BitFenix Flo Headset Review
Manufacturer: BitFenix
UK Price (as reviewed): £49.99 (inc VAT)
US Price (as reviewed): £79.61 (Ex. Tax)
It seems there's no shortage of PC tech companies broadening their product ranges these days. Corsair, Antec, SilverStone - they all make far more than just PC cases and with Corsair in particular making pretty good headway in the headset arena (check out its Vengeance 1400). BitFenix is also looking to get in on the act and, having launched its Fury PSUs last year, it has now launched its first peripheral - the Flo gaming headset.
For £50 it represents a sizeable investment, at least compared to the true budget headsets on the market, but it's also a fair bit cheaper than many of Corsair, Qpad and Asus's mid-range models we've looked at in the last year. If we're honest, out first impression wasn't great. It's very light - over 120g lighter than Asus' Vulcan ANC for example, and everything on it appears to be small. The ear cushions and headbands are small, the headband padding is dinky to the point of being pointless and there's just very little to the Flo in general.
The colour and soft-touch feel, one of BitFenix's trademarks that will be familiar to any of its case owners, might be considered tacky but thankfully it's also available in black or white, as well as red so we can't hold too much against it here. In the box are a few useful components, though, including a 1m male/male audio cable for use with mobiles and tablets (minus a mic mini-jack).
There's also a longer 2m two-piece clip-together cable with in-line remote on one section and both audio and microphone mini-jacks on the other. The 1m straight cable can replace the inline remote section if you want to shed some weight although it does have a microphone mute switch too.
As far as comfort goes, incredibly, despite the meagre cushioning, the Flo actually sits on your head without so much as an ache or twinge, although the fit is a far cry from the likes of the Vulcan ANC or most larger headsets with decent-sized ear cushions and substantial headbands. It's probably a case of expecting more for £50 rather than it actually being uncomfortable.
Unfortunately, the same can't be said of adjustment. There's barely 2cm of travel in the headband, which can potentially put the very big or very small-headed in a difficult situation, although, the springy headband does do a good job of allowing a little stretch-to-fit into the equation. Even so, if you've had trouble with headsets in the past or simply prefer ample adjustment, the Flo probably isn't for you.
Specifications:
Manufacturer: BitFenix
UK Price (as reviewed): £49.99 (inc VAT)
US Price (as reviewed): £79.61 (Ex. Tax)
It seems there's no shortage of PC tech companies broadening their product ranges these days. Corsair, Antec, SilverStone - they all make far more than just PC cases and with Corsair in particular making pretty good headway in the headset arena (check out its Vengeance 1400). BitFenix is also looking to get in on the act and, having launched its Fury PSUs last year, it has now launched its first peripheral - the Flo gaming headset.
Click to enlarge
For £50 it represents a sizeable investment, at least compared to the true budget headsets on the market, but it's also a fair bit cheaper than many of Corsair, Qpad and Asus's mid-range models we've looked at in the last year. If we're honest, out first impression wasn't great. It's very light - over 120g lighter than Asus' Vulcan ANC for example, and everything on it appears to be small. The ear cushions and headbands are small, the headband padding is dinky to the point of being pointless and there's just very little to the Flo in general.
The colour and soft-touch feel, one of BitFenix's trademarks that will be familiar to any of its case owners, might be considered tacky but thankfully it's also available in black or white, as well as red so we can't hold too much against it here. In the box are a few useful components, though, including a 1m male/male audio cable for use with mobiles and tablets (minus a mic mini-jack).
Click to enlarge
There's also a longer 2m two-piece clip-together cable with in-line remote on one section and both audio and microphone mini-jacks on the other. The 1m straight cable can replace the inline remote section if you want to shed some weight although it does have a microphone mute switch too.
Click to enlarge
As far as comfort goes, incredibly, despite the meagre cushioning, the Flo actually sits on your head without so much as an ache or twinge, although the fit is a far cry from the likes of the Vulcan ANC or most larger headsets with decent-sized ear cushions and substantial headbands. It's probably a case of expecting more for £50 rather than it actually being uncomfortable.
Click to enlarge
Unfortunately, the same can't be said of adjustment. There's barely 2cm of travel in the headband, which can potentially put the very big or very small-headed in a difficult situation, although, the springy headband does do a good job of allowing a little stretch-to-fit into the equation. Even so, if you've had trouble with headsets in the past or simply prefer ample adjustment, the Flo probably isn't for you.
Specifications:
- Colour Blue (reviewed) red, black, white
- Wearing style Headband
- Impedance Headphones: 68 Ω
- Drivers 40mm
- Connector 2 x 3.5 mm
- Frequency response (headphones) 20 – 20,000Hz
- Sound pressure level (SPL) 96dB
- Ear coupling Closed back, supra-aural
- Cable length 2m (1 x 1m inline remote, 1 x 1m male-male, 1 x 1m headphone/mic)
- Weight 200g
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