INTRODUCTION

   Looks are very important in just about every single thing we get whether that's a car, home, TV, shoes, clothes, accessories pets and yes even PC hardware and peripherals. Still looks are not always the defining factor when making our choice and so for example when it comes to gaming headsets audio quality (including positioning audio) obviously comes second to none. For good or bad the arrival of RGB lighting has blurred the line between looks and audio quality and so more and more manufacturers market their latest gaming headsets largely on that feature alone. That's not to say that there aren't some really impressive models out there with features that include RGB lighting but for every one of those there are countless others aimed towards undemanding users on very restrictive budgets. Because of that when ABKONCORE send us their B1000R Real 5.2 Gaming Headset roughly 3 weeks ago we really didn't know what to expect.

   ABKONCORE is a Korean provider of high performance PC components and gaming peripherals. Many years of professional production experience and strong background of gaming PC components and peripherals which are tested by Korean game enthusiasts and PC cafe users, ABKONCORE is proudly introducing the gaming gears and PC peripherals. In a rather short time of years, ABKONCORE has extended its reach to the global market, having distributors and retailers. There are three different offices: HQ in Seoul, South Korea, Branch Office in Guangzhou, China and European Sales & Logistics Office in the Netherlands.

   Unlike most surround sound gaming headsets in the market that are based on two stereo dynamic drivers paired with a virtual surround sound USB sound card the B1000R by ABKONCORE (available in black, white and red colors) actually features 4 drivers in each earcup (30mm front/center drivers, 30mm rear driver, 40mm bass driver and 20mm integrated sub-drivers). These drivers are also paired with a USB surround sound card (thus the B1000R is USB only) and cover a frequency area/response of 20Hz-20KHz with an impedance of 32Ohm and sensitivity of 118dB (+-3dB). The B1000R also features a retractable noise-cancelling microphone (2.2KOhm impedance, -38dB +-3dB sensitivity), rotating earcups, vibration technology (via the integrated sub-drivers), RGB lighting and in-line controls. On paper the B1000R certainly seems very interesting but now the time has come for us to see for ourselves what it's capable of.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

A partial product picture is located at the front of the box right next to the color selection and beneath the company logo.

At the base of the box we find a product description in 12 languages.

The product specifications and features are printed at the rear of the box.

Once again, the front of the box opens up to reveal the product itself.

In terms of bundle the B1000R may not stand out but it's been a while since i've seen a software CD with any gaming peripheral (useful if you don't have internet access).

THE B1000R

For the B1000R ABKONCORE has primarily used plastic, aluminum and faux leather.

As for size it's clear that the B1000R is a medium sized headset.

On the exterior of both earcups we find brushed aluminum covers and RGB LED rings.

The retractable microphone is very flexible and has a white LED at the front which lights up when the microphone is on.

The earcups of the B1000R can rotate up to 90 degrees for easier storing.

ABKONCORE has also equipped the B1000R with thick earpads (not the softest nor the largest we've seen but they proved to be quite comfortable).

The 5 small headpads used may also not be the softest one we've ever seen but they also were very comfortable during our tests.

The headband of the B1000R extends a total of 37mm per side via 8 increments (not visible ones).

Typically, the company logo is engraved on the exterior of the headband as seen above.

From the somewhat large in-line controller you can increase/decrease the master volume, mute the microphone, enable/disable the RGB LEDs and increase/decrease the volume levels of each of the drivers.

At the end of the 1.9 meter long rubber cable ABKONCORE has placed a gold plated USB plug.

CONTROL SOFTWARE

For this review we downloaded the control software from the ABKONCORE support page instead of using the version bundled with the B1000R.

The software is very basic and so from the two available tabs you can only adjust the volume levels of the drivers and the microphone.

There's also a "hidden" selection at the top end with a total of 5 available profiles (just press the small round left/right arrow button to access it).

As you can all see the RGB lighting of the B1000R looks nice (but you get no control over it).

CONCLUSION

   Last week three new PC game arrived in our lab, Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order, Phoenix Point and Halo the Master Chief Collection and so i took the opportunity to use almost every single of the gaming peripherals we have here with them including the B1000R by ABKONCORE. Unfortunately, two things spoiled the fun for me (luckily I was able to finish Fallen Order without issue), first of all Phoenix Point although somewhat impressive still has quite a few bugs that need to be addressed (in some cases these bugs render the game unplayable) and not having played the original Halo Reach in the past i was very surprised to see that the main character dies in the end (honestly i thought this guy would later get to be Master Chief - not a huge Halo fan so excuse my ignorance). With that out of the way however most of the peripherals i did get the chance to test proved to be surprisingly good and yes that also applies for the B1000R by ABKONCORE. Audio quality is good with good mids and highs, bass levels are plenty, positioning audio works very well and as for the vibration feature it actually does add to the overall experience (although it's not as strong as for example that of the V370 by Patriot - that's not a bad thing really especially since i was unable to find the software option that turns it off). RGB lighting also looks nice but we feel that ABKONCORE would get far more potential buyers if they could add control over it (even a few preloaded effects switchable from the controller would be nice). Unfortunately build quality is not the strongest selling point of the B1000R since aside some glue residues that we found on both ends of the headband the master volume roller of the in-line controller didn't work properly (worked well while increasing volume, now while trying to decrease it). We will share this finding with ABKONCORE and will try to get another sample to check if this is an isolated issue with ours so expect an update if that turns to be the case.

   At the time of this review the B1000R Gaming Headset by ABKONCORE retails for USD85.99 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 68.95Euros inside the EU (x2products.com) a price tag which is indeed slightly higher than expected even moreso on the other side of the Atlantic. Overall, we enjoyed our time with the B1000R Real 5.2 Gaming Headset by ABKONCORE and even though it’s indeed far from perfect we do recommend checking it out especially if you place positioning audio above all else.

PROS

- 4 Drivers Per Earcup
- Positioning Audio Accuracy
- Good Mids/Highs/Bass
- RGB Earcup LEDs
- Vibration Technology
- Retractable Noise Cancelling Microphone

CONS

- Price (For Some)
- Overall Build Quality
- Very Basic Control Software