[typing]
Audio-Technica sent me this pair of headphones for review,
so let's review them.
This is the ATH-ADG1X Gaming Headset
which at the time of this video is their highest-end
open-back headset made specifically with gamers in mind.
The box boasts of high-fidelity audio reproduction
and even mentions composer Frank Klepacki being a fan of them.
But make no mistake, these are not made for casually listening to music or doing audio work.
And you'd be better off looking at Audio- Technica's other headphones for that.
In fact, I still use a pair of slightly customized ATH-M50s for certain situations.
They're still a great bang for the buck and can take a lot of abuse.
But they're not the best for gaming,
especially if you're playing online and need a microphone.
The ATH-ADG1X is tailor-made for this purpose, of course,
not only in the sound quality, but the design of the headset itself.
It has a built-in gooseneck microphone that cannot be removed
or really even pushed out of the way that much.
And this is a personal preference, but it wish it had a removable
or even retractable mic, like the SteelSeries Siberia v2.
But recording quality is probably more important,
and at least it sounds nice.
Testing, testing. This is the microphone
in its default state.
I have not modified the sound or done
anything to it, really. It's just capturing directly to
my Zoom H2n here, so this pretty much what you're gonna get.
As for the headphone portion, it's an open-back design,
which means that the outer shell of the headphones are not closed off.
This not only means you'll be able to hear external noises,
but the sound feels less "in your head," so to speak.
It's not isolating at all.
Now I can't speak for everyone,
but I actually quite like open-back headphones
for gaming with other people in the room,
because that way I can keep the game sounds largely to myself
but can still hear when someone is trying to get my attention.
And in my opinion, it augments the sound in many games,
making everything feel less claustrophobic and more...
free or something.
But as I mentioned before, these aren't exactly made for music or working with audio editing.
But for games, I have no real complaint
with how its 53mm drivers reproduce sound.
The bass exists without being too heavy,
the highs are crisp without being painful,
and the mids are pretty much just how I like it,
and makes any dialogue sound pretty great.
You definitely have to be okay with one thing, though.
These are massive over-the-ear headphones.
And I quite like it this way,
but it's worth noting that these are bigger
than any gaming headset that I've ever used.
This isn't really an issue if you're sitting at a desk.
But for things like virtual reality where you're moving your head around a lot,
it's not ideal and they'll often bump up against your shoulders.
However, don't take the size to mean that they're heavy, because they're not.
They're constructed of some kind of tough yet lightweight plastic,
weighing in at just 10.1 ounces.
This does have the side effect of making them feel rather cheaply made.
Almost disposable, actually.
But the effect is that,
man, are these comfy,
with super-plush ear pads
and these little thingies up top they call the 3D wing support system.
And this just means it doesn't put a huge strap over the top of your head
and keeps them gently resting against your ears.
And since I wear glasses, that's pretty important for long-term comfort.
It also has a decent rubbery cable
at 3.9 feet long with one of those
4-pole 3.5mm plugs on the end.
And there's a 6.6-foot extension cable that it comes with
which also acts as a splitter
to provide traditional mic and headphone jacks,
which is a nice touch.
But... I've got some bad news.
Even if these are comfortable, lightweight and have a nice microphone,
the ATH-ADG1X has one of the crappiest control boxes I've ever used.
For one thing, the microphone mute switch
makes this horrendous popping noise any time you activate it.
[loud pops]
So, whoever's listening to you online or in a recording
is gonna hear that obnoxiousness every time.
Possibly even worse, though, is the volume control knob, which–
Ugghh!
It's highly unresponsive for like 90% of its turning radius
and then at the end, it blows out the sound.
Just listen.
Nothing... nothing... nothing...
nothing– [loud music] HOLY CRAP!
You have basically zero fine-tuning ability
for the volume using this stupid little box.
So I just ended up leaving it turned most of the way up
and adjusting the volume externally,
either through software or through hardware,
like this vacuum tube headphone amplifier I sometimes use
because dang it, it looks cool,
and it has a volume knob that isn't a pile of garbage.
So, yeah...
even though they have some problems
with the mic popping and volume control,
I'd say the ATH-ADG1X is a pretty decent headset for $100.
They're $300?!
Ah, dear. Well that changes things.
See, if I'm expected to pay 300 bucks for a gaming headset,
I anticipate zero issues, period.
And being their top-of-the-line headset,
I expected WAY better from Audio-Technica,
and I don't think anyone should be expected
to make this kind of compromise at that price.
They still sound and feel quite nice,
but I'd wait for a significant price drop
or an updated model that fixes that awful control box.
[music]
And if you enjoyed THIS video on THIS headset,
perhaps you would enjoy THESE others
on THOSE things.
New videos here every Monday and Friday on LGR,
so subscribe if you would like.
And as always, thank you very much for watching.