Got some money to burn and want a headset that will allow you to truly zone out and enjoy whatever you’re playing? The AceZone A-Spire, released right at the end of last year, has you covered. Excessively so. Splashing out the AUD$700 is decadent, to be sure, but if you really like immersive experiences then you’re not going to regret splashing out in the slightest.
So what are you actually getting for the premium? First and foremost, noise cancelling. Not just mild noise cancelling, either. We’re talking about put-yourself-in-a-personal-bubble-and-shut-the-world-out noise cancelling. Probably the best example of just how powerful this is with the A-Spire is that I was playing a game at one point and a storm rolled in… I didn’t even hear the thunder overhead.
AceZone does specialise in equipment for professional esports environments, so it is obviously critical that they can block out a lot of noise. But I don’t think it’s the only reason to consider a headset of this quality. It’s designed for day-long use and gives you complete control over your sound environment – that’s the kind of headset that any audiophile can appreciate.
The A-Spire is incredibly light on the head, with exceptionally soft ear pads being the particular highlight here. They’re large enough to fit around most ears, while also fitting snugly enough that they don’t place weight on the ears. In fact in terms of the design, the one downside is that the microphone can’t be removed. I do realise that given the gaming focus of AceZone the assumption that the player will want to use the mic is a fair one, but I do appreciate it when gaming headsets allow me to take that off and enjoy the headset in public without looking like I’m on a break from a contact centre job. The noise cancelling is so effective I would have loved to take this on plane flights but the mic is conspicuous.
As far as connectivity, everything is there that you need. For gaming, there’s a low latency 2.4 GHz dongle. For more casual gaming where latency is less of an issue, you can enjoy those JRPG soundtracks with a Bluetooth connection. That, obviously, also allows you to connect it to your mobile and smart devices so you can enjoy cinematic sound quality, or immerse yourself in a nice sound ambiance when reading. With 35 hours on a single charge, you’re guaranteed all-day sound, even as the battery starts to age.
The sound quality itself is also excellent. The driver might seem modest at this price point – it’s “only” a 40mm dynamic driver. There are larger drivers out there than that, but as the saying goes, it’s not necessarily the size that counts. The AceZone team has done an excellent job with optimising the driver for sound clarity in the extreme noise cancelling environment, and it does need to be heard to be believed. There is crystal clarity with both music and sound effects, and the headset passes the all-important test of giving you advanced notice of enemies approaching from behind through the sound of their footfalls.
The microphone also has noise cancelling technology built into it, and it’s very good at blocking out noise when you’re not talking through it, and prioritising your voice when you are. It would take a very loud room indeed to make communication through this impossible.
This too has applications beyond just gaming, and perhaps they are just incidental to what AceZone intended, but as I’ve said in previous headset reviews, I care a great deal about versatility, and this headset is versatile enough that I’ll be using it as my main one going forward. Being able to work in a noisy environment – such as a shared office space, or a home office with construction or noisy neighbours, and remain in the zone, be able to communicate over Zoom, and otherwise get a full day’s work in is seriously appreciated. I’m able to concentrate more with the A-Spire on, and that means I get more done in a day. When you’re playing my visual novel this year, you can thank this headset for helping me stay on track.
Finally, as with all other headsets these days, the A-Spire does have an app. It’s incredibly bare-bone, with just a couple of equalizer options and a smattering of secondary features. It’s not a big deal though as you don’t need to spend much time messing around with the headset to get the perfect sound – it’s there right out of the box.
Without a doubt, the biggest drawback of the AceZone A-Spire is its price. It’s beyond what most people can afford, or even if they can, are willing to spend on a single headset. But sometimes you do get what you pay for, and if anything once you start using the A-Spire, it feels more like you got a bargain.
