I wanted an extra pair of headphones for when friends visit and these seemed like they'd fit the bill: the price was right, they have a microphone, and they appeared to have solid build quality. But when they arrived I was surprised to find that they're actually not bad sounding too!
These are clearly optimized around videogames and they emphasize bass, however I still find them decent for listening to music. The Half-Life 2 soundtrack for example (Lambda Core, Something Secret Steers Us, Vortal Combat, etc) sounds terrific in my opinion. Take this with a grain of salt as I'm not a true audiophile, my most expensive pair of headphones only cost about $250, but I wouldn't call the bass "muddy" or anything like that, it just sounds like "bass boost" equalizer settings have been applied. I think the mids and highs are clear and not fatiguing, and even at very high volumes I didn't notice any distortion.
As is typical for non-powered microphones, the mic doesn't have any sort of real noise cancelling (you can easily hear my keyboard and mouse in a raw recording), but options in Discord or OBS should be adequate to eliminate most typing/clicking noise, and gamepad buttons/sticks shouldn't be loud enough to pick up. The microphone is of surprisingly good quality; connected to a decent input (not a noisy motherboard jack), it reproduces my voice almost as well as my expensive stand microphone! I recommend placing the microphone pickup just to the left of your nose to avoid any breathing noises - don't worry, it's plenty sensitive enough that it'll still pick up your voice perfectly. The microphone is detachable so you can wear these in public as regular headphones without any reason to feel self-conscious. The inline volume control has a mute switch and flicking it is audible in a raw recording but my friends on Discord couldn't hear it so it must be getting automatically filtered.
These are closed-back headphones and the pads provide some audio isolation. There's mild pressure around my ears but I think I can probably address that by just stretching the band around a bundle of books for a few hours. The ear cushions are plenty deep and there's no pressure on my ears themselves, in fact I don't think they touch the inside lining at all. The headband is nicely padded and (on my head at least) I can easily forget I'm even wearing headphones.
The styling clearly takes strong inspiration from HyperX's popular gaming headsets (thankfully with no gaudy lights) and they have solid metal construction where it counts. While the microphone is detachable, unfortunately the headset's main cable is not, so you'll have to be careful to avoid damaging it unless you're handy with a soldering iron. The headset uses a 4-pole 3.5mm jack (useful with a Switch or Steam Deck for example) but there's a splitter included in the box for devices with discrete headphone and microphone jacks.
In summary, the most important thing about these headphones is that they cost just $50. At $100 I'd call them 4-star headphones and at $150 they'd be 3-star at best. If you expect them to compete with a >$200 pair of Audio-Technicas or Sennheisers then I've got a bridge to sell you. But at just fifty dollars (Canadian dollars!) these are seriously hard to beat. I might get a second pair just to have on hand as a backup or as an inexpensive gift.
| Connectivity technology | Wired |
|---|---|
| Special feature | Adjustable Headband, Volume Control, Lightweight, Microphone Included, Touch Control |
| Included components | Cable, User Manual, Ear Cushions, Headband |
| Age range (description) | Adult |
| Material | Plastic |
| Specific uses for product | Entertainment, Gaming |
| Recommended uses for product | Gaming |
| Compatible devices | Cellphones, Gaming Consoles, Tablets, Laptops, Desktops |
| Theme | Video Game |
| Cartoon character | Gaming |
| Control type | Volume Control |
| Cable feature | Tangle Free |
| Manufacturer | DEEBOX |
| Place of Business | 1 |
| Model | GH020 |
| Part Number | GH020 |
| Hardware Platform | Gaming Console |
| Special features | Adjustable Headband, Volume Control, Lightweight, Microphone Included, Touch Control |
| Number of Items | 1 |
| Batteries Required | No |
| Cable Feature | Tangle Free |
| Material Type | Plastic |
| Does it contain liquid? | No |
| Manufacturer | DEEBOX |
| Item model number | GH020 |
| Parcel Dimensions | 20.3 x 20.2 x 11.4 cm; 440 g |
| ASIN | B0CGTGVMGP |
