Armed with 50mm drivers and an aggressive aesthetic, we have a listen to the GIGABYTE Force H3X gaming headset. How many boxes will this one tick?
Product on Review: GIGABYTE Force H3X
Manufacturer & Sponsor: GIGABYTE
Street Price: £60-70 GBP
It has been a little over a year since GIGABYTE dipped their toes into the realm of audio, with the FLY and H11. As a brand identity that naturally expands its appeal to the current market, it is fair to say that it would be predictable to use that identity to provide further products built around the same integrity. By this I mean, GIGABYTE have a new line of gaming headsets that appears to have all corners covered. The Force H3X that we have today is a stereo headset powered by 50mm drivers that connects via 3.5mm jack. To top it off it lands right in the nuclear warzone price bracket of gaming headsets, £60-70 ($100 USD). This means that it needs to be good as there are many good and exceptional headsets already available.
About GIGABYTE
GIGABYTE was founded in 1986, establishing our uncontested position in continuous technological innovation. By focusing on key technologies and achieving strict quality standards, GIGABYTE has been regarded as an innovative and trusted motherboard leader in the globe. To keep pace in a rapidly changing world, we have offered a comprehensive product line covering Motherboards, Graphics Cards, PC Components, PC Peripherals, Laptops, Slate Devices, Desktop PCs, Network Communications, Servers and Mobile Phones. We are dedicated to building up a full-range digital life, responding promptly and sonorously to consumer needs and desires.
Specifications & Features
Driver Diameter
Headphone: 50mm
Microphone: 4×2.0mm
Impedance: 32 Ω
Frequency Response
Headphone: 20Hz-20KHz
Microphone: 100Hz-10KHz
Sensitivity
Headphone: 118+/-3dB
Microphone: -44 +/-3dB
Maximum Power Input: 50mW
Cable Length: 2m
Connector: 2×3.5mm
Directivity: Unidirectional
Weight: 310g
Headphone: 50mm
Microphone: 4×2.0mm
Impedance: 32 Ω
Frequency Response
Headphone: 20Hz-20KHz
Microphone: 100Hz-10KHz
Sensitivity
Headphone: 118+/-3dB
Microphone: -44 +/-3dB
Maximum Power Input: 50mW
Cable Length: 2m
Connector: 2×3.5mm
Directivity: Unidirectional
Weight: 310g
50mm driver units with enhanced bass
Exclusive made and tuned for FORCE H3X , these amazing 50mm neodymium magnet driver units precisely deliver the most powerful sound with clear details in every moment.
Superior sound
Our engineers incline the headset chambers to fit users’ ear and guarantee the most rich and natural sound.
Retractable microphone with high quality voice
Pull it out when speaking, hide it when listening. Uni-directional microphone deliveries clear voice communication in every dungeon and battlefield for victorious cooperation.
Ergonomic design for wearing long hours
Fully adjustable architecture with metal headband and 360∘ rotatable ear pads to accommodate wide range of faces and head sizes.
Independent inline control
Independent inline control for quick volume control and microphone muting at the same time. No worry to adjust volume through software settings.
2×3.5mm gold plated jack
Easy to use with 2×3.5mm gold plated jack with lossless transporting signals. Flat cables prevent the cable from tangling up.
Foldable design with a high quality carrying pouch
Foldable design with a high quality carrying pouch, allowing for easy transportation for on-the-go.
Packaging & Accessories
Force H3X Packaging
At the front there is a large cut away from the box to show the item off itself with some aggressive ‘Gamer’ lingo accompanying the name of the product.
Rear side details some features
At the back the Force H3X gets detailed with an easy to understand diagram pointing out each of the features.
Included items
On the inside we get a nice carry pouch with a logo those familiar with GIGABYTEs products will recognise and a microfibre cloth.
In-line remote
Sometimes we need to remind ourselves that not everyone has the luxury of various desktop controls for volume on the fly, regardless an inline remote will be useful to many people, even if only to mute the microphone.
Tangle free ribbon cable
2 metres of nice tangle free cable with 2x 3.5mm jacks on the end for headphone and microphone.
Closer Look
The GIGABYTE Force H3X
Overall the design is fairly sleek with some thick padding where expected and aggressive angular aesthetic on the earcups. Keeping in with its name, the earcups are like a stretched or distorted hexagon.
The earcup
The earcup can rotate in any direction, allowing for better comfort, aiding the soft and breathable PU leather padding. Just above the earcup there are hinges that allow the headset to be foldable.
Metal adjustable strap
Thick padding on the headband
Shiny side
The side of the headset is clad in a shiny gunmetal coloured metal, giving the Force H3X an original and sleek characteristic amongst the aggressive and angular demeanour.
