Introduction

The ZOWIE brand is relatively new, but aggressive marketing and huge involvement within eSport have given a considerable boost to the brand, making ZOWIE products stand high and proud on the same shelf as its much older rivals. With endorsements from legenday professional gamers such as Emil 'HeatoN' Christensen and Abdisamad 'SpawN' Mohamed who are a vital part in the Research and Development team for ZOWIE, enabling them to produce the best equipment for those who aspire to be the best in gaming.

Zowie Gear are designed specifically for eSports, and marketed as such - rather than creating compromises to broaden their market, they actually narrowed it down to the niche of competitive gaming.

The product under review is the ZOWIE Hammer, their high-end, professional gaming headset, which comes in both jack, and USB format; being tested is the 3.5mm jack version.

Presentation and Aesthetics

The Hammer comes neatly packaged in a box, like any other professional headset, in a characteristic dark grey box with a transparent plastic window showing the product. On the sides, there are statements from the legendary Swedish Counter-Strike 1.6 players SpawN and HeatoN as regards their opinion of the headset, whilst on the back, there is a short description, as well as the specifications.

Compared to the headsets of its range, such as the SteelSeries Siberia V2, or a Razer Barracuda, the headset is noticeably smaller, and differs from the traditional design of a high-end headset. It is held by solid, bare pieces of metal, as opposed to the bulkier frames of other headsets, and size is regulated by said metal bars. The headset can be reduced to a tiny frame, ideal for travel. It is fully clad in black, and has oval, leather cushioned ear cups (and you also get replacement ear cups made of cloth if you find that the leather ones make your ears sweat). the head band is made of metal, coated with rubber, making it very solid, possibly the most durable headset I've ever tested, and it is also flexible! It definitely is ideal for people who rage during matches, and like to bang their headsets around, as well for people who take them around, and need them to be extra-durable to survive the ordeal of the Maltese urban wilderness.

A semi-retractable microphone is also attached, being also built to be very durable, and hence it is also quite bulky. This addresses a fundamental problem for several gamers, as many headsets tend to overlook the importance of the microphone, and faultiness in this sector is quite high for many of the top brands - just attend any LAN event and count the people using two headsets, one for audio, and one for the microphone; but ZOWIE seem to have done their utmost to fix that on the Hammer.

Features

Specifications:
Headphones:
Frequency Response: 14 25,000Hz
Speaker dimension: 40mm
Impedance: 32 Ohm
Sensitivity: 98dB +/- 4dB
Cable Length: 1.2m + 1.8m = 3m
Connectors: 3.5mm Gold-plated

Microphone:
Frequency Range: 60 10,000Hz
Directivity: Unidirectional
Impedance: Low
Sensitivity: -57dB +/- 4dB

The headset itself is surprisingly light, despite its very solid build. The earcups also provide for noise cancellation from the outside. Affixed to the wire is a pinnable controller with two options: increase or decrease volume, and mute or unmute microphone. Whilst the 1.2m cable issued is adequate for most users, an extension cable is provided in a separate plastic bag for those who need a bit more length to plug in their headset.

 

The description provides for the following features:
Extra cloth ear cushions included
Superb Sound for Professional e-Sports
Clear and precise audio for better awareness and opponent detection
Specially designed headband that prevents bending damage
Reinforced microphone boom for long, durable life
Oversized leather cushioned ear pads maximizing comfort

Testing

Being purely a gaming headset, the Hammer does not provide for any over the top bass, rather, it focusses on being well-balanced, so as to be as clear as possible. After all, for gaming, its not how hard your heart pounds whilst listening to your most noisy drum and bass track, but the slight and delicate sounds of your opponents footsteps and their direction and proximity, or the moment when your opponent stops to reload their weapon. What is important in the midst of a competition is hearing that vital hint that your teammate calls out over blazing gunfire and explosions, and the ZOWIE Hammer is an excellent tool for the job. The headset is comfortable, though wearing the leather earcups for a long time might wear you out - for long periods of time, the cloth earcups are more comfortable - this is where the Mionix Keid 20 is superior.

The Hammer allowed me to predict the actions of my opponent in Napoleon: Total War, as I was able to make out the orders being shouted out by the enemy regiments over the thundering of my artillery shells. On playing a bit of online Counter-Strike: Source, the superior quality of the audio gave me a certain advantage in listening before rashly going round corners, making my ambushes and assaults easier to execute, whilst in Heroes of Newerth, I could easily make out what was being said on Ventrilo over the commenting voice shouting out the awards.

However, the noise cancellation was not the best I have experienced, particularly when using the cloth ear cups - it was significantly better with the leather cups, but not to the desired extent, and this might be troublesome at LAN, unless you turn up the sound to a maximum.

Conclusion

At €68.84, the Zowie Hammer occupies a comfortable medium between mid-range headsets, and the highend. It lacks the frills and design of the top of the range headsets, but shares their performance, and is even more durable and reliable. So if you are looking to invest a bit of cash for a solid purchase which will last, go for the Hammer. Other products might seem more stylish due to the Hammer's bare minimum design, but really, is it worth spending more cash, on something which does not have superior output, and is more likely to break?

Pros:
+ Durable
+ Excellent Sound quality
+ Strong Frame
+ Excellent microphone
+ Reasonable Price
+ Relatively light
+ Durable and Excellent microphone

Cons:
- Design
- Noise leaks
- Noise cancellation is not the best

Verdict: 8.7/10

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