We’re taking a look at the Noz Stereo Gaming Headset, the latest mid-range gaming headset to throw it’s hat into the ring from ROCCAT, How does it stack up?
Product on Review: ROCCAT Noz Stereo Gaming Headset
Manufacturer: ROCCAT
Street Price: £59.99 GBP / $69.99 USD / $89.99 AUD
The Noz is the newest mid-range headset from ROCCAT and is a follow up to the Roccat Renga Boost. ROCCAT states it is outfitted with top-of-the-line 50mm drivers which deliver a perfect audio profile, a Real-Voice microphone and multi-platform connectivity.
The Noz also features built in volume & microphone mute controls, as well as these controls the microphone is also removable so if you want to take these on the go with you the microphone can be stashed away.
As with the Renga Boost this headset is cross-platform compatible, a 2 to 1 3.5mm splitter is included so that the headset can be used on most, if not all games consoles and mobile devices.
In our review we look to see if ROCCAT have resolved the issues of comfort, a distinct lack of volume & the microphone placement issues we had with their previous release.
ROCCAT on the Noz Stereo Gaming Headset:
Natural Sound – Hear things as they’re supposed to sound with stereo redefined. Top of the line 50mm drivers deliver the perfect audio profile, crisp highs, rich mids and deep lows. A Real-Voice mic covers the full vocal spectrum for authentic sound reproduction
Technical Specifications
General
Cable Length: 2.45mJack Plug:Dual Plug 3.5mm(3-Pin)
Microphone
Measured Frequency Response: 100 ~ 10000HzTHD% @ 1kHz: -40dB
Signal-To-Noise Ratio: 58dB
Impedance: 2.2kΩ
Driver Units
Measured Frequency Response: 10 ~ 20000HzImpedance: 60Ω
Max. SPL @ 1kHz: 112dB
Driver Diameter: 50mm
Driver Unit Material: Neodymium Magnet
Dimensions
Weight: 210gCompatibility
System Requirements: 3.5mm Jack Socket RequiredPackaging & First Look
As with most of ROCCAT’s recent packaging we get front profile shot of the headset along with the model name on the front of the box.
The left side of the box features what ROCCAT feels are the 4 best unique selling points of the Noz Stereo Gaming Headset.
The back of the box gives us a bit more detail about the headset, and it’s available in multiple languages.
The right side of the box only features the company & model name on a plain black background.
Removing the headset cradle from the outer packaging and you can see here that the headset & microphone are held securely in place by the moulded plastic shroud.
Digging a bit deeper into the box and we can find the accessories, in this case, the removable boom mic, an information document and 2 to 1 3.5mm splitter.
Closer Look
Looking at the headset face on and you can see it’s quite an understated design, and they aren’t too garish as to put you of using them outside of the house.
The headband features foam padding and it stretches the length and width of the headband.
On the rear of the left ear cup we find the built in volume & mute button.
On the bottom of the left ear cup is the slot for the microphone.
The ear cups on the Noz Stereo Gaming Headset feature the same padding on the headband and ear cups, it seems there is an ample amount in both areas.
Performance Testing
Design & Build Quality
The ROCCAT Noz Stereo Gaming Headset benefits from a rather understated design, there is no RGB and no garish colours here which is both positive and negative depending on which side of the fence you fall. It features ample padding on both the ear cups and headband so in practice it stays comfy for hours however sound isolation does suffer somewhat due to the headset using fabric rather than leatherette, which is understandable at this price point.As mentioned previously the headset features a built in volume wheel and microphone mute button on the rear of the left ear cup and we found that these controls were easily accessible. The microphone also slots into the left ear cup and it’s easily attached, and the design means that it’s fairly difficult to accidentally knock it out the socket.
Audio Quality
In gaming the Noz Stereo Gaming Headset performs well for it’s price, however listening to music is where it falls short of the mark unfortunately. The headset does seem tuned towards the mid & high range of frequencies, which unfortunately means the bass is lacking and this is evident in both games and multimedia consumption.Microphone Test
One of the issues we had with ROCCATs previous release was that the microphone was fairly hard to position where it would best be suited, we’re pleased to see that ROCCAT have remedied that issue on the Noz Stereo Gaming Headset with the boom arm being longer and more flexible. A video demonstrating the microphone is available below.Conclusion
In the introduction of this review we said that we were going to look at the issues we had with ROCCAT’s previous release, namely the comfort, the overall feel, the microphone adjustment and the lack of volume.
ROCCAT has resolved these issues and has made the headset feel well built and comfortable for those long gaming sessions however the Noz is not without it’s own faults, as we mentioned in the design section the ROCCAT team have used fabric ear cups so the noise isolation does not perform as well as other types of material they could have used, although it is to be expected there are short comings in some areas due to the price.
The other areas the Noz Stereo Gaming Headset falls short are the microphone quality and the music performance, which we feel that if improved would set the Noz above it’s competitors, as it is it performs well in games and if you’re looking to use the headset on multiple platforms the ROCCAT Noz is a solid choice.
There are products that offer the same feature set and better music performance at a very similar price however the design of the Noz may just win you over.
Pros
+Comfort
+Multiplatform compatible
+Detachable Microphone
+Gaming Performance
Cons
-Microphone quality
-Poor Noise Isolation
-Poor Music Performance
+Comfort
+Multiplatform compatible
+Detachable Microphone
+Gaming Performance
Cons
-Microphone quality
-Poor Noise Isolation
-Poor Music Performance
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