Puro Sound Labs PuroGamer Review

California based audio manufacturers Puro Sound Labs recently launched the world’s first volume-limiting headset. While the headset proves to be quite versatile, it is tailored for gamers specifically. With comfort, compatibility, and crystal-clear sound quality being of great importance, the main feature of this product is its hearing-saving capabilities. Let’s take a closer look at the Puro Sound Labs PuroGamer and how it all works.

Design & Features

Upon first glance, what initially caught my attention was the absolute comfortability – a feature equally as vital as sound quality when looking at purchasing a pair of headphones. The PuroGamer Gaming Headset is solidly built and lightweight, coated with breathable vegan leather which not only adds to the user’s comfort but also gives the headphones a sophisticated and stylish look.

When using a headset for extended time periods (in excess of 2 hours plus), some may experience ‘hot ears’ and even sweating. This is known to cause headaches and tension and can lead to an overall uncomfortable gaming experience. The breathable material is used to combat this effect by allowing a degree of air circulation while the headphones are in use.

Those who wear glasses will probably need to adjust the sizing of the head strap, the PuroGamer headset offers size tweaking incrementally – you’ll hear and feel ‘clicks’ as the head strap is adjusted, however, there is no visual scale to align the two ear cups, which can be challenging for some users.

So far, this headset seems to provide a comfortable gaming experience, allowing the user to immerse themselves in the action without the need for frequent breaks for air or adjustment.

Volume-Limiting

When using any headset for extended time periods, one needs to be mindful of the effects on their hearing health. When engaged in a game, time can often pass by much faster than it seems, this, in turn, exposes your ears to high sound pressure levels for a longer-than-healthy amount of time. This, coupled with your ears being in close proximity to the speaker driver, can cause some discomfort once the headset is removed and possibly inflict serious long-term or permanent damage.

The Puro Sound Labs PuroGamer is designed to prevent such damage by means of a built-in volume limiter. Any sounds exceeding 85dB are restricted, this can be extremely effective when the headset is being used by a child who may accidentally set the volume too high or even adults who raise the volume over time as your ears become accustomed to the current sound level.

The non-adjustable threshold of 85dB allows for a large dynamic range and will not hinder the gamer’s ability to detect softer sounds (such as footsteps). However, if the headset is being used in an already noisy environment, one loses the ability to increase this threshold for an ability to hear the full sonic spectrum.

While the Puro Headset is aimed at gamers specifically, I feel the volume- limiting functionality makes it appealing to many. Whether you’re a concerned parent, an audiophile wanting to preserve your hearing, or using headphones for work (call center, zoom/skype meetings), or for leisure purposes (music, movies, podcast), everyone can benefit from this technology.

Microphone

Included with the headset is an easily detachable microphone, which operates in an omnidirectional polar pattern. This allows your voice to be heard loud and clear from any direction, while effectively eliminating background noise and only allowing your conversations with teammates to be heard.

Rather than a microphone that has to be bent out of the way, the microphone detachability adds to the versatility of the headset if the user does not intend on using it for gaming only.

When looking at the design and functions overall, the Puro Sound Labs PuroGamer is a well-built headset with the user’s convenience and comfort being a top priority. This headset comes with a 1-year warranty from the manufacturer.

Sound Quality

In searching for the ultimate set of headphones (for any application) sound quality is equally as important as comfort. The Puro Sound Labs PuroGamer doesn’t fall short here at all, but at the same time lacks any special features. Let’s get into the tech talk…

The Puro Headset runs a 40mm speaker driver, which is a standard headphone size. It reproduces frequencies ranging from 20Hz to 18kHz which covers almost the entire range of human hearing. All that one might notice is a lack of ultra-high frequencies (often perceived as ‘air’ type sounds). However, this is just fine for most applications.

The speakers operate at an impedance of 32ohms, with a sensitivity factor of -35dB 33dB. This is a great dynamic range, allowing you to clearly hear everything from the quietest footsteps sneaking up behind you, to a bone-shaking explosion in the distance. This also deems the Puro Headset more than capable of handling movies, music, and podcasts.

The onboard microphone lacks some mid-frequency definition, although this shouldn’t pose a problem for gaming or video-call uses. Honestly, I’m impressed with the sound quality here – it’s exactly what you expect in a versatile, dynamic, and affordable set of cans. It is also worth mentioning that the onboard volume-limiting function does not compromise sound quality in any way.

Audio Connections

The Puro Sound Labs PuroGamer offers two connectivity options: USB and a 3.5mm jack. This allows compatibility with various devices including PC, Xbox, PlayStation, mobile, and tablet. It should be noted that the blue RGB lights on the outside of the ear cups are only activated when running on USB power.

Both connectors are joined on a single cable for convenience, but some may become annoyed by the other dangling cable that is not in use. The cable is a standard 4.6 foot length.

Controls

An inline control device is found along the cable and is used for toggling between sources (USB/jack), as well as muting/unmuting your microphone using plastic on/off style switches. Teammate chat volume can also be controlled using a plastic wheel, allowing you to adjust the level in a linear fashion to obtain your ideal listening volume. This control device also features an LED to indicate signal passing through it (super handy!) and the blue color allows for it to be seen clearly in any lighting situation.

The only downside to these awesome connectivity/control features is the fact that the cable is non-removable. Cables are usually the first things to die, and this means they can’t easily be replaced or repaired. However, if your PuroGamer Gaming Headset and its accessories are taken care of, it will last a long time.

What’s in the Box?

Conclusion

While the Puro Sound Labs PuroGamer Gaming Headset is aimed at a niche target market for its volume-limiting capabilities, many can benefit from this functionality. It’s definitely worth a try if you’re interested in preserving your/your child’s hearing.

Overall, for an affordable piece of gear and has everything you need for domestic use. Whether it’s used for gaming, music, movies, online learning, or podcast, the Purogamer Gaming Headset definitely offers everything you need plus more!

If protecting your hearing health, while enjoying a quality set of headphones is your priority, you can’t go wrong with the Puro Sound Labs PuroGamer Gaming Headset!

It wouldn’t be fair to compare these to our benchmark gaming headsets, as the PuroGamer comes in at a much cheaper price point, though there are some other options that play in the same price bracket; the Edifier G2II being our favorite of the lot. Only around $10.00 more expensive than the PuroGamer, the Edifier G2II gaming headset is slightly better in terms of sound quality, and has a bit more of a ‘professional’ look and feel, however, it lacks the main selling-point of the PuroGamer, the volume-limiting feature.