Setup, Design & Observations
The software isn't necessarily required to enjoy this headset, but if you wish to access its full features, then you should download and install the HERA software as instructed on the previous page.
To get started you will need a spare USB 2.0 or later port on your system, and the 2m braided/plastic coated cable is rather thick. Despite that, it is more supple than it appears, so shouldn't be too much of an issue for cable management unless you will need it to fit through some tight gaps.
The large, plastic in-line remote is positioned on the cable at a good distance from the headset, though it doesn't seem very well designed. The buttons are firm with an aggressive click, and it did seem to require some fumbling to find your way around its controls, though there is no real cause for concern as it does the job set out to do. We would have preferred to have had on-headset controls such as a dial for volume which presses in to mute audio, a clicky button with LED indicator for microphone mute and a separate location for LED effect/on/off and for Bass Impact/vibration.
On wearing the headset, we found that it has a pleasant grip strength, not too tight, or too loose, and the earpads were very comfortable with decent noise isolation. People with a smaller head may however find that it might be too loose, and those with a larger head my run into difficulty regarding the the non-adjustable earcups that are unable to compliment contours of their skull as much as one would otherwise expect. Though, we found no problem with comfort over an extended gaming session spanning several hours.
Multimedia
Turning the volume up to the max, we found the HEBE M1 RGB to be relatively loud, certainly above what we would recommend using for extended periods of time. The audio signature is clear and fairly well balanced between the clean bass, crisp mids and highs, providing high quality audio for music, games and movies. Considering the price point, it performs about what we would expect and gamers can be confident that they are going to be getting a fantastic immersive experience. The virtual 7.1 surround vaguely widens the audio, and some may prefer having it enabled, though we felt it wasn't entirely necessary.
The Bass Impact is a truly interesting feature, for general music listening, it introduced a muddy enhanced bass, along with the vibrations creating a tickly, irritating sensation. However, in game, the enhanced bass added urgency to situations, and some sounds are powerful enough to really take you off guard. You can feel every gun shot, explosion, and the slight detriment to the outright audio quality isn't really that much of a factor once you realise how much the vibration adds to your gaming experience. This time, unlike our previous outings with vibration headsets, we never really experienced any problems such as 'vibration echo' or rattling, though, vibration units do not tend to last for significant periods of time, so we remain sceptical. Though while it lasts, it presents a brilliant new level of immersion in games.
Microphone
The microphone is flexible and adjustable, however it doesn't extend quite far enough to be near your mouth. The pickup however is still very good, and the microphone itself sounds warm, clear, and with no static. The unidirectional microphone does however pick up many background sounds, such as: TV,other people talking, typing, and mouse clicks, however, this will be a matter of balancing the correct microphone sensitivity for best results.
The software isn't necessarily required to enjoy this headset, but if you wish to access its full features, then you should download and install the HERA software as instructed on the previous page.
To get started you will need a spare USB 2.0 or later port on your system, and the 2m braided/plastic coated cable is rather thick. Despite that, it is more supple than it appears, so shouldn't be too much of an issue for cable management unless you will need it to fit through some tight gaps.
The large, plastic in-line remote is positioned on the cable at a good distance from the headset, though it doesn't seem very well designed. The buttons are firm with an aggressive click, and it did seem to require some fumbling to find your way around its controls, though there is no real cause for concern as it does the job set out to do. We would have preferred to have had on-headset controls such as a dial for volume which presses in to mute audio, a clicky button with LED indicator for microphone mute and a separate location for LED effect/on/off and for Bass Impact/vibration.
On wearing the headset, we found that it has a pleasant grip strength, not too tight, or too loose, and the earpads were very comfortable with decent noise isolation. People with a smaller head may however find that it might be too loose, and those with a larger head my run into difficulty regarding the the non-adjustable earcups that are unable to compliment contours of their skull as much as one would otherwise expect. Though, we found no problem with comfort over an extended gaming session spanning several hours.
Multimedia
Turning the volume up to the max, we found the HEBE M1 RGB to be relatively loud, certainly above what we would recommend using for extended periods of time. The audio signature is clear and fairly well balanced between the clean bass, crisp mids and highs, providing high quality audio for music, games and movies. Considering the price point, it performs about what we would expect and gamers can be confident that they are going to be getting a fantastic immersive experience. The virtual 7.1 surround vaguely widens the audio, and some may prefer having it enabled, though we felt it wasn't entirely necessary.
The Bass Impact is a truly interesting feature, for general music listening, it introduced a muddy enhanced bass, along with the vibrations creating a tickly, irritating sensation. However, in game, the enhanced bass added urgency to situations, and some sounds are powerful enough to really take you off guard. You can feel every gun shot, explosion, and the slight detriment to the outright audio quality isn't really that much of a factor once you realise how much the vibration adds to your gaming experience. This time, unlike our previous outings with vibration headsets, we never really experienced any problems such as 'vibration echo' or rattling, though, vibration units do not tend to last for significant periods of time, so we remain sceptical. Though while it lasts, it presents a brilliant new level of immersion in games.
Microphone
The microphone is flexible and adjustable, however it doesn't extend quite far enough to be near your mouth. The pickup however is still very good, and the microphone itself sounds warm, clear, and with no static. The unidirectional microphone does however pick up many background sounds, such as: TV,other people talking, typing, and mouse clicks, however, this will be a matter of balancing the correct microphone sensitivity for best results.
