Trust GXT 414 Zamak Premium Review – High Comfort Gaming Headset

With the GXT 414 Zamak Premium, Trust today introduces a new headset to the market. This headset is aimed at gamers, but is not characterized by typical “gaming features” such as RGB lighting or virtual multi-channel sounds. Instead, Trust concentrates on the essentials: The GXT 414 is a normal 2.0 headset with a 3.5mm jack and a detachable microphone.

The headset is available from today on and will cost 74,99 Euro at the start. Currently the price is € 70.96 *. Whether Trust can supply a good headset for this and how the GXT 414 can assert itself in the core disciplines of sound quality and wearing comfort will be clarified in the following test.

Scope of Delivery

Trust is limited to the essentials when it comes to the scope of delivery. In addition to instructions and warranty information, there is a sticker with the GXT logo, the clip-on microphone and a total of three 3.5 mm cables to connect the headset’s four-pin connector to an appropriate end device or to divide it into two three-pin connectors.

Technical Data

Design and Workmanship

The GXT 414 Zamak Premium follows the usual headset design. The side headband is made of black metal, which leads into the actual headband. This is made of plastic and is padded towards the head. The cover is made of imitation leather. The auricles are held by joints, which fix the auricles both easily inclinable, so that they can adapt better to the head shape of the wearer.

The ear cups themselves are made of black plastic and each bears the GXT logo on the outside. The inside of the ear cups is also padded and covered with imitation leather. Inside, behind black fabric, are the 53 mm drivers.

The microphone is modularly attached to the GXT 414 Zamak Premium and can therefore be removed as desired. A 3.5 mm jack socket with rectangular bezel serves as connection. Other 3.5 mm jack plugs also fit into this socket, as long as their bezel is not too large. Thus the microphone can also be exchanged on request. The microphone is flexibly mounted and can be bent to the desired position. The pop screen is removable and covers the entire head of the microphone.

As an alternative to the detachable microphone directly on the headset, there is another microphone on one of the cables, which is intended for use in combination with smartphones. The microphone is housed in a black plastic box with a button for music control. Pressing the button once pauses the song, pressing it twice selects the next track and pressing it three times selects the previous track.

There’s nothing wrong with the GXT 414 Zamak Premium’s workmanship: The construction is stable, the implementation is of high quality and the choice of material has been successful.

Wearing Comfort

As already indicated, Trust uses a padded frame instead of a headband for the GXT 414. However, carriers do not have to fear a lack of flexibility: The auricles can be pulled out of the actual headband in a total of nine small steps. This allows the headset to be adjusted to different head heights – even users with larger skulls get their money’s worth. The tiltable ear cups also adapt well to the shape of the head.

The ear cushions are also good: They are large enough for most large ears. Due to the closed construction, the heat development is quite noticeable, but not so strong that you start to sweat.

The wearing comfort of the GXT 414 Zamak Premium is high in practical tests: Whether with or without glasses, the headset sits comfortably. The only thing that would have been desirable would have been an adjustment for the lateral contact pressure in order to meet special requirements here as well.

Practical Test: Headphones and Microphone

Comfort and construction are important, but with a headset, of course, nothing beats the two core disciplines: Playback and recording quality. Since the GXT 414 Zamak Premium is connected via a jack connector and is therefore an analogue headset, the recording quality is partly due to the playback device used. If you are aiming for EQ games or other sound effects, you have to rely on your own sound card.

The headset performs well in terms of playback quality. It is definitely at the level of the price segment and reproduces a differentiated, quite balanced sound image. The bass isn’t too weak and at the same time stays within the range, so it doesn’t get too obtrusive compared to the higher frequencies. The directional perception in games also works well, even though the headset doesn’t set new standards here. As usual, the following also applies to this headset: The demands on the sound reproduction are different, so it is always advisable to listen to it for a trial period.

The GXT 414 has to put up with slight criticism only for the two microphones. Although both microphones record the voice quite realistically and understandably, this doesn’t happen without a certain background noise. This can already be filtered out with a gentle noise reduction, but untreated the noise could already disturb sensitive players in the voice chat. As expected, the recording quality of the modular microphone is slightly better than that of the integrated microphone.

Conclusion

With the GXT 414 Zamak Premium, Trust has introduced a new gaming headset that focuses on the key points of a headset. Instead of RGB lighting or “virtual” 7.1 sounds via a USB sound card, the GXT 414 is particularly comfortable to wear.

This, in combination with the sound quality, is an advantage of the headset. For around 75 Euros at the start, you get a good overall package. The optional microphone on the cable is also a nice addition to the pluggable microphone, allowing it to be used outdoors. The recording quality of the GXT 414, on the other hand, has to be reduced slightly: A background noise reduces the actually good result.

We would recommend the GXT 414 Zamak Premium especially for users who are looking for a good all-rounder with high wearing comfort: The core competencies are strong, the other applications at least solid.