Alienware - Wireless Wired Stereo Gaming Headset - Black

From the packaging to the first immersion in your choice of gaming experiences, it’s clear Alienware put the time and effort in to engineering a wireless headset that feels, looks and acts premium. This would be the minimal bar to surpass with the purchase point over $200. Let’s dig in to that. The packaging was slick, a very solid cardstock case with a magnetized lid and a clear plastic window that allows you a peek at the headset while showcasing the attributes on the inside panel, outside panel and spine. A quick pull on the plastic window and removing the Velcro straps gets your headset out, and the additional accessories are in a thin box at the bottom. Very sleek and well presented on the whole. The headset feels premium, and the build materials are well selected. I like the rubberized black matte headband sporting the Alienware logo, with wrapped cushioning on the underside of the band. This connected to the pivotable earcups by dark brushed aluminum extension arms that recess into the headband- they extended well for flexibility, and the ratcheting felt really solid, I don’t see the band or connection areas being a failure on this headset, which has been the case in the past. The experience is lightweight but solid, long hours of gameplay provided neither discomfort or hot ears, which was a surprise for over-ear earcups. I would love to have seen the cups in leatherette for the costs, but these were comfortable and noise-cancelling enough to merit leaving as-is. The headset comes with a USB power cord, a USB dongle that both installs the software/drivers and connects it wirelessly, which can also be stored in the earcup itself (a nice feature). It also comes with a flatstock plastic 3.5mm cable if you want a wired connection. While the software install had a few burps with driver conflicts, the second attempt went fine, and after a reboot I was able to access the Alienware Headset Command Command Center, critical for really getting the mileage out of the unit itself. The software suite has some really impressive controls to manipulate and fine-tune the sound experience with tabs for Audio, Mic, HD Audio recorder (samples for streaming software, like OBS), Audio Recon (haven’t attempted this, but it seems to be an interesting software provide visual indications localizing particular sounds, for FPS type gameplay) and the lighting suite. The headset has a great LED experience built into the outer face of the earcaps, with the logo as well as a chevron below each logo, you can use any of the preset lighting profiles provided, or select your own color from the RGB spectrum, set a tempo to it and run. The logo on the earcap with the fold-down mic is the power button. The fold down mic conveniently mutes upon raising, and an audio cue tells you when you mute or unmute the mic. The left earcap also has volume controls, as well as a toggle on the bottom of the cap that allows you to switch the sound profile. Alienware includes five gaming profiles that are specific to gaming types, as well as a profile for music or movies. All dial in the bass, treble and reverb a bit differently, while I don’t particularly feel that each gave a real deep difference in sound, the idea of having them is a pretty premium experience, and you also have the opportunity to customize any of the profiles. I don’t see an ability to save a new custom profile, that would be a great add. All in all, the software suite unlocks a lot of what you are paying the premium price for, and can turn a middling sound experience into a good one. My few thoughts on areas they can improve the headset: Bluetooth is a must. Not sure how that wasn’t incorporated, but you lost a whole array of devices this could be used with. I’m not getting the 40’ wireless range, more like 25’. Not a dealkiller for me, I game on PC with them, and won’t need a 40’ tether, but still. The sound is also not quite up to the pricepoint. It is good, and the software suite really allows you to tailor it to a custom feel, but it is a bit thin and tinny. I don’t need a heavy base, but for both gaming and watching movies on the PC, it feels a bit lacking. I am completely willing to admit I may not have tweaked the tuning in the software suite to the perfect pitch, but I haven’t hit a sweet spot of balance and depth that I’ve gotten from my trusty older wired Astro a40s. I know wired and wireless experiences will not be the same, and forgive the slight lack of depth, but the headsets both sport very similar drivers, ranges and impedence, I have to believe the Alienware can touch that type of depth. I will say this, it is an extremely well delivered wireless experience, I have not thrown my Astros back on, and love the freedom these new Alienware cans provide, I believe with some small tweaks in hardware or software AW can really bury all the competition, wired or not. You definitely receive your moneys worth with these- give them a fair wearing no matter what brand you may be coming from, they will not disappoint you on the whole.

