A few weeks ago, I wrapped up my review on the Astro A40 TRs, which for the most part was a fantastic headset that combined comfort, usability and high quality sound. Since then, I've been exclusively using Logitech's Artemis G633s, the wired version of the Artemis line of headsets, and once again, I'm blown away by both the design and functionality of this headset.
In my Astro review, I stated that when it comes to headsets, the simpler the setup, the better the experience for me. I'm not a huge fan of a lot of long cables getting all tangled up. Thankfully, the Artemis G633s are the perfect answer to that. The only thing you ever need to worry about is the headset itself, and either a USB cable to plug into your PC, or a 3.5mm cable to plug into your audio devices or when in use with a console. That's it! That sort of simplicity already made me very excited from day one.
The design and shape is also quite comfortable. It feels like a very sturdy headset, despite the ear cups rotating a little too loosely for my liking. The ear cups themselves are large, and cover the entirety of my big ears, which is always a plus. Especially since headsets with smaller cups make the top of my ears hurt over time. The outside of the headset now sports removable covers, similar to the Astro Tags, that you'll be able to switch up with various themed covers, though as of this writing, I'm unsure if any exist for them yet. On the inside of the cups (the side facing you) are lights that can be customized to be any color you could possibly imagine.
I also really love the foldaway microphone that's located on the side. Not only does that make this headset look way less weird when taking it out and about, as you won't have a random mic sticking out of one side, it also makes it so you don't misplace it by accident. Simply flipping it up will mute the mic as well, which is handy if your fiance starts yelling at you for playing too many video games in the background, and you quickly need to mute yourself and diffuse the situation. That was not an example of my household. My wife fully supports my gaming habits, I swear!
There's also a secondary microphone located on the 3.5mm cable, which you can switch to as well. That one has a slightly better quality too, but it loses the charm and the usefulness of being foldaway like the other one.
On the left ear, you'll find your entire control panel, which gives you instant access to volume control, light switch to control the functionality and colors of the lights, surround sound toggle, equalizer toggle as well as a switch that allows you to choose between the two modes, USB or 3.5mm input. You basically have everything you need within reach on the left ear, and honestly, a lot of those, you won't even tough on a frequent basis.
The sound quality, simply put, is out of this world. I'm not sure what kind of sorcery the Pro-G Audio Drivers are built on, but this headset makes everything sound unbelievably good. From the low, booming bass, to the higher treble sounds, the range is fantastic. Not to mention, the simulated 7.1 surround sound also sounds pretty impeccable. I'm not sure whether I'm ready to declare that I can pinpoint an enemy location based on its sound, like I could with true surround, but it's damn close.
Not only is it a damn fine PC headset, but it also performs admirably on consoles. I've been mostly using it on the PS4. There are two ways you can hook this headset up; The 3.5mm can go directly into your controller, which is the preferred method, or you can plug the USB into your console directly, and use it that way.
There is a difference though. From what I've noticed, the volume of both the headset and the mic gets really low when using the USB option, meaning I not only have to turn the volume up to hear the game better, but I also need to turn my mic sensitivity way up. The downside to that being that then a lot of background noise sneaks into your conversation. On the flipside, using the 3.5mm seems to be the best course of action, as both the volume of the game and the mic are noticeably higher, and the background noise doesn't get picked up anymore due to the sensitivity being much lower.
For $149.99, you're getting amazing sound quality, and a convenient headset that's extremely easy to set up. While that sounds pricey, remember that the Astro A40 TRs retail for $250, and deliver the same sound quality. You're only losing out on the included Mixer.
