Today we’re evaluating the Logitech G432, the successor to the G430, and another multi-platform offering. We’re asking if it improves upon its predecessor, read on to find out more.
Product: Logitech G432 7.1 Surround Sound Gaming Headset
Manufacturer: Logitech
Street Price: £69.99 GBP / $79.99 USD
Logitech have recently released the Logitech G432 to bring their gaming headset line up into the modern era. Much like its predecessor the Logitech G432 takes aim at the mid-tier, at least in its pricing, of modern gaming headsets.
Logitech have also made the decision to move the in-line controls onto the left ear cup but have chosen to use a non-detachable microphone.
Included with the G432 is a 3.5mm to USB adapter as well as a 3.5mm microphone and audio splitter so we can assume connectivity will never be an issue, however utilising the USB adapter is recommended as this allows you use the Logitech G Hub software whereas the 3.5mm wire alone does not.
There seems to be no design changes made from the G430 barring the change from foam ear cups to a leather effect material, and a slight taming of the electric blue that was featured previously.
Featuring 50mm drivers to help produce a more complete sound, as well as DTS Headphone: X2.0 support, our expectations for the audio side of things are set high and it seems that Logitech have adopted the design philosophy of if something isn’t broken, don’t fix it, and we tend to agree, but the question to be asked is are the changes that they have made positive or negative?
Logitech on the G432 Gaming Headset:
Everything about these headphones is about comfort: The Deluxe lightweight leatherette ear cups and headband are made to keep pressure off your ears, The Ear cups rotate up to 90 degrees for convenience. Conveniently and quickly adjust volume on any platform with the ear-cup mounted volume wheel.
Technical Specifications
Physical Specifications
Height: 172mm
Width: 81.7mm
Depth: 182mm
Weight: (w/0 cable): 259g
Cable Length: 2m
Technical Specifications
Headphones
Drivers: 50mm
Frequency Response: 20Hz-20KHz
Impedance: 39 Ohms (passive), 5k Ohms (active)
Sensitivity: 107dB SPL/mW
Boom Microphone
Microphone Pickup Pattern: Cardioid (unidirectional)
Size: 6mm
Frequency Response: 100H-20KHz
Height: 172mm
Width: 81.7mm
Depth: 182mm
Weight: (w/0 cable): 259g
Cable Length: 2m
Technical Specifications
Headphones
Drivers: 50mm
Frequency Response: 20Hz-20KHz
Impedance: 39 Ohms (passive), 5k Ohms (active)
Sensitivity: 107dB SPL/mW
Boom Microphone
Microphone Pickup Pattern: Cardioid (unidirectional)
Size: 6mm
Frequency Response: 100H-20KHz
Closer Look
On the front we’re given our first look at the Logitech G432 Gaming Headset, along with a list of platforms the headphones are compatible with.
The right hand side of the box is rather plain, with the technical specifications printed in white on a black background.
On the reverse side of the box Logitech have listed several reasons as to why they think you should buy the G432 Gaming Headset.
Closer Look (Continued)
Taking the headset out of the box and we get our first proper look at the headset and it is a smart looking thing, and the dulled electric blue highlights on the ear cups really help add to the overall aesthetic.
Included in the box is a 3.5mm to USB adapter, and a 3.5mm audio splitter, also included is a warranty booklet & a brief instruction manual.
On the left ear cup there is a volume wheel which is easy to locate and use when you’ve got the headset on.
Taking a closer look at the non-detachable microphone and we can see that the microphone tip is made of a glossy plastic, and features a 6mm microphone.
Performance Testing & Software
Design & Build Quality
With Logitech’s marketing claiming that the G432 7.1 Gaming Headset is built for comfort and endurance our expectations were perhaps set a bit too high, we found that the change from foam ear cups meant that our ears would become uncomfortably warm after a few hours of gameplay or after watching a couple of episodes of Netflix.We also found that the ear cups sat too tightly around our ears, while a tight fit is usually something to aim for to increase sound isolation and therefore immersion, Logitech have gone too far with the G432. Something that could have been added to the G432 to make the headset more comfortable would be more padding on the headband, while a thin strip is present it’s not nearly enough as it only covers 3 quarters of the headband.
Audio Quality
As the Logitech G432 is a cross-platform gaming headset we tested its performance in gaming on the PC & Xbox One, and utilised PC & Mobile to use the headset for music & film consumption.The headset performed best on PC, and this is due to the Logitech G hub software available, we found that while the headset was usable straight out of the box but that a few tweaks had to be made within the Logitech software to really make the audio satisfactory for music.
In gaming everything was clear and as it should be out of the box, but the G Hub software allows you to create profiles for each of your games which we found using much more than should be necessary.
On Xbox you have to use the 3.5mm as it is not compatible with the USB adapter that is bundled with the headset, we found that the microphone performed as is to be expected and the audio was usable but nothing special.
Using the headset on a phone or tablet also means forgoing the included DAC, which definitely affects the sound quality on offer negatively, we found ourselves having to turn the volume up to match what we had gotten on our PC which in turn affected the overall quality of the audio coming out of the headset.
Microphone Performance
During in testing we used the headset for our usual ream of tests which include Skype meetings, Chatting with team mates through Discord and recording a voice over. We found that microphone was clear and usable though it does not perform as well as other headsets in this price range.Software
Overall we found the software easy to install and use, we did come across a couple of issues but we believe that it is down to having a faulty install as re-installing the G Hub software got rid of the issues.We’ve included a video below so you can get a rough idea of how the microphone sounds when recorded and a demo of the G Hub software
Conclusion
The Logitech G432 gives good audio & microphone quality however the design choices that Logitech have chosen means that the headset is uncomfortable to use over long gaming sessions. It’s not something that you notice while using the headset but once it is removed you can certainly tell that you’ve been donning the headset for perhaps too long.While there is the option of flipping the microphone up to prevent any audio signal being passed to your device, we would have also liked to have seen a dedicated mute button as when we used the flip to mute feature we were never 100% sure if we had flipped it up enough.
The one upside to the Logitech G432 is the audio quality that is on offer after you have spent some time with the G Hub software however for those that don’t want to spend the time getting great audio we’d recommend giving this headset a miss.
Overall the headset is an improvement over the G430 however the lack of changes to the design of the headset means that despite it’s improved audio performance the comfortability issues let the headset down.
As we’ve said before there is massive competition in the mid-tier gaming headset landscape and unfortunately the Logitech G432 falls short of its competitors.
Pros
+Connectivity options
+Audio quality
Cons
-Software needed for best performance
-Uncomfortable over long periods
-No braided cable
-Lack of mute button
-Headband is too tight
+Connectivity options
+Audio quality
Cons
-Software needed for best performance
-Uncomfortable over long periods
-No braided cable
-Lack of mute button
-Headband is too tight
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