Guest blogger Alexandru Gheorghe takes the gaming-centric Sony DR-GA500 headset for a spin and finds it comfortable with rich audio quality.
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Overview and Features
The Sony DR-GA500 headset is definitely aimed at gaming enthusiasts, and it stands out from the crowd a bit with its futuristic look, giving the impression that its straight out of a sci-fi game.
We like the fact that they feel quite comfortable, not to mention light, but even so, their design might not appeal to everybody, especially if you’re not into the whole “sci-fi” look. A Dolby Pro Logic IIx decoder is included, that can be connected to the 3.5mm analogue outputs on your soundcard or a USB port. You might think that connecting a decoder to your soundcard is not a very good idea, but it’s meant to transfer its surround output to the headset.
When it came to Sony’s capability to deliver 7.1-channel audio we have to admit that we had some doubts, since the headset connects via a 3.5mm stereo jack, that normally only has the ability to deliver two channels of sound. However, at some point between the headset and the decoder, Sony managed to pull this off successfully . While the final effect isn’t quite what you’d expect (in other words, what you’d get from a full-on 7.1-channel speaker system) but it’s about as close as a stereo headset can get to achieving that type of performance. Sound is noticeably richer and more detailed, and even ambient sounds seems clearer, creating an overall enjoyable experience.
A notable upside of this headset is that the jack can be connected to other sources – hooking them up to a laptop proved easy and is fairly adept for watching movies, as well as listening to music on a mobile.
We do have something to say about the price tag though, as it seems there’s a bit of discrepancy in terms of pricing when it comes to Sony. And here’s why: should you want to get the Sony DR-GA200 headset (for example), you can do that for about £40 (RM198), which means the extra accessories (that aren’t available separately) pushes the price to almost £70 (RM345).
Even though the headset offers a great 7.1-channel sound experience, a better idea might be to pick up the headset separately, while making use of your very own sound card’s built-in software to emulate the surround sound effects.
Pros
The Sony DR-GA500 gaming headset offers good audio quality while being fairly comfortable to wear. The fact that it can be used with other sources is a plus, as with the good 7.1-channel effects, which just makes them more appealing.
Cons
This headset doesn’t have many faults, but we do however feel like we should mention the high price tag, as well the design, seeing as it could have looked somewhat better.
Conclusion
Even though the Sony DR-GA500 headset delivers good sound quality and goes easy on your ears seeing as they’re comfortable to wear, it’s not really enough to justify the high price tag. While the sound may be richer, we have our fair share our doubts it will significantly affect your gameplay.
