XPG Precog Studio Gaming Headset Review - Affordable Great Sound

TweakTown's Rating: 85%

The Bottom Line

The XPG Precog Studio Gaming Headset's excellent USB-C DAC and balanced audio deliver great sound and chat quality for the price. Lightweight and comfortable, it works great with PC, Mobile, PlayStation, and Switch.

Pros

• + Excellent audio quality for the price
• + Microphone quality also punches above its weight
• + ESS DAC delivers a rich, crisp, and balanced sound
• + Comfortable to wear for lengthy sessions
• + Excellent value

Cons

• - Plastic build can feel cheap in parts
• - Non-detachable or retractable microphone
• - The cable is not long enough for couch gamers
• - There is no software or official way to tinker with the sound profile

Should you buy it?

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Introduction & Specification Details and Close-up

With so many gaming headsets to choose from, from wired to wireless to premium, esports-focused, audiophile, and more across a range of price points, there's always one thing above all that people are looking for - and that is excellent audio quality. This also translates to the microphone for chatting with squad mates or friends for gaming headsets. Still, when you put on a headset like the XPG Precog Studio Gaming Headset, setting aside comfort, design, versatility, and build quality - you want to be immersed in digital experiences.

With more and more wireless offerings these days, the affordable XPG Precog Studio Gaming Headset presents an interesting take on the wired headset. It ships with a dedicated USB DAC and a balanced 4.4mm audio interface. There's a good chance you're familiar with wired 3.5mm connections; these can be found on various devices, from game controllers to tablets, laptops, and dedicated gaming hardware like the Nintendo Switch or ASUS ROG Ally. So then, why did XPG opt for the larger (and rarer) 4.4mm connection?

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The answer is pretty straightforward: it allows for a balanced connection from the impressive ESS DAC to the headset, which minimizes the chance of interference, signal issues, or other inconsistencies. Balanced cables and connections are primarily found in the professional audio space for this reason and are more common when dealing with long cables. Its inclusion here is a little tick for the XPG Precog Studio Gaming Headset, but it's not something you need to deliver superb audio.

That said, the crisp and detailed sound the XPG Precog Studio Gaming Headset delivers via its dedicated DAC, balanced audio connection, and large 50mm drivers are impressive for an affordable gaming audio solution priced at $59.99. You'd be hard pressed to find a wireless headset that could match the overall sound you're getting here, and it's a friendly little reminder that if audio quality is the be-all-end-all for you and the price is a concern, wired is still the way to go.

Specifications & Close Up

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• Product Type: Wired Gaming Headset
• Product Name: XPG Precog Studio Gaming Headset
• Interface: USB, 4.4mm Audio, 3.5mm Microphone
• Compatibility: PC (Windows 7 and above), PlayStation, Switch, Android
• Form Factor: Over Ear Closed
• Drivers: 50mm
• DAC: ESS ES9260Q, ESS Sabre9601K x 2
• Headphones Frequency Response: 20 - 20,000 Hz
• Microphone Type: Omnidirectional
• Surround: Microsoft Spatial Audio
• Cable: USB-Type-C with USB-C to USB-A adaptor
• Weight: ~ 300 grams
• In the Box: XPG Precog Studio Gaming Headset, USB-Type-C with USB-C to USB-A adaptor, Stickers, Quick Start Guide

Kosta's Test System Specifications

• Motherboard: ASUS ROG CROSSHAIR X670E HERO
• CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 7950X
• GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Founders Edition
• Display: MSI MAG 321UPX QD-OLED 4K 240 Hz
• Cooler: ASUS ROG RYUO III 360 ARGB
• RAM: 64GB (4x16GB) Corsair DOMINATOR TITANIUM RGB DDR5 DRAM 6000MT/s
• SSD: Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus-G M.2 PCIe Gen 4 SSD 4TB, Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus Plus M.2 PCIe Gen 4 SSD 8TB
• Power Supply: ASUS TUF Gaming 1000W Gold
• Case: Corsair 5000D AIRFLOW Tempered Glass Mid-Tower ATX PC Case
• OS: Microsoft Windows 11 Pro 64-bit

XPG Precog Gaming Headset

	Today	Yesterday	7 days ago	30 days ago
	$91.99	$91.99	$91.99	$81.34	Buy
	$79.99	$79.99	$79.99	-	Buy
* Prices last scanned on 9/10/2024 at 11:59 am CDT - prices may not be accurate, click links above for the latest price. We may earn an affiliate commission from any sales.

Design & Software and Support

Design

The XPG Precog Studio Gaming Headset is lightweight and comfortable to wear. The cushions have an impressive seal for an affordable gaming headset, and the breathable fabric for both the cushions and the floating headband means you can wear it for hours without fatigue or unwanted pressure. This is a plus and worth highlighting for a headset with a sub-$60 price tag.

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One way XPG keeps the overall weight down to around 300 grams (including the cable) is by using lightweight plastic for much of the build. Yes, outside of the bright red cushions and headband, one of the first things you notice when picking up the XPG Precog Studio Gaming Headset and putting it on is the plasticky design. The plastic hinges and swivel on the cups themselves are of decent quality. However, the actual rigid portion of the headband does have that flimsy plastic feel that isn't ideal - with sharp corners. On the plus side, the XPG Precog Studio Gaming Headset is suitably flexible, and after a few weeks of steady use, everything still felt as it did on day one.

