Final Thoughts
How Much Does it Cost?
The AverMedia SonicWave USB 7.1 Gaming Headset (Gh337) is available now from many major retailers. It’s listed on Amazon for $69.99, and £69.99 here in the UK. Business customers can also find stock from their UK distributor Target. That’s not cheap for a headset, but it’s ticking the right boxes for this price range. However, it’s going up against some pretty fierce competition, with practically every brand having headsets in the same price range.
Overview
The latest headset from AverMedia doesn’t break any new ground, and if anything, they’ve played it quite safe. It’s clear to me that their experience in the game capture and the streaming market has played a big part in how this headset sounds. It’s quite a stylish looking headset as well, as that makes me think it’s tailored towards the younger gamers and streamers out there. The microphone design and the slightly bright audio would benefit well for those streaming and capturing video of games like Fortnite. Again, perhaps for the same people using AverMedias streaming and capture devices, this would be a good pairing.
Sound Quality
There’s nothing wrong with the sound quality, but nothing to shout about either. It performs as well as it should for this price range. I was a little underwhelmed at first, but a quick tinker with the built-in EQ soon fixed things up to something that made me smile. In fact, the sheer level of software configuration on offer is very impressive, and it’s rare to see such extensive customisation on something in this price bracket. The surround sound feature works well enough, not as good as say, Dolby Atmos Headphones or DTS:X, but these are things you can turn on using 3rd party software anyway, so it’s really up to you which you use. You can get all the features through the Windows Sound Manager, or you can use their Sound Engine software, which is basically a fancy GUI front end for the same.
Build Quality
This headset weighs so little, it’s actually quite surprising. Oddly enough, the lack of weight almost makes it feel like a cheap flimsy headset. However, it’s pretty robust and durable. The dual sets of ear pads are of a decent quality and look and feel great. There’s good padding on the headband too, which is comfortable. The microphone mounting is chunky and robust. Furthermore, the cables are joined securely and the in-line controller is large and robust too. Overall, a big thumbs up from me.
Should I Buy One?
Now, this is a tough one. There’s a lot of great headsets on the market at this price range. In fact, I wouldn’t care to count how many there are. Many of them are well loved by the gaming market, and it’s not going to be easy for AverMedia to really stand out in that crowd. However, this is a good headset, it looks decent, sound nice, and has plenty of features. If you want a good quality microphone and lightweight comfortable headset, it certainly ticks all the right boxes.