Alienware is well known for making exceptional products and seeing this was available I jumped at the chance to get me this new RGB Wireless headset. I have a great mid range gaming pc with plenty of bells and whistles and all that I was missing was a premium headset. Using this headset has been nothing short of amazing. I am using Windows 10 and it was plug and play I inserted the USB dongle and the software was downloaded in less than 10 seconds. The power button is on the left side the alien icon is a button and something as small as that I appreciate int he overall design of the product. The headset was immediately recognized. --------------- Build Quality Build quality is superb a mix of soft touch plastic , leather and plastic. There is plenty of flexibility and it will conform to a wide variety of consumers whether you have a small head or a massive noggin this will fit you. THE 40 MM drivers are more than enough for whatever you intended to use this for whether it be media or gaming purposes. The built in mic folds down when you want to use it and it will pick even a soft spoken voice like mine. It does a great job of eliminating most background noise so that is a plus in my book. And when you aren't using the mic is conveniently folds back up right into the headset so there is no worry about losing an external mic attachment, or the risk of breaking the mic itself. The mic itself is small and doesn't reach out and touch your lips like some others on the market. All the buttons are located on the left ear. You have your volume and your mic mute and the option for game audio or chat audio. The battery light indicator is also on the left side on the bottom of the headset. You also have the option of using this as a wired headset if you chose. It uses a regular 3.5 mm cable. On the right side of the headset there is a small slot to insert the usb dongle for safe storage for when it isn't in use. --------------- Sound is great it uses virtual 7.1 surround sound. There is plenty of Bass and Treble on these cans. I have tested them out on a couple of PC games like Battle Field V beta and jeez I am just head over heels for this headset. I especially loved watching Netflix because I do not have surround sound at home I only have a 2.0 sound bar. These are wireless earphones so I was expecting some kind of wireless audio interference but that was not the case. I live in a high rise that is saturated with Wi-Fi. I am not an expert or an audiophile but I did not notice any sort of audio latency. --------------- Battery life Battery life is great I used the headset right out of the box and did not even need to charge it was charged. I was really surprised by that. I have used it for a few days and have yet to even give my headset its first charge. I have actually gotten better battery life than the advertised 14hrs. Charging the headset is pretty simple it uses a micro usb a type. I don't know why Alienware did not opt to use USB type C. --------------- Alienware software The software is very user friendly so there is really no way anyone can get confused using it. You open the app and it searches for the headset and it connects instantaneously. This headset has RGB lighting and it offers a color palette to choose literally any color to match your gaming PC. Other settings are available to tweak the reverb, bass, treble and the pitch in your voice on the mic. Alienware has custom presets for the headset for different kind of games like for shooters, sims, rpg, movies, music and etc. I use the shooter setting often and the movie presets. I have yet to test the other presets but overall it is pretty much what you would expect for the shooter preset it is emphasis on bass so loud scenes are loud like explosions, Movie preset is similar. --------------- Overall thoughts This is a phenomenal headset that is comfortable and can be used in combination wired or wireless even if the battery runs out in extended gaming sessions you are good to go. It is designed very well with a lot to like. I can't find anything to nit pick about this headset. I recommend this headset for anyone looking for an immersive headset. Some of my buddies came over and were amazed by it they tried it out and wanted to take it home with them but of course I told them to get their own.

Have tested several high-end gaming headphones before and after using the Alienware for a couple weeks find that none of the previous headsets are of the caliper of this new Alienware Gaming Headset. The Headphones are striking in their design, have never looked at a headphone set before and thought, wow they look cool, these do. Most comfortable headset I have ever had on my head with unique designed ear-pads, kudos on ear-pad design! One seemingly small item which I “really” like is that within the ear-pads the letters “L” and “R” are imprinted in large font type. Have many times spent too long looking for a tiny little raised letter designating which ear it should be worn over. Additionally, they are extremely light. These headphones deliver a rich 7.1 surround sound experience great for gaming and listening to music. Our “professional in-home gamer” was convinced that the wireless connection would lag, he was incorrect in this matter. He never uses the wire and tells me there is absolutely no noticeable latency lag. My recommendation on this is that he does not go for slow stuff, and as they say the proof is in the pudding. In addition to the Wi-Fi connection your options included USB and audio jack cables. With up to 18 hours of playtime you can game wirelessly without limits. Downloading the free Alienware Headset Center allows you to tune everything exactly the way you want for a customized gaming experience. The RGB is fully customizable within the software and allows you to get markers on your screen depending on where the most noise is coming from. Basically, wall hacks. The Alienware Gaming Headset has received a resounding FIVE STAR Rating from the in-house gamer. Now if he would just let me use them occasionally! Overall the Alienware Gaming Headphones provide an Amazing Gaming and Music listening experience and I easily give it a Five Star Rating and highly recommend them Game on.

