Weighing in at just 15 grams, this new headset from Roccat claims to be the lightest headset in the world.
Manufacturer: RoccatProduct reviewed: Roccat Vire
RRP: £40
Roccat announced the launch of their latest headset the Vire back in June. The Vire is a multi-purpose audio tool that can be used for both gaming and mobile audio communication.
The Vire claims to be the lightest headset in the world, weighing in at a mere 15 grams, which I’m sure you will agree is extremely lightweight. This factor will appeal to those gamers who are on the move going from LAN to LAN. Feather light audio headphones are also less likely to be irritating to the ears. Taken from the Roccat website, this is what they have to say about this new innovation:
“ The ROCCAT Vire Gaming Headset is on its way. It’s the symbiosis of technology and design that ROCCAT has been electrifying the community with since its inception. Now it’s time for another alliance. Gaming, communications and music – united in one headset: the ROCCAT Vire.
The ROCCAT Vire Gaming Headset unites a gaming specialist, communications expert and sound pro in one device. With the accompanying extension adapters, you’ve got everything you need for long gaming sessions at home on the PC or notebook. And when you’re on the move, the ROCCAT™ Vire will amaze you when making calls or listening to music thanks to its ultra-light weight. “
So without any further delay let’s take a look at the Roccat Vire Gaming Headset.
Specifications
ULTRA-LIGHTWEIGHT HEADSET FOR ON THE MOVE
Game, make calls or listen to music without any restrictions in movement
IN-LINE MICROPHONE
Shields out background noises and transmits speech distortion-free
PREMIUM SOUND QUALITY
From balanced trebles to gutsy bass
PERFECT FIT IN ANY EAR
Thanks to the rubberized design of the earplugs
NICELY FINISHED SOFT CASE
Protects the headset and adapter cables
FULL FUNCTIONALITY
With two additional plug adapters for the iPhone, mp3 players, BlackBerrys, PCs, notebooks, sound systems and portable gaming consoles
Driver Units
• Frequency response: 18~22,000Hz
• Sensitivity at 1KHz: 105±3dB
• Impedance: 32Ω
• Max. input power: 5mW
• Drive diameter: Ø14.2mm
Microphone
• Sensitivity at 1KHz: -38±3dB
• Impedance: ≤2.2KΩ
• Directivity: omni-directional
System Requirements
3.5mm jack socket required
PC (adapter included), iPhone®, Blackberry®
MP3 Music Players in general, iPhone®, iPod®, Blackberry®, PSP®, NDS™
Package Contains
ROCCAT™ Vire – Mobile Communication Gaming Headset
Headset Cable: 1.20m length
1 x PC Adapter cable: 1.30m length
1 x Laptop Adapter cable: 0.17m length
Soft Transport Bag
Quick Install Guide
Packaging and Closer Look
The Roccat Vire comes packaged in a nicely designed box with the typical Roccat branding of black and blues. The details are actually set out quite nicely, leaving you with enough information to ponder upon. The front of the Vire’s box opens out like a book – inside are more in depth details for those wishing more information on what is contained within along with frequency and output statistics. At the very bottom of this sleeve is a testimonial from a pro gamer that endorses this product. Here is the extract:
Yoan ,,ToD” Merlo (France)
“For a professional WCG gamer, functionality and mobility are the most important features. The Vire is the first headset that combines earplug technology with a micro-phone for PC Gaming. Before, I always needed to separate mic, but thanks to the ROCCAT™ Vire, that’s a thing of the past. Particularly wicked is that it’s working with my iPhone®. Anywhere I go, I always take the Vire with me”
Opening the box up, the headphones and accessories are placed inside a grey plastic tray. Along with the box there is a useful carry case for the headphones, great if you are on the go!
On closer inspection the Vire headphones look quite ordinary. Just as any other MP3 earphone, what’s nice is the ear stand beams have been given some aesthetical attention by having the shape of an ear cut out so that it rests comfortably. Aside from this, visually there isn’t much else to comment on for the earphones themselves.
