Alienware Pro Wireless Headset - Lunar Light

Out of all the Alienware 920h and 988 headsets I used it's amazing I can't say anything wrong with it it's just perfect

The decision to include ANC drove many of the design choices for this headset. Whether you like those or not will depend on if you think the the ANC was worth the compromises.But setting the ANC aside for now, the headset is above average and somewhat pricey for its performance. It advertises 50mm speakers, but the 40mm from Razer headsets sound better to me. The construction is solid, a clean design with bonus points for an actual on/off *switch* and not a long hold button. Comfort is snug and I would've preferred more/better padding on the headband. It supports BT or the included receiver, and I had no issues connecting to my PC. If this was in the $150 range, it'd be a solid contender against other major brands and a good value. Unfortunately, it doesn't have a retractable mic.So now I'll address the ANC. This feature necessitated a significant jump in the price. The ANC also takes a big hit on the battery life: I got about 20h, 1/3 of the rated battery life with ANC off. Designing this headset for ANC also made it less comfortable to wear. To minimize any ambient noise you might hear this headset has leatherette cups which press snugly against your head. This works to support the ANC and it is a noticeable difference in quiet. Without any audio playing and just ANC on it silenced the background hum of my computer fans, air filter, and room. But in exchange my ears and head felt hot after a short time, and the constant pressure against my head was annoying.Was the ANC worth it? In my opinion, no. For gaming you don't need ANC because explosions and firefights will easily drown out ambient noise. If you turn ANC off you get better battery life, but the headset is still not as comfortable and doesn't sound as good as less expensive models. (Also, no RGB if that matters to you.)If you need to travel on a plane and you want to use your gaming headset for travel I can see the appeal of ANC. Its still a little uncomfortable, but that's the tradeoff. So overall, 3 stars for gaming use and 4 stars for travel and ANC + gaming use.

This product is marketed as a "Pro" gaming headset. That, coupled with the expense, rules out casual gamers to me. So, this review is for enthusiast gamers that want the best gaming experience without worrying about price too much.Let's get the TL;DR version of the review out of the way:• Sound quality is really good, with great bass• USB-C audio interface sends the game audio directly to the headphones for low latency• Active noise cancellation works well• They are comfortable• Wireless dongle doesn't work with Nintendo Switch• Connecting via USB installs Alienware Command Center without askingNow, let's unpack:The sound quality is very good from the 50mm drivers. The bass is super punchy, and the highs are crisp. The EQ program definitely seems to be tuned for gaming. Compared to my ATH-M50s, there's definitely more treble/higher frequencies. Playing actual games sounds great. Even at a lower volume, the bass comes through. The headphones are also very comfortable, although maybe a bit heavier than they need to be.As far as connection options go, hardcore gamers likely won't use the Bluetooth connection as this can add audio latency. The way to go is to use the included wireless USB-C dongle, which should have better latency than Bluetooth (a USB-C to USB-A adapter is included). The dongle uses the UAC protocol, so no driver is needed. It presents itself to the OS as its own audio interface, which should bypass any other sound interface in the system, including HDMI. This should work with both PC and game consoles. The result is lower latency as the game is essentially sending its audio directly to the headphones rather than relying on your TV to extract audio from HDMI and send it to a soundbar.The active noise cancellation works pretty well. There's a microphone in each driver housing that will listen to the ambient sound and cancel it out so you don't hear it. I don't use it while gaming for fear of additional latency, but it's there if you want it. You will hear a very tiny bit of noise while it's enabled.I tested these with my Steam Deck and my Nintendo Switch, and they worked on both except the Switch can't use the USB dongle (yes, it's in the latest firmware). It detects there's a USB audio device connected, but I hear nothing. However, wired USB works on Switch so this is definitely a problem with the dongle. BT of course works, but there's some latency as you'd expect. Don't use it.You can also use these headphones with an iPhone. I tried with the dongle, and this worked, but only for audio output (no mic). I was only able to make phone calls using the microphone if the headphones were connected to the iPhone via Bluetooth.Let me just be clear here: you really want to use that dongle, or plug them directly into a USB port. Bluetooth is out of the question when it comes to proper gaming audio.When you connect the headphones via USB to your Windows PC, Alienware Command Center will automatically be installed, without asking you first. This is annoying. Within the software, there aren't many options to configure and you can't change the default EQ program. There is an option to configure Dolby Atmos, but I didn't try it as it requires a separate app install.Overall, this is a pretty awesome pair of headphones. If these are within your budget, I think you'll find they tick a lot of boxes in terms of features and performance. Still, I'm taking off a star since the wireless USB dongle doesn't work with Nintendo Switch, even though they are advertised as being compatible. I will reach out to Dell about this, and if I manage to get USB audio working on my Switch I'll update the review.

