I plugged the USB receiver into the Xbox, held the power button onto the headset and boom, I was connected within seconds. No separate pairing or holding specific buttons, you just turn it on, and it finds the receiver automatically and very promptly. This is a good feature and allows for changing on the fly if you need to hear the game over the party chat or vice versa. It works nice and seamlessly, although you can catch yourself out early on if you forget which side the master volume is on. The audio comes through nice and crisp, while I did not detect any crackle or hum, which can be common with wireless or Bluetooth headsets. I would say it can be difficult to optimise the location of the mic, as the smallest fractions make a lot of difference. I moved the headset ever so slightly closer to my mouth and rerecorded the message and then when I listened back it sounded like I was shouting. There may be a few times where you may need to fiddle with the dials and mic position but that doesn’t spoil what is a quality headset.
PDP LVL50 Gaming Headset Review
PDP has added to its roster of gaming headsets with a new family dubbed LVL50It comes in four designs, with both wired and wireless variants for either PS4 or Xbox One, and all versions work with PC as well, but are otherwise platform-specific. The headset uses gray plastic on the earcups and yolks, which also double as size adjustment sliders. There’s padding for the crown of your head and thick earpads, all of which is covered in a breathable nylon mesh.
The left earcup includes a micro-USB charging port, a power button, an audio mode toggle, and a flip-up boom mic.The mic is on a very long, flexible arm.
They can pump out audio at a high enough level that I kept the on-headset dial close to just 50% most of the time. I played loads of Apex Legends, and can’t recall a single time an enemy ran up on me and I didn’t hear them coming because the sound was too low.
There’s no fancy surround sound effects to help with positional audio, but stereo still does a good job.I tested the drivers’ range with a bit of music, and was pleased with how well they perform. Bleachers’ Good Morning is a wildly busy track that often moves from up close to distant, and all of that held up.
And, the headset offered enough soundstage for some of the wider, cavernous bits to hit with full force and not feel crammed in.And, all that sound performance comes on a battery that’s meant to last up to 16 hours.
I used the LVL50 over the span of a week with gaming sessions lasting 2-3 hours, and I never had the headset cut out as a result of the battery dying.
PDP LvL50 Wireless Gaming Headset for Xbox One Review
But that’s all changed over the last few weeks, pretty much from the moment I first clapped eyes on the stunning, super clean, PDP LvL50 Wireless Gaming Headset for Xbox One. I won’t beat around the bush, the PDP LvL50 Wireless Gaming Headset for Xbox One is a stunner, both in terms of aesthetics, audio, and the entire user experience.
Matt grey in colour, with hints of black and green breaking the design up, the LvL50 is already on the right track in terms of why you would want to be seen wearing these wireless delights. Each ear-cup is well sized to fit over your ear, and also comes with a variety of controls and knobs, with the right cup housing a min/max volume dial for easy adjustment.
This noise cancelling mic is just as good as the rest of the headset, with crystal clear chat being delivered from you to your party at all times. High definition stereo is promised and you can be sure that this headset will deliver that in spades, even if at times things occasionally feel a little tinny.
Even though you can spend a hell of a lot more in terms of premium gaming headsets, for the very reasonable price these are launching at (£70), I can’t believe you’ll be able to get hands on with anything better in this range.
PDP LVL50 Wireless Review
If you want a wireless headset and don’t want to spend a lot of money, it’s the best we’ve tested in this price range and our Editors’ Choice. The headset connects to your PS4 (or Xbox One) or PC with the included USB dongle, a small, rectangular black device that looks like a flash drive.
However, without a wired or Bluetooth connection, it won’t work with your Nintendo Switch, Xbox One (or PS4, again depending on the version of the headset you get), or mobile device.
The headset doesn’t reach quite into subwoofer levels of ultra low frequencies, but it offers a good sense of force.
The USB dongle only treats the headset as a stereo device with no audio processing tricks, so any directional imaging will be dependent on the game and system you’re using. In Apex Legends, stereo audio pans when you turn left and right, letting you determine the direction from which the sounds of combat are coming.
