Villordsutch reviews the DOOM Edition Y-300CPX Headset…
To celebrate the release of DOOM from Bethesda and id Software Thrustmaster have issued two officially licensed headsets, the Y-350X – a totally new Xbox One/Windows headset, and a repainted release of their Y-300CPX which is classed as their Universal model, covering all machines which includes the Mac, PC, PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360 and also the WiiU. It’s this latter headset I’ve been lucky enough to review.
For the nearly two years now I’ve been playing with a Turtle Beach PC4, and although this has served its purpose – I can speak, I can hear – it hasn’t been the most comfortable piece of equipment to have perched on the side of your head, nor is it really that aesthetically pleasing to the eye. So instantly when you open the box the first tick for the DOOM Edition Thrustmaster Y-300CPX is given with a happy stroke, as this DOOM headset looks amazing!
Out with the old and in with the newThe designers for this piece have given time to not only thinking about comfort with the cushioning on the earpieces, but after you’ve adjusted the headset you’ll find the cushioning at the top is a perfect addition to. This isn’t what truly made me smile however – it was the battleworn effect that has been added to the headset giving you the appearance that you’ve been dragged through both Hell and Mars backwards.
Everything about the headset is aimed to make your game comfortable for you to play. Do you want to play and not talk? Fine – take off the mic or just switch it off using the cable unit! Game music too loud or the voice volume not loud enough? Fine – there’s a rather simple instant slide on the headset unit to bring you to the right levels. People around you in the world putting you off you game? Though the headset can’t erase them from existence it can practically mask their voices with ample cushioning around your ears.
There are a number of features I’ve already enjoyed with this headset – comfort and appearance are two important ones off the bat. I have as said earlier the Turtle Beach headset for my PS4, but also I own a generic headset for my PC, just to play some Steam games and watch the odd YouTube video without bugging the heck out of the family. However with the Y-300CPX I just unhook it from the PS4 controller and walk it to the PC and it works without any fuss. If I felt inclined and didn’t mind the stares, I could disconnect the mic then use it as my mobile’s headphones as I walked down the street, knowing that that Hans Zimmer Interstellar soundtrack would sound quite amazing through these rather brutal headphones with their “Performance-enhanced true 50 mm drivers” and “double electro-acoustic bass sound amplifier”. On second thoughts the Interstellar soundtrack through these would probably shatter my skull!
DOOM Y300CPXMore importantly is how they sound in game. Being used to either the noise from either the soundbar under my television or the Turtle Beach headset I can say that I don’t think I’ve ever experienced anything like the audio treat I was delivered from the DOOM Y-300CPX. The subtle noises the games designers have dropped into their finished products – even in the intro music – are delivered in such quality, I’ve started to wonder why I don’t play games cocooned in my own world like this more often. This new universe the Thrustmaster has dropped me in is magnificent, everything is delivered in such clarity games become that much more impressive, it makes grenade explosions deeper, the hidden footsteps behind are heard, shouts down the corridors are picked up, bullets fly by my ear; all whilst the rest of the world around me is silent.
There is a negative however with the headset and it falls to the separate controller unit mentioned above. Yes they do give you some excellent in-game controls, but it also comes with its own 7ft (around 2 metres) of cable. Granted on top of this you can add another 3ft of headset cable giving you 10ft of distance between you and your machine but you’re still wired up. In my home of pets and numerous family members not only does this become an instant “tut” from my wife, it also attracts the dog and kids like the gravitational pull of a Black Hole. Not only this, but a couple other issues – on the controller – included the Voice volume wheel seemed to control the game volume and when I flicked the Voice switch to “ON” I could quite clearly hear myself speaking back to me; never a nice thing to hear.
Added to this when the wired volume controller is attached it also has a bit of weight to it and you can in truth feel a slight pull from it on your ear. I eventually stumped for not using this additional unit due to the issues mentioned above, sticking to the in-game volume controls only.
This headset as a unit looks, sounds and rests rather excellently. Yes it’s a small pity that the sound controller unit is on a rather long piece of additional cable and not really the most functionally device, but why worry? This headset is what you need when you’re going to Hell and back.
For more information on the headsets please visit www.thrustmaster.com and on Facebook www.facebook.com/ThrustmasterOfficial. For more information on DOOM please visit www.doom.com
SEE ALSO: Read our review of Doom
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Originally published June 2, 2016. Updated November 29, 2022.
