In the world of PC peripherals, Logitech are king. Anyone that’s used a PC in the last thirty years will likely have pointed, clicked, typed or listened with a piece of Logitech kit, and their reputation for solidly built hardware has ensured that they’ve stayed at the top of the pile. The G533 is Logitech’s latest foray into PC oriented gaming headsets, offering a dialled down version of last year’s G933, and while they’ve admittedly cut back on features, they’ve matched that with a healthy drop in price.
As gaming headsets go, the G533 is relatively restrained, presented wholly in matt and gloss black, with glossy earpieces that sport the Logitech logo – and likely your fingerprints after more than five seconds in your presence. You probably won’t be leaving the house with them too much anyway, partly thanks to its proprietary wireless USB dongle, but they’re smart, simple, and most importantly very comfortable.
There’s some weight to them in your hands, but once they’re on I found I was able to comfortably wear them for hours at a time. Thankfully the strips of LED lights on the G933 have been done away with, which helps to ensure that you’ll easiy get fifteen hours of use out of them from a single charge.
The extendable microphone arm features a built-in pop shield that helps to stop any of those nasty sounds from disrupting your chat, and though it’s default setting is too quiet, a little bit of tweaking will find the mic provides clear speech to anyone that cares to listen. In a welcome piece of industrial design, the boom arm folds away effortlessly when not in use.
The downside to the simplicity of design means that there’s a very minimal level of control on the headphones themselves. Compared with some other headsets, that may disappoint some, with only a power switch, volume control wheel and a single button which mutes and un-mutes the microphone by default.
However, using Logitech Gaming Software you’re able to choose from multiple sound profiles, and remap that single button to perform whatever task you want of it, including cycling through different EQ settings. It’s mildly disappointing that there’s not more immediate control available to you on the headset, but considering the set’s performance elsewhere it’s certainly liveable.
The software itself is simple enough to use, and you can tinker away with the settings and hear the results instantly, while the set’s 7.1 virtual surround sound genuinely adds to your gaming experience. Testing it with Battlefield 1 on PC, the enhanced audio brought me into the action in a way few headsets can hope to achieve, enabling you to hear enemies approaching from behind or explosions outside of your field of vision.
The audio that the G533 puts out is incredibly well defined, backing the decision to go with 40mm drivers rather than the seemingly industry-standard 50mm. There’s no distortion no matter how high you crank them, and bass is tight and punchy, displaying a clarity that you don’t often find.
One of the biggest shames though is the lack of a 3.5” jack, limiting its core use beyond the PC. While no explicitly supported, it’ll function quite happily with both PS4 or Mac as a stereo headset once you’ve plugged in the USB receiver. However, this is a PC gamer’s headset through and through, so you’ll need to attach it to a Windows PC running the Logitech software to enjoy the full functionality and get surround sound.
I love to use my headsets to listen to music, particularly from my phone, and given how enjoyable the G533 is in other aspects, it feels as though they’ve missed a trick. It’s a shame, as the G933 features a handful more programmable buttons and a 3.5mm jack, and shopping around can find it for around the same price as the G533. The G933’s gaudier design won’t be to everyone’s tastes though, so if Logitech see fit to add a 3.5mm jack in a more or less identical headset in the future, it might be more or less perfect.
Any headset can be judged on whether it’s going to replace a well-loved set that you’ve had for years, and I’ve found myself reaching for the Logitech G533 over both my Astro A50’s and my elderly Sony Pulse set. Long battery life, stellar audio, and an enviable level of comfort make the G533 easy to recommend for PC gamers.
bunimomike
I’m always on the lookout for a rival to the Astro A50 and I still fail at every turn. Is there another manufacturer out there creating dual inputs (great for swapping between PC and console) with the comfort of the A50 headset and all that goes with it?
Fascinated by you reaching for this headset more often – especially in light of what you have already.
Also, what’s the “silence” like? Something Tef asked me a while ago was whether it was truly silent during the quiet bits (or when not listening at all) with regards to any wireless interference/noise/etc. The A50s, I find… perfect.
Dominic Leighton
It’s very very quiet during quiet bits… I’ll have a full on listen tonight and swap between them and the Astros!
bunimomike
Cheers, fella.
I remember the frequency range used by the Astro A50s being something “new” when they were first launched and I’m guessing that helped a huge amount. Also, pretty much zero drop-outs in sound.
Dominic Leighton
So the silence is quieter than my Astro A50’s in my set-up – but mine are generation one so that may have improved with the later versions.
They’re both very good, but it’s particularly the battery life that the Logitech set wins on. I don’t have to worry about remembering to charge them at all, while my Astros always seem to go at a crucial moment.
The bass is comparatively much heavier on the Astro set, but I like the way the Logitech ones deal with bass without being overpowering.