In the last few months, I’ve had the chance to play a lot of games with the PDP Gaming LvL50 Wireless Headset for Xbox One securely on my head. And I’m not telling a lie when I say that it has more than lived up to its very reasonable price. But this holiday season, the PDP Gaming team is going all out with headsets. Along with their most expensive headset, the PDP Gaming LvL40 Wired Stereo Headset for Xbox One is a cheaper option with slightly less features. And for the price PDP asked, they have almost done it.
1. Features
The PDP Gaming LvL40 Wired Stereo Headset for Xbox One costs only £25—a price that definitely puts it in the “take a chance” category. For that price, you also get something pretty amazing. The LvL40 has a pair of 40mm high-definition audio drivers, a noise-cancelling mic that you can flip up to mute, and a build and design that could easily fool many people into thinking it’s its more feature-packed big brother.
The LvL range of headsets that PDP Gaming has made for 2019 stands out right away because of this design. Even though it’s a little bit smaller than the more expensive headset, it still looks like the bomb. The bright Xbox green inside the earcups is the only thing that breaks up the matt grey and black design. It looks great, and I really like how simple but effective the design is. Two small PDP logos are printed on each cup to keep with the theme.
There is some padding on the underside of the adjustable headband, which is nice. It’s not as thick as the padding on the LvL50, but it’s good enough for short sessions. Whether it holds up over long gaming sessions of several hours is debatable, though. I would have liked to see more padding to make sure that pressure doesn’t build up. But, if you’re honest, after a few hours of wearing the LvL40, you’ll start to feel the headband press on your head.
2. Showing off
The LvL40 Wired’s design is broken up only by a simple gooseneck mic that flips down on the left cup and a standard volume dial next to it. Both of these work well. The microphone makes sure that chats with online friends are crystal clear. It is easy to flip up and put out of the way, and you can feel a precise click when the mute button is pressed. The volume dial does what a volume dial should do: it lets you choose the best sound levels for your needs. It’s well placed on the cup so that it’s easy to use even if you’re in a hurry.
The 40mm high-definition drivers that came with the LvL40 are good at making sound, too. At a medium volume, they sound clear and crisp, and while more bass would be nice, many people will be happy with what they have. But if you turn it all the way up to 11, things start to get a little rough. Distortion starts to happen and different sounds start to blend together. It’s a little disappointing that the PDP LvL40 can’t handle clear sound at the very top, but you probably won’t need to turn them all the way up.
The cups are also a little small, at least for me. Even though the LvL50 fits like a glove, the earcups don’t quite cover my ears with ease. Instead, they push down and make me feel like I’m wearing an on-ear headset. I don’t like that, but it’s fine for people with smaller heads or ears or who are happy to play with an on-ear headset.
So PDP’s mid-range 2019 option is good in some ways and bad in others. However, the wires are one big thing that will make gamers disagree on whether the PDP Gaming LvL40 Wired Headset is worth the money or not. Now, some gamers wouldn’t be caught dead wearing a wired headset, while others don’t mind having a couple of connections. I’m definitely in the second group, and while wireless headsets are great, I’ve never been afraid of a wired option. After all, a simple wire to a controller shouldn’t get in the way of life. This is also true here, and I don’t mind that there are two cables coming out of the earcups. Yes, a single wire would be better, but these headsets are sold on the stereo feature, so a single cable that connects to your Xbox One controller through a 3.5mm jack and splits into two to power each cup is a no-brainer. That means you’ll need a newer Xbox One controller with a 3.5mm cable or the XO Stereo Headset Adapter.
All View
And that’s about it for the LvL40. It doesn’t have a lot of features, so that’s about it. Still, we have to think about how much the PDP Gaming LvL40 Wired Stereo Gaming Headset for Xbox One costs. Taking that into account, along with the great design and decent sound, this is a headset that you should definitely think about buying, as long as you can get past the wires. But keep in mind that you could get the beautiful LvL50 for a little extra cash, which is what I would do if I had the choice.
If you want to buy the PDP Gaming LvL40 Wired Stereo Gaming Headset for Xbox One, you have a few options. Amazon and PDP direct are probably the best places to start. If you decide to buy a pair, let us know.
