Lucidsound LS100X assessment – high-tier options at a mid-tier worth

The LucidSound LS100X is the cheap headset designed for PC and Xbox. What it lacks in frills, it makes up for in useful versatility.

Whilst LucidSound lacks the emblem popularity of Razer and Corsair, it’s nonetheless made up our minds to compete for the gaming headset marketplace, with a tight worth and strong function set to its credit score. In my a number of months of the use of the LS100X, I’ve examined its design, options, and function for gaming and day by day use, and located masses to counsel it.

Execs

• Very good worth
• Tough function set that competitors pricier headsets
• Seamlessly transfer between modes and settings

Cons

• Selections up ambient noise simply
• Mediocre mic

LucidSound LS100X specifications

LucidSound LS100X design

Seems-wise, the LucidSound LS100X is beautiful generic, following the headset blueprint of black plastic and clean contours. That’s now not the worst crime, truly. In many ways, it’s preferable to the in-your-face aesthetics of a few upper tier headsets, and its narrow frugality manner the LucidSound LS100X appears simply as at house in your head whilst you’re out and about on the health club or on the town because it does all through a gaming consultation with your folks.

Talking of slenderness, the scarf is simply 2.86cm throughout. The LucidSound brand is emblazoned around the height, and underneath sits a bit of leatherette cushioning. This cushioning, additionally showing at the ear cushions, unfortunately feels a bit extra plasticky than different leatherette fabrics I’ve attempted up to now.

The headscarf top is adjustable, with seven increments at the palms to maximum very easily suit your head dimension. The palms themselves prolong all the way down to the earcups with a textured plastic recess, one of the crucial few sparks of originality within the external design. The earcups themselves function the similar textured plastic design with a LucidSound brand, and the center of the cups is each rotatable and pressable, acting quite a lot of purposes on your day by day use of the headset.

Whilst you put the headset on, the very first thing you’ll realize is how light-weight and unobtrusive it feels, which is a huge plus. On the other hand, the loss of weight and pressure of its elements can save you the headset from feeling molded on your head like others do. That pressure does give a contribution to a way of durability, which is excellent, however, along the glossy, black plastic the headset is made from and an frustrating rattle within the earcups, contributes to a sense of cheapness.

LucidSound LS100X options

Thankfully, that cheapness doesn’t prolong to some other facet of the LucidSound LS100X, which boasts a function set that stands shoulder-to-shoulder with excessive tier headsets, bells and whistles incorporated.

My favourite facet of those cans is the extent of capability LucidSound has imbued the generally perfunctory buttons and dials at the headset itself with. In addition to your usual on/off button, quantity wheel, and connection-switching button, the earcups may also be pressed or twisted to perform an strangely wide variety of movements.

There are two modes of use: Bluetooth and ‘Gaming’ (ie 2.4GHz wi-fi), and the controls serve as rather another way for every. This may increasingly sound complicated, and it’s, however whilst you get used to it, you unencumber this headset’s largest power: its versatility.

Take the left earcup for example. In case you press it as soon as in Gaming Mode, it mutes all audio, while in Bluetooth mode — much more likely for use along with your telephone when paying attention to track — it pauses or performs track, or solutions and ends calls.

And that’s only one enter. Preserving the earcup in switches between Gaming and Bluetooth modes, while double-tapping offers you a voice advised indicating the present battery stage. Twisting the earcup adjusts the quantity, and it beeps at minimal and most ranges.

The one factor I discovered with those purposes is that the Gaming Mode defaults to low audio, which means you need to manually flip it up till it beeps every time you flip it on or transfer from Bluetooth. It’s a minor annoyance, however value bringing up.

In a similar way, the fitting earcup can regulate the quantity steadiness of recreation audio and voice chat when twisted, which every so often proves very at hand. The middle button may also be tapped to mute the mic, which is more uncomplicated to get right of entry to than different mic-muting buttons I’ve used.

Due to this, the LucidSound LS100X makes swapping between Bluetooth and a pair of.4GHz wi-fi modes completely seamless with not one of the awkwardness any other headsets engender. Each modes paintings like a allure, and the added capability of the earcup buttons makes it simple to get essentially the most out of both mode. I discovered myself having to mess around with settings on my PC or telephone lower than ever with this headset, and that may simplest be a excellent factor. If I’m being finicky, it’s a disgrace the LucidSound LS100X doesn’t permit for a stressed out connection, however I’m now not certain I’d have used it a lot regardless.

