Software & Controls
To get the most out of the Ozone EKHO H80 gaming headset, you will need to download the drivers and software direct from their website (download link).
You get your usual audio controls here, from the basic volume and balance of the sounds, different sound effects, control of the 7.1 virtual speakers to the volume of the microphone. All controls can be accessed and changed with ease, and the settings are remembered when you quit the software and restart it.
Want to customize the EKHO H80’s colours to match that of your gaming PC? Adjust it within the Ozone’s audio software.
Once you have set the LEDs to exactly the colour and tone you want, you can add in lighting effects, my favourite is the ‘sound reactive’ setting which sets the LEDs to pulse to the sounds you are hearing.
Performance
Let’s start with the how comfortable the EHKO H80 gaming headset is. Put it on and you do not feel it gripping your head tight, its like it actually slides onto your head. The headset sits perfectly on your head, and you don’t feel it shifting as you turn your head from side to side, or tilting forwards and backwards as you nod your head. A combination of being lightweight and soft padding on the headband means that the EHKO H80 does not push down on your head.
The earcups are amply padded in soft leather, and feels super comfortable for long periods. Due to the thickness of the padding, my ears never touched the speakers, even when I was moving my head about. I did have doubt at first with the closed-cup design as I my ears normally sweat quite easily, but I was surprised to find that I did not suffer from this even when I wore the headset for a few hours.
I like the microphone boon being retractable, its just something I don’t normally use but when I do so I want to use it without fuss. The boon was supple enough for me bend it into whatever shape I wanted it to be, giving just the direction and position away from my mouth that I wanted. Feedback from other online gamers that I used the EKHO H80 with was the my voice was clear and sharp, with no noticeable drop in quality.
Onto the sound quality of the EKHO H80 itself. You can tell that Ozone has put in a lot of effort into this part of the design, but I do feel that due to the relative lower price of the headset that some compromise had to be present. On the higher end of the spectrum, the treble is sharp and crisp, without overdoing it the point of being too tinny. Along with an oozing level of mid-tones, the EKHO H80 provided me with immersive background sounds. But the compromise has to be the bass. Even though the bass is rounded and deep, it lacks a degree or two of punch. I had to play around with the software equalizer a bit to get a bit more punch which I was looking for. Don’t get me wrong, the bass is very good, but having been spoilt with having to test out tons of gaming headsets, its just one area which could be improved.
Due to the size and design of the closed earcups, the noise isolation is top notch for a headset without electronic noise cancellation. Immerse yourself into the sounds of your games, and you just don’t hear anything else in the outside world.