It works fairly well for gunfire, though the lack of higher frequency detail means quickly and clearly hearing enemies sneak up on your through their footsteps and the creak of doors isn’t as easy as it is with headsets with stronger audio performance. Our test recordings were slightly fuzzy, lacking the crispness of the HyperX Cloud Mix or even the inexpensive Turtle Beach Atlas One. That said, True Audio mode makes our bass test track, The Knife’s “Silent Shout,” sound hollow and underwhelming at maximum volume. While the headset doesn’t show the oddly specific distortion the wired LVL50 does in the opening sweep of the track in either mode, Bass Boost makes the lower resonance of the acoustic guitar plucks stand out far more than the notes themselves. Both the notes and string texture come through better in True Audio mode, which also provides plenty of low-end presence for the electric bass. The crowded track sounds much more balanced on the wireless headset than on the wired version, with vocals, snares, strums, and bass notes all coming through clearly.
The bassline comes through full and clear, while the cacophonous drums and distant, murmured vocals get enough presence that both can be easily heard in the mix.
PDP LVL50 Headset Review: Solid Wireless Gaming Sound for $80
This wireless gaming headset features a comfy and lightweight design, a noise-cancelling microphone, solid overall audio performance, and great battery life, all for just $80. While its equalizer options are lacking and its max volume could be louder, the LVL50 (available in Xbox One and PS4 configurations) offers quality features for an affordable price. When I first picked it up, I noticed there was a lot of wiggle between the cups and the band, as if I could easily snap the device in half if I applied too much pressure. The glossy PDP logo sits neatly on the outside of each cup, which is nice because it subtly blends into the frame. One issue I have with the in-game and chat audio rocker is that its wheel doesn’t have definable ridges or a center. It sits on the left side of the headset, resting on a dial that can mute the mic, depending whether it’s positioned up or down. I tested Resident Evil 2 (as an excuse to force myself to continue it), and when I met up with Ada in the parking garage, the dialogue between her and Leon was crisp. In the Devil May Cry 5 demo, the sharp clangs of my sword grinding against the pavement tinkled in my ears, and the soft, entrancing tune from the main menu almost kept me from actually starting the game.
Meanwhile, in a typical super-intense match of Apex Legends, I could pinpoint the exact directions that footsteps and gunfire were coming from. The Hemlock gunfire pierced through an enemy’s armor with its intense, high-impact rounds, and the Eva-8 Auto shotgun delivered a meaty, destructive sound as I finished them off. The LVL50 reproduced the melodic electronic beat in the intro of Lil Uzi Vert’s “XO Tour Llif3” with such clarity that it almost made me forget I was wearing headphones. And while the bassy beats weren’t as well-defined, the Bass Boost equalizer setting managed to emphasize the lower frequencies.
Muse’s “Space Dementia” starts off with a soft, haunting piano that rises to an epic crescendo, but the LVL50 struggled to capture the depth of the high notes. The LVL50 is a great deal, offering a seamless wireless experience, good sound and a long battery life, all for just $80.
Review: PDP Gaming’s LEVEL 50 Wireless Headset for Xbox One
As with the PlayStation 4 LEVE 50 Wireless Headset, it would have been nice if the interior holder was painted in the same box colour instead of the generic brown cardboard but that is just a personal niggle with the presentation as it would have popped a lot more when opening the box to have something that grabs your attention rather than a very bland and cheap looking internal packaging but with that in mind, let us take a look at the specs of the Level 50 Wireless headset. Showcasing this during a live stream to viewers in chat and the reaction to me bending the headband surprised a good number of them. The extreme durability of the Level 50 because of this unique feature is a great example of the common sense design over adding flashy aesthetics. I simply love this aspect to the Level 50 and no longer would suffer the missed button or “forgot to mute the mic” moments either on stream or during MP sessions with friends.
Unlike the PS4 version, this Xbox headset has an additional Game to Party mixer dial on the left ear cup which works incredibly well and is a really great extra features as usually you would have to go into the Xbox audio settings to make adjustments which is time consuming especially when in a frantic MP game. All these features scream simplicity at me which is exactly how I feel about this headset for both the PS4 and Xbox One consoles, it gets the job done at a level that is huge value for the price tag without forking out more just for bells and whistles.
But the beauty of this method is that plugging in the dongle to the console makes it detect the headset wirelessly once turned on. Sound is great and it does exactly what you need it to do with simplicity at its foundation and an excellent battery and charge life to ensure this headset is good to go whenever you need it.
As we approach the holiday season, the LEVEL 50 Headset for both Xbox One and PS4 is something any console gamer would appreciate and though visually it might not grab your attention right away, the quality in the performance will make a statement right away.
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