Talking of now not fidgeting with settings, we’d usually speak about tool on this segment of the assessment. However LucidSound doesn’t have a devoted platform to customise the LS100X, so we will’t. Whilst this might be observed as an obstacle, I in my opinion favored the truth that all capability used to be obtainable throughout the headset itself.

LucidSound LS100X efficiency

Smartly, its appears and neat options are all neatly and excellent, however how does the LucidSound LS100X sound? The solution is: beautiful excellent. Whilst the 50mm drivers lack the consideration and readability of top-of-the-range cans just like the Corsair HS80 Max Wi-fi, they’re greater than competent sufficient for day by day gaming.

The directional sound is excellent, which is at hand for normal immersion, and tactical FPS the place figuring out the path of audio cues is essential to luck. On the other hand, decrease frequencies come throughout relatively murkily and the bass reaction is restricted. Briefly, it is a headset higher fitted to the proper gunplay of Valorant than the sweeping rating of Baldur’s Gate 3.

The mic is a special tale, unfortunately. Even though it’s now not horrible, it fared poorly within the side-by-side checking out I performed towards a in a similar fashion priced headset, the HyperX Cloud 3. You come back thru advantageous in Discord or Zoom, however now not in addition to different mics on this worth bracket. The mic is removable by way of a three.5mm jack, which is excellent, however issues stand up when the mic isn’t connected.

The LucidSound LS100X additionally has an built in mic, which is unsurprisingly vulnerable, however that’s now not the problem. It suffers from horrible ambient noise whilst you’re out of doors or have a fan or heater on. When the removable mic is got rid of from the jack, the headset switches to the built in mic, and also you’ll get a large number of comments except your atmosphere is completely nonetheless. Now, that’s now not an issue whilst you’re gaming at house with out a fanatics within reach, nevertheless it’s a large drawback differently, particularly out of doors.

Even though the mic is an extraordinary letdown for the LucidSound LS100X, its battery is an actual spotlight. It may run for as much as 130 hours in Bluetooth Mode or a creditable 70 hours in Gaming Mode. This implies you’ll move weeks with out charging it, relying in your utilization. If you need a headset that runs and runs, glance no additional. Evaluating it to the Roccat Syn Max Air’s 16 hours, on a headset that prices greater than double, it appears even higher.

Total, the LucidSound LS100X plays excellently for a variety of functions. In the long run, you’ll’t have the entirety at this worth, so a couple of drawbacks are to be anticipated. However the positives neatly outweigh the negatives.

LucidSound LS100X worth

The LucidSound LS100X worth is $99.99. For this worth, you greater than get your cash’s value. The contest at this worth bracket is stiff, with increasingly more sub-$100 headsets arriving with swathes of serious options and forged construct high quality. However the LucidSound LS100X is easily well worth the $80-100 you’ll most probably pay for it.

If the LucidSound LS100X isn’t for you

The HyperX Cloud 3 is set ten greenbacks greater than the LucidSound LS100X, however fulfills a equivalent area of interest. The HyperX Cloud 3’s mic and sound efficiency is rather higher, on the expense of the LucidSound LS100X’s versatility and wi-fi capability.

In case you’re having a look to stay a bit extra of your hard earned money, the Asus TUF Gaming H3 is a wonderful funds selection. It can be stressed out simplest, however at the moment you’ll snag an actual cut price in this at ease headset, and also you’ll be inspired via its efficiency.

Is the LucidSound LS100X value it?

Even though it’s now not relatively as polished sound-wise as some costlier cans, and the mic leaves one thing to be desired, this headset stands tall among its funds and mid-range brethren. In reality, its powerful function set can move toe to toe with headsets double its worth.

But it surely’s now not best possible, as only a few headsets at this worth are. The growth mic isn’t nice, and the built in one is worse, however its many strengths make up for this. Those cans might glance generic, however will go well with those that worth no-frills efficiency. And the battery existence is up there with the easiest.

You must purchase the LucidSound LS100X if:

• You’ve were given a strict funds of $100
• You wish to have a headset you received’t must fee incessantly
• You care extra about efficiency than aesthetics
• You prefer headsets with capability that doesn’t require fiddling round with an app

You shouldn’t purchase the LucidSound LS100X if:

• Mic high quality is your major fear
• You wish to have a headset to stick out from the gang