TekNmotion Yapster Headset Review

After reviewing the Pulsar SX PC Gaming Headphones earlier this year, TekNmotion and GoGamer sent along a new headset that is targeted at gamers on a budget. The Yapster headset is one of only a few that have circumaural headphones for $20 or less. Headsets are, of course, a very important part of an online gamer’s arsenal as many online games now include some type of voice chat. Communication in game can be vital to your team’s success and taking the time to type something out, can often cause problems – getting killed, not covering a teammate, etc. The Yapster headset doesn’t have as many features as the Pulsar SXs, but if you don't have much money to spare, this product shouldn’t be overlooked.

This is 2404’s second hardware review (we usually just review PC games), and as I explained in the last review, this isn’t going to be the usual multi-page unboxing junk that you find on most hardware review sites.

Package Contents:

The Yapster headset is basic and the package contents are about what you’d expect for a headset or headphones valued at $20: the headset without any extras. It’s nice to have in-line volume control but there aren’t any other features beyond this.

Specifications:

Mic

• Noise Reduction Design
• Omni-Directional
• Frequency Response: 30 – 16,000Hz
• Sensitivity: -59dB +/- 2dB

Headphone

• Speaker: Neodymium 40mm Driver
• Impedance: 32ohm +/- 15
• Frequency Response: 20 – 20kHz
• Sensitivity: 100dB +/- 3dB
• Max Power Input: 50mW
• Cord Length: 2.2m (7.22ft)

 

• In-Line Volume Control and Mute Button
• Universal 3.5mm Mini-Jacks

Testing

The Yapster headset is very comfortable to use and didn’t bother my ears after wearing it for several hours at a time, only some slight warmth. When I first learned that the headset was only $20 I didn’t have much hope that it would be very worthwhile to gamers, but I was surprised with the physical quality of the headset. Is the quality as good a headset worth $60? No, but it does seem to fit well in the $25 – 30 range. I think that price for the physical quality is definitely working in the customer’s favor with this product. The one physical limitation that became apparent to me is the cord length. The box states that the cord is 2.2 meters, which converts to 7.22ft, but I don’t think that’s accurate. I guess it might depend on where the measurement is taken from (bottom of the earcup vs. top of the headset) but I found that the cord, from the bottom of the earcup, isn’t much longer than six feet. If you don’t have 3.5mm mini-jacks for headphones and a mic in the front of your computer, it might be a bit of a strain to get the cord to the back. If you don’t plan on using the mic, you can of course just use a headphones jack on your speakers. Most computers have the 3.5mm jacks on the front now but I would make sure to check before making the buy decision with this headset.

After playing games and listening to music for several hours, I came to the conclusion that when it comes to sound quality, the Yapster headset fits more with the real price – good, but I noticed a very slight muffled sound when switching back and forth between my Sennheiser HD 497 headphones, the Pulsar SX Headphones and the Yapster headset. It’s not obvious and I probably wouldn’t have noticed if I hadn’t been switching back and forth, but doing so gave me a good feel for the sound quality.

The most obvious benefit of the Yapster headset is that it’s an excellent value. In addition, it’s comfortable to wear, is very lightweight and portable, and features in-line volume control for only $20. The two minor shortcomings are the cord length and the slightly lowered sound quality when comparing it to more expensive headsets and headphones. If you are in need of a headset and are on a tight budget, I definitely think that you shouldn’t look much further than the Yapster headset.

 

Pros
- Inexpensive – great value
- Comfortable
- Lightweight and portable
- In-line volume control/mute

 

Cons
- Cord length could be a problem if you don’t have front 3.5mm mini-jacks
- Slight muffled sound
- Basic, but you can’t expect much more for the price 

Score: 7.5/10