Harman Kardon BT

Harman Kardon makes a few different full-size headphones, including theClassic (CL), Noise Canceling (NC), and Bluetooth (BT). They all offer excellent sound quality and have very distinct designs, with a modern take on an old-school double headband and square earcups that harken back a little to the Bowers & Wilkins P3 and P5 headphones.

The BT model reviewed here looks almost identical to the over-the-ear NC model, but it features wireless audio streaming for smartphones and other devices that are Bluetooth-enabled. At $250 list, this is considered more of a high-end Bluetooth headphone, but it does cost significantly less than other high-end competitors such as the $400 Parrot Zik, Sennheiser MM 550, and Denon Global Cruiser.

Aside from its excellent fit and finish, the big thing the BT has going for it is its sound quality. It's a well-balanced headphone, with good clarity and tight bass, making it one of the better-sounding Bluetooth headphones currently available.

One thing I didn't love: the headphones are charged via a jack on the left earcup using a non-standard USB cable (you get up to 12 hours of battery life from a single charge). It works well, but the problem is that if you lose the cable, you won't be able to charge the headphones (you can't just use the Micro-USB that comes with a lot of phones and other devices). I therefore suggest keeping the cable stowed in the inner pocket of the carrying case for safekeeping.

Finally, if you want to make maximize the sound quality of the headphones, they have a detachable cord (it plugs into the jack I just mentioned) that allows you to use the BTs as wired headphones. I suspect the vast majority of people won't bother using them that way (after all, why buy a wireless headphone if you're not going to use it as a wireless headphone?), but the wired option is there, which is good.

Performance
The big problem with Bluetooth headphones is that they have a tendency to sound a little muddy and fail to deliver crisp, clear sound. In the last year, several higher-end Bluetooth headphone managed to overcome that problem, delivering a sound more like wired headphones. The Harman BT joins that group of very good-sounding Bluetooth headphones.

Like the NC, the BT sounds comparatively natural and accurate. It has a sound profile similar to that of the CL, which is considered a balanced, more neutral set of headphones that doesn't over accentuate the bass or treble. Still, like that model, the bass here is plump and pleasant (it seems to be a touch more plump than the CL's) but not overreaching. As with the CL, there's a bit of restraint in the treble, so you're not going to get that edgier detail of "faster," more aggressive headphones that push the treble harder. I wouldn't call these laid-back, but they're fairly warm. I tried them with a variety of music and came away feeling that they were quite versatile.

Kingston HyperX Cloud II

Kingston's HyperX Cloud II is one of the best gaming headsets you can get. With strong audio specs, a solid design and excellent support options, this PC gaming headset is hard to beat. It's missing a few things, but there's no denying that the HyperX is the king of its price point. We would love to see active noise-canceling headphones on the HyperX, but that would also bring its price up considerably. 

Audio Specifications

We were impressed with the HyperX's ability to reproduce low tones. The headphones are rated for as low as 15Hz. The lowest tone most humans' ears can pick up is 20Hz, so the benefit of headphones being able to produce anything lower than that is that you can still feel the bass, even when you can't hear it. This is especially important for gaming, because it helps you feel like you're in the game's world. Explosions can trigger those really low tones, and you feel them. These headphones can also handle frequencies up to 25khz. 



Compared to its predecessor, the HyperX Cloud II has a better microphone. The headphones remain about the same quality – which is good – but the microphone in the Cloud II has a much larger response range. You can expect the mic to pick up sounds as low as 50Hz and as high as 18kHz. That's the largest response range of any headset on our lineup. This means that the microphone can more faithfully capture and transmit your voice than the previous HyperX Cloud. 

Design

The larger the driver, the more air it can push around and the greater the variance in sounds it can produce. The HyperX has 53 mm drivers, the largest in our gaming headset lineup. This is partly what allows the HyperX's headphones to reproduce extreme highs and lows with excellent fidelity.

The HyperX is made up of plastic and aluminum, with leather for the headband and the ear cups. The package includes another set of velvet ear cups in case you don't like the leather. Overall, the construction quality is top-notch, and you can expect this gaming headset to last for a long time.

As far as comfort is concerned, this is one of the lightest products in our gaming headset reviews. While weight isn't the sole contributing factor in comfort, it can play a major part in it. The headband is soft and well padded, as are the ear cups. You won't feel much pressure around your ears when these are on, and they should remain comfortable for hours. However, you can't fold the headphones to be more compact. 


Features

In-line volume control is a sort of industry standard now, and the HyperX doesn't disappoint here. You can lock the controls with a switch to prevent accidental volume shifts, mute and unmute the microphone, and adjust the volume with a scroll wheel. The in-line volume control is small and lightweight, which prevents it from pulling down on one side of the headset.

The HyperX comes with a protective carrying case. We were impressed with the case – both its size and quality were much better than you might expect. It's easy to store the headset and all of its attendant cables in the bag. This makes the HyperX very portable.

While the HyperX's headphones don't do active noise canceling, they are circumaural, which means that they completely enclose your ears. This amounts to passive noise canceling. Active noise canceling is certainly better, but the HyperX does a fair job of blocking out unwanted noise while pumping high-fidelity audio into your ear canals. 

