Tired of dying at the same boss over and over again? I can’t help you. Want to enhance the quality of your game audio as you continue to fail yourself? I may have found you what you’re looking for.
Audio-Technica ATH-ADG1x Open-Air Review
Your options for open-back headsets are pretty slim in 2018. But you don’t need to compromise on sound or build quality to relieve your sweaty ears. The Audio-Technica ATH-ADG1x delivers everything you’d want in a set of gamer cans, al fresco. However, are they entirely without imperfection? Well… I’ll get to that.
Design
The gooseneck mic is nice and flexible and fixed in a way where you can’t stray too far from its pickup radius unless you bend it towards the left of you (away from your mouth). No problems there. The cups are large and comfortable, and the pads aren’t too hard or soft for my liking. The mute switch and volume adjustment wheel on the cable are straightforward and easy to use.
I gave the mic a test drive using Windows 10’s Voice Recorder app, and I was very pleased with the results. This microphone seems to be well suited to record a talking human, emphasizing the upper mids. The pick-up pattern seems pretty acute, but not unforgivably narrow. It’s built to be used intuitively. In tests, I find my signal level is also a bit higher than what I expected. Communication will not be an issue for anyone using the ATH-ADG1x; the sound is the best I’ve heard for a headset under $500.
The cable is a solid length, reaching about 7” with its pc adapter cable attatched. This kind of length could be useful if used with a desktop computer that isn’t directly in front of you. Also included is an eight to quarter inch adapter that I can’t see being very useful for most gamers without a headphone amp. Still, it’s nice to have free stuff.
If there is a singular issue to be had with this headphone, it’s the fit. When I first saw the ATH-ADG1x, something about them seemed ominously familiar. If you’ve seen the Audio-Technica Art Monitor series of headphones, you may have also noticed a carry-over of a certain feature. I’m referring to the “3D Wing Support”, one-size-attempts-to-fit-all headband system. I’m referring to the “little hands” that are meant to grasp the top of your head and hold the headphone in a fixed position without having to make any active adjustments.
This is the third headphone I’ve used with this feature, and I find that it simply isn’t ideal. It’s not that the design is a total failure. For me, the little hinged headband-hands seem to do their intended job of automatically putting the headphone cups at a proper extension. My problem is that the fit is far from snug. I experienced a constant sensation as if the headphones were not totally secure. The headband has a lot of room, in order to compensate for varying head sizes and amounts of hair. To compensate for this looseness, I tried wearing a baseball cap to fill a little more space. This seemed to do the job pretty well, surprisingly enough. Lucky for me, I’m most often wearing a backwards hat. For those opposed to the insufferable bro look, you may find the fit overly spacious. (Just giving you the “heads up”.)
Sound
This should be easy to summarize. The ATH-ADG1x Open-Air sounds incredible. These headphones don’t hold back in any frequency range. They have a lighter profile, slightly on the airy side. I don’t mean to say that the low end is missing; they simply showcase notable presence and transparency in the highs. In my extensive test run of these cans, the push towards treble never came across as harsh. There’s something about the articulation of this range that gives a sense of hyper-awareness when applied to gaming.
I should also note that for a pair of open backs, their isolation game is on point. Their true over-ear cup size contributes to this. The full bandwidth and balance of frequency response is also a contributor to this phenomenon. Unless you are playing at an unreasonably low volume, you would not struggle to find immersion with them on.
Final Thoughts
The ATH-ADG1x From Audio-Technica is a seriously good option for y’all gamers, regardless of whether you’re going PVP or PVE. The microphone is as good as you can possibly ask for on a headset: functional and clear without gimmicks. The headphones sound great, with unbroken immersion and responsible delivery of detail. In a competitive scenario, this accuracy will make it easier to focus. If these cans had a different headband, I’d call them perfect. Either way, they are the best I’ve tried in their price range.
Specifications
Design: Open-air, dynamic driver
Headphone Frequency Range: 5-35,000 Hz
Nominal Impedance: 48 ohms
Connections: 3.5 mm (1/8″) gold-plated stereo mini-plug (4 pole)
Lenth and Type of Cables: 2.0 m (6.6′) extension cable for PC use
Sound Pressure Level: 99 dB
Pickup Pattern: Supercardioid Condenser
Microphone Sensitivity: -41 dBV/PA
Microphone Frequency Range: 100-12,000 Hz
Weight: 285 g (without cable)
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