The headset market in gaming is filled with companies looking to appeal to a host of consumers, from eSport pros to professional and aspiring streamers. Often times casual gamers are left choosing between the high end headphones or stuck with pretty flimsy cheap pairs that sacrifice in style, construction and quality. Roccat is happy to jump into that sweet spot for casual gamers with its Khan Pro. The headset promises to provide high end quality audio for an affordable $99.99 price, while still maintaining some style points.
The Khan Pro comes with everything you will need to use across PC and consoles with an included single plug adapter. One headset to be played across devices is a welcomed option for gamers who don’t want to shell out for two quality headsets just to play on their PC and PS4. The cross compatibility alone is not enough lift it above other similar headsets on the market. Luckily the Khan Pro has some gems hidden in it that makes it a fantastic option for the gamer on a budget.
Construction
The Roccat Khan Pro is simple in how it looks but it never struck me as being bland or generic. It certainly is not as flashy as many of the high end styles, however the simple headset with gray logo and branding looked nice without being overbearing. The headset does come in three color options, black, gray and white which offers some amount of option, but it is minimal.
One of the first things I noticed about the headset is the braided cables, from past experience I immediately sour on headsets that go with plastic cables that can quickly get tangled and often times have internal breaks after rigorous use. The braided cable gives the feel of a upper tier headset that will last long term and stand up to heavy use.
The left ear cup maintains a volume wheel for ease of adjustment and the microphone can be quickly muted by folding it up to the lock position. Ideally you would like to see the microphone have a removable feature so the headset could be used out of your home setup, but it certainly is not a deal breaker.
The most noticeable difference you will feel with the Khan Pro as opposed to the higher end headsets on the market is the lack of metal construction. The plastic construction helps maintain a lightweight design but at first it can feel a bit flimsy in comparison. During my use it performed well without any cause for concern, however if you are a gamer on the go and want to toss your headset in a backpack that can get tossed around, the plastic construction may not be the best option.
Comfort
Roccat has created a lightweight headset with the Khan Pro that remains comfortable during long play sessions. The lightness of the construction, only 230g, isn’t the only attention paid to optimizing comfort for gamers though. Ergonomically positioned ear cups with memory foam cushioning add a nice comfort on ears, and for those of us with glasses, I found the memory foam comfortable enough that it didn’t press my glasses into my head causing irritation after taking off the headphones.
While there is plenty to love about the Khan Pro headset when it comes to comfort, it isn’t necessarily going to win the most comfortable headset I have ever used, but given it’s price point it more than provides a comfortable gaming experience.
Sound Quality
Where the Roccat Khan Pro stands out is really the sound quality. The company touts a “hi-res” headset which seems more like just a marketing term than anything you can tangibly notice. Despite the somewhat questionable selling point the quality was surprisingly good, even great. The levels all performed very well during gameplay as well listening to music.
The lows were strong with powerful bass that gives bite to gunfights and explosions but never feels overbearing and distracting which can sometimes be a problem. Where the headset sound quality really shined though is the sharp audio from single shots, or team speak during games. The audio was crystal clear and was great in operating in team based games where audio cues are a must even on top of teammate communication.
Using the headset for music and movies was a dream, the sound quality was rich and thanks to the lightweight design, there was never any fatigue to wearing the headset for extended movie or Netflix binges.
Microphone
If I had one real negative to give the Khan Pro it is the microphone. The built in microphone is serviceable but nothing special. While it certainly can relay conversations to your team over voice chat the quality isn’t anywhere near the level you would want for any type of stream. Luckily the microphone can easily be muted by locking it in the up position to use more widely used desktop microphones for those type of situations.
It may be harsh to hold microphones to that type of standard; however with the headsets’ ability to be used across platforms, streaming directly from consoles can be a little rough with the built in microphone.
Conclusion
The Roccat Khan Pro is a headset that upon first glance will not blow anyone away just on looks, or even basic features. The headset, however, shines upon use, it’s combination of lightweight design mixed with quality sound gives it the feel of a much more expensive headset. Gaming can be a very expensive hobby and the Khan Pro is a perfect option for a budget headset that will still provide great value and not take anything away from your gaming experience.
The Roccat Khan Pro is available right now for $99.99 from both the manufacturer as well as various retailers worldwide.
