Roccat Vire ROC-14-200 Mobile Communication Gaming Headset Review

Roccat are a reasonably new entry to the PC peripheral market. The German company is hoping to take on the likes of Logitech and Creative with its modern styling and aggressive games focused marketing. They produce a range of accessories, one of which we will be looking at today, the Roccat Vire “Mobile Communication Gaming Headset” which is described as being “Arguably the lightest gaming headset in the world”.

On hearing this bold statement, I was concerned that to produce something so light would mean incredibly poor build quality. Until I actually looked at the product, when it became clear it’s not actually a headset in the strictest sense at all, but rather a set of in-ear headphones with built-in microphone.

I’ve never really used in-ear headphones with my PC for gaming as they can be uncomfortable after extended periods and do not usually produce a quality of sound that can compete with real headphones and I’d guess that the majority of people follow a similar method, keeping in-ear phones for their iPod or mobile phone. So it’s interesting that they are marketing the Vire primarily as a gaming headset. How does it compete with more traditional offerings?

Technical Specifications
[HR][/HR]Lets take a look at the official technical specification of the Vire headset. When compared to other similar priced products, the specs look roughly as they sound and match up to the competition.

Features

• ULTRA-LIGHTWEIGHT HEADSET FOR ON THE MOVE
  [LIST]
• game, make calls or listen to music without any restrictions in movement

[*]IN-LINE MICROPHONE

• shields out background noises and transmits speech distortion-free

[*]PREMIUM SOUND QUALITY

• from balanced trebles to gutsy bass

[*]PERFECT FIT IN ANY EAR

• thanks to the rubberized design of the earplugs

[*]NICELY FINISHEDSOFT CASE

• protects the headset and adapter cables

[*]FULL FUNCTIONALITY

• with two additional plug adapters for the iPhone, mp3 players, BlackBerrys, PCs, notebooks, sound systems and portable gaming consoles

[/list] Technical Specification

• DRIVER UNITS
  [LIST]
• Frequency response: 18~22,000Hz
• Sensitivity at 1KHz: 105±3dB
• Impedance: 32Ω
• Max. input power: 5mW
• Drive diameter: Ø14.2mm

[/list]

• MICROPHONE
  [LIST]
• Sensitivity at 1KHz: -38±3dB
• Impedance: ≤2.2KΩ
• Directivity: omni-directional

[/list] Further Information

• System Requirements
  [LIST]
• 3.5mm jack socket required
• PC (adapter included), iPhone®, BlackBerry®
• MP3 Music Players in general, iPhone®, iPod®, BlackBerry®, PSP®, NDS™

[/list]

• Package Contains
  [LIST]
• ROCCAT™ Vire – Mobile Communication Gaming Headset
• Headset Cable: 1.20m length
• 1 x PC Adapter cable: 1.30m length
• 1 x Laptop Adapter cable: 0.17m length
• Soft Transport Bag
• Quick Install Guide

[/list] Documentation in EN, DE, FR, ES, IT, PL, RU, TR, DK, FI