Attitude One step into the into the PC gaming headset arena with the Tunguska 2.0 and Tunguska v7.1 USB. Do they impress or walk away with a bad attitude?
Product on Review: Attitude One Tunguska 2.0 and v7.1
Manufacturer and Sponsor: Attitude One
Street Price: £47 – £59 inc VAT (At time of Review)
Founded in 2011, Attitude One are newcomers in the market and have entered with an array of peripherals aimed at gamers. The Tunguska gaming headset line has a bold and striking design backed by an aggressive branding, hoping to capture the attention of people looking for that vivid and extroverted gaming aesthetic. The Stereo version comes in three flavours, Orange, Green and white, while the v7.1 USB version has the choice of White/Blue or White/Orange. Let’s look over the details and move onto testing.
Specification & Features
Tunguska 2.0
Frequency range: 20-20kHz
Impedance: 32 Ohm
Sensitivity: 111dB±3dB
Driver diameter: 40.0mm
Driver magnets: NdFeB
Driver membrane: PET+PEN
Microphone frequency range: 50Hz – 5KHz
Microphone Sensitivity: -54dB±3dB
Microphone directivity: Omnidirectional
Connection: 2 x 3.5mm
Cable length: 2.2 m braided cable
– Easy grip volume control with extra Mic-muted function
– In-line Remote Control for sound and Mic.
– High Sensitivity mic and mic mute
– Standard 40mm Hi-Fi driver, well-defined trebles
– Soft PU leather cushion head-pad and ear-pad for wearing comfort
Frequency range: 20-20kHz
Impedance: 32 Ohm
Sensitivity: 111dB±3dB
Driver diameter: 40.0mm
Driver magnets: NdFeB
Driver membrane: PET+PEN
Microphone frequency range: 50Hz – 5KHz
Microphone Sensitivity: -54dB±3dB
Microphone directivity: Omnidirectional
Connection: 2 x 3.5mm
Cable length: 2.2 m braided cable
– Easy grip volume control with extra Mic-muted function
– In-line Remote Control for sound and Mic.
– High Sensitivity mic and mic mute
– Standard 40mm Hi-Fi driver, well-defined trebles
– Soft PU leather cushion head-pad and ear-pad for wearing comfort
Tunguska v7.1 USB
Frequency range: 20-20kHz
Impedance: 32 Ohm
Sensitivity: 111dB±3dB
Driver diameter: 40.0mm
Driver magnets: NdFeB
Driver membrane: PET+PEN
Microphone frequency range: 50Hz – 5KHz
Microphone Sensitivity: -54dB±3dB
Microphone directivity: Omnidirectional
Connection: USB
Cable length: 3.0 m braided cable
– Virtual 7.1 USB surround sound with separately adjustable levels
– Reinforced headband, which offers nine levels of height adjustment for the perfect fit
– Unique 4-piece padded headpad and comfortable ear cushions guarantee hours of gaming comfort
– In-line Remote Control for sound and Mic.
– High-sensitivity mic and mic mute
– High-quality 40 mm drivers with neodymium magnets and membranes
Frequency range: 20-20kHz
Impedance: 32 Ohm
Sensitivity: 111dB±3dB
Driver diameter: 40.0mm
Driver magnets: NdFeB
Driver membrane: PET+PEN
Microphone frequency range: 50Hz – 5KHz
Microphone Sensitivity: -54dB±3dB
Microphone directivity: Omnidirectional
Connection: USB
Cable length: 3.0 m braided cable
– Virtual 7.1 USB surround sound with separately adjustable levels
– Reinforced headband, which offers nine levels of height adjustment for the perfect fit
– Unique 4-piece padded headpad and comfortable ear cushions guarantee hours of gaming comfort
– In-line Remote Control for sound and Mic.
– High-sensitivity mic and mic mute
– High-quality 40 mm drivers with neodymium magnets and membranes
Packaging & First Look
The Tunguska Headset Family Portrait.
Orange seems to be the signature colour for A1 and is not too dissimilar to what one would imagine seeing in a hardware store (The kind that stocks tools) adding to the rugged industrial theme that many gamers like. The box card at first appeared as though it may be made from recycled material but upon inspection there is no statement saying as such, however we do find the ‘Green Dot’ logo which symbolises the manufacturers commitment to the recovery and reuse of materials.
The Box for the v7.1 USB Version.
Though the headset design fits the ‘gamer profile’ there is little in the way of over the top gaming ‘jargon’ which combined with the bold orange colouring gives a ‘loud but minimalistic’ impression. On the side we can see a list of specifications and some photos of the product and on the rear there is a list of features in various languages.
The Stereo version in orange and green.
