The Keid 20 is Mionix first full sized gaming headset. Today we take a look at this new release from gaming sensations Mionix.
Product on Review: Mionix Keid 20 HeadsetManufacturer and Sponsor: Mionix
Price: £54.99
Mionix announced the release of their very first gaming headset the Mionix Keid 20 only a few weeks ago. We have been impressed so far by the products that the newly established Mionix have brought to the table, and this brand new headset fills us with much anticipation.
The Keid 20 seeks to arm the gamer with a fully functional and ultra comfortable headset, designed specifically for hardcore battles – when you need it the most.
This is what Mionix have to say about the Keid 20:
“A STAR HAS BEEN BORN
Keid is a triple star system located 16.5 light-years away from Earth and belongs to the constellation Eridanus, the sixth largest constellation. Keid means egg or egg shells and it resembles the central plate on the ear cups. Keid has gained popularity thanks to its proximity to Jupiter It´s easily visible from Earth and shines with a bright light due to its high temperature. Keid has two companions, one of which is a white dwarf that orbits Keid.
MODEL OVERVIEW
The Mionix Keid 20 is a comfortable, high quality headset, specifically developed for gaming. The 50 mm driver is optimized for clear and precise sound. The large-size ear pads have an ergonomic design and are equipped with a special memory foam that forms after your ears. The headband is flexible and auto adjusts to your head. The ergonomic design, superior comfort and an optimized sound makes Mionix Keid 20 to a perfect choice for long sessions of intensive gaming.
As already said, we expect good things from the Keid 20. Over the page we will begin our review.
Features
• Ergonomic design
Truly ergonomic design with memory foam that forms after your ears
• Clear and precise sound
Optimized sound to give a clear and precise sound suitable for gaming
• Passive noise reduction
Passive noise reduction filter that clarifies your voice from background noise
• Braided cables
Braided cables to prevent cable breakage
• Volume control
Volume control with microphone mute function
Technical Specifications
• Type: Circumaural / Full-size stereo headset
• Driver: 50 mm
• Magnet type: NdfeB
• Frequence response: 20Hz – 20 000 Hz
• Speaker impedance: 32Ω
• Sensitivity (@1 kHz): 100dB +/- 3 dB
• Max input power: 400 mW
• Connection type: 3.5 mm goldplated plugs
• Cable length: 3 m braided cable
• Cable diameter: 3 mm
• Volume control: On cable, from mute to full volume
Microphone
• Frequency range: 300Hz- 3 300 Hz
• Mute Microphone: Yes
• Directivity type: Omni-directional
• Sensitivity (@1 kHz): -36dB +/- 5dB
• Max. Operation Voltage: 10 V
Warranty
2 Years
The Package
The Keid 20 comes packaged in a black box, and quite surprisingly doesn’t appear that spectacular unlike previous products that Mionix have produced. But, packaging is packaging and whilst it may appear plain it serves a purpose. The front of the box gives us a sneak preview of the Keid 20 whilst on the reverse of the box there is an image of the headset with certain features annotated.Opening the box we have the following items:
• Mionix Keid 20 full-size stereo headset
• Drawstring carry bag
• Get started guide
Mionix Keid 20
Upon uncovering the Keid 20 gaming headset, immediately this unit looks impressive. We have the white version for review today, although there is an option to choose black or white. Most gaming systems, hardware and peripherals are black and this headset provides a nice contrast to quite a bland tradition. I like to see manufacturers spending the time to produce something that looks a little different, that stands out and is colourful, rather than opting for the default unexciting black.Mionix have chosen to go for a ‘closed’ style of headphones with the Keid 20 gaming headset. This is a good decision as it is essential for gamers to resist ambient noise. To truly be at the top of your game you need to be plugged in, closed headsets allow for this. So this is a step in the right direction.
The structure of the Keid 20 is made from a durable plastic, providing us with a very robust little headset. There has been a lot of attention to the design of the outer headphone, as you can see from the images there are some concaves. The way the plastic has been shaped and molded gives the Keid 20 a very sharp look. Across the top of the headset there is a headband with two beams giving the composition a rigid yet flexible behavior. The headband is very soft and cushioned, positive features for the gamer in mind.
The left side of the Keid 20; which hosts the mic
The right side of the Keid 20, in all its concaved glory
Looking down at the headband
When I took the Keid 20’s out of the box to try on, I had trouble finding which was the left and right channels. For a good few minutes I was checking around trying to find out and then I found it… there is a tiny label on each side to illustrate which side is left and right. I can’t help but feel that this needs to be a little bigger for people to avoid the confusion I found myself in. I imagine its difficult bridging that gap between having it too big and just big enough because this headset is a stylish piece of kit that you want to be proud of and having a massive ‘L’ and ‘R’ doesn’t particularly follow the brand model.
