THE HEADSET MARKET has changed a
lot in the past few years, spurred on by
streamers and YouTubers, and by the
increasing popularity of esports. You
know this, of course. But does Roccat?
We ask because this new Noz headset
feels like a great budget offering from,
well, a few years back now. Yes, it’s
unfussy and affordably priced, and it
certainly has its plus points. But we can’t
help but think back to the days of Vine,
ice bucket challenge videos, and Miley
Cyrus’s foam finger when we use the
Noz. It w ould have ear ned an appreciati ve
budget recommendation not so long ago,
but times have changed.
Let’s start with the spec sheet. There’s
certainly nothing wrong with the 50mm
neodymium magnet drivers on paper,
as they offer a 10Hz–20KHz frequency
response, and have enough size to power
an authoritative low end. Going beyond
the usual 20Hz–20KHz range brings
real benefits to the sound, although it’s
not specced out for hi-res audio. Those
extra 10Hz way down beyond the limits
of human hearing give the Noz’s drivers
the power to add thumping subharmonic
bass frequencies you can really feel,
even if you can’t technically hear them.
At just 7.4oz, it’s also an incredibly
light headset, and we couldn’t be happier
that RGB lighting is an increasingly rare
feature on headsets now—one area that
the unintentionally throwback Noz feels
bang on trend with. It’s a decent looking
headset for the price, unfussy and
restrained, even compared to Roccat’s
pricier Khan.
At the back of the left-hand closed-
back earcup, you’ll find a mic mute switch
and a volume thumbwheel, while at the
other end of the cable, separate mic-in
and audio-in mini-jacks can be combined
into a single input. And, really, that’s
the long and short of the Noz’s offering.
Again, there’s nothing inherently wrong
with keeping things simple.
The trouble starts with the sound.
In fact, momentarily before that. When
you first don the Noz, you’ll notice
that “seashell effect” as the earcups
close in over your ears. It’s slight—justBudget-oriented cans
with serious low
end—hot or Noz?
Roccat Noz
6
VERDICT Roccat NozROCCAT ROLL Good bass
response; restrained design.
JUST SAY NOZ Muddy sound; seashell
effect when worn.
$55, http://en.roccat.orgSPECIFICATIONSDriver Type 50mm neodymium
Frequency Response 10Hz–20KHz
Design Style Closed back
Microphone Type Electret condenser
Weight 7.4oz
Connectivity Mini-jack
Cord Length 8 feeta faint muffled reverberation as you
hear outside noise—but it’s there. Not
to labor the point, but this used to be a
problem we listened out for in headsets
in 2012. Somewhere along the timeline,
manufacturers cracked it with better
contact-point materials, better earcup
shapes, and a better fit using smarter
hinges. But it’s crept back in, just to a
faintly perceptible degree, with the Noz.
And that affects the sound when you
press play, be that in games, music, or
movies. There’s an imprecise character
that colors the overall sound, especially
noticeable in speech, which really is a
shame, because Roccat is more than
capable of delivering great-sounding,
precise audio. Its higher-end Khan
cans suffer none of the above issues,
supporting hi-res audio, and bringing out
more rumble and sparkle in compressed
sound in the process. It hasn’t dripped
down to this set.
More’s the shame, because that’s
really our only grumble with this model.
Sure, it may not feel luxurious against
your head, but we’ve endured much,
much worse below the $60 price point,
and it’s obvious that careful design and
construction material selection has
gone into this lightweight and adjustable
design. It may not be the coolest or most
breathable headset we’ve tested, but itstays comfortable for hours thanks again
to that skinny design and ample padding.
Can we recommend it? Not as it is. It
feels one iteration away from genuine
go-to budget headset contention. It
doesn’t sound like the driver architecture
is at fault, but something about the shape
and fit of the earcup chamber. You could
do worse for the price, but Corsair’s
sub-$75 offerings give a clearer, more
precise sound. –PHIL IWANIUKin the lab
88 MAXIMUMPC SEP 2019 maximumpc.com