Review: Func HS 260 Gaming Headset

Keyboards and mice often get the bulk of attention as far as gaming peripherals are concerned. But for many a gamer, whether by choice or necessity, headsets also take a prime spot on the stage. For some, they just want to keep their gameplay audio confined to themselves as to not disturb others. The other scenario is that people want a gaming headset because for the money, you can get a far more immersive and life-like experience than a large speaker setup would offer.

Today, we’re taking a look at Func’s HS 260 headset, a nice compliment to their 460 gaming keyboard. Is it priced right and perform well enough to go against the likes of its competition from Corsair, Coolermaster, Roccat and countless others?

Specs

• Driver: 50mm, tuned and paired

• Acoustic construction: closed

• Frequency response: 20-20 000 Hz

• Impedance: 32 ?

• Cable length: 3m

• Connection: 2 x 3.5mm

Design & Build Quality

On the surface, the Func HS 260 tread a fine line between blending in and outward design. That is, the soft touch black that adorns most of the headset is offset by black and orange striped, braided cabling and small orange accents on the headset itself. It all looks very slick to the eye and nice in the hand. Granted, your ears are going to be spending the most time with them. While we’ll get to audio quality in a minute, comfort on your ears shouldn’t be overlooked. Thankfully, the HS 260 feature amply padded ear cups that are designed to sit around the ear, completely locking in the sound and making for the least tiresome fit. Similar to the ear cups, the headband is well padded and soft so that extended gaming sessions shouldn’t leave you with that odd pressure/pain on the top of your head.

For most people, the HS 260 will be on the upper end of comfort. But, can the actual performance live up to the comfort?

Sound Quality

While comfort is important, we’d rate audio quality just as if not more important. And in the case of the HS 260, we’ll say we’re content, though not overly impressed. Priced at $79.95, the HS 260 are pretty standard in terms of pricing as far as mid-range headsets go. The audio quality is pretty flat across the board. However, the higher end of the audio spectrum does tend to be a bit reserved, sometimes so to the point that we had to resort to EQ’ing the HS 260s to get some of the missing detail back. That said, flipping over to music from a gaming environment brings the audio qualities (and shortcomings) of the HS 260 to light. The low end is quite rolled off with highs again exhibiting a tad of this nature as well.

Ears aside, the microphone built into the HS 260 is both removable and highly customizable in terms of position. The material used allows you to extend and/or bend the attachment in every direction mean the perfect placement should be easily found with a minute or two of looking for that sweet spot. In game, other players said we sounded fine – no different from other headsets in this range.

A nice looking headset that could use a bit more performance…

The HS 260 is a rather nice looking $80 headset. It’s also a perk that it’s so damn comfortable to wear. But for $80 we honestly expect a bit more in terms of audio quality both in-game and for music. Those whom are less discerning with their audio will probably find the HS 260 more than adequate for their needs. Those looking to move from a previous headset in this price range to something better will want to keep looking, however, as it would most likely be a side-grade at best.