Performance and Use
Installation was a breeze, Windows 7 auto detected the headset, installed drivers and it simply just worked. Later times it was installed the default sound changed from my USB DAC to the headset right away. There was no software to fuss with and instead things just worked.
Construction also felt very robust and as the headset was adjusted to fit my head I never felt like it was flimsy and liable to break in a month. The ear cups are designed to go around the ear. They are also a closed back type meaning that there is decent passive noise cancelling. The downside to such a setup is of course that your ears get more tired and more sweaty more easily and quickly. However for gaming I do believe that this setup is the best.
Gaming
Now of course not all games support 7.1. In fact 5.1 is more common, however we tried a variety of games with “surround” enabled in game and on the dongle. While the headset definitely didn’t stop me from locating where sounds came from in game, I also wouldn’t say that I noticed a competitive advantage from the setup. I also didn’t notice a strong location advantage when enabling the 7.1 mode on the headset. The sound for gaming however was immersive and was no worse than any stereo headset that I’ve tried with a good sound stage.
Audio
Listening to music with the 7.1 turned off gave me a full and balanced sound. Bass was adequate to heavy but not over bearing. I didn’t feel like the treble was too compromised either by using a single driver. Vocals remained clear despite the mid-range being the weakest part of the range. The sound stage is wide as you’d expect. The sound if anything ends up being a bit muddled and could use brightening. Some details of the music seem to get lost. It’s clear that this is not an audiophile headphone, nor was it designed to be, however for the price it’s still very acceptable for music given that it includes a USB headphone amplifier. After listening to a variety of music, I think that the headphone is most suited to electronic music.
