Hardware Asus Vulcan ANC Review

Asus has dropped its latest ROG-branded product on our desk: a gaming headset with niose cancellation. And it's brilliant!

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/peripherals/2011/08/27/asus-vulcan-anc-review/1

 

I like the design in terms of functionality, with the detachable mic and ANC. Do those audio cords pop out instead of breaking when I accidentally yank the cord? Aesthetically though it's average and I would prefer not to have Republic of Gamers on the side of my head if I want to go outside with them using my mp3 player.

 

Fixed that for you But otherwise, great review, may have to get myself a pair of these.

 

Oooooh, theis could be the headset I've been waiting for...

 

Any chance we can ever get a review of the Beyerdynamic MMX300?

 

Uhm what? you have to have batteries in to use those, despite the fact that ANC is almost always absolute crap, AND they are wired, no option to bypass the ANC. This is another classic example of a crap review of a pointless product, in an over-saturated market. This nothing like the reviews of a couple of years ago in the mag.

 

Uhm, I have a pair and the bass is the one thing missing in this headset, don't get me wrong, the overall sound quality is very good, but considering the large drivers, the bass is really lacking.

 

No, you only need a battery IF and when you use ANC and if you look carefully, there's a switch for enabling and disabling ANC. So take a chill pill, they work just fine as a regular headset without ANC enabled and no battery inserted.

 

still doesnt detract from the fact that ANC doesnt work (Working with numerous different headphones in labs, including a few more reputable audio manufacturers, I'm fully aware of how crap the technology is) minus the ANC and youve got an identical headset to 10 other gaming headsets, at a drastically inflated price, so it doesnt deserve anywhere near the score it got.

 

Have a look at the Turtle Beach gaming head sets. I believe they make them for most gaming platforms and the headsets have 5.1 and 7.1 surround sound. In saying that i would still love to get the ROG headset.

 

I have been shopping around for a decent set of 'phones for a while now, and while these do sound like a great effort by Asus, what reasons are there to not by some HD 555s or the like instead? Surely they can't be up to the same quality?

 

Uhm, you ever used a pair of Bose ANC headphones aboard an aeroplane? I can tell you that ANC works and it works just fine. The entire range of Bose Quietcomfort headphones are great for noisecancelling, though the overall sound quality is not that great for the exorbitant price you pay. I'd rather have a pair of Sennheiser or AKG for every day listening.

 

Thoughts on Logitech Gaming Headset G330?

 

Wow... GiantKiwi got out of the wrong side of bed this morning...

'Crap review of a pointless product... nothing like reviews a couple of years ago'?

Bit harsh mate. Reviews are just opinions after all. If you disagree with the mindset and opinions so much, don't read it? I've heard some ANC before and think that in some cases it seems to work quite well, whilst in others it doesn't. If you use such specialised equipment in situations such as you say, perhaps you have become sensitive to it and so a bit more critical than the normal PC gamer is going to be? Either way, your opinion is exactly the same as that of the reviewer, an opinion. We read it, take it on board, and use it to make more of an informed decision - just hopefully with a bit less acid than you exhibit...

 

HD555 or Audio Technica AD700 will be great for gaming.

if you care about sound quality then defintely avoid "gaming headsets", any "gaming headsets"/headphones with ANC or wireless. (and avoid anything made by: Beats by Dre, Skullcandy, Bose)

 

This won it over for me. Great audio + mic + ANC + detachable audio cable to stop neck wrenching when you run the cable over? Nom.

In addition, it's worth remembering that dropping £££ on crazy awesome headphones from sennheiser/sony/mental-headphones 'r' us will get you better audio, although the Vulcan's audio is very good. We review it as a gaming headset - mic, and headphones, integrated, and try to avoid getting into audiophile detail. People buy what suits them; for the majority of online gamers, a headset is the answer.

 

That seems about as subtle as a pikey-fied exhaust on a vauxhall nova!

Out of interest with a 38/40 for sound... What has this headset been compared against to achieve that score? Other "gaming headsets" or actual headphones?

 

Is this USB or 3.5mm jack?

 

It's got a pair of 3.5mm jacks, just not clear from the pictures as some clever person plugged the end that goes into the PC into the headset...