Rachel Reviews: Gioteck EX-05 Wired Headset

Overview

The Gitoteck EX-05 headset caught my eye because of the wide mesh headband with rigid metal supports.  This was important to me as I have a pair of Sony MDR-XD200 headphones which are comfortable but started to hurt after a while.  What I needed most was a wide band that would spread the weight of the headphones and keep them comfortable after hours of use.  I'm pleased to say that this has been the case and I can happily wear these all night.  The 'military styling' seems limited to a bit of camo design on the mesh but it does look pretty nifty.  The ear cups are soft and breathable so my ears don't get sweaty and my head doesn't hurt from the pressure, which is another great point.  That said, they are only comfortable with the mic on the right and the cable on the left.  This isn't a big problem as such but I'd rather have the cable on the right where the volume controls are rather than have the cable cross over.

Audio

These sound amazing.  The sound they produce is sharp and clear with clear trebles and responsive bass tones.  Every little sound is so much clearer, whether it's footsteps in a shooter or the spray of blood in an RPG.  As I got the wired version I have use these for my PC as well as my 360 and music sounds a lot better with these as well.

I didn't get the headset just to listen to sounds though.  I got it so I can talk to people.  The boom mic has a ratchet-like system that keeps the mic in place and stops it rotating down under its own weight.  This makes it a little less adjustable than perhaps it could be without it but knowing that your mic is going to stay put is worth it, especially as continual use would wear out a friction based system causing it to loosen up.  The mic itself is great and picks up my voice loud and clear even when it's pointing at my chin.  I drink a lot of tea and this is great as it keeps the mic out of the way and still lets me talk to my friends.  It's a little detail that I doubt many will appreciate just how great it is but if you're drinking and gaming you don't want your beverage to knock the mic.

Another great thing about this headset is the audio controls.  It has separate controls for the game audio and the chat.  If you're more interested in talking to your friends you can lower the game audio and raise the chat audio so you can hear them better.  Conversely, if there are only idiots on XBL then they can be muted completely, leaving you to enjoy the game audio undisturbed.  It's not a unique feature but it's well worth looking out for.

Customer Support

This isn't something that I'd normally write about in a review but as I have experience with this I thought I'd mention it all the same.  I'm not the worlds most organised or graceful person and I had an accident which involved my headset.  Long story short I broke the cable that plugs into my controller which does voice chat.  I contacted customer support and they were happy to replace the cable for free if I sent in some stamps and my address.  I did that and my replacement was soon with me.  They initially thought I meant the main audio cable with the volume controls and would have replaced that for free as well if I'd needed it.

Overall

While customer support isn't something that people normally think of when looking at a review, it is worth noting that their customer support is good.  As for the headset, I find it to be very comfortable with great audio and a great mic.  The volume controls are easy to use and the mute switch is sturdy and won't switch on or off suddenly.  The only downside is that I can't have the mic on the left or the cable on the right, but this is personal preference and doesn't have a negative impact on comfort or the headset itself.  I highly recommend them.