Logitech G35 gaming headset review

March 14, 10:46 AMPC Game ExaminerBryan Edge-Salois

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The Logitech G35 gaming headset

Logitech's G35 gaming headset offers terrific 7.1 Dolby surround sound and plenty of cool features that can improve your game and your overall PC audio experience.

The G35 connects to your PC via a stiff, braided fabric USB 2.0 cable. You have to install Logitech's G35 control panel software to use and configure the headset -- this is a little inconvenient for LAN parties, but the software provides a lot of features. The software is also 'smart' and automatically directs your audio to the headset while disabling your speakers -- you don't have to juggle connections or change sound settings in the Windows Control Panel when they're plugged in.

Customization features
The G35 control panel enables you to customize virtually every aspect of the G35. You can adjust Bass, Treble, Volume, and Microphone levels, and you can configure the three programmable buttons (G1, G2, and G3) on the side of the left earcup to perform various functions for different applications. For example, you can set one button to rewinding in Windows Media Player, another to turn up the headset's Bass output, and  another to activate the G35's  Voice Morphing. You can also create multiple profiles for different button configurations, which makes the G35 very flexible for both gaming and non-gaming applications.

Additional controls for headset volume, microphone muting, and turning off the Dolby surround sound are also located on the outside of the rleft earcup. The noise-reducing microphone also has an LED that can be set to light up when the mic is muted. Personally, I would have preferred a clip-on or external remote to the earcup-based buttons, which occasionally had me fumbling about the earcup -- but that's a pretty minor quibble. The large volume adjustment roller was nice and easy to find.

One particularly neat feature I liked -- although I'm not sure I'd use it much --  was the Voice Morphing technology. Voice morphing enables you to disguise/alter your real voice.

You can choose from a range of six voices -- Cyborg, Troll, Giant, Alien, Mutant, and Space Squirrel, each with six different settings that simultaneously alter the pitch and timbre of the voice.

This enables you to sound like an ominous, metallic robot (which actually sounds kind of cool) to something more akin to a cyborg chipmunk (which is actually pretty uncool and annoying).

Ergonomics and comfort
The G35 are tight, and form a noise-reducing seal around your ears. Included with the G35 are three different vinyl-covered foam headbands that can be attached to the headphones via velcro for a comfortable custom fit. The microphone is also flexible and adjustable, and you can fold it up and out of the way when you're not using it.

If you prefer your headphones to reduce external noise  --  which is especially useful if you have a noisy gaming PC with lots of extra cooling fans --  the G35's do an excellent job of it without sacrificing too much comfort. My ears did warm up a bit after about 90 minutes of play. However, I never experienced any neck pain as a result of extended usage -- sometimes a problem with larger, bulkier headsets.

Sound Quality
The 7.1 Dolby surround sound was full of awesome --  and proved to me once again that a good surround sound headset can actually improve your game. Thanks to the accurate directional cues, I was able to hear, predict, and pop a cap in a Boomer's ass a few times in Left 4 Dead before he was able to spew his zombie-attracting bile on anyone. (Any headset that allows me to inflict a total 'BoomFail' on someone in Left 4 Dead is a friend of mine.)

I was actually a little surprised that there weren't more options for tweaking the surround sound, and that there wasn't a full-blown equalizer in the control panel  -- but in truth I didn't miss these features either. The treble/bass adjustments offer reasonable flexibility for audio tuning. Combined with the 3 programmable buttons and different profiles, the G35 can be easily switched from 'game mode' to 'tunes mode' to 'movie mode' if have distinctive preferences. (I'm admittedly not enough of an audiophile to be overly picky --  but I still like to crank the bass up now and again.)

Overall
At a MSRP of about $130, the G35 offers awesome Dolby-quality surround sound and more than enough features to satisfy virtually any PC gamer. Although $130 might seem a little steep, I can almost guarantee you wouldn't be disappointed if you bought these -- don't hesitate to check these out if you're shopping for PC gaming headsets. I highly recommend them.

Logitech G35 technical specifications

Headphone

• Driver: 40 mm diameter, neodymium magnet, 15 mm diameter voice coil with ferrofluid damping
• Frequency response: 20 Hz – 20 KHz diffuse-field equalized
• Impedance: 32 ohm nominal
• Sensitivity: 90 dB SPL Ref: 1 mW, 1 KHz

Microphone

• Pickup pattern: Unidirectional (cardioid)
• Frequency response: 100 Hz – 10 KHz
• Sensitivity: -42 dBV/Pa re: 0 dB = 1 Pa, 1 KHz
• Test conditions: 3.0 V, 2.2 K ohm

Connection

• Full-Speed USB 2.0 compliant
• Cable: 10 feet/3.05 m, woven insulation 

Visit the Logitech G35 home page to learn more

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