Top critical review
2.0 out of 5 starsGreat headphones with surprising flaws
Reviewed in the United States on June 30, 2020
I have been using this headset for a little over a week and would like to share my experience so far.
Pros:
-The sound quality is great
-The over ear design is comfortable
-The 'on headset' controls are very useful (volume control, mute/unmute microphone toggle)
-The microphone voice clarity is great
-I love that the microphone can be taken off when not in use so its not always in the way
-The 2.4ghz dongle is USB-C but the headset does come with a USB 3.0 to USB-C adapter. So i can use it with anything.
-The wireless range is great
-Zero audio latency is amazing
-Long battery life
-Works on all of my devices (most importantly my xbox since there are ZERO wireless headsets for xbox one for some reason)
Now, with all of those great things about it that i have never seen another headset match, there are a few things about this headset that i found to be surprising problems in a headset that is so highly rated, loved, and priced.
And i do understand that some of the issues that i have with it are going to be very specific to me, and few people that struggle with the same unique traits that i do.
Cons:
-Low build quality in something that has a premium price.
When i pay $100 for a headset i expect it to be top of the line in the materials used to make it. But instead it is made out of very cheap feeling plastic that is very easy to break/bend. This makes the headset feel extremely ridged and like you constantly have to be careful with it. And i dont like having to worry about that when paying so much for it. When i pay a premium price, i should feel like i am holding a premium item.
-HEADACHES.
This is one will will probably be pretty specific to me because i am VERY prone to headaches. But to put it plainly, the headset is so NON ADJUSTABLE that it squeezes my head VERY TIGHT in just the wrong way to cause me to get a lot of tension headaches. Not what i want in a headset that i intend to be wearing for 6+ hours a day. I have tried to pull on the headband portion to make it sit a little wider on my head in an effort to make it so its not squeezing my head so tightly but thats another situation where the poor build quality comes into play. When i try to pull on it the shell is so ridged that it cant change shape at all. it just starts to bend in a way that makes the cushion on top of your head pop out and starts to look like your about to do some permanent damage to the headset. So i am forced to deal with the headset squeezing my head a lot tighter than i would prefer.
-Its very heavy.
Ive used a lot of different headsets in my life and im sure its partly because of the added weight from the battery.
But regardless of that when i have the headset on, i feel like my head is significantly weighed down. Even when compared to other wireless headsets ive used. This also doesnt positively effect my headaches.
-I have to hold the power button for a frustratingly long time to either turn it on or off but most importantly to wake it up when it puts itself into sleep mode.
Something as simple as a toggle switch instead of a press and hold button would completely fix this issue. Not sure whether its just straight up turning itself off when inactive for a few min or if its goes into some kind of sleep mode, either way it is surprising how much it bothers me to do things like leave my desk for 5 min and have to hold the power button down for 5+ seconds before i can hear anything again. This wouldnt annoy me as much if i didnt have to do it so often, Im working from home and helping my wife with our newborn baby so i have to pause things and be away from my desk for a few min quite frequently throughout the day. This results in me spending a cumulative 5+ min of my day just holding the power button on my headset which can get pretty annoying.
-Not made for people with smaller heads.
This is a large headset. Not the ear pieces themselves necessarily, its the head band thats the issue. At its smallest setting, it barely fits my head, and thats if i learn to ignore it still sitting on the top of my ears. Dont know if its just my short forehead or if its my big ears, probably a combination of both, either way as a full grown adult i should have to extend the headband portion ever so slightly, not have to deal with it being to big at its smallest setting. I used headsets like this when i was playing games at the age of 12 when my head was a lot smaller. And most pro gamers now days ARE younger, how is this headset supposed to cater to them when it doesnt fit the head of an adult?
All in all, It is a very good headset. And if you have no problems with headaches, have a larger head, and are able to be very careful with the headset and dont have any kids around it EVER, then this headset will serve all of your needs and more extremely well.
Personally i still have a few weeks before i reach the return deadline so i am going to see if i can just get used to the issues that i have with it or adapt to them. Its a good and unique enough headset that i feel as though i will struggle to find another one that can do everything that i love about this headset.
So i will give it a couple more weeks and update this review as to whether the issues i have with it can be overcome.
