Xiberia T19 7.1 Gaming Headset

Rating: 5/5

Review:
An excellent headset

I was sent this headset for review and I am seriously impressed.  It is very well made, beautifully presented and has excellent sound.

The presentation is terrific; they come in a beautiful, faux-leather box with a hinged lid which even has a cloth base so it doesn't scratch surfaces.  The headphones themselves look very good to my eyes, and are extremely comfortable for long periods.  They are USB connectivity only, so do note that they can't be connected to a headphone socket for non-computer listening, nor do they have Bluetooth.  However, they work perfectly with my Windows 10 devices.  There is a good in-line volume dial-control on the lead which also allows you to turn the LEDs on and off.  The microphone is very good and is on a very flexible detachable lead.  This is, in short, a very well made, high-quality item.

I'm just an old git now who's primarily interested in the sound quality as a non-gamer, so I sought the view of a young gaming enthusiast, who pronounced them "wicked."  While not quite the in-depth analysis I had hoped for, this is a very fine endorsement from a discerning critic and confirms my view that these are very good indeed.  For myself, I make no special claim to be an audiophile, but I use headphones for music a lot (several hours a day usually) and have listened to a great many different ones over the years.  I think, quite seriously, that these are as good as any I've heard in this price range and sometimes well above it – and that includes my dearly loved Bose QC2s, Brainwavz HM5 and HM9, Noontec Hammo and others which I have used regularly years with great pleasure.

The sound is well balanced, rich and full with an extremely good but not over-dominant bass response.  Articulation and realism are extremely good, too.  I have a Test Playlist for audio equipment which starts with  Tudor choral music, ends with London Grammar and covers most things in between.  Everything sounds excellent; the sound is well balanced with clear treble, rich middles and a fantastic bass response.  It's not that they are bass heavy – they're not – just punchy when needed and incredibly rich and full even at the lowest frequencies.  That great, sub-bass resonance in the second half of London Grammar's Hey Now is great through these, for example.  Theorbo and viola da gamba really test bass response, and both have their full magnificent depth, a string quartet sounds just as though you're sitting among them, every instrument in an orchestra is crystal clear, it sounds as though Leonard Cohen himself is murmuring in your ear…and so on. 

To sum up, I think these are a little bit of class.  They're solidly made and comfortable, they work well and they have excellent sound.  I'm pretty picky about headphones, but I like this headset a lot and I can recommend it very warmly.

Amazon page HERE