Logitech have been in the gaming peripheral market for a while now, with a range of “G” products marketed specifically at gamers. The latest entry in their headphone “G” line is the Logitech G35 Surround Sound headset, which is a USB-powered headset that supports Dolby 7.1 Surround Sound, and includes a noise cancelling microphone.

Other G35 features are enabled through software support, which includes a voice-morphing application for use with the included microphone. The inclusion of three “G” buttons on the left ear-piece is also controlled by software, and these can be configured to be used as a push-to-talk button in Ventrilo, or to activate various voice morphing features.

An inline volume control is not present, with the volume instead adjusted on the fly via a mouse scroll-wheel like device also located on the left ear-piece. Two other buttons are present on the left ear-piece: one to mute the microphone and –the other, a switch used to enable and disable Dolby Surround features.

Finally, the headphone ships with three headbands that can be interchanged to allow for greater comfort. These have Velcro on one side and attach to the inside of the upper headband which is constructed of metal, and a soft but somewhat rigid synthetic plastic. These can be easily changed for comfort, and there is a noticeable difference in comfort and weight bearing across the three bands – one in particular (the contoured headband) was the most comfortable, but this will vary depending on the size of one's head and the adjustments made by the individual in question.

The G35 is a closed headphone, and the ear-piece design is circumaural. This allows the headphone to cancel out nearby noise, and the isolation is decent for a PC / home environment. With the headphones on, (and no audio playing through them), the whir of my PC fans wasn't completely silenced but was diminished by about half. However, I personally found the closed headphone design to be uncomfortable at first, as the design creates a vacuum around the ear that can be initially disorienting before growing accustomed to it after extended periods of use.

My main point of interest in reviewing the G35 was just how well the “7.1” surround sound offered by the headphones was in terms of positioning. I played few tracks from Epica (a Dutch symphonic metal band), to get a feel for the headphones , and was met with disappointment. In stereo mode at least, the headphones sounded somewhat tinny, with little bass and a less-than-pronounced mid- and high- ranges. Needless to say, the headphone component of the headset certainly didn't feel up to scratch, given the asking price of AU$199.95.

In Dolby Digital mode, however, the headphones fared considerably better, and they did not sound like they were running off a less-than spectacular on-board sound card, which is about the quality of the stereo output of the headphone. This is probably a limitation of the software processing used to get the audio to the headphones via USB. Using Dolby Digital mode, on the headphones and a 5.1 source (a live concert with a DTS 5.1 sound track) the headphones sounded remarkably better and redeemed themselves for their dismal performance in stereo, exhibiting a rather large sound stage that very much felt like the music was “in head” instead of being produced in two distinct channels.

None of that testing, was of course, gaming related, which is allegedly the G35's strength. To contest this claim, I took Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, and my laptop (which, via 3.5mm jacks is only capable of producing 2.0 / 2.1 stereo output) to not only test the headphones, but use the headphones on a system that would normally not normally have the ability to output surround sound – which is one of benefits of Logitech's choice to use a USB interface for connectivity.

This also makes the headset appeal to a wider audience of “gamers”. While the G35 will not be able to use any sound card enhancements or hardware processing of an audio signal, it makes the headset easier to install for those who do not properly understand (or know) anything about their computer's audio configuration. All you need to do to get the G35 running is install the drivers (provided on a CD, or easily downloadable via Logitech's website) and then plug the headset into an open, powered USB port.

There's little configuration to be done, with the software automatically enabling 7.1 surround sound and the Logitech headset as the default input and output device. The interface for the software is sleek, but simple, and provides the option to increase bass and treble, along with options for the voice-morphing and configuration of the G-buttons.


Various locations in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
So – how did the headphones actually perform in CoD4? They did well. So well in fact, that at one point in the single player campaign there was that complete feeling of tension and immersion that was caused only by the audio, which the G35 reproduced with glee. Things did sound a little bit flat in comparison to the full blown surround sound speaker set up – and the headphones are no replacement for a decent set of 5.1 speakers, but they did a remarkable job – the only thing that was lacking (obviously) was ground-shaking bass and rattling windows. Gunshots tended to sound a little bit flat in larger battles, and I suspect this would have been due to a lack of decent, dedicated hardware processing for multiple sound sources within the headset itself.

They certainly didn't sound like a near AU$200 headset in terms of clarity, but audio positioning was very good. During the Pripyat sequence in CoD4, the click of claymores and whispered orders of Capt. Mac Millian were reproduced well, but there was little sense of “oh no, that came from behind me”. Instead, the (good) sound stage that I experienced with music listening when Dolby Digital processing was enabled made for a very “in head” experience carried over to gaming that ensured that voices and gunshots (from my own gun, at least) came from a phantom centre (as opposed to from both the left and right channels) making for an engaging and atmospheric gameplay experience.

