Audio-Technica ATH-PG1 Closed-Back Premium Gaming Headset with 6" Boom Microphone

Let's just get this out of the way -- no these are not audiophile quality, and no they do not sound as good as their older brother, the ADG1s. I give these a 5 star review because, in my opinion, these are the best "gaming" headphones you can buy. While they aren't the best sounding headphones for this price range, they still have very very good, clear sound, with a nice big soundstage (which in my opinion is better than having simulated 5.1 surround for positional accuracy). These also sound better than any other headset I've tried for gaming, including the Astro A40's and A50's. The open back design means they do allow sound in, which is good or bad depending on your purposes. For me, I like being able to talk to my girlfriend while I'm playing games, and hearing myself talk, so I don't want to close off the world with a closed-back design, but if you're playing a very loud environment, you may want to get closed back cans instead.Compared to the ADG1, they are not as clear and don't sound as good, but that's to be expected considering the price difference. However, I find them to be far more comfortable, especially for long sessions. Part of that has to do with the large ear cup design of the ADG1, which tended to sit on the tops of my ears rather than around them. The microphone for both sets is excellent and people will have no problems hearing you.

I have switched headphones probably 10 times trying to find the ones i like and these are it. Great sound quality and they can get really really loud without distortion. The ear pads are not the best but they can be replaces with better ones, which is what I did. Audio Technica rarely disappoints and they did not miss here. These kick ass, and can be worn for hours. I will say if you have glasses, replacing the ear pads to something with more foam is almost a must if wearing them for long hours. I will also say the replaceable chord is why i picked these, I always seem to break the 3.5mm connectors. However, there are only certain connectors that will fit in the headphones due to the shape of the space where the 3.5mm jack on the headphones is located.

I'll state it now, I got these when they were on sale. Plus I was interested in giving Audio Technica a try, so perfect timing. Especially when the previous headset I bought broke, which were cheap as I was waiting to get a better set from my previous set snapping unfortunately.Fist off, I will start with using it on PC. I will say I read some of the negative reviews and noticed things they said when trying them. One was the mic not working or supposedly not working. Well, I ran into the issue of my mic not being detected for sure. So that could have been the problem with them as well. It took awhile, but I somehow got it to detect it. Most likely having it plugged up and restarting the computer helps a lot. Now as for how the mic sounded??? Well, it does have some type of sound pick up or something. For sure it was making noise when I had it standard. However it went away completely when I went into the standard properties settings in windows, clicked enhancement and added a noise suppression. Wasn't there anymore at all for me. It's work I know, so it's your choice if that's a downside for you already as it's always probably going to be there technically. Then there is the fact that the mic is always there and you can't just take it off. The plus side though is that the extended plug gives you plenty of cord, so you can have no worries with that.Next was the sound. Now, I will say this. The standard sound is definitely on the low side. Probably a big negative for many, but the sounds is perfectly fine in my opinion. This is of course coming from someone who watches tons of shows, games for hours and so on though. I'd consider this a bit more of an upgrade from a cheap or standard headset for sure, but not a premium $300 type headset for sure. Of course that doesn't mean some video still won't be loud and destroy your ears on something like Youtube or such. Since all volumes on videos vary, I mean for windows in general. Like if you were to open windows player, music player or anything on your PC. Still, if the sound is an issue then not to worry completely. It's an EASY fix if you mess with the properties settings like with the mic. Just click the loudness Equalization and things will become louder for you. Depending on certain videos though, it may seem lower than if it's off. However, that's just the video. Also if you want to change the sound up, just mess with the Equalizer setting. It really helps to improve how loud the sound is as well. I recommend doing that as it gives such a huge boost in sound loudness. I do keep my volume around 50 to 70 though. Someone did mention one side of their headset started dying on them after having it on 100, from it being so low to them. Also it helps to not blow you ears out from the difference in videos on other sites likes reddit or youtube, as the changes to settings does increase it a lot for those. It would always be low for any video when standard, but changes it to where you'll have it half way or lower. Which is a big improvement compared to my last headset, which always needed more than half on the volume or max all the time.Now, another big question. Is it comfortable? Not as comfortable as I wished, but I don't think I've ever felt comfort from any headset that had leather cups. So do keep that in mind. Still, it is a bit tight for me. However, not as tight as the cheaper set I had before, which did loosen up over time. So maybe these will loosen up over time and they will be perfect after a bit more use.Another question would be do they work for console? Well, yes they do. I have used these on my xbox and they work fine. In fact, the sound is much louder from the standard plug in on PC. So it's a bit odd that it sounder much louder on console initially than on PC. Either way, they sounded perfectly fine. However!!! The mic becomes the problem when playing on console. Remember that sound that is captured on PC? Well you can't get rid of that on console, so it'll always be heard for others on console. If you can mute after talking, then your fine. Which is actually a habit I've had for a long time now, so I have no problems. I'm sure many don't have this habit and probably won't be able to continuously mute. So that'll be the issue for you to consider with this.Before I forget, with the mute switch. I only tired it on console. So I have no idea if it's extremely loud on PC as someone mentioned in a different review. However, when I used it on console. I was told it wasn't that loud. It was just a small noticeable sound that could be heard. It wasn't ear piercing or anything to them. As for the the mic picking up game audio during use, again. No one was able to hear a thing from my side when using it. When it comes to the volume control, I never use it. I keep it maxed out and don't touch it as I've always had bad experiences with them causing issues with my headsets on any headset I've had. Just like I've always had every turtle beach headset break on me after little use, for some odd reason.So, is it a get? If you want to use them as a PC only headset, I see no huge problems with it. All the things I mentioned could easily be solved by messing with the settings and taken away. The only issue would be comfort for you when it comes to using them. I use them all day and I do mean all day, as I have all my previous headsets. I do notice some discomfort though, as it's probably not normal to wear headsets all day. NOW, if you want them for console. I don't strongly recommend them because of the mic. If your gonna mute to talk or not use the mic at all, then go for it. The only issue would be the mic being an annoyance for others after all.Overall, I'd recommend it based on certain factors that depend on your gaming needs really.

I purchased the open air version of these headphones primarily as I have a lot of meetings for work and need something that is comfortable for many 6 plus hours of meetings a day, have a good microphone as I do a lot if presentations and code reviews and ask recorded a lot. And something which allows external sounds in case of door bell etc. I have found these head phones to far exceed my expectations. They are perfect for all three of my needs and do work well for gaming and movies etc to boot. The in line volume and mute control are small and not super easy to use but I control those feature with my devices (laptop, mobil phone etc). I strongly recommend them and the comfort level is by far the best I've ever had. I've had them now for several months and still can not believe how great they are working for me. No sore spots on my head nor any other issues. I am in my 50s and have been through hundreds of head sets and these are the best I've owned.

These sound great and the mic is great, but the volume knob will, just only after a few months, break on you like it has for many others in the review. Simply by touching the volume knob, you get dropping and cutting/uneven audio on the headphones. Tried to get it fixed under warranty and was told it was not covered as I purchased it through Amazon. It's a shame I have to find a new headset or completely forgo the mic feature by using my own audio cable plugged in.