Digitalchumps received the ROCCAT ELO headsets for review this past week. The ROCCAT company is known for making beautiful keyboards, stylish mice, and a few other gaming accessories, mostly at reasonable price points. It was interesting to see how well they did on the headset side of the tracks. The two headsets received were the ELO 7.1 Air and the ELO x Stereo. Both are very different in functionality, but similar in audio delivery. Well, mostly similar.
ROCCAT ELO 7.1 Air ($99.99)
It has been a while since 7.1 headsets graced our desk. We usually dabble in 5.1 and in stereo but haven’t seen a 7.1 release since the Gold Wireless PlayStation headset came out. The best immersive experiences can be had in 7.1, especially if you dive into a game like Hellblade, where having a surround sound experience enhances the gameplay exponentially. Ninja Theory used a special mic to create surrounding voices which speak to Senua during her adventure. The voices come through all places around Senua’s head, so having an extra set of channels to deliver audio to the gamer is essential to grasping the full compass of Senua’s journey.
Anyway, when we used the ELO 7.1 Air to play Hellblade, everything came through beautifully. You could hear the shy whispers of Senua’s voices that are delivered perfectly in the right spots around your head. It was frightfully good. The voices came through where they need to be and delivered an unparalleled atmosphere to already engaging and tragic gameplay. The quality was out of this world good. Hearing talking all around thanks to the 7.1 technology, while maintaining uneasy music and SFX tracks really put the player where they need to be. The headset took us there.
The only complaint I have with the audio delivery with the headset was that sometimes came through a tad bit quieter than expected, even at max volume with both headset and PlayStation settings. That doesn’t mean it wasn’t nice, but the headset allowed for other noises around me to seep into the experience, which took me out of it. While it’s certainly not a dealbreaker, no being able to shut out the outside audio world to focus on gameplay does hurt the headset a bit. I tried this on a few games and came out with the same result.
As for the comfort of the Air, it was superb. I have Echo Frames from Amazon (yep, I’m that guy) and the glasses and headset worked well together, as they should this day and age. The arms of my frame weren’t pressing against my head, which I appreciated immensely, as that has been an issue with past headsets I have reviewed. The 7.1 Air was a headset that didn’t feel heavy, which also helps with comfort. There’s nothing quite like feeling you’re wearing a weight. Forgetting that you’re wearing a headset is where you want to be when gaming, especially I you game long periods of time. This time of year that is always the case for reviewers.
Comfort and audible functionality aside, a sideshow of sorts for this headset are the pretty colors flashing on the sides (RGB). While the colors won’t sell the headset alone or offer up any practical function, they sure look freaking cool. Looking professional, looking colorful and cool, well that’s just style points. You want style points when it comes to gaming, as that’s about 99.9% of streamer charm. These won’t disappoint in that arena, as the lights on the side are just a godsend bonus to the overall aura that emits a large amount of style in RGB fashion.
As for the un-cool technical aspects of this headset, I think that ROCCAT made some solid decisions with its headset design. The USB-C wire is great. While the microUSB is slowly dying out in the tech world, and it should die a hard death with how breakable that damn thing is, the decision to go the USB-C route means you get quick charging and a solid connection that isn’t easily breakable. Bravo to ROCCAT for going that direction with its charging cable. It’s worth it to gamers that need quick chargers and less wire-breaking frustration.
On the dongle side of the tracks, while I’m not a huge fan of dongles, as I have kids and they like taking things out of PlayStations and NOT returning them, the way Sony can get with its Bluetooth makes the dongle route an easy choice. One knock I have against the dongle, though, is that if you turn off your headset and you still have the dongle in the PlayStation, it will constantly tell you that it’s trying to connect to the headset, but can’t, but it’s trying, but it can’t, but it will keep trying, but it won’t succeed, but it will be undeterred, but it still won’t work. You get the picture. You have to unplug that dongle when you’re not using the headset.
Overall, the comfort, the style, the actual delivery of the 7.1 audio is why you want the ROCCAT ELO 7.1 Air. It has everything a gamer wants, it also works with other systems (all of them), so you don’t have to worry about compatibility issues. Does it need a tiny bit of work on it? Yes, but the good far outweighs the bad.
ROCCAT ELO X Stereo ($49.99)
I know what you’re thinking, “How can you start out with a wireless 7.1 headset and fall back to a stereo wired headset? That seems unfair.” Well, you headset snob, it isn’t unfair. While you don’t get the lights, the wireless, or the dongle with the X Stereo, there is something to be said about reliability and never needing to charge it. Plus, it’s $50 dollars cheaper.
The comfort of the X Stereo is equal to the 7.1 Air. You can still wear glasses, you can still feel comfortable, and you can still play a game that sounds great through the headset. Having comfort while you play for hours is where you want to be, regardless of channel delivery and clarity. This headset also does a better job with volume control, which was a minor issue with the wireless dongle driven 7.1 Air. I got solid sound through here that did the trick and quieted the audible distractions around me (ex. Meowing cats). It was nice.
What the X Stereo lacks in ‘fancy’, it makes up with practicality, as the headset doesn’t require a charger and won’t lose its functionality when a child yanks a dongle out of the PlayStation 4’s USB port to put their Apple charger in (what a bunch of heathens). You simply plug it into the device you’re trying to pick up (PS4/Xbox/PC/Mac) and go. There is something to be said about wired audio, as I personally preferred it until I met some JBL earbuds recently. Anyway, wired is a good solution and it won’t get in the way of the headset’s functionality. You get to hear the audio and you get to speak through a good mic that does an excellent job of not picking up anything around the gamer.
Overall, the ROCCAT ELO X Stereo is simply a solid headset that brings the ROCCAT quality with an inexpensive price tag. If you’re not willing to fully commit to a streaming or fanciful gaming lifestyle just yet, then this is a great place to start. It works, it’s comfortable, and it sounds and picks up well.
Conclusion
Both ROCCAT ELO headsets offer up different styles and delivery for different tastes and expectations.
