Today I received my Microsoft Xbox One Stereo Headset.
Xbox One Stereo Headset Adapter
In the box
First off, very cool packaging. The box opens up to reveal the headphones in a foam wrapping, but well presented. Underneath the headphones are the Micro USB cable and the headphone adapter.
Aesthetics and Comfort
I like the design of these cans. That sides of the head strap have a mirror black finish. I don’t know how long that smooth, glossy look is going to last, but it looks great out of the box. The speaker backs themselves have a matte finish except for a thin band of high gloss around the speaker back closest to the ear piece. It’s a subtle touch but it’s these subtleties that show that the designers weren’t just slapping things together.
The center of the head strap has some sort of foam underneath a layer of rubber. The rubber has a bit of grip to it, so that it shouldn’t be sliding around your head, but I also didn’t feel it pulling any hair. It’s a great balance between grip and slip, and I found it to be very comfortable.
The headset has a microphone that folds up alongside the left side of the head strap. It folds down and has a bit of swivel to it to bring it closer to or farther from your face.
Sound Quality
I listened to some music with the headset. These headphones stand in stark contrast from the ear buds I am used to listening to. I listened to Rap, Hard Rock, and Country. In all three genres I could hear the highs downplayed significantly, but the midrange was strong, and the bass was surprising. I was not expecting to hear this much low end out of this headset. It wasn’t overpowering bass, but it was producing frequencies that I normally have to turn on my tower speakers to hear.
At first the lack of sparkle in the high register troubled me. But I noticed no loss of clarity or presence in the vocals/guitars, and cymbals came through defined. Part of my perception has undoubtedly been swayed by the fact that I usually listen to music with in-ear headphones. But the lack of crispness in the balance isn’t worrisome to me, being that these are primarily gaming headphones and not music headphones.
What is clear is that this headset is designed, purposefully, to give you a better sense of the environment that you are playing in. Be it a battlefield, a race track, stadium, or jungle. The sounds that matter will come through.