Roccat Khan Pro gaming headset review – Khan and get it
Roccat Khan Pro hi-res gaming headphones
£70Pros
- Accurate sound
- Fantastic mic
- Mic mute when up
- Volume level control on earcup
- Understated looks
Cons
- Mic looks stuck on
We have been sent our first gaming headset from Roccat. The Khan Pro headphones are well priced and looks to cover all the bases.
The Roccat Khan Pro gaming headset has a wide range of competition. Even in this little corner of the interweblogosphere we’ve covered the likes of HyperX, SteelSeries, and Astro.
The Khan Pro sits right in the middle of gaming headset pricing, perhaps the most challenging arena.
So, it’s time to put on our game face and dance the Khan cans. (sorry)
Ahem, without further ado… Khaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan!
Roccat Khan Pro design
The Khan Pro is not the most daring of designs. Perhaps I was expecting more angles, highlights, more red, perhaps LEDs. For an item aimed at gamers, this headset is quite restrained in design.
I have the black headset and, save for the grey Roccat logo on one earcup and a lion symbol on the other one, it follows Henry Ford’s colour pallet.
The Khan Pro connects with two braided cables terminating in 3.5 mm jacks: one for audio, and one for the mic.
You do get a bundled adapter should you want to plug the headset in to an amp with a single connector.
While these are wired headphones they hand you some controls on can. On the left ear cup you’ll find a volume-wheel. Also, you can mute the microphone by folding it up.
Oh, that microphone almost looks like an after-thought, which is shame. You will realise why I say that later on.
You cannot remove the mic, which I don’t see as a deal-breaker as I look for a different sound profile from my gaming headphones compared to the cans I use for music. However, that mic is not pretty. The one thing it does have on its side is that it’s wonderfully bendy.
The thin headband has a fair amount of padding, while the foam earcups are both large and plush.
The headset feels light and a little insubstantial when compared to my longtime favourites, the Astro A40 TR. These headsets weigh in at 230g and Roccat is proud that these are “by far the lightest amongst gaming headsets.” I certainly can believe that.
So, the Khan Pro doesn’t particularly look special. Maybe it’s a sleeper and hides wolf-like performance under its woolly cardigan.
Check out our review of the Astro A40 TR headset and amp
Roccat Khan Pro performance
The Khan Pros are fitted with 50mm drivers rated at 25 ohms. Roccat claims a frequency response of 10 – 40000Hz. These headphones are said to posses high resolution sound.
Let’s strap them on then, shall we?
Comfort
The Khan Pro may not look like much but, egad, it is comfortable.
Additional to their featherweight lightness, the over-the-ear cups are nicely padded with memory foam. Also, the padded headband is nice and supportive.
Since you can expand the headband and the earcups swivel through 90-degrees, you can easily find the perfect fit.
I also found that the headset comfy to wear for hours at a time. Additionally, having to wear glasses, I can confirm that the Khan Pros are also good to wear if you’re a four-eyes like me.
Sound quality
Righty, according to Roccat, the Khan Pro is the first gaming headset compatible with hi-res audio. This is mostly just a marketing term — and one that’s notoriously hard to pin down, at that — but it does indeed sound great. Music, sound effects and voice acting in games come through loud and clear, whether you need party chat for esports or immersion for single-player epics.
Gaming
In terms of audio performance, the Khan Pro certainly delivered. In-game, music, sound effects and dialogue all sounded distinct and balanced.
Directional effects, footsteps and the like, were placed in the soundstage perfectly. So, whether it was the cry of a witch in Left 4 Dead or terrorists padding around in Counter Strike, I always had a good idea where the baddies were.
Chatting in-game was also clear although I have been spoilt with my Astro MixAmp where I can tweak the balance between chat and game audio. The dial on the Khan Pros works everything together. This just means you’ll have to delve in to your machine’s audio settings. It’s not a big deal but, there you have it.
Mic
Earlier I alluded to the mic’s ‘I’ve been stuck on here because someone forgot to design me’ looks were a shame. Well, personally, I think it deserves so much more care and attention as it is excellent.
This is one of the best microphones I’ve encountered on a gaming headset.
The mic produces clear sound and manages to isolate the users voice from almost all background noise. There wasn’t any undue sibilance, no nasty distortion when I got too carried away and no other nasty audio artifacts.
Music
Moving from gaming to listening to music, the Khan Pro showed itself to be equally adept. I was actually expecting them to be heavy handed in the low-end with music. Instead, they proved to be surprisingly balanced. It is almost a pity, then, that the mic is not removable. At least my A40 TR has that option, although the design of the Astros are very gamer.
Roccat Khan Pro review conclusion
I so wanted to title this bit ‘Pros and Khans’ but I resisted. See, I am better than that.
The aesthetics and materials might lack the wow factor, however the Khan Pro delivers where it counts.
These headphones deliver accurate and involving audio at a great price. Furthermore, they remain comfortable even on the longest gaming marathon.
Roccat Khan Pro price and availability
You can buy the Khan Pro headset right now from Amazon for £69.99. Bargain!
