INTRODUCTION

   At one time in our lives i think most of us wanted to be attack airplane and helicopter pilots when we grew up (some of you reading these lines might have even achieved that) so I’m always interested in checking out peripherals that have something to do with that. This includes flight sticks, HOTAS, rudder pedals and even headsets. Unfortunately with the exception of just SAITEK, Thrustmaster, CH and Hercules there aren't any other manufacturers that support the market with related products (perhaps games like the upcoming Star Citizen / Squadron 42 will help change that for the best). ARCTIC just recently announced the availability of their latest stereo headset the P533 which they currently make available in two different color variants, Military and Racing so it didn't take long for me to request the first for a review.

   The increasing heat emission of modern CPUs and graphics cards has gone beyond the capability of most manufacturers to design powerful enough yet quiet coolers. An increasing noise level was the result, which had a negative impact on productivity. A quiet computer is the basis for pleasant working conditions. ARCTIC initiated the trend towards quiet cooling systems for desktop PCs in 2001 and has given distinction to it ever since. Today ARCTIC is one of the leading manufacturers in computer cooling and has acquired profound knowhow in consumer electronics. ARCTIC is a privately-owned company with its headquarters in Switzerland and offices in Hong Kong and the USA. ARCTIC contributed significantly to the development of computer cooling solutions, created a number of patented technologies leading to greater efficiency and remarkable noise reduction. Within the cooling industry ARCTIC is recognized for offering innovative solutions with a fair price tag. Our products are sold in over 45 countries across the globe. Up until 2009, ARCTIC COOLING focused solely on cooling solutions. In 2010, we became ARCTIC with the additional aim to provide a comprehensive set of innovative consumer electronics and peripherals. ARCTIC's long term goal is nothing less than being present in everybody's home. Our philosophy is still the same since the very beginning - offering consumers value-for-money, innovations at affordable prices.

   In terms of specifications the P533 Military Stereo Headset by ARCTIC seems to be nothing really we haven't seen many times in the past since it follows the typical route by using two 40mm neodymium magnet drivers that feature a frequency response of 20Hz-20KHz with 32 Ohm impedance and 95dB sensitivity. The P533 however does have two things that make it stand out and more specifically the large round padded earcups and the very long boom microphone (100Hz-10KHz with -40dB sensitivity) both of which resemble those used with headsets found in helicopters and even some older airplanes (the microphone can be adjusted pretty much anyway you may want it to). The P533 also features an integrated volume control knob located on the exterior of the right earcup, gold plated 3.5mm plugs and comes bundled with a thick protection case.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

ARCTIC ships the P533 Military Stereo Headset inside a box painted like a wooden crate and with just their logo and product name at the front.

Printed at the rear of the box are the product features, specifications and the bundle contents.

The entire bundle is placed inside a thick protection case and includes the P533 headset, 2 meter long 3.5mm to dual 3.5mm expansion cable, product guide and a product satisfaction paper.

THE P533

The P533 is not a small headset but thanks to the plastic material used for the exterior of the earcups it weighs just 375g (the frame is made out of metal).

As usual we placed the headset in our hands right next to the compact REVO Wireless by Jabra to showcase the difference in size.

The volume control knob placed on the exterior of the right earcup is quite sturdy although the plastic used on the earcups takes away some of the potential "realism" this headset offers.

Perhaps the strongest feature of the P533 is the boom microphone (or better yet its metal arm).

Of course the reason i say this is because you can adjust its length, it can rotate for roughly 200 degrees and it can also move left and right.

Unfortunately the microphone itself is also made out of plastic like the exterior of the earcups.

The large earpads feature thick padding which is very soft and comfortable (left and right markings are printed inside).

Moving to the headpad we see 4 thick padded sections which are also very soft.

You can extend the headband up to roughly 17mm on each side (no visible increments).

ARCTIC has placed their logo on the exterior of the headband.

All three available 3.5mm plugs are gold plated.

CONCLUSION

   First of all although i mentioned this in the intro gape i still have to point out that i like the design of the P533 Military Stereo Headset by ARCTIC quite a lot since it resembles those used in helicopters and airplanes (much like the Blackshark 2.0 model by Razer). However i also have to point out that i think ARCTIC should had used better quality plastic for the exterior of the earcups (the Blackshark for example featured thicker plastic) since i feel that'd add to the overall realism (that could be just me however). Moving to the audio department mids and highs are quite detailed and crisp but unfortunately the P533 doesn't do as well in terms of bass levels. Now i could obviously throw the blame to the medium-sized 40mm neodymium magnet drivers but the reality of the matter is that we've tested a few gaming headsets in the past with equally large drivers that offered richer and deeper bass than the ARCTIC P533. The boom microphone with its long arm actually made me forget about all the plastic parts of the P533 and i think it's what actually adds the largest amount of realism to the product. In terms of receiving audio quality i wasn't impressed but i can say the same about the majority of similarly priced headsets and in some cases even a lot more expensive ones.

   Price is what it all comes down to when we test "budget" oriented headsets and with a current price tag set at USD63.58 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and 53Euros inside the EU (Amazon.co.uk) it seems that ARCTIC has the P533 Military Stereo Headset priced just right. That being said the somewhat bulky design of the P533 is certainly not for everyone so i expect that there are gamers out there who'd rather get a more "up-to-date" designed headset. Still the P533 has its own audience namely flight simulator fans and to that segment of the market realism matters a lot more than a fancy looking headset with LEDs all over. Bottom line the ARCTIC P533 Military Stereo Headset is aimed towards gamers looking to get a budget model that looks a lot like the real thing and since it does well overall we strongly recommend taking a closer look if you're out in the market looking for one.

PROS

- Design (After Attack Helicopter Headsets)
- Good Overall Audio Quality (Mids/Highs)
- Comfortable
- Gold Plated Plugs
- Bundled Protection Case
- Price (For Some)

CONS

- Low Bass Levels
- Plastic Used