[section_title title=”Performance and Testing”]
Performance and Testing
A specification and detailed look at the headset won’t give you a true grasp as to how the headset as a whole so let us crack on with some performance factors and testing.
We have now had this headset in our possession for a long time and put it through its paces, including real-world testing in a gaming environment as well as magnitude of audio samples to see how this headset stands in audio quality. A variation of bass, treble, volume increments in both increase and decrease stages were used as well as a variation of all to check for any fluctuation in performance or any black areas that suggest to us that the headset could not withstand what we threw at it. The headset and microphone were tested on multiple platforms too in order to see if the multi-platform compatibility was up to scratch. Here is what we found.
Comfort
Comfort is an important factor for any headset, regardless of how long the device is in use, so we scrutinize every headset we receive to ensure it sits right and is comfy from the moment it is placed on your head. The Olivant A2 pro has 3 points of contact with the head, these being the two earphones and the headband.The headband offers a fairly thin leather like material layer that gently sits on top of the head when in use. There is no padding on this portion of the headset and can cause some band burn, a term used to describe headset headbands that rub when in use or being removed. If you intend to use this for long periods of time without a break, for example on a long voyage, then you may find it a little uncomfortable once the headband has been worn in. We found this happened after about 20 hours of use and made for a dull ache on the head for the remaining test hours.
Aside from this, the headband was more than suitable for the job and was very light weight in general. The earphones/cups sit over the ears and do fully cup them to allow for a sealed fit. This fit means that background noise is isolated and you have a fully immersive audio experience. This was an unusual feeling, having mainly used earbuds and ear cup based gaming headsets for so long but wasn’t something I couldn’t get used to. The construction of the headset, mainly the headband, allows for an automatic fitting ability so once you place it on you head it will find its own way to become affixed to the most comfortable position. Aside from the leather like material sometimes causing my ears to sweat after hours of use, expected as most headsets do, there was nothing more I can find that was negative about the comfort of the Olivant A2 Pros.
Sound Quality
Testing was on a variety of high quality .WAV, MP4, and other HRA files as well as a variation of platforms, from smartphones to PCs. Specification wise, the Olivant A2 Pro’s seems to be a mid-level headset but it certainly performs much better than the specification lets on. Once the drivers bed in a little bit, you then get the full experience from these headphones and I really was surprised by the quality. For playing games, the sole intended purpose for this headset, the experience was great. All sounds were crisp and to a nice tone, no annoying off key audio. Music and video wise, this headset amazed us with some very nice and deep bass from those 50mm drivers. The virtual 7.1, although not as good as some we have heard from other headsets in this range was still outstanding and made for a good experience. Overall, we are very happy with the performance this headset had on offer and made for a good all around audio experience.
Microphone Quality
The removable boom microphone provided with the Olivant A2 Pro provided very good audio pickup and range, with quality being perfect for anyone gaming or using any platform for communications from Skype to Ventrillo and more! We did find the lack of a small “spit guard” or bubble to be a downside but not a full necessary component as the microphone didn’t pick those sounds up too badly like may others out there. With all this said, we are more than happy with the overall performance and abilities of this little microphone.
