In the era of the triumph of fully wireless headphones, it is especially interesting to pick up a wired in-channel headset, especially if it is made under a well-known brand, and even positioned as a gamer headset. Usually “gaming headsets” are called full-size headphones with microphones on legs, made in a kind of “aggressive” design and optimized for use in games. Here we are dealing with in-channel headphones, which in itself already arouses curiosity: what is so “gamer” about them then?
There are at least a couple of signs of a gaming device for sure. First, the design – it is made in the general style of Logitech G-series. And secondly, as we will see below – the sound, which is clearly optimized for gaming. For it are responsible, by the way, dual drivers – with high-frequency and low-frequency radiators, which, according to the developers’ plan, should increase the level of detail. The product has a number of other attractive features: from the solid metal housing of the cups and a flat cable to a rich package. Well, now everything in order, and let’s start, as always, with brief technical characteristics.
Specifications
| Declared playable frequency range | 20 Hz – 20 kHz |
|---|---|
| Impedance | 24 Ohm ± 20% |
| Sensitivity | 101.6 ± 3 dB SPL at 1 kHz |
| Drivers | 2 dynamic drivers: ∅5.8 mm + ∅9.2 mm |
| Connection to the source | 4-pin mini-jack (3.5 mm), USB-C adapter included |
| Cable | flat, 1.2 meters |
| Microphone | ECM Microphone 4 mm |
| Microphone sensitivity | -42 dB |
| Weight of headphones with cable | 19 г |
| Retail offerings |
Packaging and kitting
The Logitech G333 is packaged in a beautiful black box with a hinged lid, with pictures of the device, brief specifications, and other information.
On the inside of the lid we see instructions for connection and use, the headphones themselves are held by a plastic tray.
The package includes the headphones, two pairs of interchangeable silicone tips, a storage and carrying case, an adapter from the mini-jack (3.5mm) to USB-C and documentation.
The case is compact, made of mesh fabric. From the decorative elements – only sewn in a nameplate with the manufacturer’s logo. The zipper works softly and with little effort.
The silicone nozzles are nice to the touch and have a standard attachment – they will be easy to replace if necessary.
The mini-jack (3.5 mm) to USB-C adapter is 10 cm long and looks pretty good quality, and it has never failed during testing.
Design and construction
The Logitech G333 headset is offered by the manufacturer in three color combinations: black body and blue nozzles, silver body and lilac nozzles, purple body and bright yellow nozzles. We had the most austere and solid first option on our test.
The cable is flat, making it virtually tangle-free. Its total length is 1.2 meters. The headset is hardly designed for use with a PC – rather with a laptop or a mobile device. On the right earpiece cable there is a control panel, which we will talk about in more detail below.
The housing of the cups is made of aluminum, inside hides a dual driver with 5.8 and 9.2 mm diaphragms.
The headphones have a “bullet-shaped” shape, the sound tube is quite long and is designed to dive deep into the ear canal.
Compensation holes can be seen at the bottom of the cups, serving to relieve excess pressure during the operation of the dynamic radiators.
On the outer side of the cups is a logo, on the base of the cable – the designations of the right and left earpiece. They are very badly visible, it is easier to orient by the remote control on the cable – where the remote control is, there is the right one.
The profile of the ear cushions is rounded, in the hole you can see the metal perforated plate that protects the sound tube from getting dirty.
The protective mesh is slightly recessed inside the spout of the sound tube, but this is unlikely to make it very difficult to clean. The coloring of the cups is matte, the surface is not prone to soiling at all.
The silicone nozzles are held securely in place by a noticeable recess in the spout, but they are easy to remove and put back in place.
Connection and control
The headset is connected using a 4-pin mini-jack (3.5 mm). Smartphones usually use the corresponding jacks, most modern laptops and mobile gaming consoles do too. But in some older devices, the microphone and headphones are connected separately, in which case you will need an adapter-splitter, which is not included. But there is already repeatedly mentioned adapter to the USB Type C connector, fundamentally expanding the connectivity of the Logitech G333.
