In an earlier post we introduced and reviewed the mighty SteelSeries Arctics Pro Wireless. And as usual the price tag carried a heavy toll on the products popularity despite the offered value. Most of us cannot afford a headset of that range, especially if we are budget gamers. Therefore let us investigate a headset that is massively efficient in the price to performance ratio. Lets plunge into the Logitech G533 Gaming Headset Review and see how much of an attractive alternative that is.
Logitech G533 Gaming Headset Build
The dimensions and the weight respectively are 3.7 x 8.58 x 8.27 inches and 12.3 ounces. It has an all black attractive design in its components. Logitech has avoided fancy designs, RGB and other flashy embeds in this headset. The ear cups are made out of flat glossy back panels and glossy plastic. The headband has a nice curvature and the mic is somewhat hidden amidst other components.
The aesthetics are much more incremented than a typical Logitech gaming headset and certainly adds value to the item. In fact the look resembles more of a Sennheiser or Razer headset. On-ear volume and mute controls make it simple to adjust audio while gaming. The volume wheel, a programmable button for muting and the mic are fixated on the left ear cup. The significant reason behind the ease of volume adjustment despite its higher position is the rough texture of the button. This makes it easy to distinguish.
Apart from these the left ear cup also features the power on/off button and a micro USB port. Because of the comfortable padding under the headband it settles comfortably around your head. It isn’t too thick which is a good thing, but just enough to hold the headset on you firmly. And the earcups have a pleasant large surface area that completely engulfs your ear without causing any discomfort. Thus allowing you to wear them for long sessions.
The adjustable boom mic is carved into the metal arm in the left earcup. When you aren’t using it, the mic positions on the left earcup without causing any intrusion and automatically mutes when flipped.
Logitech G533 Gaming Headset Performance
In the audio department the Logitech G533 has DTS 7.1 Surround sound and Pro-G audio drivers. Similar drivers as the G933. And before we progress further we should remember that this is strictly a gaming headset for PC and not Xbox. Also works with the PS4 provided a USB transmitter. It works with the Logitech G software installed in your PC. As do the wireless Logitech gaming keyboards and gaming mice. The charge in the G533 lasts for 15 hours.
Gaming
The bass of the headset is well balanced, though slightly inclined to the deeper side. Still it doesn’t do any injustice to the overall audio quality. The Logitech G533 has a variety of sound options. That includes equalizers, stereo and surround sound. These qualities are particularly handy in different genres of games. For example in first person shooter games the bass will really produce effects on gunfire and explosions.
Also for racing games the tire screeches, brakes, nitrous and suspension will be highlighted accordingly with the correct sound profile. Using surround sound with the G533, Directional enemies approach is distinctly audible in Overwatch. And no interference is experienced with background music and character noises. Although this might be a bit of an issue when team voice chat is added.
A lack of feature here is the absence of a dial to adjust the balance between the chat and game audio. The only way to achieve optimized balance is by ensuring well equalized levels before starting a game. The stereo settings work well with the relevant games such as Marvel Heroes.
Surround sound according to some experts isn’t that perfect as on paper. PCW says that it’s more of a hit or miss situation and sometimes the sounds are almost hollow. Nonetheless these are for extreme audiophiles and most probably doesn’t concern the average gamer.
Music
This is the point where you consider the absence of a 3.5mm jack a huge loss. After all this is a good headset capable of doing justice to any genre of music. Nonetheless since it is a headset which is slightly biased to the bass, music rich with bass is handled very well. No abnormal frequency amplifies or distortions of any sort.
However at times the bass tends to overshadow the rest of the melody of the song, even the vocals. And even if you super tune the equalizer settings, the bass still has a larger influence on the rest of the music. Needless to say that the sound balance, frequency response aren’t as genuine as a dedicated pair of music headsets.
Microphone
The Logitech G533 mic comes with a miniature pop filter where a mesh like structure covers the mic. It is a thoughtful and comfortable alternative to the regular circular ball like structure that covers the microphone. The pop sounds aren’t heard with this mic and it certainly isn’t built for recording podcasts. It does a good job in eliminating background noise. But a shortcoming is that at times your voice is unusually quietened and to eliminate this you need to position the mic to your mouth as close as possible.
No doubt that this is a well built microphone for game chat. The voice is clear and on point and no unwanted static or frequency distortions occur. Therefore you can assure that it will serve well in any type of multiplayer game.
Logitech G533 vs G933
The Logitech G533 Gaming Headset Review would be incomplete without this inclusion of the headset comparison. The Logitech G933 is a more upgraded version of the G533. That means more programmable buttons, better audio quality, better mic and a better design. Also you can use it wired with consoles even when the battery is dead. The noise isolation of the G933 is ahead of the G533.
However in terms of neutral sound and wireless gaming the G533 is clearly ahead of the G933. Which means the Logitech G533 can provide a well balanced genuine representation of bass, mids, treble, consistency, distortion, soundstage. All these genres gain an almost equal accuracy with the G533. Also the G533 is better in wireless gaming, in terms of latency, mic quality, and consistent sound.
Also the bass, treble accuracy, noise handling and the consistency in frequency response is better in the G533. In terms of design and breathability the two headsets are almost in parallel. Apart from these features the Logitech G933 is better in every other aspect. Such as stability, weighted harmonic distortion, passive soundstage, noise isolation and recording quality.
Another important fact is that the G533 has better wireless connectivity than the G933 and better battery life. 15 hrs vs 12.5 hrs to be precise. Therefore as you can see both the Logitech headsets are well built devices that offer optimum price to performance value. The G933 holds a slight upper hand as it allows the wired connection with consoles and has more options and better mic quality.
Conclusion
Lets conclude the Logitech G533 Gaming Headset Review. There is absolutely no doubt that this particular headset offers tremendous value for just $74. With its boom mic, comfortable design, slightly bass enhanced greater audio quality and durability. The only downside is the absence of the wired jack for console and other device usage. Which restricts options for the usage as a good music headset. But then again this is an excellent choice for budget wireless gaming with your PC.
