Наушники — Austrian Audio PG16

Austrian Audio developed the PG16 in Vienna as a professional gaming headset with closed earcups that fit over the ear. It takes the high excursion driver approach of the brand's studio headphones and adds a boom microphone, so a single wired unit handles game audio, voice chat and video calls. The frame folds flat, and the earcups isolate the wearer from surrounding noise at home, in an office or at a gaming event.

Key specs that matter

The maker rates the PG16 at 12 Hz to 24 kHz, with an impedance of 25 ohm, a sensitivity of 113 dB SPL per volt and a maximum input power of 150 mW. It weighs 265 g without its cable and measures 205 x 180 x 80 mm. The detachable lead is 1.4 m long and terminates in a single 3.5 mm four-pole TRRS plug that carries both headphone and microphone signals. An adapter that splits this plug into two separate 3.5 mm TRS connectors is supplied in the box.

Engineering and use context

Every earcup uses a 44 mm driver built around a ring magnet system, a layout Austrian Audio credits with better airflow than conventional designs. The boom carries an omnidirectional microphone, and lifting the boom mutes it, so there is no separate switch to find in the middle of a match or a meeting. The headband is all metal, while the earpads are filled with slow-retention memory foam that settles around the ear over longer sessions. Because the cable detaches, a worn or broken lead is easy to exchange, and the rest of the headset stays in service. The folding frame makes it simple to carry the headset between a desk, a console room and a trip. Spares offered by the brand include a USD 25 set of replacement ear cushions sold as Hi-XBCUK, and the HXHC hard carrying case at USD 39 protects the folded headset in a bag.

Pairing

The four-pole plug connects directly to game controllers, laptops, phones and tablets that use a combined headset jack. Desktop computers and audio interfaces with separate headphone and microphone sockets use the included splitter adapter instead. With its low impedance and strong per-volt sensitivity, the PG16 reaches useful levels from the modest headphone outputs built into consoles and mobile devices, and it does not rely on an external amplifier or any software driver. Plug-and-play operation also means the same headset moves between a console and a work laptop without any reconfiguration.

Alternatives

For listeners who do not need a microphone, Austrian Audio offers the Hi-X20, a closed-back over-ear headphone that uses a Hi-X driver as well.