Plantronics Gamecom 780 review

Plantronics has carved a niche with a range of chunky but comfortable and effective gaming headsets. The Gamecom 780 is the latest addition to the range and an apparent upgrade and replacement to the award-winning Plantronics Gamecom 777.

The new headset is less bulky and a bit lighter than the 777 but the earpieces also feel warmer and put more pressure around our ears, which can be uncomfortable. While the 777 had a detachable USB sound card and could also be used via standard 3.5mm headphone and mic connectors, the 780 headset is USB only, with its volume and virtual surround sound controls located on the earpieces.

Audio quality is good and the virtual surround sound is immersive, although not a patch on a true surround sound headset such as the Cooler Master CM Storm Sirus 5.1. Strong bass provides plenty of oomph in games and makes for a fun movie-watching experience. The headphones kick out plenty of volume and share their predecessors’ great audio quality. They even sound good when you’re listening to music, although the bass can dominate softer mid and treble tones.

Unfortunately, after half an hour wearing the headset, the pressure around our ears became uncomfortable and began to give us a headache. Although the new design feels lighter than the 777 headset, we found it less comfortable and missed the 777s’ separate USB sound card dongle. The Gamecom 777 is still available – for now – so we recommend buying it instead of its successor.