Tech Review: EKSA’s E900 Pro Headset is an Affordable Gamechanger.
Headsets, particularly the gaming variety, can be a pretty pricey product. There are several varieties but they all do basically the same thing. This product by Corsair might be more comfortable. That Razer set might be more durable. Whatever the minor differences between these name brand headsets you can guarantee you’ll be paying upwards of €70 for most. There are certainly cheaper options offered by these brands but that always comes with the risk of a short lifespan. EKSA’s newest headset, the E900 Pro, offers the best of both worlds and is almost guaranteed to improve your future gaming sessions.
With that said the E900 Pro won’t make you or anyone else into an expert Fortnite player overnight. A bad player is still a bad player regardless of their equipment. But the E900 Pro will improve gaming sessions, particularly online multiplayer sessions, by delivering clear sound through its 7.1 Surround Sound headphone speakers as well as making you sound clearer to other players. It’s also highly adaptable what with it being compatible with the PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC and mobile devices. Whether you’re playing solo in an RPG or locked in to an all night PUBG session the E900 Pro is a great all rounder but it really sings in the online arenas it was built for.
Good directional sound is one of the biggest necessities in modern online gaming. Particularly in the likes of first person shooters or battle royale games. Being able to hear where the sniper’s bullet that just dropped your buddy is as important as being able to see him go down. Games like Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG), Apex Legends or Fortnite come with great sound design but your TV or PC’s speakers might not be able to operate at the level the game demands. That’s where the E900 Pro comes in.
The surround sound offered by the headset comes via the USB cable provided with it. There is a standard 3.5mm headphone jack that offers normal but still high quality sound but the E900 Pro’s real power comes with that 7.1 Surround Sound. It offers a clarity that makes both close quarter shoot outs and long range fighting more manageable. Again, it won’t win the match for you but it will give you the advantage of crystal clear sound. That’s vital in battle royale games especially the longer form ones like PUBG or Call of Duty: Warzone where you can often go long periods without ever seeing anyone. Picking up the scuffle of feet the next room over or being able to tell the direction of that sustained assault rifle fire echoing in the distance is vital. The clarity of these sounds will snap you back to attention if it’s been one of those matches where you’ve spent ten minutes skirting the edge of the play area seeing no one but hearing plenty.
I’m mostly a solo player when it comes to online gaming but I also record a regular podcast over Zoom and spend a few hours a week on Discord seeing as Ireland remains in the grip of one of the strictest COVID-19 lockdowns in the world. For these sessions the E900 has been a blessing. My voice comes through clearly – although the E900 Pro won’t save you from a bad internet connection – and I don’t have to perform some dark ritual to get the sound levels on Discord and the movie playing to balance. Considering I have to wear the E900 Pros for several hours at a time it’s another advantage that they’re as comfortable as they are.
The band of the E900 Pro is heavily padded meaning it will sit on the crown of your head comfortably. As for the memory foam ear cups? They’re incredibly comfortable and relieve a lot of the pressure that can come with wearing a heavy headset like the E900 Pro. That is one caveat that’s hard to get away from regardless of what kind of headphones you’re wearing. Weight will always be a factor when it comes to headsets like the E900 Pro and prolonged wearing will always be uncomfortable after a certain amount of time. Still EKSA have done their utmost to ensure that this headset remains comfortable to wear for the longest possible time.
Overall EKSA’s E900 Pro is a headset that combines the best of both worlds. It comes with a high sound quality and is comfortable to wear while still staying in an affordable price range. The headset comes in either black with a subtle red inlay or a very brash green with black inlay. It also comes with a free stand for easy storage though I’d recommend keeping the box it came in as it has quite a variety of cables you’ll want to have easy to hand. The E900 Pro won’t turn a bad player into a pro overnight but it might just be the game changer you’ve been looking for.
