Logitech Pro X Gaming Headset - Review

I am just going to say it right off the bat: the Logitech Pro X may be the company’s most comprehensive – and possibly the most impressive – gaming headset they have made in a long while. It has a design that leans towards a more audiophile headset than a gaming one, it has got comfort on its side, the 50mm drivers pack a punch, and more interestingly, it has added Blue VO!CE software technology to provide one of the best mics in the business. With so much packed into it, I am surprised Logitech has managed to keep the headset priced at a competitive $129.99 (approx AED 500).

Design and Comfort

I would like to give credit where it’s due, and say that hardware manufacturers have definitely wisened up when it comes to designing their gaming headsets. Most modern gaming headset no longer feature gratuitous color schemes and aggressive designs, or are blinged out with RGB lights. They have become more subtle, more mature, and less harsh on the eyes. The Logitech Pro X takes things to a new level, however, with a design that in no way or form looks like they belong to a ‘gaming headset’. If I didn’t know better, I would’ve easily mistaken it for a mid-end audiophile headset.

From the look and feel, the Logitech Pro X exudes pure class. The ear cups are draped in soft matte finish (that is smooth to touch but will catch oily smudges easily), with a silver circle featuring the Logitech G logo in the center. Light bounces off it in a radial design, which is really eye-catching and gives the overall look a little bit more of a premium oomph. The headband is steel covered with a leatherette material and is luxuriously padded for extra comfort.

The earpads also feature the same plush leatherette padding, which provides hours-long comfort despite a slightly snug fit. If you aren’t a fan of leather, Logitech provides a velour alternative that is lighter and more breathable, but leaks more sound than the leather padding.

The Pro X comes with a sufficiently lengthy detachable audio cable that has a basic inline controller that allows you to adjust the volume and turn off the microphone. The cable ends on a 3.5mm so you can use it with a sound card or your mobile phone (Logitech also includes a Y-splitter), or you can use it with the included USB DAC which will enable you to use the headset’s surround sound and microphone features.

Speaking of mics, the Pro X comes with a standard issue boom mic which is also detachable. However, I have come to dislike detachable mics that do not retract or slide alongside the headset. I simply do not prefer to plug and unplug the mic every time I want to play a game or watch a movie, not to mention the high probability of losing it somewhere over the course of time (and considering the mic uses a proprietary port design, I cannot even replace it with another third party mic, either). I truly wish premium headsets like the Pro X feature a more thoughtful design for the mics.

Software

The Pro X unsurprisingly uses the Logitech G HUB software to power some of its key features. The most important one is, of course, the Blue VO!CE technology. Logitech bought Blue Microphones for a cool $117m last year, and they have wasted no time in implementing some of the technology into their gaming headsets (and wisely so).

While I do not think the mic is actually Blue hardware, the G HUB features a bunch of Blue VO!CE software wizardry to make your voice sound clear. The amount of advanced features present could be intimidating for a new user but stick to it, and you will be able to customize exactly how you want your voice to sound. You can play around with options like high-pass filter, De-esser, noise reduction, compressor, expander/gate, limiter, and even a voice EQ. If you do not know what any of these settings mean, the software helps you out with brief descriptions about what each of them do.

If you do not want to bother with the advanced settings, you can simply opt to use the included voice presets. The Blue VO!CE presets includes AM Radio, Broadcaster 1 & 2, FM Station, High Voice – Loud and Soft, and Low Voice – Loud and Soft. These presets make you sound wildly differently, and quite unlike yourself, so you might want to use it to have a bit of fun but I wouldn’t recommend it for online chat or streaming (which the mic is definitely capable of with the clarity that it offers). You can also choose from a bunch of pro-player presets like G2 shox, London Spirtfire Profit, and most of the TSM players. I am not really sure what these pro-player presets actually do because they simply change the pitch and depth of my voice and aren’t that different from each other either. It’s a bit of a redundant feature but I guess if you want to sound like any of your favorite esports players, err, here’s your chance.?

Another feature I must highlight, and appreciate, is the ability to add sidetone to the microphone. Sidetone allows you to hear yourself when you speak, so you do not have to worry about how loud you are speaking if you have the headset’s volume cranked up to the max.

I have attached a brief sample of the mic below. This is definitely one of the best microphones I have tested in a headset, and I will easily recommend it as a solid alternative to an actual streaming mic – it is that good.

Performance

With the rest of the package so good, it would have been a shame if the Pro X didn’t deliver equally great sound. But thankfully, Logitech’s 50mm drivers produce accurate and well-balanced sound that doesn’t shy away from kicking in the bass when needed.

The Pro X drivers have mostly flat characteristics – much akin to a studio grade headset – so it doesn’t have the energy and liveliness of other gaming headset that have cranked up the high frequencies up a notch or two. The Pro X instead prefers accuracy over pop, as the headset is obviously geared towards esports where sound positioning is of utmost importance. This was evident in my Overwatch games where I could locate footsteps and gun fire with precision. This is quite impressive because the Pro X doesn’t have a wide soundstage due to its closed-back design, but still manages to add range and depth to the sound.

If you do want to expand the soundstage, then you can enable the DTS Headphone: X surround sound feature found in the G HUB software. Unlike previous implementation of the technology in other headsets, I quite like them on the Pro X. It doesn’t necessarily improve the sound positioning a whole lot, but the widened soundstage does bring more immersiveness to the gameplay. I found the ‘Gaming’ preset for the surround sound to be the best option, as it doesn’t load up on the bass as the other ‘Entertainment’ and ‘Music’ presets do.

As for music and movies, I prefer to have the surround sound turned off to preserve the vocals as they seem to expand beyond the virtual center speaker and leak into the side speakers, making them sound a bit unnatural. Otherwise, in stereo mode, the Pro X performs admirably on both, albeit it is tad bit lifeless for music due its flat characteristics.

Much like the mic presets, the headset also receives its fair share of additional presets to choose from. You have the standard FPS and MOBA presets, along with a bunch of pro-player presets which are again quite useless and indistinguishable from one another. In fact, I couldn’t find any difference between any of the presets, so I simply stuck with the ‘Default’ one.