INTRODUCTION

   For good or bad when most consumers are out in the market looking for a brand new gaming headset, they place cost and looks (especially with the introduction of RGB/ARGB lighting) well over audio quality/performance and the same applies for pretty much every other gaming peripheral in the market including desks, chairs, keyboards and even mouse pads/mats. Unfortunately, even though most gaming peripherals manufacturers out in the market do their very best to cater to the needs of their entire consumer base cost always seems to be the decisive factor and so affordable products tend to appear more often. Viper Gaming by Patriot Memory has actually released a plethora of budget-friendly gaming peripherals over the years which combined good performance levels with looks and the V380 7.1 Virtual Surround Sound RGB Headset is their latest one.

   Viper Gaming is a brand of Patriot Memory, a global leader in performance memory, Solid State Drives (SSD's), and flash storage solutions. Viper Gaming was established in 2007 with the unveiling of the well-known, top-tier line of computer memory. Since then, the Viper Gaming brand has become synonymous with elite performance and reliability among gamers worldwide. In 2015, Viper Gaming decided to expand its product categories to include gaming keyboards, headsets, and mice. Offering entry, mid-level and high-end solutions with rich feature sets. Viper Gaming's award-winning peripherals provide gamers everywhere the best price-for-performance and reliability that enables every Viper Gamer to dominate in their sport.

   The V380 by Viper Gaming is basically a USB stereo headset which thanks to a built-in sound card by C-Media (Xear enhancements) it can produce 7.1 virtual surround sound from its two 53mm neodymium magnet dynamic drivers (frequency response of 20Hz-20KHz with 106dB sensitivity and impedance of 64 Ohms). Viper Gaming has also equipped the V380 with a detachable ENC (environmental noise cancelling) omni-directional microphone (very flexible - features a frequency response of 100Hz-10KHz with -42dB sensitivity and 2.2KOhm impedance), ergonomic (angled) earcups with external controls, full spectrum RGB lighting for the exterior of both earcups (16.7 million colors with 5 effects) and a 2.1 meter long braided cable. As some of you may have noticed the V380 does lack the vibration feature used with previous models but hopefully that will not prove to be a game changer.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

As usual at the front of the box we find a large product picture, the company logo and the main product features.

The main product features along with two more pictures of the V380 are placed on the left side.

Another product picture is located on the right side beneath a few words about Viper Gaming and their parent company, Patriot Memory.

Moving at the rear we find the specifications of the product printed in 10 languages and placed right beneath quick descriptions of the main features.

The headset is placed inside a thick piece of black foam for optimal protection.

Bundle is somewhat limited so aside the V380 and its detachable microphone inside the box there's only the quick start guide.

THE V380

The V380 is a 310g heavy headset made out of plastic, aluminum and protein faux leather.

In terms of size the V380 is clearly a medium to large model.

On the exterior of both earcups Viper Gaming has placed their name and metal grills.

The microphone port is located on the lower front of the left earcup and as you can see it's protected by a rubber cover.

At the base and rear of the left earcup we also find the LED effect rotation button, the microphone mute button and the volume control roller.

The ENC microphone may be very flexible but it doesn't always stay where you want it.

Typically, left and right markings are printed on the interior right over the earcups.

Viper Gaming has used large and angled earpads covered with protein faux leather.

The same protein faux leather as cover is used on the headpad.

Of course, the company logo is also engraved on the exterior of the headband.

The headband can expand up to 26mm on either side (52mm total) via 7 increments (6 visible ones).

At the end of the braided cable we find a gold plated USB plug with the company logo on it.

GAMING APP V2.4

You can download the Xear control app from the official product page.

The main tab has a product picture on the right, the speakers and mic volume sliders at the center and the various features on the far left and right.

You can enable each feature by clicking on the list located on the right side as seen above.

You can’t really access settings for every feature but you can still adjust the equalizer, Xear voice clarity and magic voice (voice morphing) and finally the RGB illumination with its 5 effects, brightness and speed.

Here you can see the streamer and constant effects.

CONCLUSION

 The V380 is the latest gaming headset by Viper Gaming so naturally i was expecting it to surpass its predecessors with ease. The good news is that it does in two areas, looks and mid frequencies. Mids are actually very crisp and accurate but at the same time highs are far from impressive, bass levels are good but not as “rich” and as for volume levels well for a pair of large 53mm drivers i was clearly expecting more. Positioning audio on the other hand is very good (perhaps not so in movies but certainly in games since I did test it with Red Dead Redemption 2, World Of Warships and Crysis Remastered), the headset is comfortable and as for the detachable ENC microphone well i was surprised to see that it worked a lot better than many others. However, neither those nor its mids are just quite enough to “propel” the V380 to the heights needed for it to clearly surpass its predecessors.

   Currently the V380 7.1 Virtual Surround Sound RGB Headset by Viper Gaming retails for USD74.99 inside the USA (Newegg.com) and for 55Euros inside the EU (Amazon.co.uk) a price tag which is fair for what you’re getting in return (at least on this side of the Atlantic). Overall, the V380 may not be quite what I was hoping for it to be but thanks to its looks, comfort, positioning audio, ENC microphone and mids it’s certainly worth checking out if you’re on a rather tight budget.

PROS

- Design
- Good Positioning Audio
- RGB Earcup LEDs (5 Effects)
- Good Mids
- Comfortable
- ENC Microphone
- Price (EU)

CONS

- Bass & Volume Levels
- Highs
- Price (USA)
- Current Availability