I recently broke my favorite gaming headset and settled with the Gioteck EX-05 as my replacement. When it comes to peripheral gaming equipment I shop on a budget. As much as I would love to throw down 150 dollars on some epic headphones it just isn’t plausible when you have a wife and two kids. The wife and two kids also means that I need to wear headphones most of the time when it comes to listening to music or playing a game, so I need a decent set of headphones that are comfortable, and won’t break the bank. That brings us to the Gioteck EX-05 gaming headphones.
The big selling point on this particular headphone was the 50 dollar price tag for a pair of headphones that would work not only on my PC, but my PS3 and an Xbox 360. Throw in large breathable ear cups, a lightweight and comfortable headband and HD sound quality and you got the makings for a decent budget headphone. But do they live up to the marketing in the box? Well if the headphones are as cool as the box was then yes. unfortunately they don’t feel much sturdier than the box.
First lets talk about the comfort of the Gioteck EX-05’s. While there could have been some more padding on the ear cups, they fit over my big ears, and after a few adjustments they felt alright. The material is indeed breathable so overall the ear cups fit well. Though the lack of padding and the breathability of the ear cups led to noise leakage both outgoing and incoming. Which will be annoying for anyone sitting next to you, and can be distracting when you hit a quiet spot in whatever you’re listening to and can hear the world around you.The headband is 2 thin metal wires separated by a breathable mesh. This took awhile to get positioned on my head just right so that the wires weren’t digging into my head. Once I had accomplished that I still have the issue of my short hair poking through the mesh, which can get annoying after awhile. Overall though for a budget headset the Gioteck EX-05 could be a worse fit, and i can wear them for a couple of hours or more at a time.
Sound quality on the Gioteck EX-05 is to be expected for a budget set of headphones. It isn’t great, especially on the PC. This problem is caused by the fact that the headphones are plugged in through an USB port and not into an actual headphone jack. the bass is almost non existent, and the mids to highs are clear but overpowering. The sound quality is better on the consoles due to the audio in and out component jacks, but still only bring the quality up to acceptable. The marketing claims HD sound, but the marketing lied. microphone, which is a flexible bar on a swivel does fair better. There is a decent amount of noise cancellation and it picks up your voice quite well.
The audio controls are on a bulky box situated poorly on the cord of the Gioteck EX-05. there is a toggle for switching from Xbox to PC/PS3, as well as a mic on off switch. While hooked up to the PC the voice volume controls both the volume of the headset and mic. This took a minute to get used to. the one nice thing is the fact that the cord is 16 feet. Which means plugging into the TV and sitting back on the couch is no issue. Although the cord does need to be wrapped up, and a spot found for it when you are at the computer.
Overall the Gioteck EX-05 is what you pay for, a budget gaming headset. It is lightweight, and feels flimsy. The sound quality is subpar, and the mic works as it should. The biggest selling point is the compatibility with all systems, and the super long cord. It isn’t the worst headset you can buy at that price, but it is definitely worth spending an extra 20 dollars to get something significantly better.
