INTRODUCTION

   Affordable with good looks (especially with the introduction of RGB/ARGB lighting) and performance/features is what every consumer out there is after when out in the market for new gaming peripherals including desks, chairs, keyboards, mice, headsets and even mouse pads/mats and laptop/screen storage/carrying backpacks. Unfortunately, however even though most gaming peripherals manufacturers out in the market do their very best to cater to the needs of their entire consumer base such results not always achievable. Tt eSPORTS is not only one such manufacturer but they've actually released a significant amount of "budget-friendly" gaming peripherals over the years such as the Shock Pro RGB Gaming Headset which we've been using for slightly over a month now.

   A division of Thermaltake Gaming, Tt eSPORTS is committed to bringing the most personalized and the highest quality gear for the most competitive cyber battles, and advances the idea of products designed by gamers for gamers. Tt eSPORTS has continually been a major driving force in inspiring, challenging, and taking to new heights eSports in the professional gaming industry; and currently sponsors a multitude of gaming teams and streamers from around the world by equipping them with the necessary gaming gears - keyboards, headsets, mice and accessories - to compete and succeed at the highest level at major eSport events such as: Dreamhack, Insomnia, epic.LAN and the Intel Extreme Masters. Tt eSPORTS continually strives to promote eSports as a global phenomenon and to put it onto the world stage.

   The Shock Pro RGB by Tt eSPORTS is a analog stereo headset (currently only available in black color / 7.1 virtual surround version also available with main difference the addition of a USB sound card) which features two 40mm neodymium magnet drivers (frequency response of 20Hz-20KHz with 97dB sensitivity and impedance of 32 Ohms), pull-down omni-directional microphone (not flexible - features a frequency response of 100Hz-10KHz with -38dB and 2.2KOhm impedance), earcup controls, suspension headband, 25mm thick earpads and 256 color RGB lighting for the exterior of both earcups (7 color presets with 2 effects). Also, thanks to the fact that the Shock Pro RGB is not a USB powered gaming headset (although its RGB lighting does require a USB power source) it's compatible with virtually every device including the PC, PS4, Xbox One (all consoles really) and smartphones/tablets.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

The front of the black cardboard box inside which Tt eSPORTS packs the Shock Pro RGB Gaming Headset is used to showcase the 7 available RGB preset colors.

Three product pictures placed on the left side of the box showcase the red, blue and green (RGB) colors.

Printed on the right side are the main product features.

Several product pictures located at the rear of the box and right next to the specification tables are used to showcase its features.

Along with the Shock Pro RGB Gaming Headset you'll also be getting an 3.5mm y-splitter (for use with mobile devices), warranty policy paper and a quick-installation guide.

THE SHOCK PRO RGB

The Shock Pro RGB weighs just 328g and is made out of plastic, aluminum and faux leather.

In terms of size the Shock Pro RGB is a small to mid-sized model.

The Tt eSPORTS dragon is printed on the exterior of both earcups and is surrounded by RGB LEDs.

Left and right markings are engraved on round pieces of plastic located just over the earcups.

At the front of the left earcup we find the pull-down microphone (which as mentioned earlier is not flexible) whereas at the rear we find the RGB lighting button, microphone mute switch and the volume control roller.

Although not the largest earpads we've seen used these are quite comfortable.

The company logo is placed on the exterior of the suspension headband.

At the end of the 2 meter long cable we find a USB plug (for the RGB lighting) and two 3.5mm gold plated plugs (headphones/microphone).

Here you can see some of the available RGB LED colors (unfortunately the Tt eSPORTS logo is not illuminated).

CONCLUSION

   The Shock Pro RGB is not among the latest gaming headsets to rollout from Tt eSPORTS but since many of you have been asking from us to also focus on affordable models this seemed like a good fit. We ended up using it for nearly two months not only with several PC game titles (including Control, Battlestar Galactica Deadlock Resurrection, GEARS 5 and Devil May Cry 5) but also numerous blue-ray movies with not so great results. You see even though the Shock Pro RGB is a very comfortable gaming headset (thanks to both its suspension design and the thick ear cushions) that also happens to look very nice thanks to the RGB lighting of its earcups (alas somewhat limited) audio quality is not its strong point. Mids and highs sound dull and muffled and although bass levels are somewhat satisfactory (can't expect miracles from 40mm dynamic drivers) they are simply not nearly enough to turn things around (volume levels are not great either). These results are of course far from surprising since the Shock Pro RGB is a budget-friendly gaming headset but the real question is just how much budget friendly is it?

   It's been almost two years since Tt eSPORTS announced their plans to release the Shock Pro RGB Gaming Headset and today it retails for just USD39.99 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 39.99Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de) a price tag which reflects exactly what it is that you're getting. That being said based on its audio performance we only feel comfortable recommending the Shock Pro RGB to very young audiences who care more about looks, comfort and of course cost but for more demanding consumers there are far better (slightly more expensive however) models even in the Tt eSPORTS line-up.

PROS

- Design
- Very Comfortable (Suspension System & 25mm Thick Earpads)
- RGB Lighting (256 Colors / 7 Color Presets / 2 Effects)
- 2 Meter Cable with Gold Plated Plugs
- Price (For Some)

CONS

- Audio Quality (Mids/Highs)
- Overall Build Quality