Review: Afterglow Wireless Headset
Last Updated on September 21, 2019 by Michael Brockbank
I’ve never been one to hold much stock in any device that is wireless. There is just too many problems that can crop up, especially if you have more than one device being used relatively close to another. However, I have found that the Afterglow wireless headset brings a lot more to the table than just mobility.
Although the price is more than I would usually pay for hardware, I do believe that the money is worth the investment.
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Why Should You Have an Afterglow Wireless Headset?
Excellent sound quality can do a great deal when it comes to enjoying a video game, music or any other digital entertainment. In fact, sound can alter how you perceive the entertainment in question from hating it to becoming an adamant fan.
When playing games, having a wireless headset can keep cords out of your way. One of my biggest problems is rolling over the cable to the PC while sitting in my chair. The wireless Afterglow wireless headset removes that problem.
While still connected to the computer, I can leave my office and go upstairs to grab a cup of coffee. This lets me stay in communication with those I am playing with or while streaming on my Twitch channel.
One of its features is the ability to change the colors of the LEDs inside the unit ear pieces. By holding the “Mode” button, you can cycle through an array of colors to find your favorite. Usually I leave it on blue. But sometimes I’ll get bored and cycle the lights to teal.
Extra Features
The chat and volume control directly on the unit allows you to alter the sound whether you are playing a game or need more emphasis on direct communication with the team.
I don’t really optimize this feature as I use the Afterglow primarily on my PC while running Team Speak – which seems to ignore some of the features of the headset.
The Afterglow wireless headset comes with nearly every connection port and can be used with PCs, consoles, smartphones and tablets while providing excellent sound quality.
The USB charging cable isn’t proprietary and you can use virtually any that supports USB mini-B – which is a plethora of different devices.
To mute the headset, you just need to press in the earpiece on the left. If you forget that you’re muted, the light on the microphone flashes periodically to remind you.
This has been quite useful during streams as I often mute to cough or sneeze and forget that I am on mute. It is a pain to talk to yourself for an hour before you realize that no one can hear you when watching the stream.
Overall Quality While Being Used
I was skeptical to spend so much money on a wireless headset as I am easy to please and liked my wired unit. However, the sound quality was superior to my old device exponentially.
Since there are several settings to cycle through, I can listen to various entertainment with a bass boost or regular – which has a great deal of bass by itself.
Unfortunately, a friend of mine has problems with her unit interfering with the wireless Gearhead mouse. Since the receivers sit relatively close to one another, her mouse doesn’t always click or respond while playing games.
After troubleshooting the problem, we discovered that it was the headset that was interfering with the mouse signal. Since she’d rather have a wireless headset, she decided to get a cabled mouse instead.
Distance was quite a selling point for me since the Afterglow wireless headset can reach me nearly anywhere in my two-story house. Another selling point was the fact that my friend and I can be relatively close without either device interfering with each other.
Sometimes, similar wireless devices can cause all kinds of problems when in close proximity as mentioned earlier with the Gearhead mouse. That doesn’t happen with these units.
Pros
Now on to the good parts of the Afterglow wireless headset. There are many pros that are tied with the unit and I am still discovering highlights of the device as I use it throughout the day.
- Excellent wireless range
- Excellent sound quality on games, music and movies
- 10 hour battery life after 3 hour charge
- Customizable prism colors on the earpieces – many different colors to choose from by holding in the “Mode” button
- Able to attach to many electronics including RCA devices
- Plug-and-play installation – no driver disks
- Can’t hear anything outside of the speakers – snug fit around your ears cancels out screaming children
- Retractable microphone
Cons
There are very few cons to the Afterglow that I have found. For the most part, it’s an extremely high-quality product. However, there are some drawbacks we’ve discovered with the unit.
- Interferes with some wireless mice on 2.4ghz
- Microphone is ultra-sensitive – picks up everything including typing on the keyboard
- USB unit for PC wireless transmissions is huge – I can’t plug anything next to it on the PC
- Can’t hear anything outside of the speakers – snug fit around your ears cancels out screaming children. This could be bad if they are getting into things around the house
Price Comparison to Similar Devices
After using $30 headsets such as the Logitech H390, spending $100 on the Afterglow a couple of years ago seemed a bit steep at first. However, the new headset has incredible sound quality and many features that can easily justify the expense.
Merely being able to stand up at my desk without the cord pulling the unit off my head is almost worth the money by itself. My friend wanted one simply because it was wireless and it allows you to change the prism colors manually.
Would I Recommend it to Friends and Family?
If you have the $80 to drop on a headset, I would definitely recommend the Afterglow wireless units. I have used many different headsets over the years and this one is by far one of my favorites.
I know I sound like a commercial, but I am completely impressed by the quality and overall feel of this unit. Right now, I am listening to “Mortal Kombat” from the 90s and it sounds freaking amazing.
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