You'll probably find Volkano's Eclipse X1 for sale far cheaper than the official retail price. Don't let the low cost put you off. Sound, comfort, and range are all excellent. The other bits don't do as well, but you're not likely to put these in harm's way unless you're a FromSoftware fan.
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Sound
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Design
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Battery
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Features
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Value
When Volkano sent us a box of its gaming gear and we saw their retail prices, we were sceptical. The Eclipse X1, nominally available for R800 but usually for up to R200 less than that, put in an impressive enough performance that we feel bad about our initial judgement. Yes, they’re very budget gaming headphones. The integrated boom mic won’t wow your teammates with its clarity. But for the price you’re paying, there’s plenty of performance on offer.
Sounds good
Audio is one department where the Volkano Eclipse X1 doesn’t drop the ball. It also won’t kick it out of the park, but it’s plenty detailed where you need it to be. Gaming environments and soundtracks are neatly separated, and music holds up even at higher volumes. What it lacks is the punch you’ll get from much more expensive headsets. There’s still immersion to be had, but less than is possible if you quintuple your budget. That’s… obvious, really.
There’s the microphone, which is the greatest sacrifice made here. It’ll serve to help you communicate with other players, sure, but it’s certainly the most disappointing part of the whole package. At least it’ll tuck out of the way easily, if you just need a casual pair of cans for single-player games in a quiet home.
Bluetooth is the de facto connection method here, but Volkano has included a dual dongle setup that’ll connect to USB-A and USB-C ports. Switch to one of these, and your listening range extends far beyond what Bluetooth offers. We wandered quite far from our workstation (it’s not all game time at Stuff) while connected to the dongle with nary a drop. Similar distances completely disconnected Bluetooth headphones.
Sounds light
Elsewhere, the price you’ve just paid is just as obvious. Volkano’s cans are almost entirely plastic, except for (presumably) the audio internals. This is cleverly disguised over the headband, to boot. They’re not the most rugged thing you’ll ever wear, but they sure are lightweight and comfortable. The plastic casing and headphones sit well, but will protest (hard) if you sit on the X1 by mistake. There’s no noise cancellation, but the 40-hour battery (we got close to that) will outlast all but the toughest weekend of intensive gaming.
The audio quality is surprisingly good. The build might be sub-par, but Volkano trades you weight and comfort in return. The combination, even with the sketchy mic, is attractive enough. Would we buy a pair? Without question at this price point, even if it’s just to have something for the odd night of visiting gamers who may have forgotten some kit.
Volkano Eclipse X1 verdict
The Volkano Eclipse X1 exceeded our expectations with regard to audio quality and connectivity. Even the plastic build has its merits. The whole arrangement has been well thought-out. Gamers on a serious budget would do well to snag a pair of these, especially since they’re often available well below retail price, but even better-financed players would be well served by having a spare X1 sitting on a shelf. For visitors, of course. You’re still allowed to use them when nobody is over for a session, though.
Tech specs:
Drivers 40mm
Microphone Boom
Battery 500mAh (claimed 40hrs)
Charging USB-C
Connectivity Bluetooth, dongle (USB-C, USB-A)
Weight 197 grams
