Wireless

Logitech G933 Artemis Spectrum Wireless Headset Review / Test

Today I am reviewing a completely wireless gaming headset; the Logitech G933 Artemis Spectrum Gaming Headset.

I do need to mention that this headset was sent to me by Logitech Gaming for the sake of doing this review. 

This is a gaming headset that is compatible with PC, Xbox One, and PS4, that has a programmable lighting, a retractable microphone, programmable buttons, and a storage compartment for the wireless dongle.

If you are interested in this headset, it will set you back $200 on Amazon

What's In the Box

  1. Gaming Headset
  2. Wireless USB Dongle
  3. USB Cable (3m)
  4. 3.5mm Cable (1.5m)
  5. RCA to 3.5mm Cable (1m)
  6. 3.5mm to 2.5mm Adapter
  7. Documentation

Specifications

Headphones

  1. Headphone Drivers: 40mm
  2. Frequency Response: 20Hz - 20kHz
  3. Battery Life: 12 Hours without lighting / 8 Hours with lighting

Microphone

  1. Polar Pattern: Cardioid (Uni-directional)
  2. Frequency Response: 100Hz - 20kHz

Performance / Features

The construction of this headset is mainly plastic, however, it feels extremely sturdy and very well put together. The ear cups rotate about 95-degrees which allows the headset to lay flat on your desk, or lay flat on your chest when they are hanging around your neck. The padding on the ear cups and headband is breathable, soft, and all around very comfortable.

On the front left ear cup you will find a retractable microphone, which is muted when it is retracted, and unmated when it is extended. On the back of the left ear cup you will find a volume wheel to adjust the headphones volume, a microphone mute button, 3 programmable buttons (which you will control using the logitech gaming software), and the power switch. On the outside of the left ear cup you will find a removable panel where you can store the wireless USB dongle to ensure you do not lose it while traveling. On the outside of the right ear cup you will find the battery for headset.

The headphones are the big selling point of this headset. In the flat mode they have a punchy and tight low end, and shimmering highs that do not sound shrill or fatiguing on the ears. You are also able to manually adjust the EQ (in the Logitech gaming software) to fit whatever sound signature you prefer. The 7.1 channel surround sounds great too, but keep in mind, I do not do much gaming so I cannot speak with any amount of authority in this arena.

The microphone does leave quite a bit to be desired as it just sounds like your standard gaming headset microphone. There was quite a bit of line noise when testing out the gain, which started at around 60-75%. However, the background noise rejection of this microphone is excellent. It picked up very minimal amounts of my keyboard while doing the typing test. 

Pros

  • Wireless
  • Headphones sound excellent
  • You can hear the mic in the headphones!!!
  • Custom EQ capabilities
  • Programmable lighting
  • 8-12 Hours of battery life
  • Great background noise rejection

Cons

  • Microphone sounds like a typical gaming headset
  • High line noise on the microphone

Conclusion

I would absolutely recommend this gaming headset if you are looking for a wireless headset that offers 7.1 channel surround sound. The headphones are the real selling point here; they sound excellent. They offer a great sound signature out of the box with great bass response that does not negatively impact the higher frequencies. On top of that, you can create your own EQ to fit what ever sound you prefer.

The microphone does not provide studio quality audio, but for gaming I think it will work well as it does a great job at rejecting background noise. However, if you are looking for a headset to podcast with, or do voice over work with, I do not think that this microphone will cut it. 

If you have any additional questions about this microphone, leave them on the youtube video, and I will try to reply ASAP. 

Buy the Logitech G933
US: http://amzn.to/2i4hrNm
UK: http://amzn.to/2hXbtBK

Afterglow AG9 Wireless Gaming Headset Review / Test

Today I am testing out another gaming headset. This time, that headset is the Afterglow AG 9 Wireless Gaming Headset. I want to remind everyone that the main focus of me reviewing these gaming headsets is to find a good all in one podcasting package and that is how I am approaching this review. If you are interested in this headset, it will set you back about $90 on amazon for the PS4 version or $100 on Amazon for the Xbox One version.

What's In the Box 

  1. Wireless Headset
  2. Removable Noise-Canceling Microphone
  3. Wireless Transmitter (USB)
  4. 6-foot Charging Cable
  5. 3.5 mm Audio Cable
  6. User Manual

Performance / Features

The build quality of this headset is the best of any headset I've tested to date, and on top of that it is also the most comfortable. The battery in these headphones is also advertised as lasting ~16 hour which is a very admirable battery life on a fully wireless headset. 

On the left ear cup we have all the controls. The center button on the earphone will turn on the headset when pressed for a few seconds, and then while using the headset wirelessly, pressing this button once will mute your microphone. The button directly above the microphone port changes the headphone sound between pure audio and bass boost modes. On the bottom of the left ear cup you will find the charging port as well as the 3.5mm output which will allow you to plug directly into your computer, and lastly, on the back of the earphone is a volume slider to adjust the headphones volume.

The headphone drivers are 50mm, but I wasn't able to find any advertised frequency response. While doing my test, I found that when wired into the audio source (using the 3.5mm cable), I heard audio between 20-25Hz in the low end and around 19.5kHz in the high end. When I was wireless (using the USB transmitter), I heard audio between 20-25Hz in the low end and around 17.5kHz in the high end. So we see a significant drop in the high end performance when we are wireless.

The microphone is severely lacking on this headset. After testing the AGU.50's and finding that the microphone sounded great, I was shocked to find that the higher end headset had a lower quality microphone. I think that this lower quality/performance could stem from requirements to make the headphones full wireless, but I cannot speak to this with any certainty. The best way I can describe the microphones audio is that it sounds digital and narrow (just listen to the audio in the above video if you want to know what it sounds like).

Pros

  • Great Sounding Headphones
  • Excellent Build Quality
  • Very Comfortable
  • 100% Wireless / Wired Option
  • 16 hour battery life

Cons

  • Microphone Audio Quality is poor
  • No Gain Control of Microphone

Conclusion

I think that the absence of a microphone volume control on the headset is a large oversight. I also did not like how a lot of the functionality is disabled when you use the headphones plugged into the 3.5mm cable. The microphone is another big downside to this headset. 

Basically, this is a good gaming headset, but only if that's what you are going to be using it for. The headphones build quality and sound quality is excellent and I am very impressed with both of these aspects of the headset. However, if you are someone who needs usable audio out of the microphone, then this headset is not for you. I would actually recommend the slightly lower quality headset (Afterglow AGU.50) if you are looking for a headset with a good mic on it. If you have any questions about the microphone, leave them in the comments down below or on youtube and I will get back to you ASAP. Thanks for watching & reading. 

Afterglow AG 9 (PS4): http://amzn.to/1lVj5mG
Afterglow AG 9 (Xbox One): http://amzn.to/1T5aIPC
Afterglow AGU.50: http://amzn.to/1lVjaa3