As an affordable headset, the XPG Precog Studio Gaming Headset's microphone and main audio cable (on the headset side) are not detachable - they're hard-wired. The microphone is flexible, so you can easily tuck it away. Still, with the broader headset industry moving toward detachable or retractable microphones for a cleaner look when you're just gaming (and not chatting simultaneously), it would have been nice to have seen XPG implement something like that here.

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The headset's audio cable splits into a 4.4mm and 3.5mm connection for audio and voice; this is then connected to the included USB DAC, which features a USB-C connection. XPG packs in a USB-C to USB-A adaptor, and from our testing, there's no discernable difference in audio quality when switching from either option. Although you need to connect via USB for audio, the XPG Precog Studio Gaming Headset is compatible with various devices, including the PlayStation 5 console and the Nintendo Switch. Here, the headset will be recognized as a USB audio device, and, like with a PC, there's no need to install additional software or drivers.

Software and Support

The XPG Precog Studio Gaming Headset doesn't use proprietary software to work; it's pure plug-and-play - which has its pluses and minuses. On the plus side, the ease of use and versatility mean you're getting a similar audio experience across multiple devices with the same crisp and detailed balanced audio. The flip side is that without dedicated software, you are beholden to third-party apps and other tools to adjust the sound profile or enable surround.

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Connecting the XPG Precog Studio Gaming Headset to a PlayStation 5 and playing Returnal and Marvel's Spider-Man, you can tap into the console's 3D Tempest Audio for virtual surround, which sounds great. On the PC, you've got the inbuilt Sonic Audio surround that is a part of Windows; however, how "great" this can be for gaming, watching media, or listening to music depends on the source material and whether or not you're a fan of virtual surround that takes a stereo signal to create depth and directional audio.

Performance & Microphone

Performance

The ESS DAC included with the XPG Precog Studio Gaming Headset can handle up to 32 bits of 96 KHz high-resolution audio. When you couple this with the 50mm drivers and balanced audio that delivers a distortion-free clean sound at all volume levels, the result is immediately impressive for the price. The sound falls on the crisp and boomy side, with plenty of room for mid-range detail. The bass response is excellent, and although there is some audio bleed due to the fabric cushions and comfortable seal, there's no loss in overall quality or depth.

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We tested the XPG Precog Studio Gaming Headset on PC with various games - including Diablo IV, Cyberpunk 2077, DOOM Eternal, and Black Myth: Wukong. The default tuning is undoubtedly tailor-made for immersive gaming, whether that's more cinematic titles with music and voice or pure action-heavy first-person. Playing DOOM Eternal, you can hear the intricacies of each weapon and the over-the-top sound effects that come from dispatching waves of demons. The headset also delivers a decent audio experience for listening to music, with lossless audio files sounding superb thanks to the ESS DAC.

However, electronic music emphasizing bass and high frequencies sounds more natural than, say, classical or jazz. Overall, the sound quality of the XPG Precog Studio Gaming Headset makes it an affordable winner.

Microphone

Regarding budget or affordable headsets, voice or chat quality can be an afterthought - where functionality can take precedence over quality. Although it's not broadcast quality, the omnidirectional microphone with the XPG Precog Studio Gaming Headset is surprisingly decent at capturing low-end detail and other elements of your voice. This makes it a suitable headset for chatting with friends over Discord and jumping into a Zoom or work-related meeting.

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Without software or other official tools for active noise cancellation or other post-processing, you'll need to tap into the power of an app like NVIDIA Broadcast. But this is a key part of the overall design, where XPG has opted to forego custom drivers and software to keep the price down and leave it up to the user to tinker with third-party software if needed. The good news is that the microphone default settings capture the realistic tones and nuance of your voice, and that's impressive for a $60 headset.

Final Thoughts

Priced at $59.99, we weren't expecting to be blown away by the sound quality or even the overall physical fit and design when reviewing the XPG Precog Studio Gaming Headset. However, going from high-end premium audiophile sound to the XPG Precog Studio Gaming Headset, it's hard not to be impressed with the sound quality, the microphone quality, and the comfort. Sure, the plastic build doesn't scream premium, but it's lightweight and flexible. On top of this, the fabric cushions and ski-band headband design are comfortable enough that even after a few hours of solid gaming, there wasn't the sort of discomfort you feel with an affordable headset.

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XPG's approach here is commendable; it has created an affordable headset where sound quality and comfort punch above its weight class. Playing games like DOOM Eternal and Diablo 4, you can hear the incredible sound design, voice acting, and music put into these titles by id Software and Blizzard. The tuning sits on the gamer side of the fence, emphasizing low-end and crisp highs for things like weapons, footsteps, and spells, but it's good enough for streaming media and listening to music, too. And even though you're looking at a wired USB headset, it works just as well when not connected to a PC - though the overall cable length can dimmish its console couch-gaming potential.

Overall, the XPG Precog Studio Gaming Headset offers value and is one of the best $60 gaming audio solutions currently available.