Logitech G433 7.1 Wired Surround Gaming Headset Review
Logitech G433 7.1 Wired Surround Gaming Headset Closer Look
The Logitech G433 Gaming Headset certainly does look different than most of its peers. The fabric covered cans and are somewhat unique and not for everyone it seems. I don’t mind the fabric part but I can’t say I’m a fan of the blue camo though I’m not a fan of camo anything so my opinion is already biased on that front. If using it out and about, they certainly don’t scream ‘gamer’ and the attractiveness is wholly subjective. The circumaural headsets aren’t overly large but bigger than the supra-aural headphones you typically see people using out in public. Wearing these in public won’t look out of place but I certainly wouldn’t wear these to the gym – washable fabric not withstanding.
The steel-reinforced plastic headband prominently displays the Logitech G logo embossed at the top and gives a good amount of flex without being too lenient in that respect. Fabric lines the head side of the band with an appreciable amount of padding to minimize discomfort. The cans themselves swivel 10-15 degrees or so forward, and swivel backward a full 90 degrees. The G logo also appears on each side and the inside of the headband down near the cups is a left/right indicator should you get confused on how to orient them. Without looking at that however, it’s pretty easy to see which side should face front because there is a 3.5 mm jack port for the detachable microphone on the front side of the left can and down on the bottom there’s another port for the cable of your choice.
I mentioned the fabric on the first page and we get a closer look at it here. Logitech decided upon a hydrophobic, breathable sports mesh fabric for the ear pads and exterior of the cans to increase the level of comfort while mitigating issues with heat. If the mesh isn’t your cup of tea then you’re in luck because the G433 comes with an extra set of ear pads covered in microfiber. Both of these are obviously removable but also washable (it’s fabric after all) which is probably a good thing as we all know what happens to sweat and fabric over time. While using them I did get a little warm but not overly so but with circumaural headphones with any degree of noise isolation, it’s going to get a little hot in there. Once the ear pads are removed, the less attractive blue (in this case) plastic lies beneath and with black plastic grills to cover the actual Pro-G 40mm speaker. Hidden around the back is what Logitech calls an acoustic chamber to allow “air to move in a way that accentuates and attenuates different frequencies to provide the best sounding response from all frequencies in the range”. In other words, a low tech way to improve the perceived audio quality. Worry less, listen more.
As mentioned, the microphone boom just attaches via a 3.5mm jack and that’s all there is to it. It’s flexible but holds its shape well unless bumped and has a pretty clean appearance. No bulbous foam blob dangling in front of your jaw but rather an internal pop filter is used to block out all that hot air you’re breathing and Logitech claims it reduces wind noise by up to 8dB.
Finally, the cables bring it all together. The first is what they call a mobile cable meant to be used with – you guessed it, your mobile phone. It’s 1.5 m long with a 3.5mm analog stereo jack at both ends and a button in the middle for pausing/skipping music. This also has an in-line microphone for taking calls without popping on the boom microphone because nothing screams “dork” like walking around in public with a boom microphone on a pair of headphones. This can also be used on consoles or other devices but you’re better off using the other cable which as a built-in clip, volume knob and a microphone mute switch. It’s 2m in length so should afford a long enough tether for most settings and there’s a even splitter provided that you can use for separate input/output ports. Finally, they’ve included a 3.5mm to USB DAC for those without a USB digital sound card on the PC. It works really well though even Logitech admits if you have a dedicated digital sound card, that’s going to be your best option in terms of sound quality.
Making all of this work to the user’s liking is the software, which is up next!