As the Mionix Keid 20 is classified as a headset, it therefore has to have a microphone. The microphone is moveable as well as being easily managed via the audio controller. You can simply mute the mic if you do not wish to use it. All you do is switch ‘Mic’ to ‘off’. The volume can also be controlled on the fly by turning the wheel up and down.
Volume and mic controller
The Keid 20’s moveable mic
The inside of the earphones on the Mionix Keid 20 are made of memory foam. Memory foam is polyurethane and due to its lower density reacts to pressure, molding to the shape of your ears. Just touching these pads makes you aware of how soft they are, many have memory foam mattresses on their beds so to have such an extravagant material on a headset Mionix have come up with a very novel idea indeed. A first, and again Mionix are being innovative with their products and they have to be congratulated for taking great care with even the smallest of features.
The memory foam ear cups, very comfy!
Lastly the cable is braided to reduce the risk of breakage. Whilst this is a great idea, I can’t help but think that the material is cheap and flimsy. It reminds me of a shoe lace. The reinforced cable that we found on the Steelseries Siberia headset is a much better move. The cable itself is 3m in length and hosts two 3mm gold plated jacks – a headphone jack and a microphone jack. Apart from this, the Keid 20 looks and feels like a very high quality piece of hardware. We’ve examined this headset and now its time for the Mionix Keid 20 to really prove its worth by testing it.
Performance
In order for us to ascertain whether the Mionix Keid 20 is a worth headset, we need to test its performance by using it in a variety of environments. Now, when testing such peripherals the results aren’t easily marked like a CPU cooler for example might be recorded with temperatures. The results will be reported after the user’s experience.Usually we would test the headset in a variety of circumstances, but due to this headset being solely for the purpose of gaming its only fair that we test it in this environment only. So to test, we will be using in two FPS games.
Crysis is a massively popular FPS title that is guaranteed to be on every gamers shelf. The gameplay is generally quite fast paced and there are a much bigger variety of sounds to hear because of the vast array of characters, enemies and weaponry.
As soon as I jump in game, I’m pleased to say that the Keid 20 performs just as good as it looks. The tones are clear and distinct. The bass effects are also apparent when explosions occur. If you are looking to improve your game and want to improve your sound system in-game then the Mionix Keid 20 is a good move. It allows you to plug into the game and synchronize with the task at hand. I can’t fault this headset at all with regard to its performance in Crysis. Very positive.
WWII classic and the latest in a range of FPS Call of Duty: World at War has a multitude of battles, explosions, gunfire and the rest! So, a different style of game compared to the popular FPS that is Crysis.
I play Call of Duty: World at War quite frequently online, and so for this test I engaged in some multiplayer gaming online. Immediately, the precision of such a headset is apparent. Gunfire is very clear, other sound effects such as explosions and ambient sound good also. What I like especially is that even though I was quite a distance from a certain battle between up to 3 players, I instantly knew where about they were on the map due to the surround sound through the headphones. The Keid 20 headset gives you great all around confidence when you are playing because you can pickup the smallest of sounds like footsteps, grenades and bullets whistling past your head.
Whilst I was playing COD:WaW I tried out the microphone and it worked great, my voice was clear, concise and easily picked up by others!
Comfort
The above tests were conducted over a period of around 2 hours. During this time they were much more comfortable than previous headsets that I had used. This is down to the fact that the memory foam has been used on the ear cups, in fact, upon finishing gaming some 30 minutes had passed before I realized I still had the Mionix Keid 20 on. They are seriously that comfortable. Sure enough there is moisture after such a time playing and the Keid 20 has been criticized for this by other reviewers but when something is having direct contact with your skin for such a long time, isn’t it always going to cause you to sweat slightly? The Keid 20 is altogether a very comfortable gaming headset.
Conclusion
Gamers are always seeking to improve their performance, and look to ways of giving them the advantage over their foes. One of these components is the gaming headset, it allows the gamer to synchronize with the action and perform better. The Mionix Keid 20 is a classic example of a gaming headset that arms the gamer with a high caliber audio experience.For the price, the Mionix Keid 20 is placed quite competitively and I would recommend that for the money it’s a great choice.
The Keid 20 looks, feels and performs like a winner and Mionix surpass my expectations yet again by producing yet another innovative product for the gamer. I commend them for their hard work as a young company, their creative flare has yet again impressed me.
As you can imagine from reading this review, the Keid 20 has achieved the Vortez Gold Award.
Pros
[+] 2 year warranty
[+] Very attractive
[+] Great physical quality
[+] Bass, claity and treble perfect for gaming
[+] Extremely comfortable
[+] Good price
Cons
[–] Cheap cablng method
[–] Box, branding could be more appealing
We would like to thank Meroncourt and Mionix for this sample. Discuss this review on our forums.
