Quick Review : Plantronics HS1 HiFi Headset w/ Mic

Are you a gaming freak?, you like listening to good music louder then your landlord will let you or before plaster comes off the walls?, you maybe like to do both at once? Well this is a toy for you!

This is the Plantronics answer to so many hard-core games out there that wanted to be able to use the voice systems but still get great quality sound. I was skeptical so I thought I would pick one up and test it.

Specs:

Speakers
Driver size - 40mm
Sensitivity - 97dbSPL
Magnet material - Neo Dymium

Mic
Sensitivity - -38 +/-4db
Noise Cancellation-  Hyper Cardioid
Frequency Range- 50Hz - 10Khz

Misc
All Plastic Construction , Comfortable head strap, 9ft wire, onwire volume and mic mute. Price - 79$

Test's and opinions:

Test 1: Listened to Metallica S&M CD's on it, and gauged it against my nice Altec Lansing ADA -305 speakers at a fairly loud volume
Result : OUTSTANDING! Not quite as much bass as the sub on my AL speakers, but Very good high and mid range, bass was more then good, and impressed me the second I put them on

Test 2: Played Starseige: Tribes and used Roger Wilco (while listening to a music CD).
Result: The people I was talking to almost didn't recognize who I was because of the quality of it. They said  "You actually sound like a person now!" I ran a test and recorded my self and WOW is it just awesome. With 4 machines and a cooling system running close to me there is a good amount of background noise, and this canceled it all out!

Test 3: Endurance, Tried wearing them for a prolonged period of time (4 hours)
Result : .. Well.. they were wearable, but you do need to take a break from them now and then. At 4 hours it got a bit un bearable. My ears got hot, and felt like I was on the phone for hours. This is not uncommon for headphones, but these are big and they don't let much air circulate. It could have been MUCH worse though.

Conclusion and Rating-

These are expensive headphones for anyone on a budget or that just doesn't need them.  The quality in construction is average.  They feel very loose and not solid at all.  But once they are on your head they feel very snug and solid.

Explanation:

I thought this was a great item for anyone serious about gaming, or just sick of getting yelled at for having the music to loud. The Microphone on it makes it great for communicating if you are on any sort of team.  The Price is a bit high but I do believe you get what you pay for with this. at 79$ it is a bit more then the Average guy may need.  And what geek system would be complete without these?? I think its well aimed at the fanatics, and the upper end of gamers.   The Plantronics LS1 is a more low end version (I think it looks pretty cool though) and lists for 49$. Check out Plantronics web site for any other details.