Tired of not being able to use your headset across a wide array of platforms? The Ozone Blast 4HX could be the solution you need.
Product on Review: Ozone Blast 4HX
Manufacturer: Ozone Gaming
Street Price: UK: £59.99, US: $69.99
The life of the cross platform gamer can be a tangled mess of cables, controllers, and clutter around the TV screen. It can also be a pain when you have to fork out for individual peripherals for each system. Imagine the pain of having a separate headset for each leading console, the inconvenience alone may cause a headache let alone the cost associated with it! There are various cross platform solutions available, and while most of these are from a default functionality of simply be a headset, there doesn’t seem to be an escape from the fact that certain companies intentionally create custom solutions to create a closed market.
This inevitably creates an inconvenience and the solutions tend to be quite exotic, the Blast 4HX is no exception. With plug and play USB audio for PC/MAC , Ozone have also added a separate game function to switch input audio sources to a stereo 3.5mm jack, this then opens up options for various cable trickery between the Xbox360, PS3/4.
The BLAST 4HX is equipped with premium 44mm drivers, soft leather earcups that automatically adjust to the contours of your head, Red LED lighting, and a metallic headband for durability. The design is made to be lightweight and foldable for transport and storage.
Overview by Ozone Gaming
Built for pc and console.
The BLAST 4HX was designed and meticulously fine tuned for both pc and console gamers. Quickly access important functions with easy and fast volume adjustments to both the headset and chat, you can even switch between pc and console mode. So whether you want to play on the PC or bust out your favourite games on the Console, all you need is BLAST 4HX.
The BLAST 4HX was designed and meticulously fine tuned for both pc and console gamers. Quickly access important functions with easy and fast volume adjustments to both the headset and chat, you can even switch between pc and console mode. So whether you want to play on the PC or bust out your favourite games on the Console, all you need is BLAST 4HX.
Technical Specifications
Universal Stereo Gaming Headset
• Speaker Driver dimensions: ø44mm
• Speaker Sensitivity: 119 +/- 3DB
• Speaker Frequency response: 20~20kHz
• Speaker Max Input: 100mW
• Headphone Impedance: 50 Ohm
• Microphone Directivity: omni-directional
• Microphone Sensitivity: -42 +/- 3 dB
• Microphone Impedance: 2.2k Ohm
• Microphone Frequency Response: 100 ~ 10,000 Hz
• Microphone Dimension: 6 x 2,7mm
• Cable Length: 3 m
• Connector: USB
• Weight (w/o cable): 300gr
• XBox360, PS3, PS4 & PC Compatible
• LED Lighting FX on earcups
• Cables included: USB + 3.5mm Mini-Jack, 2.5mm Mini-Jack & Phono/RCA.
• Speaker Driver dimensions: ø44mm
• Speaker Sensitivity: 119 +/- 3DB
• Speaker Frequency response: 20~20kHz
• Speaker Max Input: 100mW
• Headphone Impedance: 50 Ohm
• Microphone Directivity: omni-directional
• Microphone Sensitivity: -42 +/- 3 dB
• Microphone Impedance: 2.2k Ohm
• Microphone Frequency Response: 100 ~ 10,000 Hz
• Microphone Dimension: 6 x 2,7mm
• Cable Length: 3 m
• Connector: USB
• Weight (w/o cable): 300gr
• XBox360, PS3, PS4 & PC Compatible
• LED Lighting FX on earcups
• Cables included: USB + 3.5mm Mini-Jack, 2.5mm Mini-Jack & Phono/RCA.
Packaging & First Look
The packaging is impressive, in a sleek, red on black design, clearly stating the product name and its function, immediately recognisable as a cross platform headset. Various primary features can also be seen listed.
At the back we get a detailed breakdown of the headset and its features, as well as multilingual information.
The box is a sleeve and chest design which always adds a nice premium feel to a product, once opened up the headset is laid out to see.
Included in the package is a short 2.5-2.5mm jack, which is used with the Xbox360, as well as a 3.5mm jack spliter to 2x RCA passthrough connectors.
The headset itself has a hardlined USB, used for PC/MAC (No mention for PS4)and a separate 3.5mm jack for stereo output from the various consoles.
Closer Look
The headset itself looks angular and chunky with the most notable features being the red coloured soft rubberised earcups which give a lot of flexibility which should help with comfort.
The headband is lined with PU leather, which seems quite thin, but the padding is very soft and shouldn’t cause any problems with comfort.
The earcups are shaped quite oddly, seemingly to follow the shape of the ear. However, it does seem rather small which could cause problems for some.
