ADATA XPG EMIX I30 Review

ADATA present an in-ear gaming headset with patented inner vacuum tube which aid the 13.5mm drivers create convincingly wide 3D surround sound.

Product on Review: ADATA XPG EMIX I30 in-ear Gaming headset
Manufacturer: ADATA
Street Price: TBC

Memory manufacturers turned gaming peripheral provider isn’t a new story, and so it doesn’t come as a surprise to see ADATA develop their own line of gaming orientated products, this includes the circumaural H30 gaming headset, and the I30 in-ear gaming headset which we are looking at today.

The 13.5mm drivers are made from durable materials, ensuring long lasting distortion free audio. The drivers are then complimented by a patented vacuum tube, as well as a micro-subwoofer, helping to widen spatial effect. As the I30 is an in-ear headset, as expected you will find an inline microphone/remote, enabling one touch, answer/end, next/previous controls, as well as allowing you to keep in touch with your team mates. Supplemented with a carry case, a 7 adaptor, and 3 difference earpiece sizes, the I30 headset is aimed at laptop gamers or gamers often on the move. Pricing is yet to be confirmed but it looks to be set at around £70-90 ($80-100 USD) which is firmly on the expensive side in regards to an in-ear headset, so let’s take a closer look to find out if they hold up to that price tag.

Overview by ADATA

Enriching game audio with patented design, EMIX I30 delivers double the bass power of similar headsets together with a rich and detailed sound field. Its large 13.5mm drivers eliminate distortion and boost clarity, adding depth to all audio sources. EMIX I30 earbuds are designed to fit snugly in every ear, keeping noise distraction out and sound enjoyment in. EMIX I30 works great with any device that has a 3.5mm audio connector for universal enjoyment.

Technical Specifications

Speaker dimensions: 13.5mm
Impedance: 32Ohm +- 15%
Sensitivity: 107dB +-3db
Frequency response: 5Hz-20,000Hz
Rated power: 3mW
Power capability: 5mW max
Cable length: 1.4m stranded (Y type)
Plug type: 3.5mm
Weight: 17.5g
Warranty: 2 years
Accessory: Premium carrying case, Earplug ( S(Ø 11) / M(Ø12) / L(Ø13) ), Airplane adaptor, 2-in-1 adaptor ( For PC connection )

Packaging & Product

Packaged in a good quality box with a cardboard sleeve that features an image of the product, and its compatibility. We also see a mention of 5.2 surround sound, which is strange as there is no additional software enabling virtual surround rendering.

The rear side shows a detailed diagram that points out its various features and its compatibility.

The inside of the box is neatly laid out showing off the headset and the carry case.

Inside the carry case we find a y splitter for use with PC, 2x additional pairs of earplugs, and an aeroplane adaptor.

The headset itself features a 4pole jack suitable for use with mobile devices and/consoles, while the cable is 2.2m long and is made from an anti-tangle rubberised material.

On the right side earpiece cable, we find the inline microphone/button.

The earbuds themselves are made up of a large round chamber in red and black, with an angled earpiece for for a comfortable fit.

Performance Testing

Setup, Design & Observations
To get going, simply connect to the correct port, or use the included Y-splitter if needed.

The I30 have a good quality feel to them, which is backed up by the rubberised cable too. The inline microphone button has a good tactile click to it while the earplugs do a good job creating a comfortable seal inside your ear. Something mentioned on the packaging is that this headset may also be used alongside with a VR headset, as they are discrete, they may fare much better than a full sized headset while using a VR headset too.

We are a little confused as to the description of a 5.2 surround headset, though, on further looking into the details, the headset itself may actually, by way of technicality, be a ‘real’ 5.2 surround headset, though the additional drivers are ‘passive’, as the patented chamber features two linings, then there is the 13.5 driver, along with a ‘micro sub-woofer’. However, it certainly does appear that there is more to this headset than the given details clearly describe, as this cross-section shows.

Multimedia
Listening through some electronic music, rock, and some country, we found that the I30 headset actually does sound very good. Clear highs, rich bass, and detailed mids with little distortion. We also noted that the sound was very wide, adding credence to the 3D/spatial effect claims. Once we finished up our subjective music listening tests, we found that the bass, combined with the wide sound, gave a very interesting low frequency rumble which was neither muffling, but more.. strangely realistic?

Our in-game experience took the very good sound, and wear nigh on awesome, the spatial awareness granted by the I30 was somewhat completely unexpected, especially when considering that this is an in-ear headset (something that generally sound substantially sub-par anyway). The well rounded bass along with the crisp details in the mids, and highs made for some very immersive gaming, while the presented sense of direction is well above and beyond anything I have heard from an in-ear solution previously.

We also tested the EMIX I30 while using a VR headset too, if, like many, you find the Occulus combined with a full headset to be rather warm, you may find that an in-ear solution may be good way forward. We found that playing Elite Dangerous was rather liberating due to the substantial reduction in weight on the head, while the good spatial awareness from the EMIX I30 proved to be a good combination for VR gaming.

Microphone
The microphone is always a welcome addition, though this sort of microphone will not replace a boom/desktop microphone, it is perfectly capable of conversation either via mobile device or PC, though on PC it does sound a little quiet unless you hold it directly to your mouth.

Conclusion

Judging the EMIX I30 headset was an interesting task to undertake, partly because of its pricing, partly because its our first venture with an audio product from ADATA, and partly because we an unashamed bias against in-ear headsets. In our experience, there are few earphones on the market that genuinely sound good, and none provide good value. However, the popularity of having a discrete and portable audio solution is undeniably essential with the ever growing dependency on portable technology. With that in mind, it is understandable for a manufacturer to invest heavily in the design and creation of an in-ear headset that will not only benefit gamers, but the audio quality itself. After all, if you are going to do something, may as well do it right, and ADATA have certainly done something right.

As far as outright audio quality goes, the EMIX I30 sounds good, great balance from its deep bass, and the crisp details in the mids and highs. This isn’t really anything beyond what our existing go-to earphones can do (the similarly priced Sennheiser Momentum in-ear), yet the wide sound/spatial awareness granted by the EMIX I30 exceeded our expectations completely.

However, pricing is something that will hit some people hard, especially when compared to competing products. Though, if you are someone that swears by earphones, and don’t mind throwing your cash at such things, the EMIX I30 is certainly a headset that could expand your mobile gaming experience considerably.

The EMIX I30 smashes several boundaries with its powerful, immersive audio that is not just detailed and crisp, but thanks to some clever design work, features outstanding spatial awareness to the likes we have not seen from an in-ear audio solution before.

Pros.
+ Rich and detailed audio
+ Wide audio/ spatial awareness (Great for VR)/(5.2 surround?)
+ compact/lightweight
+ High quality construction
+ Included carry case/accessories

Cons.
– Price

Click here for an explanation of our awards at Vortez.net.