One of the most exciting new entrants to the gaming hardware market is PXN from Shenzhen, China. Their new Konlin â…¡ wired gaming headset competes with the top echelon of other gaming brands, and in some areas - dare I say it - it's even better. I'm super excited about this headset with quality all-around, from its 7.1 surround sound, its own software, and light effects. Plus, it works on all big platforms & consoles. Let's dive in!
Unboxing
Upon opening the box you're greeted by a tiny booklet, with underneath the headset, several cables, and the detachable microphone. Everything is neatly packed to ensure nothing is damaged during transport, but also in a way the cables don't tangle.
Look at that - everything you need. I attached the USB cable and was good to go in a matter of seconds, but I took this shot to post on my Instagram later. It's just a top-quality set that matches with the rest of my carefully selected rig.
The headset's design
The Konlin â…¡'s design feels a bit retro as well as very modern, solid but not bulky. Very obvious are the big matte black earcups held by a blue metallic frame (silver & red are also available). I love that this blue then comes back in the stitching of the headband, as well as the logo on the earcups - which have perforated metal on the outside. (Inside the earcups are massive 53mm high-quality speakers but more on their performance later.)
(Photo : PXN - Konlin â…¡)
You don't notice this right away but the parts are neatly integrated. The slider goes into the ergonomic headband, and there are no foldable hinges. The parts are connected by real screws, not some glue or anything, making the whole build quality feel super solid.
Then of course there's a cable. A wire means several benefits. You won't run out of battery and the performance is better. The cable both works for USB as well as 3.5mm and it's made of braided rope which feels premium and doesn't knot easily, despite the cable being 1.5 meters long.
In the middle of the cable is a volume adjuster, but additional buttons to adjust the lights on the headset (more on that later), or turn off & on the 7.1 audio. Especially the button to open or close your mic is nice and often used by me.
(Photo : PXN - Konlin â…¡)
Then there's also a microphone with a few tricks up its sleeve. It's omnidirectional to pick up your voice really well, but it has a noise isolating function, so if your computer or air-conditioner makes a lot of noise, that won't be picked up, just your voice. And it's detachable! So, if you're doing a game where you don't need or want to speak, or simply watching a movie or listening to music, you can take it off. It's also easier to transport that way.
Then lastly, the headphones have RGB lights inside which you can configure to show your favorite color or the color of your clan. And it's not just color, but also some light effects, such as pulsing or flashing, or always-on. (I love putting the lights to magenta to contrast with the blue headband.)
(Photo : PXN - Konlin â…¡)
Wearing it
Writing this review, I've worn this headset for several days from morning to evening and it's comfortable to wear, even for such long periods of time. This is largely down to the huge patches of leather memory foam on both the earcups as well as the headband.
My girlfriend jokes my head is like a potato (while I tell her that hers looks like a watermelon), but it fits well on both our heads. There's no pressure on my ears or anything and it's easy to adjust. Also, the microphone is adjustable so you can put it wherever your mouth is (not too close, not too far).
Audio performance
PXN has provided some numbers on the Konlin â…¡'s box about its performance:
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φ53mm speakers
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7.1 surround sound
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Impedance: 58±15%Ω
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Sensitivity: 114±3dB at 1KHz
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Frequency range: 20Hz-20KHz
OK, the numbers are nice, but how does it really work?
I've tried the headset with several games such as Dark Souls on my Nintendo Switch, Deathloop on PS5, and ECHO, an indie stealth game from Steam - and in each the audio performance is amazing. Not only do the soft earcups drown out the surrounding sounds, the 7.1 surround audio is unlike anything I've heard before.
Some games - like Deathloop - call this "3D audio" (enable it in the game settings!). To give an example, one of its levels starts on a beach and you can hear your footsteps so clearly in the sand, as well as the rocking waves. If you turn your character, also the direction of that sound changes. In Deathloop, I blew up some buildings inside a cave - and it wasn't just an explosion I heard but flaming wood and furniture being thrown my way, echoing in between the stone walls.
I even tried an old game (Left 4 Dead 2 from 2009) which only offers 5.1 surround sound, because the sound is such a huge experience in that game, and even there the Konlin â…¡ does its magic. I can hear from where the zombies are coming from, even though I must honestly admit I'm still horrible at shooting them. But I can't blame the headset.
The difference between 7.1 and 5.1 though, is that the former isn't just horizontally around you, but also above & below you. This headset from PXN certainly gives me audio from all directions in modern games (which all have 7.1 enabled).
Even when I try music, there's no inconsistency in bass and treble delivery. It's really smooth.
Dedicated software
If you're gaming on a Windows computer, you can download a dedicated piece of software from e-pxn.com to tweak both the headphone's audio output and the microphone's audio input. For output, you can change the sound yourself or simply check one of the four modes: Original sound, gaming, music, and movie mode. You can also adjust the input of the microphone - even to the point where you can change your voice to sound like a male, female or child.
(Photo : PXN - Konlin â…¡)
Ending thoughts
The Konlin â…¡ works on Windows, Mac, PS4, PS5, Xbox One (S), and the Nintendo Switch - as well as your phone as long as it has a USB or 3.5mm audio jack.
It's a premium headphone with clear and powerful sound to compete with, exactly what you need. In the past twenty years, I've used many headphones from several brands - I even have some old ones packed in a box somewhere. But this one from PXN is my new favorite going forward.
I even think that having a headset like this definitely gives you a competitive advantage because you can hear enemies coming from a direction before you can see them. Not just that, you'll definitely enjoy the audio experience as well, because it just adds another layer of immersion.
The Konlin â…¡ has been available on Amazon.