Box decor is similar for the stereo version, mainly lacking in the obvious being the information about being a USB headset and the star advertising the virtual 7.1 surround.
Opened up for your viewing pleasure.
All of the Tunguska boxes open wide for the product to be viewed, always handy for when someone wants to view the item in a shop without having to open the box up.
The Tunguska v7.1 USB Headset has LEDs!
The glossy white on black with blue trims looks great as well as having two blue LEDs on each earcup. There is a long fixed arm microphone on the left hand side which can be raised and lowered.
Lime green and Tangerine
Missing those LEDs, the stereo version is identical in design to the v7.1. The orange is a deep firey orange and the green is a very vivid lime green which was particularly difficult to capture correctly on camera.
Closer Look
Looking into the ear cup.
Inside the earcups there is a fabric mesh covering coloured fabric, on the USB version however it is black on black. The dimensions of the earcups are 65mm x 52mm which is large enough for most people. The squishy earpads are coated in a soft PU leather that should lend itself to good comfort.
Cushions on the inside of the headband.
The inside of the headband has four soft cusions again covered in the black laminated leather like on the earpads. This headset is not foldable and can be adjusted by pulling the earcups down.
The microphone arm.
The microphone design blends in with the aesthetic of the headset and can be moved up and down. Strangely the mic is not removable like many headsets we have seen recently, though being aimed at gamers wanting to listen to their MP5s and not those looking for a set of headphones wanting to listen to their MP3s I don’t see this as a problem.
The inline controller for the Tunguska 2.0.
A strong inline controller with simple features, volume and mic mute. Coloured to match the aesthetic of the headset. Worth mentioning the braided cable too which adds strength, twist resistance and a nice aesthetic.
The inline controller for the Tunguska v7.1 USB.
Different to the stereo version, here we get quad buttons. Volume up, down, sound mute and mic mute and some LED lighting for effect.
Software
Applies to the Tunguska v7.1 USB version only
The software included here is similar to what we saw on the Rosewill RHTS-8206 headset and is easy to setup and use. Offering various controls over each audio channel, microphone levels as well as microphone effects.
Performance Testing
Comfort
Putting on the headset without extending the strap I found a little tight, though after adjusting it a few clicks the squeeze eased and on my head was a headset that is pretty comfortable indeed. Soft earpads and cushions on the headstrap work very well and long gaming stints are not a bother and is good for those who wear glasses too. There is a little ear warmth build up but nothing too bad as PU leather is breathable so it isn’t likely to be an issue unless you sit in a hot unventilated room, then you may not want to use a headset ever.
Design and Durability
The bold glossy coloured aesthetic is a matter of customer preference. The plastic is tough and durable and should survive those accidental falls that can happen once in a while. Plastic is used on the adjustment straps too, though they are strong, they may wear and slip over time. The braided cable is a good touch which gives strength and protection to the cable.
Inline controller is mounted upside-down?
Interestingly, both the stereo and v7.1 versions of the Tunguska has the inline controller mounted upside down, resulting in a little confusion when sliding your hand down the cable and your thumb ends up sitting at the base of the controller. Moving your thumb back down do the volume dial on the stereo version, rolling the dial down results in volume increase, and rolling up turned the volume down. To rectify this, you must pick up the inline controller and orientated it correctly while fighting with the braided cable in hand to which at this point you are dead in game.
Moving on to the v7.1 inline controller, again upside down and back to front, aside that issue there are bigger issues. Firstly the plastic seems significantly lower quality to the stereo version as it feels fairly flimsy and fragile, secondly, though there is a ‘power on LED’, there is NO functional LED indicators as to when you have muted audio or microphone. Considering that the inline is mounted incorrectly where the volume up is in the bottom left, volume down in the bottom right, it may be fairly common for a user to accidentally hit the mute or mute mic button. It may be fairly obvious to when you have muted the audio, but not so much when you mute the mic and it may take 15-20 minutes or so to realise that noone in your conversation is replying to you because you muted your mic by accident and there is no indicator to tell you otherwise.
These are clear design errors that I hope can be fixed.
Music
Tunguska 2.0
General listening showed a nice balance of bass and mids while high mids to high tones were crisp and clear. Turning up the volume causes a little distortion, though unlikely to have an effect as it only sets in at a level many may consider to be uncomfortably loud. Playing through Alcest-Sur l’océan couleur de fer, the guitars sounded sharp and the vocals were enchanting. Listening to The Dropkick Murphys-The Legend of Finn MacCumhail was surprisingly fun and there was a distinct clarity between the bass lead drums and vocals. It has become evident that the Tunguska 2.0 headset can deliver some enjoyable and well rounded audio performance.
