Armaggeddon Pulse 5 Gaming Headset Review

5:18 PM armaggeddon , gaming , headset , review 4 Comments

     After the refreshing review of the Nuke 7, this time we go back to one of Armaggeddon's staple product categories, the gaming headset category. Unlike other reviews where I only mention the price in my conclusion, this time I am obliged to mention the price in the opening paragraph as it is the main bargaining chip this time around. The Pulse 5 comes in at the mere price of only RM 79. Yes, you saw that right. Alright, without further ado, let's get started.

WHAT'S IN THE BOX?

TECH SPECS

REVIEW
     Firstly, the box is nothing exceptional to be honest. It's so barebones to the point where all the information you need is already printed on the box or available from your pool of common sense. Since it is nothing special, it is relatively easy to remove the headset from the box. Throwing the box aside, let's look at the headset itself.


     One would notice that the headset has an identical silhouette to any other headset available on the market. Taking a look around, we find the wording 'Armaggeddon' lasered atop the headband above the yellow coating. On the side, we find more lasered wording in case you forgot what headset you were using and Armaggeddon's logo. 'Beauty in the eye of the beholder'; I won't comment much on the aesthetics because aesthetics are definitely not your first concern considering the price range this headset falls in. Of course, if you find the yellow too striking, there are two other variations for you to check out: White/Blue and Black/Red which can be seen here.

     Build quality wise, the headset is built out of plastic in it's entirety. Users can adjust the headband to suit their personal preference so people with a big head like mine can still wear the headset in a comfortable manner. There is some flex to the headset, enough flex to discourage me from bringing the headset to LAN parties or other occasions. With the less than stellar build quality, an upside that comes with it is the lightweight-ness, which will be a factor when we look into the comfort of the headset.


     Looking at the ear cups, it is made of what I would assume as leatherette. If you didn't know, leatherette is a synthetic material covered with PVC. Looking around the headband area, we have a pretty soft cushion attached to it. Again, no information what the cushion is made of, but it's no memory foam for sure. Comfort wise, I would say that there's still room for improvement as the ear cups are causing me discomfort, the headband cushion is comfy enough to not cause any discomfort; the light weight of the headset also compensates in some aspects for comfort.


     Moving along, let's look at the connectivity. Of course, like any other headset, we have 3.5mm audio and mic jack connectors which are gold plated to improve longevity. One weird thing you would notice in the above picture would be the fact that there is a USB connector as well. What this USB connector is quite gimmicky considering the price; it provides power for the lights on the headset (which I will go into later on).


     Looking along the semi-braided cabling, we find a volume adjustment & mic mute control. The control unit is pretty big compared to others normally found on gaming headsets. When using the headset, the control unit dangles around the stomach area which may or may not be a dealbreaker for you. The volume is controlled with a wheel mechanism which is easy enough to operate. I can't say the same for the microphone mute switch though, I would prefer that it be made bigger in the next iteration (if there is one).


     As previously mentioned, there is LED lighting on the headset. The LEDs are located at both sides of the ear cups as well as a tiny LED on the microphone. The whole ordeal will depend on your personal preference. For me, I think the LEDs look a bit gimmicky on this headset. Other than that, I would have preferred that the LED on the microphone would indicate whether or not the microphone is muted; at least then, the LED would at least serve a purpose.

     With all that aside, we come to the most important part of a headset, the audio quality. Two words: Bass cannons. The Pulse 5 features very very very overpowered bass, which is okay considering the target demographic is for gamers. Considering the price, it would be very unfair to compare the audio quality to what I normally listen to. As far as I can tell, the mids and highs are drown out by the overpowering bass. I think for the Pulse 5's target demographic (read entry-level gamers) that it is acceptable for it to have this shortcoming.

     Another component that makes or break the headset is of course the microphone. To be frank, this particular microphone isn't spectacular in any way. There is limited angles as to how the user can adjust the mic which is either higher or lower; depending on the shape of one's head, the microphone may not be right in front of one's mouth. To compensate for that, the microphone is made to be omnidirectional, which brings us to the next problem, the microphone picks up more ambient noise than any other microphone I have ever used.

CONCLUSION
     With everything said, as I have mentioned at the start of the review, the price, RM79, is the main selling point of the Pulse 5. In short, the Pulse 5 has more shortcomings than there are strengths to its overall feature set. Is it the 'ultimate gaming headset' as advertised in front of the packaging? I would answer no without a doubt. However, I see the Pulse 5 as somewhat of a starting point for those young aspiring gamers out there, where budget is certainly the major concern for them. With that said though, I still feel that one should save up and get a good set of headphones with a much better microphone like a HD 449+ ModMic setup.