Anyone who has spent much time playing PC games is likely very familiar with the pros and cons of big, over-the-ear gaming headsets. For top-shelf sound (and especially for directional/surround sound), full-sized headsets are hard to beat. They have massive, powerful drivers and, in some cases, comfortable padding on the ear cups, and they do a nice job of shutting down external noise and creating your own little cone of silence to game in.
On the other hand, some of them are pretty heavy and can cause a fair amount of fatigue over the course of a LAN party or a long night of gaming. Depending on the ambient temperature and how heated the competition is, a big pair of cans can also make your head unbearably hot and sweaty.
Tt eSPORTS respectfully suggests that in certain situations, maybe the answer is to ditch the cans and play wearing an in-ear headset instead.
The ISURUS PRO’s 13.5mm neodymium drivers are surprisingly plucky, and they provide an almost astonishing amount of bass for in-ear headphones. We took them for a spin while gaming and then listened to some music and a movie, and they performed admirably throughout. And although they do a decent job of quieting the noise around you, they don’t drown out nearby voices completely, which is just want you want during a LAN party (for example), where you primarily want to hear your game and other players in chat, but you also want to communicate with players sitting nearby.
The headset’s Secure Fit System, which consists of soft rubber spiral arms (Tt eSPORTS refers to them as “ear hooks”) that help to spread contact equally across the ear, combined with the included three sizes of rubber ear sleeves, help keep things comfortable. And because they are comparatively very light, they help cut down on ear and head fatigue, and they won’t leave the sides of your head soaked in sweat.
Tt eSPORTS claims the ISURUS PRO is the world’s first in-ear detachable microphone headset, and while we can’t corroborate that claim we can say we haven’t seen one before. The upshot is that you can game with them, and then when it’s time to go for a run or kick back with some music, you can simply snap the omnidirectional boom mic out of its 3.5mm socket; instantly, your gaming headset is now just a pair of headphones. What’s even better is that if you’re listening to your phone and you get a call after removing the boom mic, you can still take the call without unplugging, thanks to the backup mic on the inline controller. (The inline controller also lets you play or pause music and skip to the previous or next track.)
As you have also probably surmised, they are also a great deal more portable than a large headset, as they weigh next to nothing and can be wound up into a bundle that’s smaller than either of the ear cups on your main headset. And because Tt eSPORTS designed them with flat, tangle-free cables, you can wind them up without worrying about spending the first hour of your LAN party trying to work out knots in the cables as a result.
If you need further evidence that the ISURUS PRO is a smarter move than a traditional headset in some cases, consider that they cost just 40 bones, which is a pittance given the comfort and functionality they will provide. BY CHRIS TRUMBLE
Specs
Drivers: 13.5mm neodymium, 20Hz to 20KHz
Impedance: 16 ohm
Sensitivity: 92dB
Mic: 100Hz to 5KHz
Controller: inline mic and play/pause, previous, and next buttons
Connector: 3.5mm plug, Y adapter for detachable mic use
Extras: flat tangle-free cables, Secure Fit System, 3 sizes of silicone sleeves