Today my review desk has been graced with the 1More Spearhead VR – a gaming headset retailing for an affordable $99. Aside from a comfortable fit and snazzy RGB lighting, the Spearhead VR also claims half-decent sound. But does the performance live up to the pricetag? Or is this headset all hot air?
1More Spearhead VR Review
Having already burst onto the headphone scene with multi-driver earphones and headphones, it was only a matter of time before 1More expanded into gaming headphones. Known for their sleek design and robust sound, the company’s reputation makes for an enticing foray into the world of gaming headsets. Released earlier this year, the Spearhead VR can be considered a cheaper, less intense counterpart to the higher-end Spearhead VRX at $199. But does the budget build still hold up?
Design
Arriving in a stylish box that holds the headset, two cables, a carrying pouch, a user manual, and a cool sticker, the Spearhead VR doesn’t skimp on accessories.
The Spearhead VR sports a solid if lightweight build. Wearing like a dream, this headset owes much of it’s comfortable design to the suspension-style headband, feather-light plastic, and comfortable earpads. Despite my large ears, the neoprene ear cups still fully ensconce them, offering a truly over-ear fit.
Each earcup holds a 50mm maglev graphene driver, resulting in a deeper, bass-ier sound. Assisting this design choice is a dial for volume and bass adjustment, located on the back of the left earcup. Below this adjustment knob, you will find inputs for the supplied micro-USB cable and 3.5mm aux cable. An on-off switch above these arrays controls the integrated microphone.
Speaking of the mic, the Spearhead VR shows some impressive engineering here. Constructed from a semi-opaque white plastic, the mic can be extended or retracted into the headphone. Once extended, the microphone pulses with light as it registers changes in tone and pitch. This is one dope feature – even if it might seem a little frivolous, I absolutely love it.
Supplied cables come in two varieties: a 4 ft (1.2m) 4-pole 3.5 mm aux cable and a 6.5 ft (2 m) micro-USB cable (required for use with the 1More drivers and 7.1 Surround Sound).
Necessary drivers can be found on 1More’s website, while installation is quick and painless. The drivers allow customization of the LED lighting, from coloration to lighting effect (including a solid light and two variations of pulsing light). You can also fine-tune balance between speaker and microphone channels.
Sound
It should come as no surprise that the Spearhead VR delivers a bassy, low-end-heavy sound. This sound seems fairly natural, while the bass boost can be used to dampen the mids and highs for greater impact. And when it comes to the mids and highs, 1More manages to deliver a fairly impressive sound for such a low pricepoint. Sure, there might be a little distortion in the high end, but it’s manageable and more than acceptable in a sub-$100 headphone.
Soundstage and the inclusion of 7.1 Surround Sound offer a fairly impressive sense of depth and placement. It’s easy to pick up on directional cues, and the atmospheric sound quality is readily appreciated.
Perhaps the only misgiving I have about the sound quality of the 1More Spearhead VR is the bass boost feature. Dampening the mids and highs seems like a cop out, and the bass boost remains hideously-unlistenable when actually playing music. Here the feature causes sounds in the middle and high end of a frequency range to register at lower volumes, leading to a headache-inducing sonic soup.
While gaming, though, the bass boost offers a decidedly engaging experience. Logging into to EVE and getting tackled in low sec, I can enjoy the sound of rockets and blasters as my ship gets torn to pieces. Good stuff.
Final Thoughts
With a decent sound, good engineering, and a durable and comfortable fit, the 1More Spearhead provides serious bangs for your bucks. The fact that this headphone lands under $99 only sweetens the deal, making up for the less-than-perfect bass boost feature. Is it the top-of-the-line headset you’ll be salivating over in your dreams? Probably not, but for most purposes, this ‘phone delivers a rousing performance.
Headphone Dungeon Score
Four skulls! The 1More Spearhead VR receives a decent score from Headphone Dungeons skullometer. The chintzy bass boost option knocks this headphone back a peg, as does that slight amount of distortion in the high end of the frequency range. Still, if you’re in the market for a headset that looks good and sounds okay, don’t rule this turkey out.
Specifications
Design: Open-air, dynamic driver
Headphone Frequency Range: 20-20,000 Hz
Nominal Impedance: 32 ohms
Connections: 3.5 mm mini-plug, micro-USB (PC only)
Lenth and Type of Cables: 4 ft (1.3 m) USB cable for PC, 5 ft (1.5 m) audio cable for consoles
Pickup Pattern : Supercardioid Condenser
Microphone Sensitivity: NA
Microphone Frequency Range: NA
Weight: 11.4 oz (324 g)
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