The colour of the plastic used is a kind of attractive gun metal with a nice reflective break in the middle.
The adjustable strap is lined with metal, which should provide better durability than a plastic adjustable strap.
The in-line remote is large and is fitted with a clip. It gives the standard volume and mute controls as well as a PC-GAME mode switch to swap between PC and Console modes, with a dedicated voice chat volume dial, at the end, there is also a 2.5mm port for the XBox360 cable.
The large boom microphone has a soft centre for adjustable positioning and is equipped with an LED to indicate ON/MUTED.
The Blast 4HX design is foldable for convenient transport or storage.
Red LED lighting can be seen at the sides and on the microphone.
Performance Testing
Setup, Design & Observations
Setting up the BLAST 4HX for PC/Mac is quite simply as there are no drivers, and takes a few seconds to run via plug and play, of course making sure the switch is in PC mode. Setting it up for consoles requires a little patience as you will have to route various RCA cables to from your console/TV as well as use the extra 2.5mm jack from the in-line remote to the XBox360 controller. I unfortunately couldn’t test compatibility with a PS4, though for detailed instruction on setup, see the user manual available here. This setup is not too dissimilar to that which some may have seen on Turtle Beaches, or various other console dedicated headsets and the end result is identical to how you imagine a a person would look when covered in spaghetti. If a headset is your only option for good quality audio without causing a fuss, then this is likely to be one of your few options available.
Build quality of the BLAST 4HX is reasonable, feeling light yet quite robust and the design is attractive accented by the LED lighting. The comfort is a little hit and miss, due to the shape of the earcups, if you have large ears, this headset will likely be a definite no-no. The unconventional shape literally lined my ears perfectly, providing me with decent good comfort, but my ears are strictly average at approx 2.5″ x 1.5″ in height and width. The padding itself is soft leather (maybe high quality PU leather, its hard to tell in the realms where companies say ‘leather’, for PU leather, ‘leather’ for leather, and ‘leatherette’ for any faux leather), the padding is quite narrow but soft enough to not matter. The unconventional shape also made it uncomfortable to wear glasses. For anyone who does have average ears however, will find the the BLAST 4HX is comfortable and can run with you for long gaming sessions.
The in-line remote is bulky and heavy but the included clip helps keep it in a convenient position, and while in PC mode at least, the chat volume dial can cause interference, meaning you will need to consciously set it to minimum volume.
Multimedia
Firstly, in our music listening test, we found that the BLAST 4HX actually sounds great, but is however limited by its plug&play drivers. The audio has a wide soundscape with powerful, bouncy bass which is enjoyable and fresh, the middle tones and treble suffer a little presence, but are still well accounted for due to the good separation. In games, the audio was very clear and enjoyable, however there were certain tones that seemed to almost disappear specifically on menu/ loading screens which in games played a lot, you will in some way have got used to. It is a shame that there is no driver support to provide virtual 7.1 surround, however, it seems manufacturers like to keep this as a dedicated function… ($$$).
Microphone
The microphone is clear, loud and natural sounding though doesn’t do much in the way of noise cancelling, this can be compensated for by reducing the sensitivity/volume.
Conclusion
The BLAST 4HX comes as a nice surprise in regards to its function and performance, providing gamers with cross platform versatility and good, reliable audio performance.
As a product, to consider it as a purchase choice the biggest and most decisive factor will be ‘do you game on various platforms, more specifically the XBox360?’ Many gamers will have already got their setup for the well established 360 and may be thinking forward towards getting either an XBone or PS4. Many new headsets are already able to be used on the PC/PS4 either with USB or 4 pole jack, even the XBone has some compatibility with a 4 pole jack either through the headset adaptor or the revised controller. This makes much of the appeal of this headset specifically for gamers on last gen consoles. If you are or have already moved on, then this is not likely going to be a product you will buy. However, if you are still keenly gaming away on these consoles, the BLAST 4HX offers the functionality and performance that will take your gaming audio to a new enjoyable level. Considering its price compared to other such dedicated and specific audio headsets, it does offer good value too.
Ozone Gaming aim the BLAST 4HX at cross platform gamers to provide powerful and reliable audio performance where ever they choose to go.
Pros.
+ High compatibility
+ Great gaming audio, bassy with a wide soundscape
+ Good build quality
Cons.
– Unconventional earcup design
– Most design concessions are for the XBox360
+ High compatibility
+ Great gaming audio, bassy with a wide soundscape
+ Good build quality
Cons.
– Unconventional earcup design
– Most design concessions are for the XBox360
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