A stylish headset that manages a surprising amount of power for not much money
The 50mm drivers powering the Force H3X make it a bit of a beast in the audio stakes, but your listening experience is anything but traumatic as a result. Don’t underestimate the power of the Force H3X, is what we’re trying to say.
Okay, we’re done with the force puns. But seriously, for £60, this is a really well-rounded package from Gigabyte. Visually, these cans desperately want to be Batman’s earmuffs. And they’re all the better for it. No garish lights nor aggressive branding here, just a discreet Gigabyte logo on each of the foldable earcups. All contact points are padded generously and finished with a leather effect around the cups, while the exterior boasts a dapper mirrored detail.
That motif is repeated on the basic but functional inline remote, which features a volume slider and mic on/off toggle switch. There’s a bit of creakiness and rattle when adjusting to fit, which reminds us of its budget pricing, as does its basic rubberised cabling (braided cables are de rigueur on almost all headsets now). But those minor points aside, Gigabyte’s been smart with the Force H3X’s visual design to make it look and feel more expensive than it is. You even get a cleaning cloth and a carry case.
It’s a success by a much narrower margin in audio quality. Two beefy 50mm drivers power this stereo headset, so it certainly isn’t wanting for low-end. The H3X absolutely threw out bass during our testing playlist (largely brostep, some smooth jazz, as regular readers will remember) with impressive, er, force. High-end frequencies are well voiced too – we wouldn’t quite say they ‘sparkle’ the way pricier gaming headsets and audiophile-centric headphones manage, but the details aren’t lost.
However, in order to achieve that balance, there’s a noticeable lack of warmth indicative of a ‘scooped’ EQ – in other words, boosted high and low-end frequencies and a dip in the mid-range. This hardwired EQ can lead to compressed audio – from music streaming services, say, or YouTube videos, sounding even more lossy than they actually are, and ultimately affects the versatility of this headset. As is so often the case, it’s designed to sound great for shooters, but you’ll notice the lack of warmth while gathering ram hides in Dragon Age: Inquisition, say.
Since we’re talking negatives, we really have to call out the mic on this model. It’s a retractable affair designed to keep the overall design looking fussfree, and that it does. However, it’s a nightmare to actually pull out and push back in again. We felt sure we’d broken the thing every time we touched it, and had to use a worrying amount of brute force (sorry) to stow it away. We found the mic quality reasonable, but prone to scratchiness when moving the adjustable arm, and given the roughness it requires to operate, we’d bet on that scratchiness increasing over time.
Budget peripherals always ask you to make a compromise somewhere, and in the Force H3X’s case it’s the mic. How much of a biggie that is, comes down to you. Given its considerable pros in build quality elsewhere, plus design and sound quality, it’s certainly worth keeping this one in mind if you don’t use VOIP much. And if the Dark Knight is your style icon, this is pretty much a done deal anyway. – Phil Iwaniuk
SPECIFICATIONS
Frequency response range 20Hz – 20KHz
Weight 310g
Cable length 2m
Driver size 50mm
Connection type 2x 3.5mm