I've owned a few headsets in the past 10 years, including Logitech, Altec Lansing, Sony (without a microphone) and a lower model Sennheiser about 5 years ago. I am an avid computer gamer and often go late into the night at stretches of 8 hours at a time or more. And this is the best headset I've ever used in almost everyway.
First impressions on removing it from the packaging (which I had no trouble with, following the directions on the box) were of durability and a solid build. It's well put together, nothing seems flimsy or cheap, but its also surprisingly lightweight. The wire is quite heavy duty, unlike the Altec Lansing and Logitech headsets I previously owned. Not to mention robust strain relief where the wire connects to the headset, the control pod, and the jacks.
The control pod is perfectly positioned and lightweight, so even if it's dangling you don't even feel it, unlike the bulky control pods on some other headsets. In terms of fit, the ears swivel almost 45 degrees in each direction, and extend from the head-bar with solid clicking intervals. The headbar and ears are both covered in comfortable velor padding which unlike faux-leather on my previous altec lansings, don't cause your skin to sweat and stick to it. The earpieces swivel slightly in and out, and if you push firmly on them they will collapse inward with a snap - don't be afraid, it just prevents them from collapsing on accident, which I was concerned about when I saw them folded inward in the pictures.
They collapse solidly but will not do so by themselves. The microphone is adjustable, but not overly so - you have to bend it firmly to adjust the position and it won't bounce back on its own. It descends down from its perch vertically along the headset with a moderate degree of resistance, so it won't flop up or down on its own. And if you want to move it halfway up and leave it there, it won't flop back down, unlike my old headset, which either had to be all the way up or down. Hopefully it stays this way.
In terms of comfort, its extraordinary. Many headsets I've owned claimed to be circumaural, meaning they surround you ears and don't sit on them or in them. But most either never intended to actually follow through on that promise or they are made for people with ears the size of quarters. Even my old Sennheisers sat right on my ears, and my Altec Lansings, while a very nice headset, had padding large enough to go around my ears, but the speakers inside the earphones themselves pressed up against my ears, which became extremely uncomfortable after periods of time.
These earphones are ACTUALLY circumaural. The padding surrounds your ears but never touches them. The only pressure is on your actual head; your ears are never in contact with anything. The velor is soft and the pressure is almost unnoticeable. At first they seemed a bit tight but a little adjustment of the head-bar and a couple hours and they seem to break in a bit. the velor padding on the head-bar rests gently on the top of your head and the whole thing seems to distribute the weight of the headset evenly so you barely feel it.
Now for sound - Everyone knows Sennheiser is one of the premier names in sound quality, and these are no disappointment. Now these are probably not the headset you want if you're just listening to music in a studio or something - but for a combination of a microphone and comfort and audio quality, I doubt there's any better at this price. I began by watching a DVD of Band of Brothers on my computer. At first I thought something was wrong! It sounded like there was some kind of noise coming from somewhere else besides the DVD, when I realized I was hearing things I've never even before heard on my speaker system!
Every sound, especially the mid's and high's are exceptionally clear and sharp. And for a headset that is not a 5.1 headset, the directionality of the sound is amazing. Some here have complained that the base is not heavy enough, but honestly, if you want to have more base than this, you're not looking for audio quality and accuracy, you're just looking for ridiculous base. The base was excellent and sharp, not booming or echoing. Explosions sounded realistic and surprising, without any buzzing or crackling. For sound quality, these are better than my Klipsch Promedia speaker system, and that's saying something.
These also have a closed headset design, and I was initially worried about the sweaty-ear syndrome from this type of headset, but I was suprised and happy to find that after 4 hours, I didn't experience any overheating or sweating of my ears. Maybe in the summertime that would change, but if anything the headset just got more comfortable over that time.
The microphone quality, while it is hard for me to tell myself, I've been told it's excellent, although I had to turn my gain up a bit on my microphone, because apparently its a bit quieter because of the filter on it.
My only con with this set of headphones is the cord I think could be a bit longer, but that's not a big deal, for me anyways. Also, I think a carrying bag might be nice to go with these headphones.
Overall, if you're looking for a headset with superb audio quality, comfort, durability, longevity, and a high quality microphone, not to mention incredibly stylish looks and a classic and understated appearance, you CANNOT go wrong with these for the price. Forget the 5.1 channel headsets with bulky, powered control pods for surround sound and brightly colored headsets, get this one for a lifetime of quality and enjoyment. Sennheiser PC 350 Collapsible Gaming Headset with Vol Control & Microphone Mute - Game Accessories - Headphones - Microphone - Headset'
Detail Products
Detail Reviews
Click here for more information