The microphone
The Force H3X features a retractable, flexible microphone which is a little shorter than what we have seen with the Steelseries Siberia series and the ASUS Echelon headset.
The Force H3X folded up
Folded and stored away in the carry pouch
Performance Testing
Setup, Design & Observations
Setting up a headset via jack is fairly simple, Plug into the headphone cable into your soundcard headphone/front panel or primary audio out, along with the microphone into your microphone port. In Windows, you may need to configure the headset via the sound options and set the desired sample rate in the advanced properties tab if not already done so.
The headset is very comfortable to wear with ideal clamping force, enough to hold the headset to your head, but without any crush. The earcups could be a little larger, as some may find them a little on the smaller side, though I had no issue. The tangle free cable is nice, some may prefer a braided cable, but supple, good quality ‘non tangle’ cabling is just as good. We find no modularity with this product which is a shame as a cable can limit the life of a headset. The inline remote is fairly unergonomic and is uncomfortable to use with your left hand, its positioning could do with being moved a little further down the line from the headset so it doesn’t swing in mid-air too. That all said, it works perfectly fine for volume and mic mute.
The retractable microphone seems a little short, protruding by only around 100mm or so, and was a fair distance away from my mouth. On retracting the microphone, it seemed a little difficult to accurately push it back in without taking time to look or feel where it was going, showing a lack in refinement.
Multimedia
Listening to my music library on random presented Tori Amos’ Beauty of Speed which is a mix of piano, vocals, bass and various percussion. Each note was crystal clear, the 50mm drivers clearly gave some expert precision. To confirm this early impression, I listened through a playlist of familiar tracks that would push the Force H3X to its limits. The 50mm drivers power some mind blowing bass, rich creamy and there while the mids and highs effortlessly glide through like a polished snowflake. DRXNES (aka drones) – 4evr ~ (plz) warms the heart, while Sabrepulse – Flux creates a party in your head. Cranking up the volume up to the max, the H3X certainly is capable of ear damaging audio that remains distortion free, if that is what you look for in a headset. At these levels there is a small amount sound leakage but at a more reasonable level it is barely noticeable so is unlikely to disturb those around you.
Playing a few matches on DOTA2, there is no sound unaccounted for, even in the thick of a teamfight, while in Battlefield 4, footsteps, explosions and gunfights are well articulated. This headset really throws you in the thick of the action the powerful balanced audio makes sure of that.
Microphone
In Skype, friends described the vocals as slightly tinny but clear and audible. This could be due to the short microphone length meaning the microphone may have not been close enough to the mouth. There was little background noise picked up and remained decent throughout our gaming session. There was no audio leakage to report, something observed in both the Siberia and Echelon headsets which have retractable microphones too, which is a positive.
Conclusion
Jumping into this price range for a gaming headset is a little like a piglet jumping into a meat grinder, though it seems GIGABYTE have done their research and the Force H3X has more to it than meets the eye. The aggressive angular design is balanced by the slick polished metal side panels that really allow it to stand out. The comfort is great, perfectly adequate for long gaming sessions while the sound quality is up there with the best. Rich, silky smooth bass, pronounced mids and crystal highs that will please music lovers, gamers and movie enthusiasts. People, particularly gamers on the go may also enjoy the portability of this headset as it is foldable and fits neatly into the carry bag provided.
Some aspects of the Force H3X to consider would be that is doesn’t offer any modularity, while, this isn’t the standard, there are benefits to having a modular headset in regards to the longevity and robustness of a product. The microphone, too, seems to lack a little refinement, its extraction and retraction can be a little fiddly while the length stops a little short of the mouth. Generally though, these are oversights considering that GIGABYTE have nailed the basics of a good headset. The main concern is, ‘is it good enough’ when considering the market competition? Our verdict would be that the GIGABYTE Force H3X is a H3X3LL3NT alternative to the likes of the Steelseries Siberia and the ASUS Echelon, highly recommended.
The GIGABYTE Force H3X offers comfort and style along with an impeccably good audio experience, this one gets our Gold.
Pros.
+ 50mm drivers
+ Aggressive ‘Gamer’ aesthetic
+ Rich and precise bass
+ Clear, balanced audio
+ Foldable + carry case
+ Comfortable
Cons.
– Non-modular
– Tough competition
+ 50mm drivers
+ Aggressive ‘Gamer’ aesthetic
+ Rich and precise bass
+ Clear, balanced audio
+ Foldable + carry case
+ Comfortable
Cons.
– Non-modular
– Tough competition
Click here for an explanation of our awards at Vortez.net. Thanks to GIGABYTE for providing today’s review sample.
