Ozone seek to fulfill the multi-role audio requirements for those often on the move with a light weight in-ear headset, the Oxygen.
Product on review: Ozone Oxygen In-Ear Progaming Headset
Manufacturer: Ozone Gaming
Street Price: £25 inc VAT
Gaming on the go is increasingly becoming one of the most popular pastimes and many ‘put up’ with the audio from integrated solutions on their notebooks, tablets and smartphones. Many are likely familiar with the usual throw in in-ear solutions as their go-to portable headpiece to enable a richer audio experience from their portable devices. Traditional over ear cans can be a drag to lug around, even the ones that fold and fit in a case, where as with a pair of earphones you can just stash them in your pocket or anywhere they can fit. This in mind, it becomes apparent as to why the guys at Ozone Gaming decided to release an in ear solution. The oxygen comes in with impressive specifications at a competitive price.
Overview by Ozone
Size matters, it´s true, but in Ozone we have managed to pack an incredible amount of sound into this small Oxygen In-ear progaming headset. This amazing headset has a genuine ability to fulfill a dual role in your life. Not only created to enjoy hardcore E-Sports game session but also to be used in real sports. You can also use your new Oxygen headset in many electronic devices thanks to the extension adapters that you will find in your Oxygen headset.
Specifications & Features
– MICROPHONE – Dimensions: 4×1.5mm
– MICROPHONE – Sensitivity: -42±3dB
– MICROPHONE – Directivity: Omnidirectional
– MICROPHONE – Impedance: 2.2KΩ
– MICROPHONE – Frequency: 100Hz~10Hz
– SPEAKER – Driver Unit:11mm
– SPEAKER – Frequency response: 20~20kHz
– SPEAKER – Sensitivity: 116 ± 4dB
– SPEAKER – Impedance: 24Ω
– SPEAKER – Max. Input: 30mW
– GENERAL – Cable Length: 120 cm
– GENERAL – Plug: 3.5 mm jack
– GENERAL – Net Weight: 15±2 gr
– MICROPHONE – Sensitivity: -42±3dB
– MICROPHONE – Directivity: Omnidirectional
– MICROPHONE – Impedance: 2.2KΩ
– MICROPHONE – Frequency: 100Hz~10Hz
– SPEAKER – Driver Unit:11mm
– SPEAKER – Frequency response: 20~20kHz
– SPEAKER – Sensitivity: 116 ± 4dB
– SPEAKER – Impedance: 24Ω
– SPEAKER – Max. Input: 30mW
– GENERAL – Cable Length: 120 cm
– GENERAL – Plug: 3.5 mm jack
– GENERAL – Net Weight: 15±2 gr
Fit to you
Oxygen In-ear progaming headset not just provide you the best sound experience but comfort and quality in the inner ridge of your ear. Fit to you because they are lightweight, fashionable… and fresh! Forget about sweating ears in long gaming sessions.
Premium Stereo Sound
Oxygen is a high quality stereo In-ear headset. The human ear hears sounds in stereo, and the brain uses the subtle differences in sounds entering the left and right ears to locate sounds. The Oxygen´s high technology really helps your brain to get every single detail of the game, music, films…
Advance Ergonomic Designs
Perfect fit in any ear. As soon as you wear your new Oxygen stereo headset you will forget that they are In-ear headset thanks to its clever ergonomics designs. The Oxygen Headset are provided with two pairs of spare ear pads to be sure that It stays in place no matter what you do wearing them…
Secure Protection Case
The secure protection case is really useful to get your new Oxygen In-ear progaming headset away from scuffs and scratches while still preserving all the device’s functions. Go to lanpartys, go to play soccer, go wherever you want to, your headset are in a safe place.
PTT Function Microphone
PTT means push-to-talk… easy to say, easy to do. Push to answer incoming calls while your Oxygen In-ear progaming headset is connected to your smartphone.
Packaging & First Look
Livery keeps in fashion to the Ozone styling
On the front we have the grungy red and black Ozone styling with an image of the product along with a list of features.
Box rear
On the reverse side we can find multi-lingual technical specifications.
Inside the box
The carry case is a nice addition, feels firm and good quality. Included we also find a quick start guide and a female to 2x male 3.5mm jack extension/splitter for microphone and headphone.
Opening up the case
Inside the carry case there is a shorter female to 2x male splitter as well as a selection of rubber ear cushions in various sizes.
The Oxygen earphones
Maintaining the black and red theme the overall look is great and will appeal to many people.
The in-line microphone
The PTT (Push To Talk) microphone allows use with your mobile phone as well as use through your PC and laptop for voice conversation.
Performance Testing
Design & Observations
The red and black design looks great and will have wide appeal. Though the red cable isn’t as vivid as it may seem in the photos, it can almost look pinkish at times, the ear pieces themselves feel solid and well built, though the overall look is slightly tarnished from being that ‘well polished’ professional look when you can see the visible mold lines sticking out from the rubberised cable brace, though this will not effect performance, the in ear market is hugely impressionable with most rarely wanting to upgrade till the ‘throw in’ pair included with their various devices die of death or get lost/stolen/misplaced. The included accessories are comprehensive and well thought out allowing optimal use for various devices as well as different sized rubber ear cushions.
