Logitech G433 Review: Exceptional Value, Style, and Audio Performance
The Logitech G433 is my new favorite daily-use pair of wired headphones. That it happens to be a stylish, excellently-performing surround sound gaming headset is just icing on a delicious cake.
It retails for just $99, putting it in direct competition with the lauded Hyper X Cloud II and Steelseries Arctis 5. It's available in Black, Red, Blue, and limited edition Blue Camo. You get a USB Sound Card with DTS, two great cables, a removable mic, extra pads, and a soft case. The Blue Camo version also comes with a free extra accessories pouch.
It's great and more than worth the asking price.
I took out that little white sticker when I changed to the included microfiber ear pads. It was easy to remove, in case you were curious!
SOUND QUALITY
If you like balanced, beautiful, accurate sound, you're in for a treat. You won't find the thumpy, over-dramatic response of some other gaming headsets here. The G433 has a wonderful sound to it, with gentle sculpting in the lows, mids, and highs that give it a bit of a fun bite while still maintaining all the detail and clarity you could ever want.
It's a little brighter and flatter than the HyperX Cloud, with a better, more accurate bass response. The bass is not as thick and gentle as that famous model, but rather rendered with crisp precision. Mids are pleasantly smooth and make vocals sound natural. The highs are just a touch toned down so they won't fatigue you at high volume levels. They don't sparkle or sizzle much but they're accurate to the recording.
Logitech talked at length about accurate sound when developing their new Pro G drivers a couple of years ago, which are also featured in this model. Instead of the clear pliable material most headphone drivers use, these use a black mesh fabric. They're really neat to look at under the removable ear pads, and they provide a sound that rivals the best audio products in this price range. Only the most ardent of audiophiles could possibly want more quality out of their sound reproduction...and you'd have to spend a lot more money to top this level, honestly.
The Arctis 5 and the Cloud II both set a high bar and this easily matches them. It stands tall against "Regular" headphones, too. You'll find no gaming bass bloat whatsoever, here.
COMFORT
The G433 doesn't quite disappear on your head, but it's light, well-padded, and not too clampy...after a few sessions. I found it slightly tight at first, but after a week or so it loosened up and now fits me perfectly.
You get both mesh fabric and microfiber pads in the box. The mesh ones are installed by default. They're less sweat-inducing, but also a little stiffer and more noticeable on the head. They also don't isolate quite as well as the microfiber pads.
The ear pad holes are big and deep, so nothing will crush into your ears while you wear them.
Headband padding is plush and ample, and runs the entire length of the headband. It's weird how rare that is even in more-expensive designs.
It's probably a couple of percentage points less comfy than the Cloud and the Arctis, but still a pleasant wear for long sessions.
BUILD/DESIGN
Logitech nailed this one. The G433 is perhaps the only gaming headset on the market that also looks like a style headphone. The colors are fun. The frame is well contoured and doesn't stick out super far from your head. The cloth coverings on the backs of the ear cups help it not to scream "GAMING HEADSET" at everyone around you.
This is one great-looking pair of headphones that happens to be a headset.
The feel is a little bit less impressive than the look, but build quality is still good. It's light without feeling cheap. The mesh fabric feels a bit rough...but it's also hydrophobic for easier use outside. The headband has metal reinforcement throughout the frame and the adjustment mechanisms. The cups rotate to be flat for necks or desks, but don't collapse.
The adjustments are solid and clicky. They provide ample room for my larger head, too. I have six extra clicks of adjustment, and they get fairly small on the smaller end.
The removable cable and mic are both nice touches. I really wish HyperX made a Cloud II with a removable cable.
FEATURES/EXTRAS
If you like virtual surround sound, you're really going to enjoy the included USB sound card. It only works on PC, but it shows up as a full 7.1 surround device so you shouldn't have any compatibility issues in games. Using Logitech's software, you can turn on DTS Headphone: X. You can select from a few different virtual rooms, and you can also apply custom EQ settings.
The EQ and room settings apply in real-time so you can easily compare the differences and find what you like.
The surround sound effect is convincing. As a fan of virtual headphone surround, this is one of the best implementations out there. And the headset still sounds great in plain-old stereo.
The boom mic is pretty good! However, it's very sensitive to positioning, and I had to move it a touch further away and lower than other mics to get good audio. Unlike the Arctis microphone, it doesn't respond well at all if you "eat the mic." So you'll want some distance.
I think it might sound even better than the mics on the Arctis 7 and the G533 I compared recently...and some of that might be the benefit of the wired connection.
Here's a mic test I recorded:
The two included cables are nice. The mobile cable includes an in-line mic and remote control button, so you won't have to take the boom mic with you to talk on your phone if you don't want to. The PC cable is nicely braided and free of tangles, and includes a solid-feeling in-line mic mute and volume control wheel.
These are probably the nicest cables I've seen on a headset this cheap.
There's nothing all that special about the included case, but I like that it opens wide. That makes inserting the headset really easy. The bonus accessories pouch that comes with the Blue Camo version is surprisingly great, with tons of pockets and room for all the cables, the mic, and the sound card. I wish it came with every version.
This headset has the only extras package on the market that can beat the Cloud II. The G433 has a better sound card, two removable cables, nice extra pads, and a nicer case.
FINAL THOUGHTS
When I first got into headphones, I went on a quest to find a pair I could use for everything. But I quickly realized that it might be too much to ask.
The Logitech G433 is the closest I've come to realizing that original dream. It's not wireless...but it does everything else pretty well. It has a good selection of cables for different environments, a decent boom mic, a decent in-line mic, a good surround card for PC games, good stereo sound for console gaming, and great audio reproduction for music and analytical listening. It's comfortable, doesn't look stupid, and comes in some fun colors.
For $99, it's an amazing deal, and I'd recommend it without reservation to anyone looking to listen to audio.