Included with the Roccat Vire’s are two adaptors. One that favours notebooks (shorter) whilst the other is suitable for the PC and allows an extra 1.3m in length. Making use of these adaptors is quite simple – the headphone jack fits inside the larger socket on the adaptor whilst the end that splits off into two fits into the headphone jack.
As mentioned earlier the factor that makes the Roccat Vire stand out is that it looks like just an ordinary set of earphones but its classified as a headset due to the fact that it features a mic. This mic is so small, you might well miss it! It’s integrated onto the wire that follows down to the headphone jack.
Testing
To put the Roccat Vire through its paces I’ve devised a set of tests so that we can determine whether this headset is up to the challenge of being a quality gaming peripheral.
So to test, I will be using the Roccat Vire on the PC with an assortment of music and games. I will also be testing the Vire on my Blackberry Curve 8900 with some music and video.
Games
Two games were selected for this test. I chose World of Warcraft and Crysis. Two of the most popular gaming titles on the PC.
At various stages during these gaming sessions the clarity experienced was very good. Each of the sounds was easily picked up and this gave both titles especially Crysis a lot of depth – enhancing the gameplay. Gun fire, explosions, ambience and dialogue had their own pitch and each easily picked up. No fuzzing at all, the playback from the
earphones is impressive and does add some great realism to your games.
As for the microphone. This I tested through teamspeak with a friend. We jumped in game, whilst having a game of Call of Duty 5 – World at War. My friend commented on the playback and said “your voice was clear, precise and I had no problem picking you up at all”. So good news on that front also. The mic might not be floating near my mouth but it still picks up my voice with ease.
Music
With the music test I loaded some different songs to get a feel for the various audio qualities. These are the tracks I loaded: Dizzee Rascal – Holiday, Linkin Park – What I’ve done, Cascada – Everytime we touch. Again clarity here is great. Treble and sound quality is also very good but what I feel lacks is the bass. It needs altering. It doesn’t feel deep enough instead the tracks, especially Linkin Park and Cascada’s tracks sounded a little bit tinny and the power taken away slightly. The bass tones are something that I feel Roccat should improve on this headset.
Blackberry
The Blackberry test was similar to the music test although I had the phone in my pocket. I fed the cables up my shirt. Without the adaptor the earphones did actually fit fine, so there was no need to extend the cable. Again similar to the music test, the music was great quality – good treble and clarity. In fact there wasn’t much difference with the sound quality between PC and Blackberry. But similarly it did lack some bass definition. Overall, impressive and very portable.
Conclusion
The Roccat Vire is a super light-weight, mobile headset that is sure to attract much attention for gamers this summer. By blending the earphones with the microphone Roccat has filled in a gap in the market that is currently absent and they have to be applauded for designing something so innovative.The Vire revolutionises gaming audio by liberating gamers from the traditionally large headphone, and reaching out to mobile phone and music lovers by giving them the chance to tune in on their phone or MP3 player. The Vire is an impressive ear set, the resounding trebles and high quality sounds are evident right from plugging in and the microphone system is powerful, in as much that it can pickup your voice very clearly even though it’s not fixed in place right next to your mouth.
For £40 ($65/€65) you are getting a good deal, considering you are getting a lightweight solution of both the headphones and microphone.
The only down-sides in my opinion with the Roccat Vire are those bass qualities I mentioned in the previous section, they just don’t feel as well developed as they should be. The long cabling can be looked on as a favourable feature, but for some would be annoying as they get caught and snagged on things. I’d of also liked to see some sort of physical volume control with this headset but one wasn’t present. These things aside, we have the makings of a decent headset. Moving forward, Roccat have to be commended for their work with the Vire and based on their current lineup of products they will do well with this brand new advance.
Pros
+ Lightweight
+ Extremely portable
+ Innovative
+ Very clear and concise
+ Good microphone
Cons
– Lacking in bass tones
– Lots of cabling (messy)
– No volume control
I award the Roccat Vire the Bronze award. I would like thank both Roccat and Meroncourt for this sample.