Commonly in gaming headsets we see an impedance of 32-80 Ohm, though portable devices may require the use of those with a lower impedance to ‘drive’ them. Due to having an impedance of 24 Ohm, the Oxygen will work perfectly with any portable device, however, it was found that these earphones may not be suited for the use with discrete sound cards on PCs as they may deliver more power than necessary. In testing, this equated to improper function, though worked fine on the motherboard integrated audio solution. That being said, it is unlikely that someone will buy some lightweight in-ear headset, to sit at home to use on their desktop PC.
Comfort
Getting these in your ear may be confusing for some as the ergonomic, angled shape, may seem strange at first but they fit well with minimal hindrance. The rubber cushions are soft and have a lot of give and hold fast to your ear without coming loose. Perfect for those who like to listen to their favourite MP3s while out on a jog or other activities. At just 15g mass, the lightweight advantage of the in-ear design shines in the comfort area as you cut out any head/ear heating as well as any fatigue from wearing a heavier headset for extended periods of time.
Multi-Media
Alkaline Trio’s ‘Dethbed’ provided evidence that the sound quality was decent for an in-ear solution. It was interesting to hear good bass without ‘feeling it’ as the mid and high tones complimented one another to give an enjoyable and impressionable experience where there was no fight for supremacy within the tones. Playing through various other tracks I listen to frequently, the only real downside I discovered is the lack of a sound stage, though this is likely the repercussion of literally injecting your head with sound.
It would be wise to note at this point that there is no in-line controller, thus volume is to be controlled by the master device that it is being used with. The Volume can also reach considerably high levels. Though I cannot fathom as to why anyone would want to turn the volume to such an excess, the sound quality remained reasonable at these high volumes but begins to become noticeably tinny (11mm drivers will only get you so far). Overall The oxygen makes a good impression for an in-ear solution.
Due to not entirely being familiar with earphones, I consorted with various friends to gather some opinions and compare against some other models. General consensus was that the bass was much more distinct than their current solutions and overall audio quality was improved. These comparisons were made against the ‘JVC HAFX1X Xtreme Xplosives’ and the ‘SONY MDR EX50’. Of people I approached, only one said that they would rather choose their current earphones, the ‘Samsung HS330’ as supplied with his Samsung Galaxy S4. Grounds stated for this choice was on ‘aesthetic and comfort preference’ and that the audio quality of the Oxygen was described as ‘comparable, maybe a little better bass’. This means that the 11mm drivers used by Ozone are working to their advantage in an area where 9-10mm drivers are fairly prominent.
In gaming, I played the ‘finally launched’ DOTA 2 on various occasions, and it becomes easy to appreciate the loud and clear audio offered by the Oxygen over any integrated solution on portable devices. Sound effects may not be as ‘explosive’ as some may be used to, but is certainly enjoyable and balanced without being harsh.
Microphone
In a phone conversation, the PTT button worked well in answering the call and the voice was picked up loud and clear. Using a PC however, the mic quality was described as ‘tinny’, ‘metallic’ and sounds like I am speaking though a phone. Pressing the PTT button while on Skype will mute the mic after a short delay, pressing it again will turn the mic back on, again, with a delay. It would be easy to nitpick these issues on the mic, though that said, my voice was still audible, understandable and unobtrusive. These differences highlight the expectations through different mediums and while the tiny mic may not be the best thing going in the grand scale of things, it is a good addition that functions well for the intended use.
Conclusion
Providing an in-ear solution is an understandable move by Ozone and the Oxygen is a great implementation of their experience to provide that portable, versatile product packed with power. For those looking for an audio solution to use with their smart phone/ mp3 player/ tablet, whether indoors or out, that can also provide good quality sound for a more serious gaming session as a replacement for those tinny laptop speakers, the Oxygen makes a lot of sense. Compared to other earphones, the Oxygen really does have an advantage from those 11mm drivers that provide rich bass and clear tones in the mids and highs.
Aesthetically, the Oxygen looks great and is bundled with everything one would need to take full advantage of them. The carry case is a nice addition and the price is reasonable for this type of product. As a customary criticism, some may find that the improved audio quality over their £5-15 set of earphones, or in the case of some higher quality throw in ones such as the Samsung HS330, the price to spend out is not really worth it. Considering these are being labelled as a ‘progaming, in-ear headset’ I would have to judge it as such, and so, unless you are using the Oxygen in a multi role capacity as a compliment to your standard headset or are in desperate need of something more portable, it is difficult to recommend using an in-ear solution as a primary go-to for your gaming audio needs.
The Ozone Oxygen, powered by its 11mm drivers, provides an excellent listening experience in a portable size that is backed by an extensive bundle and a PTT microphone to increase versatility. Ozone have done a great job and we are happy to award the Oxygen our Vortez Silver.
Pros.
+ Lightweight – Highly Portable
+ Good Bundled accessories including Carry Case
+ Balanced Audio performance
+ PTT Microphone
Cons.
– Some may find ‘Earphones’ lacking in regards to gaming experience
+ Lightweight – Highly Portable
+ Good Bundled accessories including Carry Case
+ Balanced Audio performance
+ PTT Microphone
Cons.
– Some may find ‘Earphones’ lacking in regards to gaming experience
Click here for an explanation of our awards at Vortez.net. Thanks to Ozone Gaming for providing today’s review sample.
