The ROCCAT Khan AIMO takes the best features from last years Khan Pro and evolves them by introducing 7.1 audio and a brand new integrated 24-bit 96kHz DAC.
Product on Review: ROCCAT Khan AIMO
Manufacturer: ROCCAT
Street Price: £119.99 / $119.99 / AUS $149
The Khan AIMO looks to be making a splash in the market by taking all the best parts from last years Khan Pro and adding in some high-end audio features as well as integrating some tasteful RGB illumination.
The Khan AIMO builds upon the Pro by modernising the aesthetics, improving the build quality, upgrading the audio feature set and adding the AIMO intelligent lighting system. The Khan AIMO does borrow the Hi-Res audio capabilities from the older sibling but now includes 7.1 audio. As well as this, ROCCAT has enhanced the audio with a built-in 24-bit 96kHz DAC sound card. A vast frequency range is on offer too as the Khan AIMO can delve all the way down to 10Hz and extend all the way up to 40,000Hz.
This is an impressive feature set to say the least, but how do they perform in the real world?
ROCCAT on the Khan AIMO:
The Khan AIMO represents a gaming first with its exclusive Hi-Res audio compatible surround sound. Adding a top-end virtual 7.1 headset to the AIMO series, it boasts a premium hardware spec with its powerful driver units and built-in high fidelity sound card. As impressive structurally as it is in terms of performance, the Khan AIMO’s stainless steel sliders provide incredible robustness yet with remarkably low weight at only 275 grams. Together with its memory foam earpads, this makes it a headset suitable for use over extended periods of time. The Khan AIMO is comfort. Surrounded.
Technical Specifications
Headphones
Drivers: 50mm Neodymium magnet
Impedance: 32 ohm
Frequency response: 10 – 40,000Hz
Max SPL at 1kHz: 99dB
Microphone
Frequency response: 100 – 10,000Hz
THD at 1kHz: 2%
Sensitivity at 1kHz: -40dB
Signal-to-noise ratio: 60dB
Impedance: 2200 ohm
Sound Card
Resolution DAC/AMP combo: 24-bit at 96kHz (max)
Weight
275g
System Requirements
OS: Windows 7, 8, 10
Port: USB 2.0, USB 3.0
Drivers: 50mm Neodymium magnet
Impedance: 32 ohm
Frequency response: 10 – 40,000Hz
Max SPL at 1kHz: 99dB
Microphone
Frequency response: 100 – 10,000Hz
THD at 1kHz: 2%
Sensitivity at 1kHz: -40dB
Signal-to-noise ratio: 60dB
Impedance: 2200 ohm
Sound Card
Resolution DAC/AMP combo: 24-bit at 96kHz (max)
Weight
275g
System Requirements
OS: Windows 7, 8, 10
Port: USB 2.0, USB 3.0
Packaging & First Look
The Khan AIMO come in an attractive Grey box with a large image of the headset which is surrounded by key features of the headset. The bottom left shows that the AIMO do have Hi-Res audio capabilities thanks to the printed badge.
Included in the box there is the headset and documentation.
The Khan AIMO has had a design overhaul which makes them more attractive and more modern looking than the previous generation. They’re now a different colour too opting for a fresher looking dark Grey.
Closer Look
The left side of the Khan AIMO features a non-removable microphone and some branding. There is also an RGB illumination accent that highlights the side of the housing. The housing is connected to the headband via a Y-shaped arm which is in-turn joined to a mechanism that allows the entire cups to rotate. A second illumination strip can be spotted here as well as some more branding.
The Right side has a large ROCCAT logo printed on it along with the same accented features as the left side. The housing on both sides is constructed from a durable and premium feeling plastic. This is not only robust, but it helps keep the weight of the headset down.
At the rear of the housing on the right, there is a volume dial and also a button that allows you to control the surround sound features. The volume control dial is a bit stiff and not the smoothest in action, it also only allows a 2 step volume increase or decrease. This means that there is no 1 step adjustment via the built-in control. The button is nicely tactile and has good feedback, however.
The left doesn’t house any buttons and only features the non-removable braided fabric cable.
The earcups have a soft, smooth synthetic leather texture that covers the memory foam padding inside.
The headband is again plastic but feels quite solid. You’ll also find more branding here as well. Inside the headband is a generous amount of padding that utilises the same materials as the earcups.
The headband adjustment is partially plastic, but it’s reinforced with a stainless steel band for extra durability.
Software
The landing page on the ROCCAT Swarm software gives you access to a few settings. Here You can toggle the 7.1 audio on or off as well as adjust the microphones sensitivity and also its noise cancelling features. There is also some voice changing effects if you want to experiment or disguise your voice. Also on this page, you can create and adjust profiles. You can add up to 5 custom profiles at any one time giving you plenty of scope to have presets for your most played games or even for movies.
Next is the settings page, this allows you to further tweak your headphones. On this page, there is an adjustable 10 band equaliser so that you can fine-tune the headset to your preference. If that isn’t your thing, you can always make use of the 10 different preset sounds profiles.
Like the landing page, you also get access to the microphone settings, 7.1 toggle and your created profiles.
The next main page is for the illumination, and here there are 5 different lighting options to choose from. The first being ROCCATs AIMO intelligent lighting system. Think of this as a way of allowing you to sync all their compatible products together. There are then the more basic options which give you varying degrees of customisation depending on which you opt for.
ROCCAT Swarm Connect is interesting as it allows you to download and sync an app on your smartphone. With this, you can view advanced monitoring and statistics.
