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A publication of Malloc Technology
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| Headset Review: Steelseries 7H vs Sharkoon RHS200 |
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| Written by Will Smith - Posted on Monday, 06 September 2010 02:03 | |||||||||||
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Introduction It's amazing how far headsets have come these days ... I remember back in the early days of online FPS (First Person Shooters), we use to have a separate HiFi headphones that's pretty ordinary for sound, and a separate cheap desktop microphone for speech. It was all good until you realise that the loose cabling was a problem. During the mist of some intense gaming action, the loose cabling from the headphones, microphones would always seem to get in the way of your most needed "kill". The other problem was the volume control and the microphone on/off function, which had to be adjusted manually through the audio settings on the computer. This was not ideal, as it would affect your gaming experience. So what's the solution? Well, imagine a headphone with a built-in microphone, and just one cable combining both volume and mic controls. Voila! the gaming headset was born ... Last week, we talked about professional gaming accessories and put two gaming laser mice to the test ... the QPad 5K and the Sharkoon FireGlider. Both mice were pretty good. The QPad 5K was aimed at the more professional gamer offering excellent features with good CPI rate and programmable settings, but at price. The Sharkoon FireGlider however, was more affordable and aimed at the mainstream gamer, but it also offered some good features such as the weight tuning system, good CPI rate as well as programmable buttons. Gaming mice are just one of the accessories required by gamers to complete the whole "professional gaming" experience. So what else is missing ... well, to complete that whole "professional gaming" experience, you'll also need a good quality mouse mat, keyboard and a decent headset. Today, we'll be looking at two gaming headsets ... one from Steelseries and the other from Sharkoon. The Steelseries 7H Pro Gaming headset is aimed at the professional gamer and is priced at the higher-end of the market, while the Sharkoon RHS RH200 is a more affordable headset aimed at the mainstream gamer who's on a tight budget. Both headsets have built-in microphones and volume control, but the Steelseries 7H offers higher quality and better sound than the Sharkoon RHS RH200.
Steelseries V5 Pro Gaming Headset No introduction here ... Steelseries is THE brand of choice for most professional gamers. They specialise in professional gaming accessories including mice, keyboards, mouse mats and headsets. For more information on Steelseries and their other products ... here's a little something taken from their website.
In this versus battle, we'll be taking a look at the Steelseries 7H Pro Gaming headset. As I've mentioned earlier, the 7H Pro Gaming headset is aimed at the professional gamer, and therefore will be priced at the higher-end of the market. It comes with detachable braided cables for both audio/mic and feature gold-plated audio jacks/connectors. One of the cables has an integrated volume and mic control unit, while another has a mini-USB connector which you connect to the headset itself. This is a pretty cool feature, as it means you can actually detach the headset away from the braided cables. Furthermore, the headset can be dismantled in 4 separate pieces, which allows for compact and easy transportation. And finally there is an "invisible" pull-out microphone which is found on the left earcup. This extractable/extendable and allows you to store the microphone away, thus proctecting it from general ware 'n' tear. And as an added bonus, you'll also get 2 spare ear cups/pads. All-in-all, a very well thought-out headset that's really designed for the professional gamer. Late, we'll be checking out the audio quality, as well as its build quality.
Sharkoon RHS Gaming Headset Sharkoon are based in Germany and comes from a slightly different background. They produce on all sorts of peripherals from keyboard/mouse to USD HDD docking stations. More recently, they've entered the gaming market and launched a new brand called RUSH ... selling keyboards, mouse and headsets for gamers. For those who've never heard of Sharkoon until now ... here's a little something taken from their website.
Last week, we looked at Sharkoon's FireGlider gaming mouse, and thought that it was a pretty good product for what you get. I think Sharkoon's main focus here is affordability and price. Their main business strategy has always been to target the mainstream gamers who's on a tight budget, and it seems to be working well for them. We'll be taking a look at their RHS200 gaming headset. It features cushioned ear cups and headband, and a long cable integrated with a mic and volume control unit, as well as two 3.5 mm stereo jacks for audio and microhone. The length of the microphone is fixed and is located on the left ear cup. It can be stored away by aligning it with the headband itself. Build quality is pretty standard with nothing to shout about. But sometimes it's not all brand names ... it's what you get for the price, that matters.
Both of these headsets look pretty good, and it'll be interesting to see what the sound quality is really like. As usual, we putting these headsets through the test with a few popular games such as StarCraft II, Left for Dead, Aliens vs Predator and of course Counter Strike. It's the battle of the headsets ... Steelseries 7H vs Sharkoon RHS200. Are you a mainstream/occasional gamer or are you a part of a professional e-sports team? Which headset would you choose? Ok, let's not waste any more time and take a closer look at the specifications of these gaming headsets, starting with the Steelseries 7H ...
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