I’ve reviewed $30 to $300 headsets in the past, from Razer and Astro to V-Moda and Turtle Beach. Never before have I tried a Logitech gaming headset, as I’ve always associated them more with keyboard and mice than audio. But I found Logitech has quite the offering for gamers looking for a pretty good headset. With the Logitech G430, gamers get a 7.1 Surround Sound gaming headset with 40mm drivers for $79.99, but you can definitely find it for cheaper.
The first thing I do with every headset is put on Rush’s Tom Sawyer. The clarity is definitely noticeable. Bass never gets too heavy, but those that prefer a ton of bass will notice that it doesn’t punch quite as hard as you’d like, and could at times sound a bit suppressed. That said, you can make out every instrument, and the mids and highs really shine, especially on a song like YYZ. I adjusted the bass and treble in the Logitech Gaming Software, and got a more preferred result for music listening. Heading over to a game like The Witcher, with its sweeping musical score over the sound effects, or Battlefield 4, the distinct clarity stays. The surround sound is perfect for first-person shooters where it helps to locate where gunfire and sound effects are coming from.
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The microphone is perfectly fine for game chat or skype, and it can function as the primary microphone for someone looking to start up a YouTube or Twitch channel, as it is a unidirectional boom mic with noise cancelling. Eventually, though, you’d want to upgrade to a standalone mic.
Aesthetically, it’s easy on the eyes. It’s a matte black, and the bright blue on the performance-sport cloth earcups and the headband pad is really vibrant, and they’re easily washable. The entire headset is really slim and light, and even after wearing it for four to six hours straight, it never became uncomfortable. The earcups swivel 90 degrees, so they can turn to lay flat. The G430 can feel a bit flimsy due to this, like I’m afraid since it’s so light that I might turn the earcups too far and break them, but that’s just due to the headset being light in general. I have a five-year-old that has been using this headset as well and if he hasn’t broken it by now, that means it’s more sturdy than I think.
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The G430 is a USB headset, but there’s also analog 3.5mm jacks for the mic and sound, so you can use the G430 with your PlayStation 4 in stereo. There are on-cable sound controls for volume and a microphone mute, but it’s pretty basic. There’s no audio balancing for voice and game sound levels. You can adjust some levels in the Logitech Gaming Software, like bass and treble, and volume and microphone.
The Logitech G430 didn’t blow me away when compared to high-end gaming headsets, but it definitely stands at the front of the pack among headsets in the same price range. It does a little bit of everything and won’t disappoint you in any area. It’s a solid, all-around gaming headset.
