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We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-09-26 · 6 min read · Independent comparison
• Turtle Beach (Ear Force Elite 800) — biggest strength: a complete, fully wireless DTS Headphone:X 7.1 surround headset with active noise cancellation, Superhuman Hearing and dual hidden noise-cancelling mics, all in one box.
• Turtle Beach — biggest trade-off: it's a closed, console-first headset with a fixed 10-hour battery, so it's tied to its own charging stand and won't upgrade a desktop PC's audio the way a sound card can.
• Creative Sound Blaster Audigy (Fx Pro) — biggest strength: a compact PCIe card delivering 32-bit / 384 kHz playback, up to 120 dB SNR and discrete 7.1-channel analog output for PC speaker systems.
• Creative Sound Blaster Audigy — biggest trade-off: it only works in a desktop PC with a free PCIe slot, and it does nothing for a console or a phone — you still need speakers or a headset to hear the upgrade.
• Pick Turtle Beach if you game on PS4, PS4 Pro or PS3 and want surround sound in a self-contained wireless headset.
• Pick Creative Sound Blaster Audigy if you're building or upgrading a Windows PC and want cleaner, higher-resolution surround audio routed to speakers or a wired headset.
The Ear Force Elite 800 is a headset that happens to do almost everything on its own. It's 100% wireless, connects over Bluetooth 4 with dual-pairing and A2DP, and pairs to PS4 Pro, PS4 and PS3 through optical plus USB. For mobile and tablet devices you can fall back to a 3.5 mm jack. That mix matters: it means the same headset can carry your console sessions and your phone calls or music without a second pair of headphones.
Buy it if you want one wireless, noise-cancelling, surround-capable headset that lives on a magnetic charging stand and just works across console and mobile. Skip it if your main rig is a desktop PC and you'd rather upgrade the whole system's audio, not just your ears — or if you can't live with roughly 10 hours per charge and a proprietary charging station.
Creative Sound Blaster Audigy: Who It's For
The Sound Blaster Audigy Fx Pro is a different kind of product entirely. It's a PCIe sound card — about 10.5 cm long, weighing 60 g — designed to replace the onboard audio in a desktop PC. Its headline numbers are 32-bit / 384 kHz playback and a 120 dB signal-to-noise ratio, which in plain terms means cleaner, quieter playback than typical motherboard audio.
The surround angle here is discrete 7.1-channel analog output. That's the piece that matters if you own a multi-channel PC speaker system, because the card feeds each channel separately instead of downmixing everything into stereo. You also get SPDIF output, headset outputs, mic-in and line-in, so the card can sit at the center of a desktop audio setup. The redesigned Creative Nexus app adds AutoEq, which simulates the frequency response of different headphones for a more tailored listen.
Buy it if you're building or upgrading a Windows 10 PC and want a real jump in audio clarity plus true 7.1 surround to your speakers. The included half-height bracket means it also fits compact and low-profile cases, which is a thoughtful touch for small builds. Skip it if you game on consoles or mobile, or if you only ever use a USB headset — this card upgrades a PC's audio chain, and it needs a free PCIe slot and speakers or wired headphones to be worth anything.
Side-by-Side: Which Should You Choose?
• Best for console gaming (PS4 / PS4 Pro / PS3) → Turtle Beach. The Elite 800 connects over optical and USB and is built for those platforms.
• Best for wireless freedom → Turtle Beach. Bluetooth 4 with dual-pairing, plus a magnetic charging stand, means no cable to your console.
• Best for true multi-channel speaker output → Creative Sound Blaster Audigy. Discrete 7.1-channel analog output feeds individual speakers; the Turtle Beach headset virtualizes 7.1 inside a pair of cups.
• Best for quiet, focused sessions → Turtle Beach. Active noise cancellation and mic monitoring are built in; the Audigy card has no noise cancellation of its own.
• Best for audio clarity and headroom → Creative Sound Blaster Audigy. 32-bit / 384 kHz playback and up to 120 dB SNR are far beyond what a wireless headset chain typically delivers.
• Best for mixed devices (console + phone + tablet) → Turtle Beach. Bluetooth and a 3.5 mm fallback cover mobile devices the Audigy card can't touch.
• Best for small-form-factor builds → Creative Sound Blaster Audigy. The half-height bracket is included specifically for tighter cases.
If I had to pick one, I'd buy the Creative Sound Blaster Audigy Fx Pro — but only because of who I am as a buyer: a desktop PC user who wants better surround and cleaner sound routed to speakers I already own. In my opinion, it's the more flexible upgrade for a PC-first setup, since it improves everything you plug into that machine. That said, if your gaming happens on a PlayStation and you want surround sound on your head with zero wires, the Turtle Beach Ear Force Elite 800 is the one I'd recommend instead — it's a complete wireless, noise-cancelling surround headset in a single purchase. Match the product to your platform and you won't go wrong either way.
how to get surround sound headphones
There are two routes. You can buy a headset with surround processing built in — the Turtle Beach Elite 800 uses DTS Headphone:X 7.1 — or you can feed surround audio from a source like the Creative Sound Blaster Audigy Fx Pro, which outputs discrete 7.1 channels that a headset or speaker system then renders. Pick the headset route for consoles; pick the card route for a desktop PC.
how to test surround sound headphones
Play content with clearly directional audio and listen for whether sounds move around you rather than sitting flat in front. On the Turtle Beach side, you can switch between DTS surround modes and presets to hear the difference. On the Audigy side, confirm your playback device is set to multi-channel output and that each channel reaches the right speaker or headphone position.
how to make surround sound headphones
You don't build surround into a headset — you enable it at the source. The Audigy Fx Pro handles this at the PC level with 7.1-channel analog output and up to 32-bit / 384 kHz playback. The Elite 800 handles it inside the headset with DTS Headphone:X 7.1 plus genre presets. Either way, the surround processing has to come from a source that supports it.
how to fix surround sound headphones
Start with the connection: the Elite 800 needs optical plus USB on PS4 and PS3, and the Audigy card needs a seated PCIe slot and the correct output selected in Windows. Then check that surround is actually turned on — DTS modes on the headset, multi-channel output on the card. If channels sound swapped or missing, re-seat cables and confirm the audio format in your system settings.
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See also: Turtle Beach TBS-2214 vs QCY Heroad VT200: Surround Sound, HyperGear Kombat Kitty Headphones vs Turtle Beach Recon 70, Audeze Maxwell vs Turtle Beach Stealth Pro: Gaming Headset