recent upgrades
I've recently, with a heavy heart, moved on from my old trusted Logitech headset (the G432).
I already replaced the cable part around the USB once, and it started to fray again, even though I was careful. It's simply not a durable construct; I think it would be better as a woven or ribbed cable portion. And, most importantly, all covers and cushions are flaking off and crumbling.
I've already this headset since 2019 and mic/soundwise, I am still very happy, but I have found no way to replace the cushion parts falling apart, and I don't want to buy a new cable on eBay every 2 years. There are actually replacement cushions for other Logitech headsets offered by various third party companies and some guides on YouTube, but I wasn't able to get some for my version anymore, which sucks. I will still keep it around, because it still works and it's good as a backup option, but not as my main headset anymore. I briefly considered buying a refurbished one, but the same problem applies: It's just not very durable and it's only a matter of time before I cannot find a replacement cable anymore. I also got a bit tired of the cable while using it, getting caught in my chair or being unable to move around during calls. So I took the plunge and finally went wireless.
After a bit of research, my choice was between the Audeze Maxwell Wireless Gaming Headset (praised everywhere) and the Steelseries Arctis Nova 7. For best mic quality, of course you would separate headset and mic and get a standalone mic or even a mic arm, but I am not a content creator and want my setup small and portable, so headset mic suffices. The Audeze cost a bit much for my use case, but I keep them in mind in case I don't end up liking the Arctis Nova, which I ordered.
I went with a refurbished one on that. I hope this headset will last more than 6 years or have a more reliable way for replacement parts, battery included. I already have one complaint that I knew of before ordering: The USB-C Transmitter is manufactured in a way that blocks any other hubs, and to avoid that, they just throw something of an extension cable at you; but a USB-A one, not a USB-C one, so it's more like an adapter. I think it's completely unacceptable to manufacture something like this without a second thought, how did this pass any QA? Make it vertical, not horizontal. Fix it after the first rollout, and include a true extension, not an adapter for an entirely different hub. I was under the impression I could have one USB-A hub free when I planned my setup, but like this, I'll have to buy another cable..
Aside from this transmitter and extension, it obviously comes with a charging cable, and a 5 pole to 4 pole 3.5 mm. I'm glad there is nothing on the headset that can flake.
So far it was plug and play, instantly worked, no fussing and fixing needed on hardware or Linux. Of course the sound is slightly worse than my wired headset, that's just to be expected with wireless headsets unfortunately, but it's still good for me; I have my Airpods Pro for good sound. As I already gathered from reviews, the Arctis per default has sidetone enabled, so you will hear what the microphone picks up; for some, this is desirable, but I prefer it off. If you're on Windows, you can just install their software and turn it off. For Linux, there's headsetcontrol. After installing that, headsetcontrol -s 0 turns sidetone off. For the ones interested, headsetcontrol also offers Steelseries' Chatmix capabilities for this headset, but I haven't explored that yet because I'm not sure I need it. Tested microphone briefly in the call and it was good. The mic retracts into the ear shell.
So far it's very fitting, very light and super comfortable. An improvement to my old Logitech, even.
Another upgrade actually happened because of my hotel trip: I bought two new pillows. The ones I have at home are one I had since I was a teen, and a cheap Ikea one from my fiancee. I spend so much time in bed during bad illness times and sleep is important, and my spine health is even more important, so I chose to splurge on new special pillows. They had them at the hotel I was staying at and they give you a discount if you buy them there instead of the original manufacturer. I slept like a baby on them. They're organic pillows from airfect, made with thermoelastic, breathable foam. I didn't buy the hotel's pillow covers because I think they're kind of gaudy for home use (they stitched 'love', 'kindness', 'gratitude', 'plantbased' on them) even though they're sweet for a hotel. Very happy with the pillows so far and I'm glad they don't stink, they smell very faintly of a nice scent because they were made without the stinky chemicals and feature some herbs and oils, apparently.
Published 02 Jan, 2025