“Jack of all trades, master of none” is usually seen as a negative. Always kind of baffled me, to be honest, since the next line is “often much better than master of one.”
Well, meet the headset of all trades, the Logitech G Pro X headset.
Let’s start with the obvious; gaming. For a gaming headset you really want three main things. First, long-term comfort for those far too often “oh Christ it’s been 8 hours” sessions. Second, functionality and features; can it do what it needs to do. And finally, how many dollarydoos do I need to give someone to make this mine?
Also if it’s pretty, but I mean, look at these things. It’s a given that they’re sleek as hell.
Like a comforting hug for your ears
I know that’s a bizarre headline, but bear with me.
The Logitech G Pro X comes with two sets of earcups, interchangeable by way of a rubber seal. These do not change easily and, while I may just be incompetent, I was not a fan of the ordeal. This isn’t something you’ll do on a whim, but I’m still a fan of the options.
The leather earcups were certainly warmer than the foam, and provided far more noise reduction from the environment than their squishier compatriots. For your online shooters, or in a noisy environment, these will be your go-to pick. The foam, on the other hand, was lighter, softer, and more permeable to both heat and sound. This was handy for those times I was playing Fallout 76 while also slyly paying attention to the Canadian frontier drama my partner was watching in the other room. Alternatively, if you’re a normal person and just want some ambient sound if you’re likely to be spoken to IRL, also good.
For long-term wear, the foam comes out fractionally on top, but I was able to wear either for around six hours apiece (on and off), so whichever you prefer will be all good.
The headband is also quite cushiony and pleasant, which is rarer than you’d think even in high-end headsets. There was none of that ‘digging into your scalp like an angry sea-monster’ that you get with some other brands. I mean if you’re into that then more power to ya, but I like my scalp unscabbed, thanks.
Like a nest of useful snakes
I’ve had a lot of headsets, but none came with the veritable cornucopia of additions that the Logitech Pro X did. Two full-length cables, one with a 5mm jack for PC or controller input and some sweet microphone controls, and the other with just one button intended for phone usage. Add to this a Y-shaped splitter for those with seperate mic and ear jacks, as well as a USB converter, and you’ve got enough gizmos and gadgets to rival a Swiss Army Headset which, regardless of whether or not that exists, is still pretty damn impressive.
Honestly, I used the main cable with volume slider, mic control, and clip almost exclusively. But, again, it’s nice to keep your options open, like having two passports, or a secret family in Hamilton.
It is, however, slightly awkward that I can’t change mic volume for other players from the cable though, especially when a small child in Australia is being yelled at by his mum for not tidying his room. Luckily, that’s become rarer post-Fortnite and Apex, because all the kids are off playing those instead of Overwatch. Still, it’s the only feature I really missed from other headsets with balance options, and really wish was here.
Sound quality is, well, pretty excellent. Whether it’s Overwatch, Animal Crossing, Zoom, or Spotify, I haven’t thrown anything at the Pro X that it hasn’t handled comfortably. It’s the kind of quality you expect from the peeps at Logitech, and they’ve yet again delivered.
Like a productive member of society
Speaking of Zoom and Spotify, yeah, this is what I meant by saying it does every job. The near-universal connectivity means that I can pull the cable from my PS4 controller or laptop and stick it into my Mac to join a video meeting with absolutely no hassle. Not to mention that you’ll be the coolest member of the meeting with these things because, as mentioned, they’re slick.
As much as I’ve been gaming with the Pro X, I’ve also been doing business things; as they day, all play and no work makes Brian… well, it’d make me unemployed. This headset has been a godsend when on Zoom calls out of a city centre apartment and, as such, I am pleased to announce that the Logitech G Pro X definitely wins the Lockdown Headset of Choice Award 2020, which I absolutely did not just make up.
The removable mic not only helps you not accidentally broadcast your dinner plans to the whole party, but also means you can listen to music publicly without looking like a complete idiot. Yes, people using mic’d headphones on the street, we see you. And we judge you. Harshly. This way you get all the fun of announcing you play video games to pedestrians, with far less cringe factor. Hey, that’s a win.
Now, obviously there are caveats. You won’t get utterly glorious quality on par with music-focused headphones, but it’s perfectly listenable, even for a snobby audiophile like me. Hell, I’m listening to Iron Maiden right now, and they sound great. In the same way we trade off perfect microphone control on the gaming side, this is the price of versatility. Frankly, it’s your call.
The other big thing is that the Logitech G Pro X is not wireless. To be honest, that’s fine. Frankly it’s a relief not having to deal with charging a headset every few hours, or picking it up to discover it’s out of charge. Plus, and here’s the kicker, it makes the headset a helluva lot more affordable than it would otherwise be.
Just don’t trip and drag your controller halfway across your apartment… Like I did… Repeatedly…
Like trading cash money for usefulness
Ah, capitalism, the reason we can’t have nice things. Well, here you… I mean, you don’t fall (yet), but you certainly don’t completely ruin things.
Thanks to those legends at PriceSpy, I can see that the Logitech G Pro X headset retails for between $260 – $300 NZD on average, which is comfortably mid-tier pricing. Compare this to some of the more mediocre sets that cost the same and you’ll see why this is sweet.
For the same features in a wireless set, you’d be looking at another $100 – $150, at least. Even to get them in a wired set I’d expect to pay a little more. The build quality, versatility, and overall niceness (scientific term) really makes the Logitech G Pro X some of the most bang you can get for your buck.
Like the best wired headset you can get
The similes may have gotten away from me a bit, but the Logitech G Pro X has been a true journey of interactive audio discovery. Or maybe I’ve got some form of headset Stockholm Syndrome because I’ve used this thing almost every day during the whole COVID-19 thing.
Probably the first one.
Ultimately, this headset fits in multiple niches, and does several things really well. Admittedly, I’ve yet to find a Logitech G product I couldn’t wholeheartedly recommend, but even so these are really everything you could want from tech like this. While not a perfect gaming set, nor an outstanding music apparatus, or even the best video conference mic you could have, the fact that it can function well in all of these scenarios makes it an excellent all-rounder for those of us who don’t want to juggle three different headsets.
The aesthetic is fantastic, with quality to match, and versatility is second to none. Jack of all trades really is better than master of one and, if you need proof, look no further than the Logitech G Pro X.
Comments are closed.