This headset is truly amazing. The are solidly constructed with comfortable mesh ear cups, a fairly balanced amount of tension on the head (YMMV) and easy setup. I was surprised to find that immediately upon plugging in the wireless adapter, Windows 10 Pro made quick work of recognizing the new hardware and promptly installing the Alienware Headset Center software. I wasn't expecting any type of simulated surround mode with this model but low-and-behold, the 'stereo' in the name is deceiving. Within the app there is a ton of custom configuration options including the lighting features and surround mode. Kudos to Dell Alienware team for constructing such a well organized control panel. I've seen other companies completely FAIL on the software side of things and it thoroughly ruins the user experience. The integrated power button underneath the Alien logo on the left ear piece is centered and easy to activate. Wireless performance with my X470 Hero II motherboard is generally solid although I did notice some dropped sound packets early on. I'm not going to ding this review for what I expect to experience with most 'dedicated' wireless headsets that don't simply use Bluetooth. I've not noticed any appreciable hit to battery life while using the lighting compared to other products in the same segment. Pretty typical performance on that front. My only real gripes about this headset is the lack of comfort for very 'extended' periods of use and the limited gain with respect to the overall sound level. They don't breathe as well as my Steelcase wired headphones, even with their mesh cups. And the crown area of my skull does become a tad bit sore after 2+ hours of wear. But nuanced comfort attributes is an area that I feel is highly subjective and dependent upon a person's geometry ... so I'm not going to levy any demerits on the overall rating. This wireless headset pretty much caps out at a moderate listening level - bordering almost loud enough - equal to most other wireless gaming headsets I've tried. Sound fidelity and low-end (bass) performance is solid. I've not experienced any rattles or distortions across many games and a wide variety of music types. I'd prefer a maximum level roughly about 20% higher but again, this is another subjective area and I won't count it against the overall rating. I'm also certain that governed SpL (sound pressure levels) is something more and more companies are paying close attention to for hearing preservation reasons. All said - I still think this headset is built & performs to the expected level for an Alienware product at this price point. I can confidently recommend these to others! - The design style & lines are very unique... and cool looking. - The lighting bits are 'in line' with the design and not over-the-top. - The integrated controls are easy to find and use without looking. - The Alienware Headset Center app is solid all the way around ! - Battery performance on-par with the segment - near as I can tell. Check them out for yourself and see what you think !

Once you download the software on your computer, you can make fine adjustments to get a great sound. It took sometime to download and install, but it really is nice. I also liked that the headphones out of the box have great sound. So these are perfect for those that are looking to “plug-in and go” or get near studio quality sound. I really enjoyed having full control of the bass, treble, reverb and clarity. After about 10 minutes of making my adjustments the sound was crisp. These headphones can be either wireless or a wired connection. Although the wired connection produced a slightly better sound, I was surprised with the quality of a wireless connection. The average user won’t notice to significant of a decrease in quality. The mic is different than what I’m use to, but it wasn’t too bad. The quality of the mic is better than most gaming headsets out there. A huge success is that it didn’t get in the way of my gaming experience. Also, my gaming team had no issues hearing me. The mic operates by flipping it up or down. Flip it down to turn it out and flip it up to turn it off. I might not be the only one to think this, but I found it very annoying when turning it on and off. My reason is because a VERY loud voice would say “mic on” or “mic off” pending my action. It’s nice to have the reassurance when it’s on or off, but I’m surprised there’s not a better way to communicate that. I have a big head and these headphones felt great for about 20 minutes. Around 30 minutes it felt a little heavy and my ears were getting warm, so I had to take a bit of a break. Not necessarily a deal breaker, but can be frustrating given the $200 price tag. Overall, I think these headphones are one of the best I’ve ever used. I highly recommend you use the wired connection. As I said, the wireless sound isn’t too bad, but everyday gamers or music enthusiasts will notice the difference. There’re some minor issues I have with it (price tag), but it’s not a game changer. I recommend these headphones, for someone able to spend over $200 on an excellent pair of headphones.