Did it make the game better? Yes. Is the AU$200 asking price worth it for the “betterness”? Not really, when the USB connection of the headset limits the G35 to one application where it excels at – PC gaming. The same sort of experience can be found in well designed headphones from specialist audio product manufacturers for not much more, with audio clarity and dynamic range that subjectively sounds brighter, deeper and more well-defined than the output from the Logitech G35.

My main argument against the G35 and its pseudo 7.1 setting is that audio sources from the rear, in CoD4, at least just seemed to be quieter as opposed to the “oh my god, there is a guy behind me shooting at me, help!” that tends to be much more well defined by speakers that can produce enough volume in the rear channel to really make you jump. The headphones just don't have that effect because the centre channel is so dominant, and (while being very nice) detracts from the positioning and perceived clarity of the other channels.

The next game (which only uses stereo sound) that was tested was my beloved World in Conflict. I used this as a basis of the microphone testing, enlisting the help of some friends on Ventrilo to see if they'd noticed any difference in terms of the microphone quality both in-game and within Vent. The result was pretty much as expected - “A little quiet, but about the same as before” - which means that the limitation was more likely the codec in use by both Ventrilo and the game client itself.


World in Conflict
Microphone quality is adequate, and will get your message across to other players. There is even a light on the microphone that will light up when it is muted, which is helpful for troubleshooting if the microphone does not choose to work for some reason.

The voice morphing that is part of the software also works fine across all sorts of applications, and applies a fairly simple filter that changes the pitch and tone of input signal to make your voice sound like something else – to either freak out people on servers, or to “get in the role” of your character should you be playing a RPG or fooling naïve internet go-ers that you really are an android, troll, giant, alien mutant or a squirrel. It's a fun feature to play with, but it really is a simple gimmick that doest really add much value or use short of the initial novelty.

Final testing of the headset took place using a DVD of The Matrix to see how the headphone handled movies and higher bitrate audio. The Lobby Shootout Scene and some early segments of the movie (the roof top chase) were used as references for positional audio and the clarity of layered audio.

The positional audio is much more pronounced in the beginning of the film, with the shot of Trinity jumping from building to boodling while a police car, wailing siren and all passing below was the first real instance of the headset clearly producing surround sound as one would expect from speakers. The quality was good, but not mind-blowingly awesome. As a headset it does the job, and this was the same verdict I came to after sitting through the Lobby Shootout.

Clarity with all the gunshots, plaster, and spent shell casings was okay, but the headphone struggled in producing crisp bright highs to mark the spent shell casings crashing to the ground. Overall, it was adequate. In other words, don't expect the G35 to blow you away with incredibly detailed audio, but expect it to be decent for watching films.

Overall, the G35 is an odd product. For games and voice communication, it gets the job done, and the positional audio and sound stage are probably its strongest points when listening to surround sound encoded audio streams. The centre channel is exceptionally well done, with the “in head” phantom centre channel very strong, but sadly it can sometimes be overpowering, masking the rear left and rear right channels. The front left / front right and side channels all sound fairly similar, but for some odd reason the front channels are slightly louder than the side channels.

Bass from the unit is adequate, but can be a little underwhelming in games and movies. You're able to increase the bass using the G35 headset settings, but this is done through the software equaliser which is integrated into Windows, which doesn't lend itself to gracefully increasing the levels of bass without adding noticeable distortion to the audio signal.

If you want as surround-sound headset, with the ability to chat to your friends and the gimmick of being able to morph your voice for the amusement of yourself and your online friends, the G35 isn't the worst choice you could make, but for the RRP, I personally expect more. If you don't have a dedicated soundcard, or are gaming on a laptop, the USB connection is a strong selling point, as the G35 (with Dolby Digital mode enabled) will sound considerably better than on-board sound and a $50 set of ear buds and headphones, and you'd expect it to.

One downside to the headphones is that they'll only work on a Windows machine, so you'll be pretty limited if you have a Mac or like to venture into other operating systems for movies and music.

On the other hand, if you want a decent, but (somewhat pricey) headset that has 7.1 positioning and an incredible sound stage, there isn't really anything else that offers the same features that the G35 does – including buttons on the ear-piece, and built in voice morphing.

You get what you pay for, but I'd suggest approaching with caution and strongly consider all the available options before splashing out.

7/10