(Pocket-lint) - Now that Turtle Beach and Roccat have joined forces, products like the Syn Pro Air represent the ethos of both companies. ...
(Pocket-lint) - Now that Turtle Beach and Roccat have joined forces, products like the Syn Pro Air represent the ethos of both companies. Here it's a combination of a great headset with some intriguing sound design features.
The Syn Pro Air wireless gaming headset also has a lot going for it, including great sound, 3D audio, eye-catching RGB lighting, and more. But is its combination of beauty and tempting audio features enough?
Sleek design with flaws
- ProSpecs Earbuds
- Swivel and flat earcup design
- Breathable athletic fabric that wicks away moisture
- Detachable flip-up TruSpeak microphone
- 24 hour battery life with quick charge (5 hour recharge in 15 minutes)
Out of the box, the Roccat Syn Pro Air is undeniably eye-catching. We were first struck by a few interesting design choices that make this headset particularly stand out.
One of them is the flat design of the ear cups and the unusual arrangement of the headband extension. The earcups of this headset can be easily twisted and rotated to make it flat and portable (or worn around the neck) and also easily extended to fit snugly around the head. The design has also been cleverly thought out, with memory foam padded ear cushions designed to provide a comfortable fit for eyeglass wearers.
We both love and hate these headphones. They are wide and deep and seem, at first glance, to offer a high quality style. But when you put them on you'll find they're rough and not very nice on the noggin. Certainly not as pleasing to the ear as the Corsair HS80 's ultra-soft cushions in comparison. That said, they're large enough to cover the ear well without adding unwanted pressure.
Although they're not leatherette, they also block out a surprising amount of environmental noise, especially when you start playing. The good thing about this style is that they're made from an athletic, moisture-wicking fabric, which is great if you're hot and bothered while playing.
The headset itself weighs 390g, which isn't too heavy, and the ear cup material is used across the entirety of the headband too. So it's far from uncomfortable given the pressure it puts on your head.
One area it falls into is clamping force. It's a little too loose, so we found that if we leaned forward it would just drop our heads and fall to the ground. If you fly past the head quickly for some reason, it will also fly away that way. So if you're a particularly energetic gamer who likes to move around a lot when gaming, this headset might not be for you.
Another striking part of this headset is the RGB lighting. Like the Roccat Kone Pro Air , the Syn Pro Air has a part honeycomb design hidden beneath a solid outer shell. This is used to show eye-catching lighting which is adjustable in Roccat's Neon software.
Immersive 3D sound?
- 50mm Nanoclear drivers with neodymium magnets
- Superhuman Hearing sound settings
- Frequency response from 20 Hz to 20 kHz
- Waves 3D audio adjustments
This headset features 50mm Nanoclear drivers capable of producing serious volume. This headset delivers satisfying sound, with rich sound, solid bass, and a satisfying overall experience.
Download Roccat's Neon software and you can open up a world of further customization options - from custom equalization (EQ) adjustment to tweaking various sound parameters.
These settings include Superhuman Hearing mode, which emphasizes essential game-changing sounds so you can get the better of your opponents. This includes simple things like enemy footsteps or weapon reloading that you might otherwise miss. Roccat claims this technology could improve your Kill/Death ratio (KDR) by up to 44 per cent - but in reality it's just a nice addition to the audio settings.
But we've found it a bit difficult to narrow these settings down to personal preference. Superhuman Hearing, for example, is certainly good for games like Rainbow Six Siege or other competitive shooters where hearing footsteps is essential. But it also removes a lot of the warmth and bass from game audio, which makes things a whole lot thinner.
These controls are all in the software, so you'll have to fiddle with them for it to work. On the headset, you have limited hardware controls for power and volume. There are two volume wheels, one per earbud. One adjusts overall volume, while the other is a mic control adjustment. So if you're using the headset's microphone, you can change how much or how little of your own voice you hear on the fly. We've found that to be pretty essential - but, again, that's going to be personal preference.
While this headset doesn't have any other connection options in terms of 3.5mm or Bluetooth, it's possible to connect to your phone using the USB-C dongle and play music that way. The tiny USB-C dongle has a USB-A PC adapter in case you don't have a port, but this design does make the Syn Pro Air a bit more flexible.
Detachable microphone
This headset features a detachable unidirectional TruSpeak microphone. If you don't want to use it, you can remove it and use the included plug to cover the hole. Alternatively, it's a flip-to-mute microphone with pretty decent pickup capabilities. As we said, it's certainly useful for things like hearing each other talk if you're playing with friends.
As you can hear (snippet above) it's certainly not of the same quality as a standalone dedicated microphone . It's quite compressed but blocks out background noise well, with the exception of plosives. Definitely good enough to play with your friends though.
The Syn Pro Air headset has a lot going for it, with rich sound, plenty of winning sound customization options, a sleek finish, and lightning-fast charging. It lacks comfort for us, however, and is too baggy, both of which count towards its score.
Also consider
Corsair HS80 RGB Wireless
If comfort is more important to you, then consider the Corsair HS80. It's an incredibly comfortable wireless headset with great sound, an understated look and a whole lot more to offer.
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SXFI Air Creative Player
It might not be wireless, but if you're looking for custom audio with similar sound, the Creative SXFI Air Gamer is a delight. Comfortable ear cups, Bluetooth connectivity and Creative's SXFI battle mode are real highlights.
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