The remote control is located on the cable leading to the right earpiece. On the back of it is a microphone hole, on the front – the buttons. There are three buttons in total, the central one is highlighted in color. All of them are pressed softly and with a very pleasant click, after a few hours of wearing the headset you get used to using it by touch – it becomes quite comfortable.
The control profile may vary depending on the device and its firmware, but in most cases the side keys will be responsible for volume control, and the center key will be universal. A single tap on it starts and stops the playback, a double tap switches to the next track, and a triple tap switches to the previous track. In general, it is quite convenient and familiar. But it did not do without a fly in the ointment. If it is a gamer’s headset it would be desirable to have a button to mute the microphone, which is regularly useful in gaming chats. But there is no button, which is a shame.
Exploitation
And while we’re talking about the microphone, let’s talk about it. It works great – better than we thought, based on the price segment of the headset. The voice sounds clear and understandable, the people we are talking to heard us perfectly during phone calls, messengers and game chats. You don’t get distortion even if you raise your voice too high – for a gaming headset that’s important.
Of course, you can’t compare the Logitech G333 with full-size headsets, where the microphone is mounted on a boom that you can bring closer to your mouth, has a narrow focus, and is also equipped with all sorts of noise cancelling. Surrounding sounds will be heard by your interlocutors, unnecessary reverberation when the microphone is placed at chest level is not avoided – this is all the cost of the form factor, rather than a specific model.
As for reliability and comfort of fit, we have mixed impressions. With the included silicone tips we failed to achieve any acceptable result: the headphones either fell out or caused discomfort… and still fell out. The problem was solved by installing small foam ear cushions – that’s when the headphones fit properly. We even tried to go training with them by connecting to mobile DAC – everything was fine, though G333 are not designed for such scenarios. And, of course, it’s all purely individual – everyone’s ears are different, someone will be comfortable in the tested headset at once and without any experiments.
Sound and AFC measurements
Dual speakers – it’s very good and interesting, but the sound of Logitech G333 remains very peculiar and more adapted for games than for listening to music. A separate driver for the playback of the bass register allowed us to hope for high quality of the latter, but the hopes were not fulfilled – the bass sounds with an obvious accent, but it is humming and unintelligible.
The lower part of the middle is excessively forward, with a dip in the midrange frequencies. As a result, solo instruments and vocals sound very inaudible. The treble range is delicate, but it doesn’t cut the ear – that’s good. But the search for nuances and overtones is obviously not worth it – these headphones are not about that at all. But the most interesting thing is that all the features described above are really good for the sound of games: spectacular bass, good positioning, absence of unnecessary sharpness in the upper frequencies – when playing games it all plays into your hands. In general, the sound is peculiar, but within the proposed usage scenario it is very good. At this point let’s move from subjective impressions to measurements.
We draw the readers’ attention to the fact that the AFC charts are given solely as an illustration to demonstrate the main features of the sound of the headphones under test. You should not draw any conclusions about the quality of any particular model. The real experience of each listener depends on many factors, ranging from the structure of the hearing organs to the attachments used.
The AFC graph above is shown against an IDF (IEM diffuse field compensation) curve provided by the manufacturer of the booth used. Its purpose is to help compensate for resonance phenomena in the simulated auditory channel and the characteristics of the equipment used, creating a “sound profile” that illustrates as correctly as possible how the sound of the headphones is perceived by the listener. It can be seen as a device-specific analogue of the so-called “Harman curve” created by Harman International under the direction of Dr. Sean Olive. Let’s compensate the resulting AFC curve according to the IDF curve.
Well, in this form the graph perfectly illustrates our subjective impressions of listening to the headphones. For gameplay such sound profile will suit perfectly, as for music – it’s a matter of taste. Fans of “rocking” bass, hip-hop and dance electronica can be satisfied, for example.
Totals
If you’re looking for a headset specifically for mobile gaming, the Logitech G333 can be a very interesting choice due to its design, well-functioning microphone and a sound profile adapted for gaming. The only thing that will be missing is a microphone mute button, perhaps. With music everything is a little bit more complicated, but it’s not bad either – you just have to decide if you like this sound or not. And not the least role in the choice can play a rich equipment, aluminum case, flat cable and other nuances, all together giving a very interesting device, which for sure will find its fans, and not only among gamers.