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Plantronics is not necessarily a company that one would automatically associate with gaming peripherals. Having said that, it seems that most tech companies these days are fast becoming aware of the ever growing gaming market and its army of eager consumers.

So it should come as no surprise then that Plantronics has its own range of gaming headsets. We were sent two gaming centric headsets to play with, the GameCom 377 and GameCom 777.

The entry level GameCom 377 is a regular stereo headset featuring a retractable microphone. I say entry level, but the 377 offers fairly high performance for anyone not looking for more than 2 channels, or to spend more than R600.

Plantronics GameCom 377 R539.00

Then there is the GameCom 777, a 5.1 surround sound headset with its own external USB sound card. Of course it comes at more than double the price of its underling, but competes with the big guns from Roccat, Logitech and SteelSeries.

Plantronics GameCom 777 R1129.00

GameCom 377

The first thing that struck me about this headset is its solid structural integrity. While not quite weighty, it does feel substantial in your hands. The fold our retractable microphone is unlikely to ever break on you, nor is the thick long rubber cable.

In terms of sound quality, we were pleasantly surprised, and the GameCom 377 holds out well against similarly priced, and even more expensive headsets from the likes of Sennheiser.  The various frequency ranges feel well balanced, from hefty bass tones, to full mids and clear high end frequencies, you can’t fault the sound quality for the price.

The noise cancelling microphone works well enough, although it was not quite as noise cancelling as I would like. It is worth bearing in mind however that we are looking at a sub R600 pair of gaming headphones, making minor gripes such as this excusable. Bottom line: the microphone is more than capable of clearly picking up your voice and transmitting it to your teammates.

My biggest problem with the 377 was it felt a bit snug on my head, and became uncomfortable after about 20 minutes. Thinking this was a result of my massive head, I shrugged it off, however, after doing some snooping around the net, I found this to be a fairly common complaint. So if you have a larger than average head, you may want to steer clear of the GameCome 377.

The second real shortcoming is that these are open earphones. This means that with the volume half way to max, anyone in the same room, or even a nearby corridor will clearly hear everything you can hear. This may not be ideal for some situations, although it may not be a problem at all, depending on your circumstances.

Overall, thanks to its solid build quality, and impressive sound quality, the GameCom 377 comes recommended, as long as you don’t have a large head, or plan to use them in close proximity to anyone who may not appreciate the sound of your AK fire mixed in with the frantic shouts of your clan mates.

You will struggle to find a better gaming headset for the price.

8.5/10

GameCom 777

While the 377 was fun to play with, I couldn’t help but retain the GameCom 777 in the back of mind the entire time I was testing the entry level headset.

Again, the Game Com 777 offers exceptional build quality. Similar in feel to its underling, the 777 seems more substantial somehow, without feeling too heavy.

Retractable swing down microphone – check.

Adjustable cups – check.

Foam rubber skull padding – check.

In terms of functionality, comfort and design, the 777 hits all the relevant sweet spots.

Unlike the 377, I experienced no discomfort with the 777 which seems to apply slightly less pressure to the head. I was easily able to game for extended periods of up to 4 hours without any complaints.

One of the nifty features of this 5.1 surround sound headset is that it has its own external USB soundcard, which means you do not need a surround sound soundcard to get the 5.1 effect.

It sounds too good to be true, and unfortunately, it is. The 777 does not provide convincing positional audio, or at least not positional audio that one can’t get from regular stereo headset. If you are looking for the best positional audio, then we have yet to test anything that beats the Roccat Kave.

What you do get from the five unique headset channels is a great sense of audio space, and a full and rich selection of frequencies. The bass kicks with admirable force, and the mids and trebles are precise and even. The sound quality really is outstanding, especially when you enable the full surround sound effect in games. Sure, you may not be able discern the location of your enemies with pinpoint accuracy, but the level of immersion this sort of audio richness provides is impressive. You really can't help but feel in the game when using this headset.

Like its younger sibling, the 777 is open, which means it makes a lot of noise and is unapologetic about it. If you have a roommate, or girl/boy friend who would rather not be privy to the soundtrack to your gaming life, then the 777s may not be the right headset for you.

Apart from gaming, the set performed extremely well with music, giving my much more expensive Sennheiser HD 595 Audiophiles a run for their money.

For the price, you will struggle to beat the 777 for overall audio quality, and if positional audio is not that important to you, then these come highly recommended.

8.5/10

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