The Sharkoon X-Tatic SR was sent over to us for review and has tons of cables and a setup that is so complex, they had to include separate setup guides for each platform. On top of that, 
there are several ways that you can connect the device to things like the PC, the hard way and the easy way.
The Sharkoon X-Tatic SR package contents include:
- X-tatic SR headset
- Detachable microphone
- Sound control unit (SCU)
- Optical connection cable
- Mic connection cable for Xbox 360
- Stereo connection cable 3.5mm
- Stereo extension cable 3.5mm
- USB cable
- G6 Adapter cable (that splits to two 3.5mm and a USB)
The SCU sits between the headset and the source and can take optical sound input as well as analog but only comes with a single, flimsy optical sound cable. So that means you need to remove and reinstall that cable if you want to use that on each of your consoles. If you’ve ever worked with one of those cables you know that they are both finicky and fragile. So the flimsy cable they supplied felt like it was on the verge of breaking each time I tried to use it. I happen to have a stouter cable on hand and decided to use that for the optical sound tests.
Additionally, the Sharkoon X-Tatic SR draws power through the USB port and it is, by far, some of the dirtiest, noisiest power on the planet. I found that to be the case on all of the consoles and the PC as well. It seems that Sharkoon needs to hook up with the guys from XJacker and talk about how they managed to filter out that USB power noise when they teamed with Yapster recently because this one is horrible for that. Plus, when you use the inline amp on the X-Tatic SR, it magnifies the USB power noise and there is a constant hissing, clicking and occasional beeping and static. It’s just plain terrible from an audiophile perspective. It’s one of the dirtiest pairs of headsets I’ve heard in quite some time. That doesn’t really apply to using the optical sound cable, just when you use the standard analog interface. Also, if you want to have 5.1 on the PC you need to use the SCU which processes the sound.
