“Flux Yourself”? Well, if you insist…
The new Flux Headset by SteelSeries is their answer to style, mobility and quality, wrapped up into a neat little package. Boasting more special features than you can shake a stick at and a relatively reasonable price tag, could this be the piece of kit that fits all of your average gamer’s audio needs? Well let’s have a look at the facts…
The SteelSeries Flux Headset is so called because of its many options for customisability. While this is unlikely to be the most important consideration for your avid gamer hunting for their new headset, SteelSeries are using it as a key selling point for their creation, so it is worth having a look at. The chassis of the headset itself is available in either black or white, but the ear cushions, side plates and audio cables come in a wide variety of colours. The idea behind this is that you can suit your headset to your mood and make it look appropriate wherever you are and whatever you are doing; “on the go, competing at gaming tournaments, at the office, or kicking back at home”. A good idea yes, but maybe not something that should have been considered a key feature of the headset. There is a good chance that people will not want to spend extra money on shiny new parts for the headset that don’t really make a functional difference. Those people that do want a stylish headset for all of these purposes will probably just buy a headset that they think is stylish from the off. That isn’t to say however that the headset isn’t stylish; it is in fact not bad looking at all, and could easily be used in its original style for all of the purposes that SteelSeries suggest.
Mobility wise, the Flux Headset is fantastic! Not only is the headset relatively small by comparison to most others on the market, but it also folds up into a more manageable shape than most for travelling with, is very lightweight and all of the cables are completely detachable. The audio cables can also be inserted into a jack on either headphone on the headset, so that the user can adapt the headset fully to fit their comfort needs. This also allows the audio that a gamer is hearing to be shared with a friend by attaching a second set of headphones to the headset, which is a great feature for sharing an experience. A concern of some gamers however, aside from naturally how well it works, has been how comfortable the headset is to use. I would have to agree that at first glance the headset does not look particularly comfortable. The arch is not padded but instead made of a solid, but flexible rubber-type material designed for the headset to easily fit any shape of head. This is not the most comfortable-feeling feature of the headset and padding around the flexible arch may have been a sensible move. Over longer periods of time, this can become somewhat uncomfortable, so it is certainly not the nicest design available in terms of overhead arches on headsets. The ear pads, which have been questioned by some gamers for being on ear rather than over ear, are surprisingly comfortable. The padding which is made of real leather is comfortable on the ears and after a short period of use is almost unnoticeable. Had the rest of the headset been designed more comfortably to fit with the effort put in here, it would have been much more appealing. In reality, it seems that some comfort must be sacrificed for comfort elsewhere in this case.
Of course, the most important feature of any headset is the quality of the audio both input through the mic and output through the speakers. In terms of speaker audio, this headset is surprisingly powerful and clean sounding for an on ear headset. Generally for the best sound quality and comfort for gaming, over-ear headsets seem to be the preferred choice for gamers. This headset however could easily compete with an over-ear device for quality sound. The microphone is also of a surprisingly good quality for communications or recording. Unusually placed on the audio cable rather than attached to the headset itself, this too has been a concern to some gamers who have looked at the product. The audio input is pretty clear and with a bit of cleaning up of background noise using audio software, recordings sound very smooth indeed. The main problem with this microphone however is that it is free to move around, and therefore audio input is easily disturbed. Due to the fact that the microphone falls against the users body, any movement while it is in use causes banging noise, which is not particularly desirable at all. This is maybe the feature that really let’s this quite cleverly designed headset down.
Overall, the SteelSeries Flux Headset is a pretty neat piece of kit for games who are always on the move. It may not be top of the market for heavier users, however it is a very high quality device which has surprisingly good features that potential users should not underestimate simply from its initial minimalistic appearance. With high quality sound, decent audio input and a very mobile and relatively comfortable design, this headset is a good choice for active gamers or any who will not be needing the absolute top of the range equipment to fulfil their needs. Furthermore, at a fairly decent price tag for a gaming headset from a top level company in the field, around £60, this is both an affordable and effective piece of kit.
Sound – Great quality output, especially for an on-ear device, perfect for gaming or use for other purposes.
Style – Designed with style as key concept, this is a nice looking headset, but the extra customisations available may be a dive too deep into the wallets of some gamers.
Comfort – Very comfortable leather ear pads, but at the expense of a less comfortably designed arch over the head.
Other Features – The headset is very mobile as SteelSeries promise, and the ability to share audio is a nice touch too.
You can purchase the headset HERE
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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