Setup, Design & Observations
The Force H5 is a plug-and-play design and doesn't come with any software support, so once it is plugged into a free USB port, it will be ready to go.
The cable is long and braided and is non-modular, which is a shame because if the control panel featured a 3.5mm/4pole jack input for the headset, it would have made the headset more versatile in regards to its platform use. Also it means that the headset is permanently tethered to a rather heavy control panel. This will not be a huge problem for those that are avid PC gamers where the headset will remain static at the desk for the entirety of its life, though having a modular design, its life span (either the headset or control panel) would likely be extended.
On wearing the Force H5, my head immediately appreciates the carefully calculated clamping force/ pressure combined with the soft memory foam padding. Large ears shouldn't have too much problem with fitting inside the earpads comfortably. Long sessions gaming sessions were no problem at all.
The touch panel was a little confusing at first as I started by touching the lit areas, but turns out the volume/microphone adjustment is linked and you can only swipe up and down in the central blank reserve to adjust them. The microphone sensitivty can be adjusted in Windows however. The panel features mute/mute microphone controls as well as being able to enable/disable the surround mode.
Multimedia
The headset had a nice amount of bass, and sounded awesome across various music genres, though seemed a touch lower in the mid tones. Overall characteristics were pleasant and made for enjoyable listening. It's maximum volume is reasonable but is a little lower than most, so those that enjoy super loud headsets may find it somewhat limited. Though it remains at a comfortable, distortion free level that is enjoyable regardless of the audio source. Wait, it gets better? Turn on the virtual surround for a wider, clearer and generally better all round audio experience. It is here, where I found the disadvantage in not having a basic GUI/software backing as I would liked to have tweaked the EQ a little.
Games were enjoyable, and the deep tones of the Force H5 made gunshots, explosions sound beefy and exciting. The weaker mid-tones showed in CS:GO as the footsteps were less pronounced than what we have experienced with other headsets. The SRS surround gave reasonable spatial awareness, though, other than giving a marked improvement in all round audio quality, it gave no real added benefit over what one would experience from a standard stereo surround option anyway. So the virtual 7.1 rendering didn't necessarily give an additional benefit. Though it is easy to overlook that considering the enjoyable sound quality.
Microphone
The microphone is a lot shorter than one would expect, coming out to mid-cheek and stopping. This made voice pickup difficult and quiet. Combined with a huge amount of background noise and whining, it sounded fairly tinny. Rather than implementing actual noise reducing technologies, it seems to have an auto-voice detection mode, where it will reduce the sensitivity when you are quiet, then increase the sensitivity when you speak. So conversation was rather inconsistent in volume and quality. Overall, it is quite disappointing.
The Force H5 is a plug-and-play design and doesn't come with any software support, so once it is plugged into a free USB port, it will be ready to go.
The cable is long and braided and is non-modular, which is a shame because if the control panel featured a 3.5mm/4pole jack input for the headset, it would have made the headset more versatile in regards to its platform use. Also it means that the headset is permanently tethered to a rather heavy control panel. This will not be a huge problem for those that are avid PC gamers where the headset will remain static at the desk for the entirety of its life, though having a modular design, its life span (either the headset or control panel) would likely be extended.
On wearing the Force H5, my head immediately appreciates the carefully calculated clamping force/ pressure combined with the soft memory foam padding. Large ears shouldn't have too much problem with fitting inside the earpads comfortably. Long sessions gaming sessions were no problem at all.
The touch panel was a little confusing at first as I started by touching the lit areas, but turns out the volume/microphone adjustment is linked and you can only swipe up and down in the central blank reserve to adjust them. The microphone sensitivty can be adjusted in Windows however. The panel features mute/mute microphone controls as well as being able to enable/disable the surround mode.
Multimedia
The headset had a nice amount of bass, and sounded awesome across various music genres, though seemed a touch lower in the mid tones. Overall characteristics were pleasant and made for enjoyable listening. It's maximum volume is reasonable but is a little lower than most, so those that enjoy super loud headsets may find it somewhat limited. Though it remains at a comfortable, distortion free level that is enjoyable regardless of the audio source. Wait, it gets better? Turn on the virtual surround for a wider, clearer and generally better all round audio experience. It is here, where I found the disadvantage in not having a basic GUI/software backing as I would liked to have tweaked the EQ a little.
Games were enjoyable, and the deep tones of the Force H5 made gunshots, explosions sound beefy and exciting. The weaker mid-tones showed in CS:GO as the footsteps were less pronounced than what we have experienced with other headsets. The SRS surround gave reasonable spatial awareness, though, other than giving a marked improvement in all round audio quality, it gave no real added benefit over what one would experience from a standard stereo surround option anyway. So the virtual 7.1 rendering didn't necessarily give an additional benefit. Though it is easy to overlook that considering the enjoyable sound quality.
Microphone
The microphone is a lot shorter than one would expect, coming out to mid-cheek and stopping. This made voice pickup difficult and quiet. Combined with a huge amount of background noise and whining, it sounded fairly tinny. Rather than implementing actual noise reducing technologies, it seems to have an auto-voice detection mode, where it will reduce the sensitivity when you are quiet, then increase the sensitivity when you speak. So conversation was rather inconsistent in volume and quality. Overall, it is quite disappointing.
