Roccat NOZ Headset Review – Lightweight Design – Big Sound

A Closer Look and Performance

Straight away, we can see this is a gorgeous looking headset. Roccat has kept the styling super clean and simple. There’s no glaring RGB lighting, no oversized logos, no giant decals at all. It doesn’t have huge flairs on it or anything like that either. They’re smooth and clean from every angle like they were designed in a wind tunnel. This I approve of, as I could wear these on the train, plane, or at the bus stop and look like I’m wearing actual headphones. Some gaming headsets look great at home, but moronic out in public, but that’s not the case here.

Adjustable Design

The Noz come with all the usual range of adjustments. For younger gamers, the minimum headset size is quite compact and should fit very easily.

Most of the headsets I review barely fit my large head, which is a shame. Fortunately, Roccat has always been accommodating in this regard. Their extension range is much longer than most, and would even fit someone with a taller head than mine! The metal extension support is easily adjusted, but locks firmly in place too.

The ear cups have some pivot movement too them also. This means the ear cups should sit flush around your ear. I hate it when you don’t get enough movement here, as either the top or bottom or the drivers will kick-out rather than create a good seal. Fortunately, this design evenly distributes what little weight the headset has.

Weird Flex But OK

The durability of this headset is mind-bending. It weighs less than pretty much all of its rivals. So much so, that you would think it was really fragile. However, as with Roccat headsets of the past, it’ll bend and flex extensively, then simply spring back to true. Even if you do drop it, the lightweight design means it hardly lands with a thud. It’ll withstand plenty of abuse and just keep on rocking. Of course, I suggest you try to take better care of it anyway.

Padding

Lightweight it may be, but it still packs plenty of comfort for extra piece of mind. There’s a thickly padded headband, as well as soft ear pads. They’re covered with a soft and breathable fabric. This means you won’t get the dreaded sweaty ear of leather ear pads. However, they don’t provide as much passive noise-cancellation as leather ones would. However, if you desire comfort over all else, I’d choose these pads all day and night long.

Ear Cups

Those smoothly finished ear cups don’t tell much of a story. However, lurking inside them, you’ll find 60 Ohm 10 – 20Khz 50mm drivers. They’re closed back, as you can see, which does help lock in the sound a lot. Of course, the soft fabric padding doesn’t make the headset sound-proof; so keep that in mind. On the left ear cup, you’ll find a large hole, which is where you can mount the detachable microphone.

Taking Control

It’s a simple 3.5mm jack headset, so the controls aren’t particularly complex. You get a volume dial and a microphone mute switch, but that’s about it. Of course, that’s all you really need too!

Powerful Sound

Don’t let the lightweight design fool you. Those 50mm drivers are pretty cheeky. If anything, I’m more stunned at just how punchy and clean the sound is from such a lightweight design. There’s a kick on the low end that you just wouldn’t expect from something in this price range. Despite this, the mid-ranges are lovely and warm, and the treble rings as well as a dedicated set of tweeters. It’s an impressive sound, and even come close to some of Roccat’s more expensive models.

The close fit around the ear puts the drivers quite close to your ear, but not intrusively so. The end result is a tight and responsive sound that’s ideal for everything from music to gaming. While they don’t block all outside noise, they do block more than I thought. Plus, the volume they can output would soon drown out everything around you anyway. Max volume on this headset will take your freaking head off. So, as always, use that volume wheel with a little caution or it’ll be “IP Headphone Users”.

Loud and Clear

The microphone is the biggest surprise here. It’s noticeably clearer than pretty much anything I’ve tested in this price range. The sound isn’t too bass heavy, or too bright… I guess I could say, it’s just right. Up next, I’ll be reviewing porridge that’s too hot, too cold, and hopefully one that’s just right. The adjustable design works well too, so you’re not just breathing like Darth Vader into it, you can get it exactly where you need it.

Directions unclear, microphone stuck in eye.

Ballance

The most impressive thing about this headset though, is everything. It’s powerful drivers offer a great sound, without being over the top. The microphone is very clear and balanced. The end result is natural sound team-chat while you’re gaming, as well as fantastic sound with plenty of detail that would suit everything from eSports to just chilling and playing Forza.