Tunguska v7.1
The USB version (strangely sounded better with the virtual 7.1 enabled) has a more balanced audio and was enjoyable to listen to various music genres. The audio quality is good though could potentially be out performed by the Tunguska 2.0 on a decent sound card. Bass was slightly weaker than the 2.0 and the treble slightly less crisp though overall no real complaints. No distortion was discovered at max volume, though the volume was limited to a ‘reasonable’ loudness.
It is worth noting that there was only a small amount of sound leakage from all versions of the Tunguska headset range.
Games
Tunguska 2.0
In DOTA 2 the stereo sound worked well and I was able to notice distinct noises such as someone using a salve off screen clearly as well as sounds made by unique abilities being activated in the middle of team fights. Playing through various other games and the Tunguska 2.0 delivers some good quality audio, in particular, the pronounced trebles really added great effect in battlefield 3 as glass broke and bullets hit metal you are hiding behind.
Tunguska v7.1
The v7.1 USB version had an enjoyable experience in game though the virtual surround was slightly confusing at times as I found that it was difficult to distinguish between sounds in front and sounds from behind, fortunately the visual display aided in identifying sources. Overall the gaming experience was good and should give a decent improvement to most who are using integrated audio solutions on their motherboard.
Microphone/Conversation
The microphone on both works well and is well positioned to clearly pick up voice without picking up your nostril jet stream too. Though they did tend to pick up a little background noise, it wasn’t too bad and was nowhere near as distracting as some.
An issue discovered on the v7.1 USB version was that if you set the microphone sensitivity below 50% an electrical chirping and beeping was picked up to all those in conversation, and was then dispelled when increased to over 50%. this appeared to be a USB issue, otherwise the microphone performance was fine.
Conclusion
Love or hate the ‘gamer look’ the Tunguska certainly does have its appeal. Some may say they look too plasticky, but the bold glossy colour can make a statement suited to anyone and for those who are colour shy, the white versions may be more to their liking. The comfort of the Tunguska range is certainly a strong point.
The Tunguska 2.0 version combined with a competent sound card can potentially offer better performance over its more expensive stablemate. The clear trebles tend well to the gaming needs while the balanced bass and mids offer impressive versatile use. Considering the quality mic, comfort and robust design it is competitively priced. If some of the minor issues were rectified, this is a potential contender for the Gold award.
The Tunguska 2.0 delivers crisp trebles with balanced bass and mids that can hold its own against competitors. Combined with good comfort and durability there is little reason to not recommend this product, for these reasons it has been awarded the Vortez Silver.
The Tunguska v7.1 USB headset has an enjoyable balanced audio quality combined with the comfort and strong aggressive design that is shared by the Tunguska family. There is a charm to be seen from the Attitude One camp even though some flaws do need to be ironed out. The inline controller having no mute/ mic mute indicators is a bit of a killer, not to mention that it feels a little weak and flimsy (did I mention that it is positioned upside down on the cable too?). There was also the issue with electrical interference when setting the mic sensitivity below 50%. Most of these points are pretty minor and doesn’t distract from the fact that this headset looks great, is comfortable and delivers solid sound reproduction. The main consideration for the v7.1 USB versions is that the street price is expected around £59 including tax and there is a lot of competition, not to mention that the price is knocking on the door of some ‘real’ 5.1 surround sound headsets which makes this a difficult one to justify. If the minor issues were fixed, this is in no way a bad headset, just priced above its competitive range.
Attitude One have delivered a strong, distinctive headset with the Tunguska v7.1 USB which displays future promise in the branding and so has been awarded the Vortez Bronze.
Pros.
+ Bold gamer aesthetic in a choice of various colours
+ Comfortable
+ Braided cable
+ Balanced Audio
+ Clear trebles (Stereo Version)
+ Durable materials
Cons.
– Backwards mounted inline controllers
– Price (v7.1 USB version)
– Questionable durability of the Inline controller (v7.1 USB version only)
– No LED indicators for mute/mic (v7.1 USB version only)
– Mic Issues over USB (v7.1 USB version only)
+ Bold gamer aesthetic in a choice of various colours
+ Comfortable
+ Braided cable
+ Balanced Audio
+ Clear trebles (Stereo Version)
+ Durable materials
Cons.
– Backwards mounted inline controllers
– Price (v7.1 USB version)
– Questionable durability of the Inline controller (v7.1 USB version only)
– No LED indicators for mute/mic (v7.1 USB version only)
– Mic Issues over USB (v7.1 USB version only)
Click here for an explanation of our awards at Vortez.net. Thanks to Attitude One for providing today’s review sample.
