G.Skill Ripjaws SR910 Real 7.1 Gaming Headset Review

Two things come to mind immediately upon working with the G.Skill Ripjaws SR910 Real 7.1 Gaming Headset.  First, they look fantastic with just enough color to bring a racing stripe to mind.  And second, they are huge.  Weighing in at a solid 420g puts the SR910s heavier than any headphones I have used even my giant old first generation Zalman headphones.

This larger size does have some benefits as it allows plenty of space for a retractable microphone and for the impressive lighting.  The flexible microphone features environmental noise cancelling and sounded fantastic. I was most successful with the mic positioned immediately in front of my lower lip.

Going with a total of 10 discreet audio drivers does mean you need to have a little bit more real estate to mount them in.  Rather than go with a funky shaped hear cup, G.Skill has gone with a more comfortable oversized round shape. 

In addition the individual ear pads can pivot about 90 degrees in each direction thanks to a solid looking metal connector.  This leaves out the true DJ on ear fans but is a necessity due to the design of the red cabling that threads through the frame.  The choice to run the cable through the frame does look good but makes me fear it might get caught on something while traveling or eventually wear out from the ear piece motion.

Wearing the SR910’s for an extended period of time really makes you appreciate the ample padding on the flexible bridge.  This pared with the well-padded synthetic leather lined ear pads make it easy to forget about the size and weight.  I have a medium head or about a 6 to 6.5 in American hat sizes.  I did find the headphones rested lightly across the top of my ears. Not much pressure but noticeable until you get to fragging.

Control is provided by a solid in-line desktop remote.  Mic status can be toggled and volume control is available for all channels or each of the individual 5.1 channels individually.  I may be spoiled by my Sennheisers but I felt the bass needed a bit of an extra boost just to be heard at regular volume. 

Some may prefer in-line controls on the cable but I don’t need my setup to be that portable.

Thanks to the clear sides of the Ripjaws SR910 design you know exactly where your money went.  Each of the individual drivers can be seen and appreciated.  Believe me this looks better in person!  Surprisingly the overall design has good isolation even at lower volumes with very little outside noise or bleed.

Using discreet drivers does force a tradeoff in sound quality that should be expected in a gaming headset design.  Sound separation is fantastic with a clear sound stage that makes it very easy to identify where a sound or sneaky flanker is coming from.  But this comes at the price of range.  A good set of stereo headphones from Sennheiser or the like don’t have to give you that separation and can bring bigger drivers and a wider range to the table.  Sadly you still can’t have it all.

That being said let me see your fancy AKG headphones light up like this at the next LAN party!  There is no control for the lights in this generation though I have no doubt given the recent trend of adding RGB lights to everything.  The red lighting is not bright or distracting providing a soft glow when the lights are low that reflects off the drivers nicely.