INTRODUCTION

   Because the PC gaming peripherals market is enjoying extremely high profits it's normal to see more and more companies trying to get a piece of the pie. As a matter of fact, it's quite ordinary lately (less so long ago) to see PC hardware manufacturers also expand in the gaming peripherals market (and vice versa of course sometimes), some successfully thus rising in popularity especially among gamers and some well not so much. For example, GALAXY begun manufacturing graphics cards back in the mid 90's and although they are still not the most popular manufacturer in the market their products have won numerous awards by the press not just because of their performance and looks but also because of their build quality and innovative cooling solutions. GALAXY was renamed to Galax not long ago and since then they also started manufacturing SSDs, memory modules/kits and quite recently even gaming peripherals via their brand new Xanova sub-brand which send us their JUTURNA-U Gaming Headset to review.

   Xan signifies ZEN. Zen derives from Japanese pronunciation of Chinese word (CHAN) which traces its root from Indian practice of meditation. Xanova gear aims to unleash every gamer’s inner ambition and evolve their capabilities (ZEN) and empower them to reach for the stars. Xanova’s ambition is to create a brand that is relevant for the gamers of today and tomorrow, to always deliver an experience that enhances the awesome world of gaming. The founder Ms Connie Chiu has witnessed the development of PC Gaming/ Esports industry for majority of past 15 years. She has teamed up with her long time Italian friends who have been in the console gaming accessory business concurrently. Blending the Eastern Wisdom with the Italian Fantasy has conjured up a “NOVA” gaming brand. Xanova products are sparkling with the magic gamer touch and the trendsetting Italian culture and style. We are passionate about gaming. Behind Xanova, there is a team of cross-cultural, highly skilled and creative gamer professionals, committed to provide gaming gears that are at the frontiers of technological advancements, that look fantastic, are comfortable to use, and are durable.

   The JUTURNA-U is a 7.1 virtual surround sound headset and just like every other virtual surround sound headset in the market it's based on two stereo dynamic drivers which in turn are connected to an 7.1 virtual surround USB soundcard (there's also a JUTURNA model without the USB soundcard). The dynamic drivers used by Xanova in the JUTURNA-U are 40mm in size (PAR polymer coated diaphragms) and feature a frequency response of 20Hz-KHz with 32Ohm impedance and 95dB sensitivity (+-3dB). The JUTURNA-U also comes with a removable omnidirectional boom microphone that has an impedance of 2.2KOhm, 60dB SNR (signal to noise ratio) and -52dB sensitivity (+-3dB). That's not all however since the JUTURNA-U also features three available bass levels (adjustable via switches located at the rear of both earcups - +6dB max), FPS button on the USB sound card (enhances mids and highs for first person shooters) and 90 degrees rotating earcups (easier to store). So, let's check and see just what you can expect by one of the first headsets released by Xanova.