With children/teens flooding to Fortnite over the last couple of years, it’s no surprise that entry-level headset market has become quite competitive. Having reviewed my fair share of budget headsets for my other job, I feel that I am in a good position to review Gioteck TX50 which promises a lot for €37/£29.99.
Pleasing Visual Experience
The headset is mostly black with an orange accent on each ear and a slightly gaudy one atop the headband. The rubberised finish looks great and gives the impression of a more expensive headset.
The diamond-shaped ear accents follow the shape of the cup itself. There is also a black steel grille inside the ear accent. The restrained use of detail gives TX50 a classy look despite a slightly aggressive overall visual style.
Usability
The headset comes with a 1.5 metre tangle-resistant cable on which resides an oversized inline remote control. Here you’ll find the volume wheel and mute slider. The remote doesn’t have the same level of visual or tactile quality as the rest of the set – it’s a bit hollow and plasticky. The shiny plastic and luminous stickers to indicate mic status look cheap.
Gioteck TX50 is compatible with PC, Xbox One(3.5mm controller model or with an adaptor), PlayStation 4 and Switch. Input is via a 3.5mm combo plug and there is no splitter adaptor included.
Easy on the Skull
Gioteck TX50 have a relaxed fit and sit on the head as well as around the ear rather than just clamping onto a user’s head. The Alcantara ear cups are soft and breathable. The cups might be a little shallow for those whose ears aren’t flush to their heads like a seal. They are spacious in the other two dimensions though.
The headband padding does the job well. It’s soft and there’s a small recess to help keep it on top of your head.
Easy on the Ears
The audio from Gioteck TX50 is excellent for this price. Rich with a full low-end, many of you will enjoy the sound. For movies, music and most gaming, TX50 will do a fine job. The cans give a wide soundstage that you wouldn’t expect at this price.
Bass is definitely emphasised but the 50mm driver doesn’t drown the mids. The high-end can be a little attenuated when the lows are rumbling but it’s not too distracting, though music can sound compressed.
Competitive games would probably benefit from a more delicate and dynamic sound over the rich bass of TX50 but it was a good choice overall.
Sibilance Shibboleth
The weakest area of Gioteck TX50 is the mic. The boom is flexible but retractable and the former interferes with the latter. A user needs to find the tiny piece of the mic’s boom that doesn’t flex to raise or lower the mic. The hinge for the mic is stiff and unyielding which makes it worse.
Sound quality from the mic is functional but no better. It’s a bit tinny while exhaling a little heavier than necessary, p-sounds and touching the mic all have their own slightly grating noise to send to team-mates. Speaking loudly will introduce some strong sibilance that definitely marks TX50 as a budget set.
A Good Deal
Despite a sub-par mic and inline-remote, Gioteck TX50 remains a great choice in its market. The comfortable fit, rich audio and excellent compatibility that you get here aren’t always available for such a small outlay and the compromises made aren’t deal-breakers.
