Audio and gaming are like water and swimming, you can’t do the activity without the critical component of it. At times its importance is even overlooked by gamers, but audio reveals hidden enemies, or lets you track an enemies distance or activities while they are out of site. Audio is essential to maximize your gaming ability and the ZOWIE GEAR HAMMER e-Sports Gaming Headset sets out to accomplish just this.

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Specifications

Like often higher priced headphone or headsets the HAMMER comes packed in a well dressed box. Cheaper headsets often come in sealed plastic which is a pain to open. Packed inside are the headset, spare cushions and an extension cable. Though it sounds like little, ZG included only the necessary accessories which helps prevents confusion and bloating the package.

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Design

The headset comes with leather ear cups but a pair of cloth ones are provided as well. It is great to see ZG give users an option between the two as personal preference does play in. Generally it is the case that leather tends to isolate sound better while the cloth cups are comfortable beyond imagination. Another little detail of difference is that with the cloth set you get some stitching on the outside which gives it an elegant look. To change the pads you just pop stretch the edge and pull off the pad, no clips, glue or adhesive are used.

A difference between the HAMMER and many of its competitors is the fact that is has a “retro” design to it. Each of the cups are attached to a firm, shiny metal arm which in turn is connected to the band and has an inch of adjustability to distance them from the band. The band that goes over the head is rather comfortable and unbeatably flexible yet firm. Heck you could make an O shape with it and it pops back into shape if you let go. This is a great feature in terms of durability as a gamer does not have to worry about snapping the headband or for frequent travelers, damage while on the go.

Even our staff member with the largest head (does not fit any non-custom made hat) found that the pressure applied from the band was minimal while it held on well.

The right cup features the HAMMER logo and the left has a mic attached to it. The mic is larger than any mic that we have see on a headset before but it does give it a distinct and powerful look. The mic can rotate a full 360 degrees. The angle of the mic cannot be adjusted though its distance from the cup can. It is connected to the headset with a metal rod which can slide in and out. It would be nice if it could slide another inch out as it is fairly close to the mouth. Due to this the mic must be placed slightly below the mouth to prevent breathing from being picked up.

The weight of the headset is also surprisingly light considering its durability. It feels as if you are wearing a regular pair of headphones rather than a large cupped headset.

Also the cable is only attached to the left side what helps keeping it out of the way. The cable isn’t too thick but durable. About a foot down from the headset itself is a controller. There is a dial to increase or decrease volume and a switch to turn the mic on or off. Further, there is a clip attached to the rear of it; however unless you are wearing a shirt that requires to be buttoned or zipped it is not of much use.

The cord is a generous 4 feet long. Fortunately due to the material used to encase the cable, it is tangle free. The extension cord is another 6 feet long which allows for a total of 10 feet of cable!; which is undoubtedly long enough for anyone’s needs.

Sound Quality

Although design is important, what someone expects from a headset is good sound and from the mic a clear voice. The HAMMER was designed specifically for gaming, thus for multimedia uses it is not an appropriate choice. We tested the headset with a variety of games.

First Person Shooter Games

We started off by running it through the most common e-sport, FPS games. We played dozens of hours of Left 4 Dead 2, Call of Duty 4, Counter Strike Source, Team Fortress 2 and Day of Defeat.

The HAMMER performed well, sounds were clear and so was the direction in which they were coming from. The only concern we ran into was the lack of bass during explosions. The sound of bullets is rather crisp and other medium and high tones were detailed.

Racing Games

Racing is not technically an e-sport though there are a few racing dedicated leagues out there such as iRacing.com. Moreover, as a gaming headset we thought we try to run in it through the most popular genres. In this test we used Dirt 2, Grid, Need For Speed Pro Street, and Burnout Paradise.

Once again the lack of bass was evident but in other aspects the headset excelled. Specifically with cars such as the F1 cars in Burnout Paradise the spine tingling whine sounded sharp and as if we were actually there.

Role Playing Games

RPG games have become incredibly popular. The thing with RPG games is that there is not as much as an emphasis on hearing every foot step, every movement and every gunshot. Heck many of them don’t even have guns. We tested out the HAMMER with The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion as it is a well rounded RPG.

The sound of water dripping, and other natural sounds came out precise. Though its weak point was the music, which it is simply not designed for. Also the voices of the characters were a bit high through the headset.

A final concern we had with the sound output was the necessity to boost output volume in Windows to near maximum levels to get to a comfortable and adjustable volume.

As for the mic quality, we decided to let you hear it for yourself as we read the following passage from the ZOWIE GEAR site and recorded it.

“ZOWIE GEAR consists of experienced individuals that share the same objective — develop high quality, efficient, and durable products all at affordable prices . All the products of ZOWIE GEAR are developed for people’s ideal. It is through our development and critical production process that makes these dreams come true.”

(http://www.zowiegear.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=13&Itemid=26)

Click here to listen to the file

Conclusion

The ZOWIE GEAR HAMMER headset is a great option for those looking for a gaming specific and gaming only headset. It excels particularly in FPS games, though can be used with other genres. If you want some multimedia use out of your headset, it may be worth looking elsewhere. Though not terrible, the headset is not designed for such use. Adding to its value is its unique design and sheer durability. Its solid materials and flexible headband make it a great option for notebook gamers.