The Viennese startup Austrian Audio has released a headset and claims: The PG16 – Pro Gaming Headset offers everything a real gamer needs, whether on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox or Mac. We at MeinMMO took a closer look at the headset for three months.
What kind of headset is this? The headset states about itself that it delivers “high-quality pro sound for ambitious gaming.”
It is a closed and wired headset. It does not come with its own volume control on the headset itself; anyone who wants to adjust the sound must download the program “Spatial Sound Card L”, for which the license is included.
The ear cups are covered using the “over-ear” technique, utilizing a memory foam that conforms to the listener’s ears.
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Austrian Audio PG16 Pro Gaming Headset mit Mikrofon (Gaming Kopfhörer, hochauflösender Sound,... | Zu Amazon |
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This is how I tested the headset: The headset was released at the end of January 2022. We at MeinMMO had the opportunity to test the headset from the beginning of January. I used the headset in my daily life for about 3 months: I tested the PG16 while gaming, during calls, in team conferences, as a recording device in the podcast, and while listening to music. I used it on a PC.
I only sporadically used the included software “Spatial Sound L” during testing. Overall, the software seemed complicated, unwieldy, and error-prone to me. Furthermore, it can only be used on PC. Users on PS4, PS5, and Xbox do not have this luxury.
In the 90 days that I tested the Austrian Audio PG16, there were no technical problems with the device: For a while, one headphone was not working, but this could be resolved by unplugging and plugging the cable back into the headset. A classic case of “Have you tried turning it off and on again?”
What data does the headset have? The Austrian Audio PG16 has the following basic values:
- Frequency range: 12 Hz – 24 kHz
- Drivers: 44 mm High-Excursion
- Sensitivity: 113 dBspl/V
- Impedance: 25 Ω
- Input power: 150 mW
- Microphone arm: with mute function
- Microphone polar pattern: omnidirectional
- Cable (removable): 1.4 m
- Connector: 3.5 mm (1/8″) TRRS
- Adapter (included): 3.5 mm (1/8″) TRRS to 2x 3.5 mm (1/8″) TRS
- Dimensions: 205 x 180 x 80 mm
- Weight (without cable): 265 g
Austrian Audio PG16 offers outstanding comfort
These are the positive sides of the headset: What must be emphasized about the headset is the comfort of the headphones. They sit excellently and even after several hours with the PG16 on my ears, I did not experience the pressure feeling or “hot ears” like with other headsets.
The headphones fit like a glove and after a few moments, you don’t even notice you’re wearing them.
The sound quality of the headset is perfectly fine, especially the bass and lows are well represented – right out of the box.
The microphone is a bit quiet and needs to be turned up in various programs if you don’t want to constantly hear that you’re too quiet and “barely understood.” After the right calibration, however, the quality is good, although hissing sounds come across a bit too sharp.
What are the negative sides of the headset? The headset is already positioned at a recommended retail price of €139, which is on the higher end for a headset. It seems almost minimalist, as there is neither a “mute” button nor a volume control directly on the microphone. Because the headset is already set quite loud out of the box, it was quite a shock when it was plugged in for the first time, and the singer virtually blew my ears off while watching YouTube.
The idea of “lifting the microphone up” and muting it as recommended by the developers with “tilt to mute” seems unfamiliar and also risky: If something goes wrong, you might best-case scenario transmit a cough live in voice chat, or in the worst case, something that could embarrass you to the bone and be brought up for years.
Something similar happened on Twitch in April 2022: A player went to the bathroom while playing Sea of Thieves without properly muting the headset. You can see the reaction here.
Overall, the decision to rely on an external PC program does not seem to have the Austrian developers truly keeping gamers on PlayStation 5 or Xbox in mind. Ultimately, it is a PC headset.
Some critics view the “closed headset” as at most “semi-open” – it does not really isolate: When typing on a mechanical keyboard, the keystrokes can still be clearly heard despite the headset.
A criticism I did not have, but which comes from others, is that the cable of the headset is attached to the right ear cup, and therefore comes out from the “wrong side” for right-handed users; you have the cable in front of your belly if the PC is on the left. It is also criticized that the cable is too short at 1.4 meters (via cashy’s blog).
I could do nothing with the included sound program. Downloading with a physically included code works, but the program did not seem user-friendly, and the function that was promised to me with “surround sound” is not something I need.
Good headset, too far from the gamer as a “gaming headset”
MeinMMO conclusion: The headset, with its minimalist equipment, is indeed a bit unconventional and certainly not designed with “the standard gamer” in mind.
As far as comfort is concerned, the PG16 is a top product.
Sound and audio quality require some tweaking.
You can tell that a developer who really understands sound quality is behind the headset, but gaming and the needs of gamers seem relatively foreign. However, with more experience and practical proximity, very strong headsets could soon come out of Vienna.
For whom is the headset recommended? Anyone who wants to use the headset for calls, music listening, or just for single-player game sounds can certainly recommend the Austrian Audio PG16. Also, anyone who can get the headset at a good price and wants to do something good for their ears should certainly go for it.
| Preview | Product | Rating | Price | |
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Austrian Audio PG16 Pro Gaming Headset mit Mikrofon (Gaming Kopfhörer, hochauflösender Sound,... | Zu Amazon |
*Affiliate-Links. Wir erhalten bei einem Kauf eine kleine Provision von Amazon. Vielen Dank für Eure Unterstützung!
For whom is the headset not recommended? Anyone who wants to shout instructions to teammates in the heat of battle and then quickly mute to eat a pizza is probably not an ideal choice for the headset. Because they might accidentally mute themselves and end up sharing their pizza crunching with their friends live.
