With my fancy new gaming PC I have been taking a look into gaming peripheral. Currently I’m running Element Gaming peripherals, and for simple little me they do the job. However Perixx were generous enough to send me an AX – 1200 gaming headset and I never say no to freebies. There is a new market for low cost and high quality products, two things which rarely go hand-in-hand. This headset is right in the centre of this demand. But is it up to scratch?
The AX-1200 is a £20 German designed headset daubed in black and red with an impressive set of characteristics. The standard 3.5mm audio connector is gold plated, and comes with a splitter, so audio and microphone can be connected separately. The headset is adjustable and the microphone is fully dexterous. Fully padded and with a durable braided cable this is a well-rounded headset. The headset came well packaged and is plug-and play. The user manual also had plenty of information for the more enthusiastic techs. Perixx claims the product has all the following:
- Headband with Soft Pad
- 15 Level Width Adjustment
- Superior Sound Isolation
- Durable Braided Cable
- Gold Plated 3.5mm Audio Connector
The only thing which is incorrect here is that the headset I have does not have 15 level width adjustment; it has 16. Not a bad error, but an error nonetheless. These are some high-specs, and without the triple-figure price tag or flashing lights on every surface.
Build quality is definitely high end, comparable to the boutique gaming headsets. While the frame is plastic and metal it definitely does not feel cheap. The body does not feel tight upon the head with 15 levels of width adjustment and while the padding on top looks thin it definitely does the job. The headset also folds down for easier fitting into bags and pockets. A definite plus. Even the packaging it arrived in is solid and durable; making sure your headset arrives in one piece.
Compared to my current headset: An Element gaming Neon 300 headset; it has noticeable improvements. The build quality being the main one, as the plastic feels much more resilient. But the equalisation in the headset has a lot less of a bass boom and so overall feels like a much smoother overall sound.
So the crunch question is: Can you binge GTA V with good sound quality and not develop a headache? Yes, definitely. This is definitely top sound quality, and for the hours upon hours I binged GTA V and Payday 2 I can safely say my head did not ache. You get full surround effect and the immense amount of padding makes then insanely comfortable. This headset can definitely perform the marathon of gaming you have planned.
However, the microphone quality is questionable. And this is the big problem, considering it is one of the main selling points of the product. Whilst playing it was noted several times that my mic sounded terrible. Checking for myself the microphone seemed poor. While other reviews say that me microphone quality is good; I had to have the microphone millimetres from my mouth to get a decent volume out of it and the quality did not improve at any distance from my face. If you have your own microphone you can plug it in and solve the problem though this shouldn’t be a problem. Defect? Possibly but then this should not have happened at all.
Yet this headset has saving grace in its versatility. Because the microphone and audio connectors are on a splitter you can remove such and plug into your phone for travelling about. This is where they really shine: High quality music whilst on the go. This seems like it was thought of in the design stage as there is a microphone built in-line as well as on the headset. So for me personally that is the main use of them: Music headphones for when I travel around. Just be prepared for some weird looks as the microphone cannot be removed. I’ve duct taped mine to keep it hidden.
Overall the AX-1200 is a good quality solid headset with impressive sound quality. The problem of the microphone quality is not something which can be ignored, and that is a major shame. However, the versatility of the headphones saves it and the quality outmatches any other competitor at the same price point.
If I was reviewing this as a purely music headset this would get a 4, however the microphone issue drags it down to a 3. This is going to stay as my music headset but I shall not be using it for gaming unless I acquire a good quality microphone. This is a top-quality headset with slightly less quality extras however do not discount it if you are looking for a quick replacement headset.
Disclaimer:All scores given within our reviews are based on the artist’s personal opinion; this should in no way impede your decision to purchase the game.
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