Plantronics Gamecom X95 Gaming Headset

At first glance the Gamecom X95′s don’t seem to be anything spectacular. Aesthetically they’re sound, they look simple and solid without any frills, but there’s nothing that jumps out at you to make you think “These are some damned nice headphones”. But once you spend some time with them, really get a feel for them, these actually are some damned nice headphones.

As I said, aesthetically they’re fine, simple and understated but not flashy. Instead of opting for the glamorous curves and edges of say a Tritton or a Turtle Beach, Plantronics played it simple and it paid off. From a simple glance you can tell they’re well built and sturdy, they look like you’d have to put some real effort in to break them. Which is certainly true, they feel sturdy as a rock except they have the luxury of being lightweight. The microphone is the only part that feels like you’d stand a chance of damaging it, a worry that’s easily dismissed when you realize that it nicely tucks upwards into it’s own space.

Simplicity seems to be what Plantronics were aiming for, making use of a small and easy to use wireless adapter minimizes any messy wires whilst all the controls, nestled on the back of the ear buds, are intuitive and easy to use. The only caveat comes with the wire used for Xbox Live chat, it really should be about a foot longer than it is, more than a few times I overestimated the length of said wire and pulled the controller with me as I stood up. Another slight niggle is that the headset will switch of if idle for too long, it’s a nice energy saving feature but the timer seems a little too eager, switching them off after a relatively small amount of time . That said these are only small inconveniences for what is overall a well designed piece of technology

As with all headphones the important bit is how they feel and certainly how they sound. Making use of some nifty technology Plantronics managed to avoid any head crushing whatsoever, they’re effortlessly comfortable, even over a marathon gaming session. After a couple of hours it’s almost easy to forget your wearing them. The only downer on this front comes from the choice of earpad covering, instead of opting for a synthetic material they chose a fabric one, which can irritate the skin slightly, luckily this tends to only occur after a particularly long haul session.

So to the sound, the sound is flawless. It capably handles the lower frequencies and whilst the bass may not shake your ear drums in the same way that a pair of Skull Candies might it still has some good weight and depth behind it. An advantage of this is balance is that  a well developed lower end leaves the higher frequencies as crisp and clear as you could ever want. This results in fantastic ambiance, enhancing the mood and environment of any game. The separate voice and game channels have also been well though out, allowing you to nicely balance conversation with immersion without ruining either experience. On the communication side of things, despite being situated further away from my mouth than I’m used to, the microphone consistently picks up even quieter voices without any background interference from the environment or the booming earpads. The only possible problem with the sound quality comes from the occasional static crackle, likely resulting from the it’s wireless nature. It’s never mood ruining but it is still there.

Conclusion

Plantronics have managed to make what can be a complex endeavour into something that’s effortlessly simple and elegant. There are no messy wires to get in the way, they’re comfortable (even for someone with a larger head…like me) and they sound absolutely amazing. They almost deserve a more stand-out design, but in the end I’m glad that’s not the case. Plantronics focused on what was essential, leaving the rest to be decided when the important bits were done. The result is a gaming headset that’s a pleasure to use. After all, when you’re sitting down to do some hardcore gaming you don’t want to feel like it’s a mission setting your sound up, it should be simple, with the X95′s it couldn’t be simpler.