Far beyond expectations!
I didn’t expect to be writing a review for this headset. My usual daily driver headset is a pair of Audio Technica ATH-M50X studio cans with a Bluetooth adapter, but I just bought a new game console in 2021 and the thing doesn’t have Bluetooth, so… I just plugged these things in and was really blown away by the value for dollar. I had to go get my M50s and compare them because this really surprised me. The fact that I felt they deserved an actual evaluative listen through a wired connection to my headphone amp is what motivated me to write this review.The sound quality is surprisingly rich and detailed, with a nice musical quality. It’s clear that the sensitivity rating on the box isn’t overstated, which is amazing. You’ll be picking up tiny noises and cues in games, and little nuances in music with these. There’s a bit of a bump in response around 600hz that you’ll probably want to clear up for music listening, but since this is a communication headset, a bump in midrange response is completely forgivable. I wasn’t even expecting anything remotely listenable for this price point. I just wanted something to talk to my nerd friends with in console games. The quality of their reverb and chip bag noises was not a point of concern. Do they hold a candle to my $150 studio cans? Not a chance, but they do beat some ~$100 cans I’ve owned in the past 20 years of being a headphone snob. Bass is tight out of the box, but give these a good burn in with some bassy tunes or games for 8-12 hours and the bass response will open up to something really pleasing.The mic is solid for gaming. Voice quality was good when played back through Audacity, with a decent lower frequency response. It’s certainly not high quality, but it’s as good as anything I’ve heard from friends with expensive gaming headsets. There is an audible click when the mute switch is engaged, and about 1/2 a second of distorted audio when you switch it back on. I think there’s some capacitance in the muting circuit that takes a moment to return to normal. The upside is that there is absolutely no passthrough from that mute circuit. You can be 100% confident that what you’re muting isn’t going to get through. I can’t speak to the noise cancellation on the mic, but it doesn’t seem to be getting in the way of anything.Ergonomics are good for me. I mostly bought these because of the big, squishy looking pleather earcups. I was not disappointed. I have a size XL head, and they fit all the way around my ears and feel very comfortable during extended use. Clamping pressure is ideal for me. The inline volume control is smooth and silent (for now). I have zero complaints about fit & finish, and it seems like these should hold up pretty well for the money. Obviously this isn’t doing any real surround audio with two drivers, but stereo isolation is good and there’s no audible crosstalk through the volume control circuit. These are sealed cans, so there’s some passive isolation from outside sounds. Your kids probably won’t hear you telling them to take a break if you buy them this headset.All in all, I’m impressed. I might buy another one or two sets for when these inevitably break down from use or damage. The folks complaining about sound quality either received a different product revision, or approached their evaluation with a lot of bias.