The Alienware Pro headset is a nice looking all white headset with good sound quality and comfort. The leatherette covering for the ear cups and both sides of the head band have a pleasing texture and I like the appearance. Construction is otherwise all plastic. Color matching between all the bits and leatherette material is decent (but the mic foam was way off).The comfort level is high for my head size and shape. The things I noticed most were the low clamping force of the headband, relatively low weight, and soft ear cups. The leatherette material has a great texture and is very comfortable, but doesn't breath and can lead to moisture accumulation over longer sessions. I still prefer leatherette over mesh, but it's a trade off, better texture for less breathability.While the low clamp force makes them comfortable to wear, the bass response is tempered by it on my small head. A gentle press on the outsides of the ear cups results in a much better acoustic experience for me. The ear cups detach fairly easily (you just rip them off, then snap them back on) so using replacement pads with thicker ear cups, the clamp force could be adjusted.Sound quality out of the box sounded good for most music, but I didn't enjoy the profile while gaming. Using the Alienware Command Center, or other audio software, EQ profiles can be adjusted. The spatial sound performance was good on these headphones, and when using an equalizer the gaming performance was excellent. I felt like some of the ultra low frequencies were missing a bit, but the bass performance was good otherwise. Highs are crisp and clarity is good overall.Sound quality on the mic was good enough for voice chat and conference calls. Some of the highs and lows are missing giving a less accurate recording, but it sounds fine for a removable mic.The ANC worked fairly well and reduced the background noise levels. A transparency mode is also present so you can hear your surroundings without removing the headset. Even with ANC off, these do cut out a good amount of ambient noise. A button on the left ear cup toggles between the 3 modes.Both the dongle and bluetooth connects paired as expected without issue. The range was pretty standard falling off around 20m when walls are present.Overall I like this headset. It's very comfortable, looks real nice, and the sound quality is solid for a wireless set.

I always wanted alien products way back in the day when they were their own company. Their products always had a flair to them and a price tag to match. Years later, with some ups and downs, they are still one of the most interesting sub-brand out there. This headset is so good, I might need to look into their products again for my own personal collection of PC tech.The packaging and presentation for this headset is top tier. From all of the conspicuous alien head logos, to "The Greys" color scheme, and down to the alien head shaped silhouette of the headset itself. There is a lot of thought going into just the design of this headset. The headset came with a seven foot braided USB-A to USB-C cable for charging and direct a connection to a PC. The headset also has an adapter for the USB-C 2.4 wireless dongle plus a built-in Bluetooth option. The microphone is detachable with 3.5mm connection port.The sound quality is quite exceptional. I was amazed at the audio quality of these straight out-of-the-box. They needed the tiniest amount of EQ to match my top tier AT50 studio quality headset. These are just slightly heavy in Bass levels at a Flat EQ than my studio music grade headset. I'm still shocked on how good these sound. The microphone is quite good and one of the best I have tried on a gaming headset. Stand alone microphones with a mixer are still better. The ANC works but not as good as it should, but, with or without that feature it is still an amazing headset.The earcups are very soft and I find that the headset is comfortable for long wearing sessions. The look, from a distance, is subtle without all of the unnecessary RGB gamer flair. That said, they are alien logoed enough that fellow gamers and those in the know will know exactly what they are looking at close up. I am pleasantly surprised by these and their performance. They are quite literally my second favorite headset out of at least a dozen at this same tier level that I have. High recommend. 5 stars.