Beyerdynamic MMX 200 Wireless Gaming Headset Sounds Great, Less Filling

Beyerdynamic MMX 200

Like

• 
  Excellent audio and mic high quality
• 
  Analog in addition to USB and Bluetooth connections
• 
  Comfortable

Don’t like

• 
  No equalization choices for mic or encompass software program
• 
  mediocre battery life
• 
  Sweaty ear unfriendly
• 
  USB-C to analog cable further value

Pro audio firm Beyerdynamic’s first wi-fi gaming headset appears to supply a lot of what you’d need in a $249 mannequin. The MMX 200 wi-fi presents consolation, wonderful sound and an awesome mic, dongle-based low-latency wi-fi (for PC, PS4/PS5 and Nintendo Switch), Bluetooth and analog connections, replaceable battery and reminiscence foam and leatherette earpads, a removable increase mic and battery life rated for as much as 35 hours. But for the cash, it is also lacking as a lot because it presents, like an equalizer for audio and the mic with the power to create presets for video games, encompass sound, game-chat steadiness and extra.

International pricing is not obtainable, however $249 converts to roughly £205 or AU$395.

There aren’t lots of opponents at its value; essentially the most notable one is the superb Logitech G Pro X 2, which is lighter at 230 grams in comparison with this mannequin’s 258g. The Logitech additionally delivered an extended battery life than this — they’re rated roughly the identical, however that is the primary headset I’ve examined that is dropped so far as right down to 10% throughout comparatively mild utilization. It additionally has a much less finicky connection to the dongle and has G Hub software program permit for personalisation. 

While it has comparable specs to most different wi-fi gaming headsets, notably the 40mm drivers and 20Hz to twenty,000Hz frequency response vary. It’s all within the tuning. And Beyerdynamic tunes them effectively; with none equalization adjustment, they’ve a large soundstage — strong lows and crisp, clear mids and highs — with no perceptible distortion at excessive quantity. 

The increase mic is very good. It’s acquired a comparatively massive condenser capsule for a headset mic at 10mm (cardioid sample), and it exhibits within the mic’s frequency response vary of 50Hz to 18kHz — in gaming headsets, it is sometimes 100Hz to 10kHz. That interprets to a a lot fuller, extra pure sounding voice due to the prolonged pickup of the lows and highs. Without software program equalization, although, you’ll be able to’t tune it to optimize for chat. I do not assume it has noise cancellation, however no matter it does it is extraordinarily good at blocking out background noise. 

There’s an “Augmented” mode as effectively, which makes use of the secondary, built-in mic to permit some outdoors sound to move by the pretty isolating earpads; like most of those transparency modes, the digital processing truly makes many sounds extra pronounced (my keyboard makes an odd, distracting popping sound once I slam keys like Enter). The built-in mic, which is meant to to be used when related through Bluetooth to a telephone, so you’ll be able to put on these outdoors with out the increase mic, is not terrific, however it’s about common for all these mics.

Aside from what it is lacking, nonetheless, a few of the options it does have may be annoying. In the absence of devoted mic monitoring, one other functionality you’d count on, Augmented mode is a workaround. But utilizing that workaround means you must take care of all of the processed noise. Suboptimal. You can have simultaneous Bluetooth and analog connections (with the dongle you must toggle between them), however there is not any devoted analog connector. You want an analog-to-USB-C cable or adapter, the sort that you simply use with telephones, which the corporate does not embrace within the field. That’s irritating if you wish to join it to a controller, as that you must do with an Xbox.  

The identical goes for encompass sound, which you normally get through a utility or a minimum of some type of included software program trial. As with most headsets, you’ll be able to nonetheless use Windows Sonic for Headphones or Dolby Atmos for Headphones. The MMX 200s work effectively with Dolby, which presents output equalizer controls as effectively. DTS content material appears to ship essentially the most exact positioning and the headset-Dolby combo is nice, a minimum of for my head design. But that is additionally an further value subscription, with out even any promos bundled for longer than the usual free seven-day free trial (though in the mean time, some folks appear to be getting infinite days for it). Sonic is free and constructed into Windows and Xbox, however meh.

Its design is easy, with a removable mic with everlasting foam cowl, USB-C port for charging and the aforementioned analog connection, a button for switching amongst connections and a quantity dial you’ll be able to press to mute the mic and to manage calls and playback. 

It connects to some Bluetooth units instantly on urgent the button, however it will not let you know which of them. That’s advantageous if you happen to solely have it paired to a single gadget. But if you happen to’ve paired it to a number of units, you get to play the “which one are you related to?” sport, one which I can solely win by turning Bluetooth off on all of the potential culprits. (This is definitely widespread Bluetooth headset conduct, however I’ll complain about it each. Single Time.

I discovered the low-latency connection and dongle a bit wonky. There weren’t any points I may repeat, however they had been unpredictable, which may be worse. The sign vary can get to round 30 toes by partitions and doorways in my residence. Or it may disconnect proper outdoors my bed room door. A few occasions I needed to replug the dongle. 

The match is simple to regulate, although the cups do not rotate, and the ear cushions are fairly snug — the scarf did not squeeze too tightly, an issue I regularly have since I put on most headsets on the smallest measurement the place the scarf is at its squeeziest. But the leatherette cowl of the ear cushions appeared a bit of extra susceptible to offer me the ear sweats than normal (or extra exactly, the ring-around-the-ear-sweats), regardless of being what I feel is identical leatherette as different headsets.

The Beyerdynamic MMX 200 wi-fi gaming headset is nice on the issues Beyerdynamic is nice at — sound — and ranges from “first rate” to “simply OK” to “can’t-do-that” on every little thing else. And regardless of its identify, it does not appear to be optimized for gaming as a lot as opponents all around the value spectrum are.