After sampling some entry level headsets from Element Gaming we now take a look at their current top offering in gaming audio with the Xenon 700.

Product on Review: Element Gaming Xenon 700 Gaming Headset
Manufacturer & Sponsor: Element Gaming
Street Price: £44.99

Sticking to the noble gas theme with their audio stable, we take a look at Element Gaming’s top audio offering, the Xenon 700. With its skeletal microphone and large earcups, some may recognise this particular design from a well-known peripheral manufacturer to which we will call Razer. Element Gaming have stamped their mark on the Xenon 700 with their blue and black design while cramming in the 50mm drivers and pulsing LED lighting we have seen in its cheaper stablemates. Being the ‘premium’ offering from Element Gaming, we also find plush leather coated earpads, and a high quality microphone.


Overview by Element Gaming

Our premium set of gaming headphones the Xenon 700 provides amazing sound qualities. Hear every footstep or sound with remarkable clarity through the ultra-sensitive ear pieces and keep in touch with fellow gamers with the sensitive microphone.

The comfortable leather ear pieces and padded headband allow the headphones to be worn for extended gaming sessions. The articulated arm is incredibly flexible and can be easily positioned to suit. The inline controls are easy to use and ensure you remain in complete command of the sound.

The Xenon 700 are of course specifically designed for gamers but, when you need to take a break from Call of Duty, they are ideal for watching movies, listening to music or talking on Skype.

Technical Specifications

– Wired USB connection
– 7:1 simulated sound channels
– 50mm driver diameter
– 20-20KHz
– 111db_+3db headset sensitivity
– 30mW
– -40db+-3db microphone sensitivity
– 3m cable length
– Driver CD software

Packaging & First Look

The packaging is good quality and sleek, showing off the product inside.

At the back we get a picture of the headset alongside its technical specifications.

Included with the headset is the manual and driver disc.

3m long braided cable and in-line remote, a similar feature with all the headsets we have looked at from Element Gaming.

The Xenon 700, the earcups are noticeably impressive in stature while the metal framing is interesting, adding a mechanical yet quality impression.

Closer Look

The microphone has plenty of cable slack which is braided throughout adding to its robustness.

Screw tightening adjustable straps which are also clearly made of metal.

From the side we see that the earcup is covered with mesh, while we can see the braided cable tracking around from each earcup. The headband features thick padding for extra comfort.

The thick leather coated padding on the earcup adds a nice air of luxury. The earcups don’t appear to be as large as other headsets we have seen but this is due to the thick padding taking up a little more space. The headband is embossed with the Element Gaming name and is detailed with the blue stitching. The general impression is intimidating, instilling slight apprehension due to mechanical nature of the aesthetic.

Software & Lighting

The included software is the same as we have viewed on the previous Element Gaming headsets throughout.

The lighting effects look great through the side mesh and can be switched off using the in-line remote should you desire. The effect is attractive and adds to the interesting aesthetic of the Xenon 700.

Performance Testing

Setup, Design & Observations
The setup via USB is quick and easy, though driver installation is via the included driver disc as download via the website is not yet available. On wearing the Xenon 700, the soft, quality leather earpads make a clear and distinct, cool high quality feel, while the head clamp strength is quite light. As this headset is fairly heavy due to the large earcups, rapid headmovements could dislodge the headset, though this shouldn’t be a major issue. The adjustment screws can be a little awkward to change on the fly should you need to change the fit to your headsize and it is recommended to completely remove the headset rather than adjusting in situ as you could potentially snag a hair on all those metal edges present. This hinders and slows the adjustment process signficantly, though as long as your headset isn’t regularly shared it doesn’t seem to be a major problem.

The microphone is easily adjusted into any desired position and features an LED at the tip which turns off when muted.

Multimedia
Audio quality makes a significant jump over the entry models we have looked at from Element Gaming. Listening to Alex Zelenka’s Cover of MR.Kitty- Destroy Me, the bass proves more rounded and full compared to its Neon siblings, while the mids and highs are sharpened, allowing for more precise details to come through. Relatively speaking the audio is good and will impress most gamers. Max volume is more than loud enough and can be increased via the equaliser to which the Xenon 700 responds quite well to tweaking.

In game the v7.1 became a little more useful than ‘just slightly opening up the audio’ as observed with the Neon headsets. Spatial awareness was not significantly improved but the expanded soundstage may become a preference for some as it doesn’t seem to detrimentally effect the audio quality to a significant extent making in game audio feel more expansive and immersive.

Microphone
The microphone quality was described as very good, natural with little background noise detected. Clicks and keystrokes were barely noticed.

Conclusion

Moving from the Neon series headsets by Element Gaming to the Xenon 700, there is a distinct improvement in quality throughout. Though the headset is a moderately heavy, the comfort is good (as long as you don’t snag your hair in the metal frame anywhere), and does well to block external sounds, making the Xenon 700 perfect for gaming, music and watching movies. The microphone is another strong point, giving crystal clear voice communication without excessive background noise, making it perfect for multiplayer gaming and voice chat.

Though arguably it is unoriginal, the design of the Xenon 700 is intimidating but in the flesh it is sleeker and more refined than what you would expect. Combined with the pulsating LED glow it has a distinct character. Other than the previously mentioned oversights the Xenon 700 also shares a similar feature with its Neon siblings, the in-line remote has no clip to secure it anywhere, thus causing frequent tugs to the side of your head each time the remote falls from its last placed location. This however is little to detract from the whole experience and for the price of just £45, the Xenon 700 is a well rounded headset with great gamer appeal, worthy of our Gold.

The Xenon 700 is an interesting headset that provides gamers with many desired features at a great price.

Pros.
+ Interesting aesthetics
+ Very Comfortable
+ Great gaming audio, good bass
+ LED Lighting (can be switched off)
+ Excellent microphone

Cons.
– None

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

Tags:

Element Gaming