PC & Console Peripherals

ROCCAT Syn Pro Air in test – Another step in the right direction

Since ROCCAT’s acquisition by Turtle Beach, the two companies have benefited from each other. A new joint product is the ROCCAT Syn Pro Air. A gaming headset that is supposed to benefit from Turtle Beach’s experience in this field. Thus, the Superhuman Hearing technology was integrated. You can find out how good the headset is in the following test.

Technical details

Type Over-ear gaming headset
Compatibility PC, PlayStation®5
Material Textile, plastic
Frequency range 20 Hz – 20 kHz
Driver 50 mm speaker with neodymium magnets
Connection options Wireless USB transmitter (transmit frequency range of 2.4 GHz)
Microphone Unidirectional microphone, detachable
Battery Rechargeable 24-hour battery
Price € 99.00*

Scope of delivery

The Syn Pro Air comes in a classically sleek package. The eye-catching feature here is, of course, the standout headphones. Here, for the first time, we can examine the RGB color design on the earcups – just like on the ROCCAT Burst Pro. Both the front and the back are loaded with information, giving a good first impression of the contents of the good-looking package.

Therefore, let’s now take a look inside. The entire contents have been protected from external influences in a plastic shell, which is closed from both sides. The Syn Pro Air is placed in a circle around the outside, with a USB-C cable and the attachable microphone in the center. Finally, a USB-C adapter and the even more important USB wireless dongle for the headset are located at the lower corners. For more information, ROCCAT also includes a small user manual.

Design and workmanship

Now we get into the details – the quality is noticeable at first glance. For this, the first thing we look at is the headset’s carrying handle. The entire case is matte black, and so is the carrying handle. The upper surface for supporting the head is covered with a simple black breathable fabric, which feels quite soft after the first touch. At the same time, small decorations are attached, such as the ROCCAT logo on the upper bracket. For holding the ear cups, the earpieces are bent in a semicircular shape away from the back. The temples are very sturdy in their thickness and workmanship – there’s not much room for bending.

Let’s take a look at the most important part of the Syn Pro Air next – the ear cups. As mentioned, these are matte black and have the added feature of glowing in AIMO colors. For this, you can optionally download the new software called NEON. A silver ROCCAT lettering completes the design of the earcups. Inside the cushion, hidden behind a thin fabric, 50 mm Nanoclear speakers with Turtle Beach Superhuman Hearing technology have been installed. The goal is to be able to pay much more attention to the natural events in around 100 games. Footsteps, engine sounds or gunshots keep you alive 20% longer, according to a study by Turtle Beach. We will find out whether this is the case in practice later. Furthermore, the speakers offer 3D audio with traditional surround sound.

Lastly, we have the Syn Pro Air’s control options. On the left side, at the back of the ear cup, there is a rather large wheel for adjusting the volume. On the opposite side, we have the same game, just with a different function. Here we can set whether we want to hear ourselves over an echo of the microphone. Below the ear cup, we have a small on switch with a white LED and the connection option for charging via USB-C. Another special feature can also be found here – the included microphone can be plugged in via a cap with a special lock. The microphone then sits very tight and can be locked in several positions. If you decide to use the Syn Pro Air without the microphone, you should apply a bit more force at the right angle so that the microphone comes out of the holder again.

Carrying comfort

Externally, we’ve now checked everything out – now it’s down to the nitty gritty. How do the Syn Pro Air wear on the head and how does the fabric feel on the ears? As already mentioned, a sporty breathable fabric was chosen here, more precisely the ProSpecs™ ear pads. These are also supposed to be usable for eyeglass wearers without any problems. We could only confirm this in our test. Unlike other headsets, the earpieces of the glasses were not pressed so hard against the head here – good job!

Headset with microphone

ROCCAT owes much of this achievement to the built-in memory foam. Thus, the headphones adapt better to your own head and provide more comfort during gaming sessions. Speaking of gaming sessions, everyone knows those hot summer days when the headphones literally melt into your head. Therefore, the ProSpecs™ ear cushions offer the feature of being moisture-regulating to prevent heat and sweat. In our heated sessions, we were able to keep our heads cool with the Syn Pro Air.

Sound Quality & Microphone Quality

For a successful gaming headset, the only thing that needs to be right is the sound and microphone quality – let’s take a closer look now. Let’s first start with the sound when the headset connects to the wireless dongle. In our test, we had the problem once or twice that the headset didn’t want to connect to the dongle after repeatedly turning it off and on again. Plugging the dongle out and back in again didn’t help, which made the whole thing a bit too random. That put aside, we were finally able to get started.

As already mentioned, ROCCAT and Turtle Beach now belong together. The Superhuman Hearing™ technology from Turtle Beach was used here. To put this to the test, we played current racing and shooter titles. Turtle Beach even had a study done on this in a student setting at a non-profit educational institution, which concluded that first-person shooter gameplay time improved by about 20% and the K/D ratio improved by 44%.

After our test, we were not able to verify exact numbers. But it is a fact that we had a slight advantage due to the better surround sound. Gunshots or footsteps in the corresponding directions can be classified a bit clearer and thus the noise source can be identified more clearly. Even in racing titles like F1 2021, you can hear where exactly the car behind you is on the track without having to look behind.

There is nothing to complain about in the overall sound quality. The trebles are rich, the mids are strong and the bass rounds it off perfectly. The frequency response of 20 Hz to 20 kHz offers a good impression to feel like you’re in the middle of a game.

During a first microfont test we were a bit disillusioned. The quality of the output not on the same level of other headsets in this price range. It is sufficient for communicating with one’s team, but it lacks a bit of depth for sonorous recordings. ROCCAT itself does not provide any information about the microphone on the packaging or website. With a bit of research, we could find the specifications from 20 Hz to 8 kHz. This usually allows us to output around 7,500 Hz, which had confirmed our assumptions. It’s a bit of a shame that a decent microphone has been skimped on here. But listen for yourself:

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Conclusion

Considered as an overall package, the Syn Pro Air from ROCCAT makes a solid impression. The quality in workmanship is decent, the chosen materials such as the matte black plastic and the fabric look good and create quite a high-quality impression, which you can expect in the price range. This quality is then naturally reflected in the wearing comfort. Pads and temples are cozy, sitting comfortably on the head and ears. Thus, nothing stands in the way of relaxed and heated gaming sessions. Resorting to Turtle Beach’s Superhuman Hearing technology was a very wise decision by ROCCAT in our eyes. The sound has improved in all cases compared to the previous models. Unfortunately, with a rather inferior microphone, we have to deduct a few points.

ROCCAT Syn Pro Air

Workmanship
Comfort
Sound quality
Recording quality
Features
Value for money

88/100

The Syn Pro Air from ROCCAT is an overall coherent package with a few minor deductions.

Simon Lüthje

I am co-founder of this blog and am very interested in everything that has to do with technology, but I also like to play games. I was born in Hamburg, but now I live in Bad Segeberg.

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Since ROCCAT’s acquisition by Turtle Beach, the two companies have benefited from each other. A new joint product is the ROCCAT Syn Pro Air. A gaming headset that is supposed to benefit from Turtle Beach’s experience in this field. Thus, the Superhuman Hearing technology was integrated. You can find out how good the headset is … (Weiterlesen...)

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