ADATA XPG PRECOG Gaming Headset Review

A Closer Look & Performance

The headset itself looks pretty fantastic at first glance, it’s got a fairly unique design or at least unique within the restraint of still being a headset. I’m not overly keen on some of the glossy finishes on the side as they’re actually plastic rather than metal which is a bit of a shame. They’re not bad quality, they’re not flimsy or weak, so don’t take that as a slight against the build quality of the headset as it is very well made. Perhaps this is to offset the cost of the drivers.

Update: XPG has since clarified that this is actually aluminium with a dark tone electroplating finish. So the build quality is much more premium than it looks. I stress that, as I do think it just looks like plastic, even feels like it with that coating. I guess this is a subjective quality though.

XPG

Stamped into the side of the ear cup you’ll find the XPG logo. The backs are just a sculpted shell. On that note, the drivers are enclosed rather than open at the back which often helps improve the lower frequencies on the headset. There’s Red LED lighting on those groves when used in USB mode, but not in 3.5mm mode.

The shroud above the ear cups has a nice chrome finish that helps give the headset a more premium look. This also helps hide some of the mechanical aspects that allow the ear cups to be rotated inwards and outwards.

Inputs

I like headsets where you can fold the ear cups in like this, as it’s comfortable to wear around your neck between games. On the bottom of the ear cup, you will find the USB Type-C, 3.5mm jack and microphone connection. Overall, it’s all pretty straightforward stuff.

Inside of the mount, you can see that the cable is routed through the headband. Also an elasticated inner headband mount, allowing for automatic size adjustment for a quick and easy fit. 

The inner headband is heavily padded, which should provide you with all the comfort you need for those long work and gaming sessions. There’s a nice little detail on the edge too, with stitching matching up with the XPG logo on the side of the ear cups. 

The outer headband comprises of two very flexible yet durable arches. They help the headset clamp to your ears with a reasonable force, but also have plenty of give in them for added comfort.

Weird Flex, But OK.

As you can see here, you can really bend the hell out of them, but it flexes immediately back to true with confidence.

The ergonomics just keep getting better too. Here we have some very soft leather padding around the ear cups. They are designed to fit around the ear rather than on the ear and there’s a good size cut out in the middle to accommodate you. they’re padded with a soft memory foam, which is very forgiving and provides a clean and comfortable fit.

Hi-Res

Overall, it’s a nice looking headset. There are some “cheaper” materials used, but it does feel pretty robust and lightweight, which is a good thing. The real money was obviously spent on the quite frankly jaw-dropping drivers. If you’re a fan of Hi-Res audio, then you’re in luck, as these extended-range drivers will handle all the bass, mid and treble you can throw at them without distortion. They’ll EQ pretty hard too if you so desire, but that’s pretty subjective on how you tune your sound.

Electrostatic

They’re really powerful for gaming and come with quite a few unique quirks. There are two sets of drivers here, so you can use the Electrostatic purely for team chat, which is neat. Or you can use both for gaming audio, or you can use the Electrostatic for FPS gaming; it makes it very treble-heavy, but easier to localize enemy footsteps too. Then we have virtual 7.1 surround, which is pretty decent, but I still prefer Dolby Atmos Headphone processing on Windows 10; that’s a subjective quality again though. What matters is just how much range of configuration you have here. You can really dial in what sounds right to you fairly easily. I should point out though, only use their virtual mode with actual surround sources, it doesn’t upscale stereo to surround very well, especially with music.

Rocking Out

It doesn’t matter if you choose 3.5mm for consoles or mobile, or the USB Type-C, the drivers are pretty consistent. I’ve been using them on my Samsung S9+ to listen to Amazon Hi-Res music, and I’m very happy with the results. They’re a little glitzy looking to use as headphones while I’m out for a walk, but sitting at home with a cool beer and my feet up, they’re very pleasant to music headphones. I’ve rocked through Rush – Moving Pictures, Gojira – From Mars to Sirius, Devin Townsend Project – Deconstruction, and Steve Vai – Erotic Nightmares to name but a few from just this morning and the extra detail those electrostatics bring out is amazing.

Microphone

The microphone isn’t exactly lacking either. It uses a unidirectional pickup, with a frequency response of 20Hz to 20,000 Hz. That means it basically captures the full range of your voice with ease. You can sound like Barry White or PeeWee Herman and it’ll do just fine. I often find many gaming microphones are very weak sounding, but not this one. Plus, with ENC, it’ll dull out the racket of your keyboard or a crowd quite well too.