Plantronic GameCom 777 Headset Review

Written by Phil Bruton Thursday, 06 October 2011 05:00

The Plantronics GameCom 777 Headset is an over-the-ear wired computer headset with Dolby 7.1 simulated surround sound. I have tested the headset extensively with games, video and music; as well as testing it's voice chat capabilities on Skype and Ventrilo. I believe that the GameCom 777 is a wonderful headset, but I do feel that there are a couple missteps along the way.

To start off with, the headset is fairly large. That said, it's not very heavy and the construction feels very solid. I never worried about dropping the headset on my desk or on the floor as I knew that it was a sturdy accessory. The top of the headset is well padded and it sits nicely on your head, and the size adjustments are all done with a nice "click." The padding on the earpads is generous, but not to the point where it's intrusive. The microphone on the headset tucks into the headset itself so it's nice and out of the way. That said, I had a few issues with the comfort after extended periods of gaming. At around the three-hour mark, my ears would actually become sore due to the speakers almost pressing directly on the outside of my ear. It was a slight annoyance and I did have to remove the headset a couple times due to this. Also, the microphone is a static entity when it's down, the only thing I would have liked is the ability to flex it more towards my actual mouth as I had to talk a little louder than I normally do for my voice to register. That said, the headset is very nice and the comfort (long sessions notwithstanding) is excellent. The volume control is on the cord, which is very easy to control. There's a spin dial for the actual volume as well as a mute switch for the microphone. The cord that's attached is right around 6 feet so there's very generous room for movement. The plug-in for the USB is the part that's the most interesting, as they include a sort of on/off "switch" for the Dolby 7.1 Surround Sound. You can choose to have this off and the headset will act as though it's just playing through 2 speakers, as most headsets are wont to do. Flip this switch to "on" and it's a completely different experience.

From the immediate get-go when I fired up the 7.1 surround sound, I had sounds coming at me from everywhere but straight into my ears. The over-the-ear design of the headset creates a wonderful enriched sound when coupled with the 7.1 surround. As I loaded up Borderlands to give them the inaugural testing, I could immediately tell the difference between these and the previous headsets that I've used. Gunshots were now coming from BEHIND me! This is unheard of! When running by something the sound would travel along the side of my head now instead of just being there one second and gone the next. Footsteps even sounded different. The headset technology completely changed the feel of not only this one game, but every game that I've thrown at it. To date, I've tested it with Borderlands, Red Orchestra 2, Rift, Diablo 3 (Beta) and Warhammer 40k Space Marine. I played with each game while flipping between the simulated surround sound and normal. Each game just has a completely different feel when having the surround on, it's something that has to be experienced to be believed.

I'm quite enamored with the Plantronics GameCom 777 headphones and I would reccomend them to anybody looking for a great gaming headset. I've had nothing but wonderful expereince with Plantronics accessories in the past and these headphones are continuing that trend. Whether you're looking for a headset for hardcore gaming, just watching video on YouTube or listening to music, these headphones can do it all.

Currently Amazon has the Plantronics GameCom 777 headset available for ~$57; this is an incredible price for a great headset. If you're in the market, don't delay! 

A huge thank you to Plantronics who supplied the headset for review.