I was using wired headphones for the past few years and I was due for an upgrade as my ears hurt from the stiff earcups. Not to mention, the accidental tug of the cord to rip the headphones off your head. These Alienware not only looks cool, they out performed many other gaming headphones and even my dedicated music headphones. The over-the-ear fits very snug and very comfortable and with little to no ear fatigue. Battery life is fantastic and claims to run over 8+ hours with the flashy lights turned off. I love how the boom mic flips away cleanly when not in use and that it also has a visible led light within eyesight to let you know if your mic is live. The headphones sounded flat and boring straight out of the box but comes alive when you use their software. Within the software is a ton of customizability including equalizer (enhances sound, bass, etc), LED light settings, mic settings (including hearing your own voice), and many other features. Bottom line is that these Alienware headphones not only looks great on or off my head, is that it also sounds amazing watching music vids on youtube and the 7.1 virtual surround sound will not let your opponents sneak up on you undetected in FPS. Just make sure to tweak the audio settings with the downloadable software to your liking. Comes with 3.5mm cord and wireless USB dongle. Only gripe is why can’t this be Bluetooth or at least have options to do Bluetooth?

Ok.. these are pretty good headphones for gamers overall, but overpriced for the sound quality you are getting, either wired, or wireless. The absolute best thing about these headphones are the way they were physically designed. BULID QUALITY IS GREAT. Microphone tucks away, volume control on a slider, game vs. chat mixer on slider, battery charge level indicator, all built in to the left side ear cup. The right side ear cup has a little magnetic holder to hold the wireless USB adapter you will be using to use this as a wireless headset. This a great idea, as I can see people losing this thing so easily. You need to install alienware software to get this thing going on PC. The software is fairly intuitive, and has different presets for movies, gaming (and sub gaming genres like shooters, etc..). You can also change lighting on the RGB lights on the side of the headphones. The interface is pretty nice. Now here is the deal with sound quality. This is where I feel, for the money, you could do much better. The bass on these headphones is pretty wimpy. Whether wireless or wired, it just doesn’t create a whole lot of bass. That might be ok if you are not a bass head, but Alienware is marketing this thing for gamers, and for me, it just doesn’t provide enough bass. Also, wirelessly, it can get fairly loud, but not nearly as loud as other headphones, and specifically gaming headphones. This might have been a conscious decision to save on the wireless battery life, as the louder it goes, the faster the battery would drain. If you want louder sound, and in my opinion much better sound while gaming on your PC, plug it in. I am able to eek out a little more bass, though not much more, and, all the fake surround options are just that, fake sounding if you ask me. Stereo will always provide a better experience, provided you tune the gaming you a turning to headphones. Don’t get me wrong, the audio quality on these headphones is not bad, it just is not up to par with the asking price. I have headphones half the cost that sound better, and provide much more bass. They may not have the RGB lighting on the side, but they sound better. That being said, those headphones are not wireless, they are wired. These Alienware AW988 even connected to a great audio source wired, with a good amp, just don’t get as loud as other headphones I have. Case in point, connected to my LG v30 with a HiFi Quad DAC (digital analog converter), they just don’t get very loud at all. Now, this headset will also work with a PS4 wireless with the USB adapter plugged into the PlayStation 4. It will also worked wired direct into the PS4 controller itself. This is great. Until you realize the volume is even LESS than when you are on a PC. I even checked the audio mixer on the side of the headphones for mixing between chat and game volume, and while I did get the game volume up a bit by sliding it the full way, it was just way too quiet, even compared to the PC wireless and wired volume. So I would overall say, these are decent wireless headphones if you are not necessarily into bass. The build quality itself is really great. I just wish there was more bass, and they could get louder overall, especially considering the price point these sell for.

Built in microphone activates when you move it down into position. You can use the side-button to activate/deactivate the microphone too. A clear female voice tells you its on or off. I really like the R and L molded into the earpieces. Makes it easy and intuitive to put on when you pick them up. Comes with a USB wireless receiver that stows away nicely in a spot located under the ear cuff. Super comfortable ear muffs; nice ratcheting head band fits snugly; its padded too. Ships in a neat looking box, with a smaller container inside. This box has the charging USB cable and a generous length of 3.5MM stereo audio cable for use with devices that have headset jacks. Play with the built in equalizer. I noticed they fit so well, they act like hearing protection muffs, Most important comfort and sound! Oh, and a cool LED lit alien on each muff! I liked the Velcro straps that allow me to store the headset back in the box when not in use. Perfect for Gamers and online action when you need clear sound both in ear and to talk with your opponent or alias..