Help & Support


Kingston has some of the best customer support out there. If 
you need help or information, there are FAQs and online manuals to help you out. You can also contact the support team through email, phone or a live chat service. Most importantly, the HyperX comes with a two-year limited warranty. That gives you two years to notice any factory defects, while the industry standard is one year.


Summary

The Kingston HyperX Cloud II is one of the best gaming headsets you can buy right now, and it's cheap enough that it won't break the bank. There simply isn't any real competition for it in its price point. You have to get into top-tier price ranges in order to beat the HyperX. So, while it may not be the absolute best gaming headset available, it is the best option under $200. 

Each G2000

   Flymemo Kotion Each G2000 gaming headset review

Flymemo Each G2000

An LED backlit gaming headset with high precision 51mm magnetic neodymium drivers, soft leather ear pads and a braided cable fitted with a rotary volume controller.

Features

• Soft leather ear pads
• LED back lighting
• Volume and mic mute control
• Gold plated connectors

Intro

As a father of 2 sub-teen boys, gaming headsets come and go like shoes in my household. Typically they fail from the cords becoming so badly twisted that they split open and snap. It’s also common practice to find them on the floor tangled around the chair. I now make them use their own pocket money to buy replacement headsets in the hope that they might respect them more – unfortunately this seems to have no effect.

This photo will hopefully demonstrate my point. Not only is the cable wrecked, they also managed to break the arm – which I expertly fixed with duct tape.

Looking at the Flymemo Each G2000, I feel there may be a good chance I have found a gaming headset able to withstand them. It’s big and solid with wide arms, even at the point of adjustment. I’m also pleased to see a seriously thick braided cable which seems fairly resistant to twisting.

1

Flymemo Each G2000 – Design and Build

The first point of interest when I took the Each G2000 headset out from the box was it’s size. The arms are 45mm wide and the shield shaped ear cups are almost 100mm. Having such large earpieces allows the leather pads to completely cover my ears which I found surprisingly comfortable.  A while ago I reviewed a set of headphones that fully covered my ears in a similar fashion and found they caused my ears to sweat due to a lack of ventilation. These Each G2000’s however seem to not suffer from this problem, I assume this is due to the use of more breathable materials.

There’s an ample amount of adjustment on the arms to accommodate a large head and a good tension to retain the headset without it feeling uncomfortable over long periods of use.

I was a little unsure how the Flymemo Each G2000 would fit on a child’s head considering its size. After testing the fit on my 10 year old (pictured) and his younger brother, I was pleasantly surprised at how well it fitted them both.

The microphone arm on the Each G2000 is rigid and while it does rotate up and down, it won’t pivot in and out towards your face. In it’s down position the microphone is about 9cms from your mouth.  I personally think it could have been a little closer. Not only will it make heavy breathing extremely difficult, it’s also slightly visible from the corner of your left eye.

Despite my dislike of the microphone placement, the overall design of the Flymemo Each G2000 is good. The combination blue LED lighting, glossy black surfaces and chrome side details make this gaming headset visually appealing. It’s soft padded leather ear pads are extremely comfortable and the thick braided cable will hopefully extend it’s life, even in the hands of young gamers.

2

Flymemo Each G2000 – Features and Specifications

Connections

The connecting cables for the headset consist of two colour coded 3.5mm audio jacks, one for sound and the other for the microphone. There’s also a USB connector, this is solely for the LED back lighting and is optional. While some gaming headsets run from the USB port only, the Each G2000 receives and sends it’s audio just from the jacks.

Specifications

• Driver diameter: 50mm
• Impedance: 32Ohm
• Sensitivity: 114dB +/- 3dB
• Frequency range: 20-20KHz
• Microphone sensitivity: -34dB +/- 3dB
• Connections: USB (LED) + 3.5mm stereo
• Cable length:  2.2m
• Weight: 383g

         Having a headset that connects with this method means it requires no driver installation or software and can be used on devices other than a PC or Laptop.  You should be able to use the headset on a PS4 or XBOX One and even an XBOX 360 if you purchase an additional headset adapter.

Audio performance

For a gaming headset in this price bracket, I was highly impressed with the audio quality. Typically most gaming headsets have 40mm drivers, the Flymemo Each G2000 has a 51mm magnetic neodymium driver which definitely seems to add some punch. The sound is loud and full, great for gaming as well as listening to music. The volume adjustment wheel on the cable makes it quick and easy to control the sound level during gaming.

Microphone performance

As I previously mentioned, the microphone is positioned a fair distance away from the face. As a result, I found the regular volume to be a little inadequate compared to my previous headset. This is something that can be addressed in the audio setting on your device or within the game /software options. Once I’d increased the mic output on a skype call to a friend, the audio volume and clarity were both fine.

3Verdict

Overall I have been highly impressed with the build, audio quality and comfort of the Each G2000 especially considering it’s budget price.  I would have liked to have more control over the position of the microphone and only time will tell how it holds up to punishment from my spawn. Although I wouldn’t go as far to say it’s in the league of a professional gaming headset, I do think the Each G2000 is ideal for most casual gamers and the younger generation.