AIMO allows you to set up a unified ecosystem across ROCCATs compatible peripherals. Here you can also enable and setup Talk FX, this is a new addition that works in tandem with some games to create extra sensory effects. Finally, there is AlienFX which again this focuses on sensory effects to provide a more immersive experience.
Performance Testing
Setup & ObservationsThe setup process is very straightforward. All you require is a spare USB 2.0 or 3.0 port. Upon first use, Windows will auto-detect the headset and it will function as normal. You will, however, require the Swarm software to make use of the headsets more advanced features.
Given that the AIMO use a soft outer material and memory foam padding for their earcups I was expecting them to be comfortable and they are. They do have a slight problem with heat build-up though. Because of the materials used and the fact that the earcups aren’t perforated, they can build up some heat over longer use. We would advise short breaks be taken every now and then in order to alleviate this.
Lighting
The addition of RGB is not to everyone’s taste, but ROCCATs implementation is nicely done with it being subtle and not too over the top. The lighting is bright, the colours are vibrant and it’s uniform to. The effects are a nice touch as well, and of course, you can set the lighting to coordinate with the colours in your setup. The only minor downside is that the RGB can’t be turned off via a dedicated toggle in the software. However, you can simply turn the brightness to 0 if you would like to turn the illumination off.
Multimedia
At Vortez we like to cover all the bases and test headsets in a variety of different situations. First up being for casual music listening and the AIMO do not disappoint. Give them some good quality MP3s or FLAC and they provide a vibrant and detailed sound. The bass in the flat profile is clean and smooth if a bit lacking in body. This can be easily refined by using the Swarm software to give them a bit more low end. This can be done by either using the built-in equalizer or BASS EQ slider.
The treble is detailed, bright but not harsh and it’s nicely open too. The soundstage is quite expansive giving them a real sense of height and space. Vocal production is natural, clear and it has a nice amount of potency without being too overtly forward.
For movies, the soundstage again impressed with the sound coming at you from all directions. Switch on the 7.1 audio and this heightens the experience, even more, thus providing an even broader more expansive soundstage. This, in turn, allows you to hear even more of the minute sound design details and gives a greater sense of space. The bass again in the flat profile was a bit lacking, but as with music, a quick BASS EQ tweak can alter this.
We spent a fair amount of time playing through a variety of different games across multiple genres to test out the Khan AIMO. What we found is that they provided not only great sound quality for in-game effects and sound design but also they impressed when the going gets a little tough.
When using the 2.0 preset they have impressive spatial audio, this allows you to hear your surroundings very well. Switching to 7.1 did open up the sound allowing more to be heard, but as a result, it made identifying minute details a bit more difficult. This is due to the extra effects being more prominent thus masking some other details like footsteps. However, in games like GTA V and Rise Of The Tomb Raider, this increased expansion and extra detail presence added to the immersion factor and made the game enveloping.
The bass not being very potent is a good thing for certain titles as it allows you to hear more detail in the treble. As like previously mentioned, the bass can be tweaked if you would like a bit more weight and impact. The bright and detailed treble remained during our testing and provided an enjoyable gaming experience.
Microphone
The microphone on the Khan AIMO is non-removable and features a built-in microphone mute feature. To mute the microphone, you simply bring the microphones arm towards the headset and place it an upright position. To resume chat bring the microphone arm forward and it will automatically switch on. The microphones arm is also flexible allowing you to position it to suit your preference.
To test the microphone, we set the sensitivity to just over 50% via the Swarm software combined with a volume level of 70 in Windows.
We found that with these settings, together with the noise cancelling turned off, the microphone provided plenty of volume with impressive clarity and detail. Bass pickup is solid and artificial robotic sounds are not present at all. There is a small amount of background noise present in the audio, however.
Conclusion
We were not surprised by the Khan AIMOs High-Res audio capabilities as they were present on the previous generation. It’s ROCCATs inclusion of the newly added Amp/DAC combo and 7.1 audio that had us impressed. The Amp/DAC combo helps the AIMO produce superb quality audio and although the 7.1 didn’t help improve things in every situation, its inclusion is welcome, especially for movies and less competitive gaming titles. Also impressive is the fact that the price point remained competitive as on occasion the High-Res audio certification and 7.1 audio can bump up the price significantly, the former more so.Combine all the above with a fresh new aesthetic that has modernised the Khan AIMO and has brought them in line with what you’d expect from a gaming headset in 2018. The build quality impressed too, although it’s predominately plastic ROCCAT haven’t cut back and have made use of the more premium grades. Comfort wise they also impressed offering a comfortable in-use experience. They do get a touch warm, however, but this can be avoided by taking short breaks to help ease this over longer use. The microphone that ROCCAT has created matches the quality of the rest of the headset and performs very capably in all situations.
The AIMO do represent a ‘good value for money’ headset that offers the full package and if you’re after one headset that does it all, then the Kahn AIMO should be on your shortlist.
The ROCCAT Khan AIMO is an impressive all-round gaming and multimedia headset without the hefty price tag.
Pros
+ Solid construction
+ Very detailed and crisp audio
+ Good quality microphone
+ Nicely integrated RGB
Cons
– Slight heat build up from the earcups
– Volume control wheel isn’t the smoothest
+ Solid construction
+ Very detailed and crisp audio
+ Good quality microphone
+ Nicely integrated RGB
Cons
– Slight heat build up from the earcups
– Volume control wheel isn’t the smoothest
Click here for an explanation of our awards at Vortez.net.
Stay connected with the Vortez Social Media pages:
Join in with the discussions on Discord
