Miscellaneous - Introduction

Gaming headsets are pricey and features are slim until you get into the big bucks. As a pseudo-audiophile, I often find myself being very picky and anything sub-$300 isn’t worth my time looking at it usually (there are many exceptions, mind you). So when Gamdias reached out to me to ask about checking out their headset, I agreed with some severe reservations.

First, the headset is only current $44 on Newegg, putting it in the range of the Razer Kraken, which recertified sales for $39.99 or retail at $59.99. I owned a Razer Kraken, so I’ll be using it as sort of a baseline comparison.

Physical Appearance

The headset overall looks very nice, it’s got a lot of interesting design choices in it. It’s big, which isn’t a bad thing, it’s more of a preference. I prefer slimmer headphones, but size does make for more comfort because there is more padding and more equal weight distribution of the internal parts.

I would say that I find the headset to be somewhat attractive looking. Compared to say the Kraken, it’s a lot more conservative, while still being “hi tech” and “futuristic.”

The materials used in construction didn’t seem cheap to me. It isn’t saffiano leather, but at the same time it’s got a lot going for it at such a low price.

In the package you get a controller attachment that’s USB and is compatible with other headphones, which is actually really impressive. A lot of headphones in this price range don’t include an in-line removable controller and they usually don’t make it optional.

As I mentioned earlier, the durability of the headset seems to be rather sturdy. I haven’t broken it yet and it all seems to be working, even if it’s been thrown around my sofa and in my bed and around my computer as I move it from console to computer and back again.

Sound Quality

First it’s important to note this has a 50mm driver in it, which is insane, compared to 40mm standard. Now, bigger is not better, but when it comes to music and gaming, it sometimes is. Bigger means you get more bass, which this thing can definitely put out, and a much clearer surround. You rarely see 50mm at this price range, just because most headsets aren’t big enough to house it or just don’t want to bother.

As for all the claims, after some testing, the frequencies checked out and everything seemed to be clear. So the internal hardware was in great working order. All that was left was to test the sound.

ArcheAge

Well, I used it during the beta weekend for ArcheAge and turned all of the sounds on. It was actually really enjoyable. The headset is comfy and the sounds were clear and the stereo came in perfectly. While not the best game to try it with, it was sufficient.

Destiny (PS4)

It did the game justice, the surround sound was perfect for understanding the location of the bad guys and the comfort was fine enough for laying in bed or sitting on the sofa for an extended period of time. I was rather satisfied with the performance.

World of Warcraft

It sounded like WoW. There isn’t any mysterious depth to go here. No static, surround worked great, was rather enjoyable.

USB vs. 3.5mm Jack

Using the USB connector provided a bit better sound quality, but using just the 3.5mm jack was sufficent enough for most tasks and it worked out of the box with the microphone.

Music

I have a strong bias for sound quality when it comes to music, including being one of those people whose music library is entirely FLAC.

Sound Conclusion

The sound is good. I say good because that’s the biggest compliment you can give a low-end budget headset. Compared to my high-end headphones, they’re rather eh, but compared to my pair of Krakens, they are far superior at least in my opinion, so a big thumbs up.

Bass was strong, sound was clear, and the surround worked great. It really knocked my Krakens out of the water and for the money is a much superior buy, at least for sound quality.

Microphone

I used the microphone in a local party on the PS4 and over Ventrilo on the PC. A big issue with my Kraken is the microphone was HORRIBLE, but this sounded great. A bit muddy, but I could hear my roommate loud and clear over it on the PS4 and everyone said it sounded alright on Ventrilo, not as great as my USB mic, but more than sufficient for talking since while a bit muddy, it didn’t have static, wasn’t quiet, and was really just alright to listen to.

Conclusion

For the price tag, if you’re looking for a $40 gaming headset with all the bells and whistles and with the quality of a headset I’d price out at around $150, then this is for sure the headset for you. I don’t think you’d regret buying it, outside of some lack of features on the USB controller that honestly doesn’t matter since most headsets in this range don’t even have an in-line control system.

On the merit of price alone and compared to other headsets in its price range, it’d for sure get a 5/5, but compared to other headsets on the market, including high end models, it’d pull a 3/5 or a 3.5/5 simply because it’s not some high end luxury quality piece, but it’s still not going to disappoint.

The sound is clean and clear, the microphone works, and the surround works. At this price range, even just working is impressive, but to also come out ahead of other products in that price range is even more so. If you’re in the sub $50 market, this is for sure the headset I’d grab for gaming. If you have a bigger budget, I might even just save the money and go for it, unless you need something audiophile grade, since I don’t realistically think you’ll get better until mid-range Sennheisers.

 

 

Miscellaneous - Positive Marks

Miscellaneous - Average or Neutral Marks

Miscellaneous - Below Average or Negative Marks

Conclusion and Final Score

Ten Ton Hammer Staff Rating
7.0
Last Updated: Jun 10, 2016

About The Author

Get in the bush with David "Xerin" Piner as he leverages his spectacular insanity to ask the serious questions such as is Master Yi and Illidan the same person? What's for dinner? What are ways to elevate your gaming experience? David's column, Respawn, is updated near daily with some of the coolest things you'll read online, while David tackles ways to improve the game experience across the board with various hype guides to cool games.

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