While there are clear benefits to spending some extra money for a premium piece of technology, sometimes a cheaper option is appreciated. While we’ve covered a range of devices that fit this bill, the headset we’re talking about today is probably the best slot in this category, and that’s because EKSA’s Fenrir E7000 clocks in at a very reasonable price tag, although it does lack some Amenities and Features.
But before I explore the sound quality and the hardware that powers this system, let’s talk about the design. You can see right away that the Fenrir E7000 is a wired headphone, and while that means it has low latency due to the connection method, it lacks the freedom that wireless devices excel at. The Fenrir comes with a split input cable that includes a USB connection and a 3.5mm audio jack, so there are plenty of ways to plug in this headset. Connectivity aside, Fenrir’s actual framework is also a little too rigid for my liking. It’s made of plastic that’s light and admittedly fairly cheap, and has so limited lateral flexibility that you worry that if you twist it past a 45-degree angle, you might actually break the headband. The foam padding on the top of the headband is also a bit of a letdown, meaning the earphones start to feel uncomfortable after a few hours of wearing them. However, I would say the earmuffs are a different story, and feel consistently comfortable and secure, I haven’t had any issues related to this area of design.
Otherwise, Fenrir has a rotatable microphone on the left earcup, which is as basic and simple as the microphone. There’s no foam padding around the mic itself, which means it doesn’t capture audio in a particularly good way, and like a headband, it’s fairly stiff with very limited flexibility. The rotation part is about all the movement it offers. On the topic of microphones, the left earcup also has the only control input on the entire headset, and all that’s available here is the actual switch to manually mute and unmute the microphone, and then also use a slider to control the output volume of the audio. This is very, very minimalistic.
This is a very unusual situation as Fenrir has a very unique design. The outside of the cup is tailored to look like a menacing wolf with a grin, and green LED lighting in some parts adds flair. I don’t mind the look at all, but I also can’t help feeling that less time could be spent on the looks and more on the actual content in the usability and hardware sense.
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At this point, it’s no surprise to hear that Fenrir won’t blow you away and be struck by the quality of its audio. It’s maintainable and refined, and while it doesn’t actually do anything incorrect or bad (at least for headsets designed for gaming, audiophiles will definitely want to look elsewhere), it’s not something I’ve encountered in headsets The most impressive and deep audio profile ever.
Although this is to be expected. Retailing for $35.99, the Fenrir is pretty approachable when it comes to the gaming headset market. Anyone who has used quality products from Razer, HyperX, SteelSeries, etc. will immediately recognize the difference, but you can’t expect a similar level of performance and quality at such a reasonable price point. If you’re looking for an inexpensive and easy-to-operate device, this ticks a lot of boxes, but otherwise, I’d recommend looking elsewhere.