Michael Higham
When I think about Alienware products over the years, I often remember the brand setting the trend of the over-the-top gamer style with its extravagant alien-themed PC cases. Thus, I’ve associated Alienware with just doing too much. That’s why when I got my hands on the new Alienware Pro headset, I was impressed with its sleek, nondescript look that’s akin to an Apple product or a pair of top-end Bose headphones. From the headband to the earcups, it’s a nicely trimmed design that helps it double up as a sensible pair of headphones to use casually in addition to being a great gaming headset with a solid feature set. So while its overall sound quality is closer to simply being good, the Alienware Pro headset is a versatile all-rounder that’s easy to recommend.
Alienware Pro Headset – Design and Comfort
I was immediately enamored with the Alienware Pro headset’s look when I unboxed it, which is a credit to the simple and clean aesthetic. It’s not bulky like many other pieces of gaming-centric audio gear, and having been conditioned by the design of gaming products over the years, I was almost unsure if this was actually built for gaming – but alas, it is. The earcups are slender as is the padding yet they still manage to be comfortable to wear for long sessions. The earpads aren’t necessarily dense but they are made with decent memory foam that works well. Sometimes I felt my ears come in contact with the inner audio driver – however, with a little adjustment, I easily found a position that kept me from feeling any discomfort.
The earpads are wrapped in leatherette which help create a good seal around my ears at the expense of getting a little sweaty after a few hours. The headband has the same type of padding and upholstery so the headset rests easy on my head without much pressure. It’s also held together by a dense plastic frame that surprisingly offers great flexibility and durability, helping lend itself well to being a pair of casual headphones to take on the go. My only minor gripe is that the earcups don’t swivel inward to rest around your neck easily, but the trade-off is better security from the headset frame in terms of fitment around your ears and overall durability. At just 315g, it’s also fairly lightweight – so from nearly every angle, the Alienware Pro is smartly designed. It’s a similar ethos seen in Alienware’s latest gaming keyboard and mouse, both of which are fantastic in their own right, and now this headset completes the trio.
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Another perk of its straightforward design is its button layout to control features on the headset itself. It was very easy to get a feel for and remember where the power button, mode switcher, active noise canceling, and microphone mute buttons are located, and the texture on them helped me distinguish each button. To swap between 2.4GHz wireless with the packaged USB-C dongle and Bluetooth 5.3, you just slide the button on the right earcup. And to pair with other Bluetooth devices, you just pull the same button downward for a few seconds, which is more streamlined than other headsets I’ve tested.
This headset features active noise cancelling (ANC) and a transparency mode to amplify outside noise for better awareness of your surroundings, and they’re controlled with a button on the left earcup that cycles through those modes. While there is a built-in mic on the headset (and a supplementary one that uses AI to help with noise cancellation), the Alienware Pro comes with a detachable and flexible microphone with a pop filter. The light on the mic indicates if you’re muted which is a neat perk.
Alienware Pro Headset – Software and Battery Life
If you want to customize the features on the headset, you need to use the Alienware Command Center. It’s not as intuitive or robust compared to more sophisticated software suites like Turtle Beach’s Swarm II app or Razer Synapse, but it works well enough. Here, you can control sidetone volume (which is a feature I like on closed-back headsets such as this) as well as ANC levels for both the headset itself and microphone. The strength of transparency modes are adjustable, too. However, there aren’t any audio presets or equalization options available, and even though I tend to use those features sparingly, they can help bring out the best in a headset. For that, you’ll need to pull up Dolby Access, which you can get from Command Center. The headset grants you a license to Dolby Atmos, giving the headset more value with certain types of content, and lets you set three custom EQ profiles or use one of the built-in EQ presets. Together, these software apps get the job done, even if it’s a minor inconvenience to juggle two programs.
As for battery life, the Alienware Pro holds up well. It’s rated for about 70 hours on a full charge with ANC off and 35 hours with ANC on, although that’s without any microphone usage. I used the headset for three days straight as both my primary PC headset and listening device for my phone, only enabling ANC when I needed to – I didn’t have to charge it once, but by the end of day three, I was down below 20% charge, which roughly accounted for 35 to 40 hours of usage. Although some headsets can last longer, I found this to be plenty of juice for what I need. It charges through USB-C and has quick charging so if you’re in a pinch, you can get roughly eight hours of use (under ideal conditions) from only 15 minutes of charging.
Alienware Pro Headset – Sound Quality and Performance
At the end of the day, a headset lives and dies by its sound quality, and the Alienware Pro holds up on that end of the bargain. With 50mm graphene-coated drivers, it rocks some solid bass to give a rich sound to music while providing enough boom for games to sound more full. That strong bass supports the finer details to create an enjoyable sound profile where one frequency range doesn’t overshadow another at reasonable volumes. It struggles a bit when you crank the volume up since you start to hear some of its flaws – the mids and highs show their limit as they begin to sound slightly harsh. At that point, I’d just lower the volume down to a more comfortable level (which is probably better for my ears anyway) so things don’t sound distorted. Otherwise, the Alienware Pro gives a pleasant listening experience.
When it comes to positional audio, the Alienware Pro performs decently here as well. Playing my typical set of ranked matches in Counter-Strike 2 showed me that these are good enough in competitive gaming. I was able to anticipate enemy movement from around corners to give me the edge I expect for intense competitive scenarios. It may not be quite as pronounced or detailed as other high-end headsets when it comes to positional audio, but by no means will you be at a disadvantage. I also enjoyed using this headset during my normal Final Fantasy XIV sessions, giving a full and enjoyable audio experience with a game that tends to sound busy. But as I mentioned, turning up the volume too loud tends to make all those spells, attacks, and battlecries lose their appeal.
The Alienware Pro features a detachable microphone with solid voice isolation. Taking a call in a busy coffee shop went smoothly as it’s able to distinguish my voice from everything around me with smart noise cancellation rather than simple noise gating. The microphone quality itself is rather bog standard for gaming headsets, which is to say it provides just enough clarity to communicate easily in games or in conversations through Discord. You’ll be noticeably more muffled than what you can get from higher-end headsets like the Beyerdynamic MMX 300, or even a mid-ranger like the HyperX Cloud III, but it certainly gets the job done.
Lastly, ANC is certainly a nice-to-have and works wonders for minimizing ambient noise, including the deep hum of an airplane cabin. However, higher pitched sounds tend to pierce through the ANC’s capabilities. At the very least, I can focus much more using the Alienware Pro as a casual or work-centric headset, which I can’t say about many gaming products. Otherwise, the natural sound isolation from the earcups is solid for typical gaming sessions at home and offers the most natural sound profile.
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