Practical testing …
Attaching the included microphone is extremely easy, as there is a small notch on the headset that allows the microphone to be inserted into the jack in only one direction. An integrated microphone can be used at any time.
Lighting …
The lighting is particularly effective in the dark, although its design is a matter of taste. After all, the colorful spectacle almost halves the runtime in wireless operation.
Music test …
Various music tracks were selected for practical testing, and the equalizer settings listed in the table were used for evaluation. Sound transmission took place in wireless 2.4 GHz mode and, unsurprisingly, proved to be more practical than wired headsets. This meant that music could still be enjoyed even when tidying up or cleaning, if gaming on the desktop computer was interrupted.
| Sound aspects – Title 1 | |
| Title and band/musician | Sunlight – Lane 8 |
| OXS Storm G2 – Music EQ | Silky highs, precise attack and solid punch, voice somewhat muffled |
| OXS Storm G2 – Surround EQ | Spatial impression is enhanced, precision in the voice is slightly blurred by reverberation |
Music “produced” on the mixing console is reproduced in the upper bass range with considerable power and, above all, precision in the attack. There is a certain “warmth” in the bass, but there is no excessive bleeding into higher frequency ranges. When the rattles come in in the background of “Sunlight,” they are rendered very finely. On the other hand, the female voice lacks a bit of volume and air, as is often the case with open headphones.
Voices sound much more ethereal and airy as soon as the EQ mode for surround sound is activated, creating a slight delay and a longer (or at least more noticeable) reverberation. While the punch suffers only moderately, the content of the voice sometimes becomes blurred. This can sound very artificial if the song has previously been listened to without surround sound out of habit. Some listeners may enjoy the voices of a church choir wafting through a room, while others may prefer the easily locatable lead singer of a pop song. So it really depends on the context whether surround sound meets your personal expectations for a piece of music.
| Sound aspects – Title 2 | |
| Title and band/musician | Second Sight – re:jazz |
| OXS Storm G2 – Music EQ | Hihats, toms, drums, and triangle are very precisely resolved, piano is muffled, very cramped stage setting |
| OXS Storm G2 – Surround EQ | Piano and electric guitar come through much stronger with reverberation, high frequencies slightly less precise |
Even with jazz, the headphones once again demonstrate how cleanly they can isolate high frequencies from the rest of the sound. Compared to open headphones, however, this model falls short in terms of spatiality. It almost seems as if the instruments are very close together.
With Surround EQ activated, the piano and electric guitar sound significantly larger and more engaging. The double bass at the end of the first minute also has a longer reverberation. However, the highs lack the same level of detail. This EQ mode is therefore a double-edged sword and a matter of preference.
A comparison can be made with the HyperX Cloud II: this headset emphasizes mid-range frequencies slightly more, which also reproduce the range of human voices. This makes sounds seem less muffled than with the Storm G2, while OXS is significantly more powerful and “faster” in terms of attack and punch.
Review of the transmission types …
Last but not least, with regard to music, the question arose as to whether the type of transmission and thus ultimately also the audio source changes anything in the surround EQ. As a standout product feature, the virtual 7.1 surround sound should ultimately be examined more closely. For this purpose, a piece of music had to be used that already has a certain spatiality and can be visualized through a YouTube video.
| Sound aspects – Title 3 | |
| Title and band/musician | Dragonborn aus Skyrim 10th Anniversary Concert – London Symphony Orchestra |
| OXS Storm G2 – Music EQ 2,4 GHz via Desktop | Cramped stage design, which, within its limitations, allows spatial distinctions and nuances to be discerned from the video |
| OXS Storm G2 – Surround EQ 2,4 GHz via Desktop | The size of the stage does not change significantly, but the choir becomes more contrasting in volume and gains significantly in volume. |
| OXS Storm G2 – Surround EQ Bluetooth via Smartphone | In general, the details in the tones are more pronounced with Bluetooth; spatially, there is no change compared to Surround EQ on the desktop. |
| OXS Storm G2 – Surround EQ AUX via Smartphone | Trumpets more detailed, voices very muffled but similarly voluminous |
Overall, the test reveals a difference in sound quality between AUX, 2.4 GHz, and Bluetooth in terms of the level of detail in the tones. The spatiality is hardly affected by the transmission type, and surround sound can hardly get anything more out of a large stage. What does change significantly, however, is the high-contrast shift of the louder choir to the foreground.
Incidentally, transferring data using the dongle on a PC works just as smoothly as Bluetooth on a smartphone.
Gaming …
Tonal quality plays a similarly important role in video games as it does in music. The fairly strong and very controlled bass can once again optimally reproduce explosions in gaming EQ, while voices in conversations sound a little muffled.
Those who prefer dialogue-heavy games will therefore be less happy than those who prefer titles with a high action content.
Integrated microphone …
When using the integrated microphone, we noticed that the sound was much too quiet. This is certainly due to the distance between the integrated microphone and the mouth. As a result, it is not very practical for normal conversation volume. Recordings in WhatsApp reproduced the problem.
Clip-on microphone …
The clip-on microphone, on the other hand, worked very well as expected and contributed to adequate communication with conversation partners.
We found the voice prompt when changing EQ modes a little annoying, as it is set too loud and does not respond to the volume control.
Comfort and fit …
Although the earpads themselves are comfortable, they are relatively narrow, so that longer ears press slightly against the inside of the ear cup.
Furthermore, the ear pads do not fit snugly against the tester’s head at the bottom, meaning they do not lie flat against the skin. This can lead to moderate bleeding to the outside.
OXS Storm G2 Gaming Headset Overall impression …