette-wrapped headband and lay-flat pivoting ear cups are the next level in comfort and portability.

Design:

The Striker Pro Zx is designed to be compatible with the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Wii U, PC, Mac, tablets, smartphones and anything else under the sun.  However, the unit comes with an Xbox One wireless headset adapter which makes a great fit for those Xbox One owners. The headset’s adapter for Xbox One has a built-in DSP tuned specifically for the Striker Pro. The adapter gives you quick and easy access to control both your game and chat volume mix.  If you really like to immerse yourself in the experience and sound of the game, then you will be happy to know the unit comes engineered with custom tuned drivers equipped with Polk’s patented Dynamic Balance technology which is built to give you elite, expansive, ultra-clear immersive sound. The microphone is detachable, flexible, omni-directional microphone with push button mute to allow you easy access to turn on or off your chats.

When you open the box you will notice a bunch of accessories and gadgets, which really make the Striker Pro Zx very versatile.  The box includes three detachable cables: mobile connect cable, dual-jack console controller cable and dual-jack, extra-long PC connect cable. You can also use your own 2.5mm or 3.5mm cables and attach them.  The included 3.5mm one button remote with microphone lets users play/pause songs and answer phone calls without having to touch their device.  What is really nice about the Striker Pro Zx is that it isn’t just made for gaming and you can detach the microphone and its sleek design makes it usable for headphones on any device.

Sound/Microphone Quality:

We mentioned that the Striker Pro Zx comes with custom turned drivers, Dynamic Balance technology, which is built to give you clear and immersive sound.  We are happy to report that the Polk hit the mark in terms of great sound.  The sound is very rich, clear, full, with good bass.  If you are playing Halo or Fallout 4, you will love hearing all the sounds of the gameplay and feeling like you are right there on the action.  If you are using the Xbox One wireless adapter you can control both your game and chat volume mix.  If you want to hear more of the game play and less chat, you can tune out the other players.  If you are in an intense game of Halo and need to communicate with your team, you can silent the game and focus more on hearing others.  In addition to sounding great while playing games, the Striker Pro is a solid headset for listening to music on your device.  No sound quality is lost no matter the device you decide to use it on.  On some occasions we did encounter
static while making contact with the cord but this was not a persistent issue, just one that popped up occasionally.

In addition to great sound quality we were equally pleased with the microphone performance.  We had no issues hearing others who were using the Striker Pro Zx and the chats were clear with good quality sound.  The microphone is flexible and omni-directional allowing you to easily maneuver it in getting it into the right spot.  We did run into a few issues with teammates not being able to hear each other but a simple location adjustment on the microphone seemed to clear up any issues.  The unit also features custom high-fidelity, dual-jack cables that lower the noise floor, dramatically increasing microphone intelligibility and eliminating distracting cross-talk.

Comfort:

Overall the headset is very lightweight, coming it at 8.3 oz, which allows you to wear it for long periods of time. The headset features a leatherette-wrapped headband and Polk’s ProFit Comfort system.  ProFit Comfort is a combination of a lightweight, molded headband with a thick cushion and two-way pivoting ear cups with Protein Leather padding, enabling the Striker headset to rest easily as it conforms to your head.  The overall headset is very comfortable and is adjustable so that you can find the right comfort level to allow you maximum gaming time.  We also tested the headset on some long distance flights for movie watching and listening to music and it feels great for long periods of time.  The thick cushion on the ear cups allow you to wear the headset for a few hours without ever feeling uncomfortable.

Value:

The Striker Pro Zx is priced at $149.95, which may seem high for a gaming headset.  While we would normally agree with you, remember this isn’t just a gaming headset.  While the engineering behind the headset allows it to be a perfect match for your gaming system, its high quality acoustics and versatility allow it be used for anything.  You are really getting a multi-dimensional headset and not just a gaming headset.  Make no mistake about it, you will LOVE this on your Xbox but you will love it just as much as you are walking down the street rocking your favorite Spotify playlist.

Buy Now: $149.95 or to learn more, head over to: PolkAudio.com