Headsets can be complicated things with different sound profiles and settings for games, music and movies. However, the OXS Storm G2 Wireless Headset claims to offer optimized settings for all three which are easy to switch between, alongside compatibility with PC and consoles. But can it live up to its promise?
The first thing I noticed when I took the headset out of the packaging was that it’s incredibly lightweight and has a detachable microphone. There was no lag or loss of quality when using the microphone during online gaming. The sound is crisp and clear, and everything kept up, even when I had video on or the PC was multitasking.
I mostly used them as standard headphones for listening to music while I work, and the light weight makes them comfortable to wear for a decent length of time. The battery also lasted several days without charging. When it did run out, it was quickly charged via USB. However, you can also use an aux cable to wire it up, if you’d rather connect the headset directly.
Three Sound Profiles
The headphones have three settings: surround mode with 7.1 virtual surround sound, music mode, and game mode. You can toggle between the three modes using a button on the headset, with a voice that will announce which mode is enabled.
Depending on what you are watching or listening to, the modes aren’t always obviously different, so I was initially sceptical. However, when I went on a bad movie kick and started watching Fast & Furious X, I almost felt the surround sound kick in as Jason Momoa put his nefarious plan into action. Rome has never been so virtually lively from every direction.
Music mode draws out instruments a little over things like background noises, and game mode appears to be a sort of combination of the two, allowing you to pick out important noises without the added extras of the surround sound. After a while, I could tell which setting I was on when listening to anything that had a lot of background sound.
There’s no noise-cancelling on this headset, but thanks to the over-ear cups, I did find a lot of noise was naturally filtered out by the design. As someone whose neighbours are currently doing a lot of DIY renovations while a cable company digs up the road outside, I was thankful the headphones ended up doing the job in this regard. While using the headset, most background noise vanished.
Certainly enough to annoy my children, who were trying to ask me for things then realising I couldn’t hear them. Bonus.
Charging And Battery Life
As well as the aux wired connection, you may also use a USB dongle or Bluetooth to connect. This versatility allows you to connect to pretty much anything in your house that requires headphones. Just be aware that an Xbox console will only connect via Bluetooth, and a PlayStation via the wireless dongle. PCs don’t seem to be fussy, and I had no issues with any connection method on mine. That is, once I realized the Bluetooth on my PC didn’t work becausesomeonehad ‘borrowed’ my Bluetooth adapter.
I was pleased by how adjustable the microphone is when attached - perfect for positioning close enough to pick up your voice clearly, while still blocking out miscellaneous background noise. My cats will be disappointed to find out that their clambering won’t be heard by colleagues and online players.
After using the OXS Storm G2 Wireless Headset for a few weeks, I’ve found it to be comfortable, easy to use, and widely adjustable, especially on the headband. It’s lighter than my last headset, yet still feels well-built and high quality.
The headset is reasonably priced at under $100 and is packed with features. The easy switch profiles are a great addition, the mic is easy to connect and adjust, and the sound is crystal clear throughout different uses. You can get it in black or white, and it has some snazzy RGB lights on. Being able to easily connect to any device is also incredibly useful for multi-console households.
I have faith that the headset will continue to deliver, which is great for me when there are a lot more bad action movies to watch.
