Surefire are a brand that has brought a full line-up of gaming peripherals to the table. With everything from storage to speakers, chances are if you are looking for something with some RGB finesse then they will have something. If you haven’t heard of Surefire previously, you have most likely come across the company they are owned by. Non-other than tech-renowned Verbatim. The team over at Surefire kindly sent us some samples to check out. We have on hand, The Surefire Harrier Headset And Vinson N2 Stand.
Just How Hot Is The Surefire Harrier?
Surefire is a brand that, to be honest, I have never come across previously. Having said that, there are probably many brands out there in the gaming world that I haven’t come across. So let’s jump in and see just how much firepower Surefire are bringing to the peripherals market.
Design And Control
To start out, despite The Surefire Harrier being at the lower end in terms of cost it does have a premium feel. Comparing it to some of the headsets I have had in the past this does feel like it could outlast them. The strength and rigidity of the headband ensure that it fits nicely and snugly without it being too tight. Adding to this there is a thick layer of foam coated with a smooth PU leather-eque finish which feels super plush when wearing. The Surefire Harrier has a plastic chassis. I have to emphasize that it isn’t what you would expect it to be at all for the price.
We then have the RGB earcups and for comfort, a soft lining and breathable cushioning around the ears. The only snag for me is that the cups felt they could have been a couple of mm deeper for it to feel a little better. However, this is me being quite picky for a headset that is cheaper than a newly released game. The headset is a USB headset and also comes with an attached control box for volume and mute.
Now looking at the Surefire Vinson N2 headset stand, capable of holding up to two headsets this stand also has some added extras. Starting from the top it has an adjustable arm to hold your headset(s) with a long RGB strip running down the centre support to the base. On the base, there is a slot to hold a smartphone, which is ideal for keeping your desk clean and a small recess for storing odd bits. Now to the side which is where this stand really puts itself into the spotlight. There are two USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports and then a USB-C for charging up any of the devices you may have. It also has the ability to either clip onto a surface or be free-standing, your choice. Overall an extremely clean-looking headset stand and is available in black and red. It is also worth noting you can get a lower model of this stand if you don’t require as much functionality.
Sound And Performance
I have had my share of headsets around this price point previously. So I have to say I was quite dubious about how much it could offer the everyday gamer. However, I was extremely surprised when I put it to the test. Firstly and obviously I had to check how it stands up to a noisy FPS, so Battlefield was my go-to on this occasion as it was all I had installed. I was expecting cluttered noise, with bassy undertones that interfered with each other as explosions kicked off around me. Surprisingly, the Surefire Harrier handled it extremely well with no little to no gain on the audio. I compared them to a £60 headset, that I had, just to double-check and I can confirm that the Surefire Harrier way outperformed it.
I then moved over to watching some movie clips and listening to some music. The Surefire Harrier performs really well for both, It didn’t outperform my current headset but there is a reason, the one I am using currently is four times the price. Having said that it is still a solid headset which performs similarly to those at around £70-£100.
The headphone doesn’t look like anything worth shouting about in the box, it looks like a standard detachable microphone. However, the look is very different to the feel. It is well-made and feels quite robust. The bendable arm after multiple uses isn’t going to sag or potentially snap. On testing the microphone out when gaming it sounded average for a headset sub £100. There was a little distortion here and there but that was mainly due to me accidentally putting the microphone far too close to my mouth. I also used it for various business meetings to get a really good feel for it. Safe to say it outperformed my purpose-made Plantronics headset by far. We have had quite a lot of rain here recently so I also tested out how much background noise it picks up. When it was really heavy you could hear the rain thrashing against my windows. But I have to be honest – It was ridiculously loud.
Specification Overview
For those who love a bit more technical information:
- Headphones Audio Specification
- Frequency Response: 20 Hz – 20kHz
- Sensitivity: 102 ± 3dB
- Impedance: 24 Ohms ± 15% at 1 kHz
- Headphone Drivers: 50mm
- Microphone Specification
- Microphone Type: Removable, Bendable, Omnidirectional
- Impedance: ≤2.2 Kohms
- Frequency Response: 100-10k Hz
- Sensitivity: 42 ± 3dB
In terms of compatibility, the Surefire Harrier is compatible across PC, PS4 & PS5 and games consoles with a USB port. However as always please check the manufacturer’s site to ensure compatibility with your device.
Final Thoughts
I am no audiophile but what I can do is compare the Surefire Harrier to some of the headsets I have owned or tried and tested. The 7.1 surround sound really does work well, in fact probably too well for a headset of this price. The bass when the volume is increased, even when at full does not interfere with the rest of the audio being outputted at the time. Equally the trebles feel well balanced as well with no painful highs like we sometimes see with some of the poorer quality headsets on the market. It feels like Surefire could quite easily dominate the sub £40 wired headset market with the Surefire Harrier Headset.
Obviously, we can not forget about the Surefire Vinson N2. this is a perfect match for the headset and works really well together as a unit. Especially due to the USB ports down the side for that added connectivity. I award the Surefire Harrier and Vinson N2 a Thumb Culture Gold Award.
Disclaimer: A sample was received in order to write this review.
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