Quick Summary
LucidSound LS35X does everything you can expect from a high quality gaming headset. With elegant body, rich sound, clear mic, and out-of-the-box Xbox integration, it’s probably the best headset for Microsoft’s console.
What We Like
- checkSolid build quality
- checkExcellent looks
- checkBalanced and rich sound
- checkSeamless connectivity with Xbox One
- check15-hour battery life
What We Don’t
- The mic could’ve been made retractable
- Minor distortion at the highest volume level.
Our Ratings
Full Review
If you’ve been following us lately, you’ll know that we’re reviewing gaming accessories and components for some time. Until now, we’ve reviewed a PC Case, an SFX power supply, and an eGPU enclosure.
So keeping up with this diversity, here we have the LS35X gaming headset by LucidSound – a wireless gaming headset that primarily targets Xbox owners.
To be honest, LucidSound isn’t as popular in the gaming community as some other big players (the likes of Asus, Logitech, and Razer), and the fact that they don’t release gaming headsets as frequently doesn’t help either.
The reason why like them, however, is that instead of banging out one headset after another, they do their homework well and try to make sure that each of their headsets brings value in one form or another.
Design
Design-wise, LS35X is similar to other models LucidSound has released over the years. The main difference you’ll note, however, is that the frame color is black this time, rather than silver as it was in previous models.
Unlike what see in many gaming headsets nowadays, it looks more like a regular headphones pair. It means that, while you won’t find RGB and other things reserved for traditional gaming headsets, all of this simply makes this one elegant.
So elegant that you’ll feel good in talking it out of your house (in a Metro or a park etc).
Apart from this, there’s a good amount of padding on the headband as well as the earcups. The left earcup is the area where you’ll spend most of your time as it has a power button, a charging port, the 3.5-millimeter audio port, and a removable boom mic.
The right earcup only features the pairing button using which you can connect this headset to your Xbox One. In our testing, it connects soon after you do a single press.
One surprising feature of LS headsets has been the fact that you can actually turn/press the earcups, and the same happens here in LS35x.
In order to increase or decrease the volume levels, simply turn the left earcup to left/right, or simply press it once to mute/unmute whatever you’re listening to.
The same goes for the right earcup. Turning it left/right will increase/decrease the volume levels of an in-game chat while pressing it once will mute/unmute the mic.
The reason why I like this approach is that the traditional volume-dials are tiny and difficult to locate while you’re having the headset on your head.
On the other hand, I’ve mixed opinion regarding the removable mic. It’s because while it does its job perfectly, there’s a risk of you losing it. Retractable mics are a new trend in gaming headsets for some time, and I would’ve loved to see that functionality here.
This is probably the reason why this headset has a built-in secondary mic – in case things go wrong.
Comfort
Thanks to the handsome amount of padding used on the earpads, LS35x is very comfortable. I wore it for a number of hours while had my sunglasses on, but didn’t felt discomfort or unnecessary pressure of any sort.
Another good thing I notices was its light weight.
The only area where this headset falls behind its rivals is the fit, in my opinion. Headsets from companies like Razer and Logitech, come with a rather easy process for finding your perfect fit. Here you have to go on a trial-and-error approach in order to find the fit that resonates well with your ears.
That being said, the default fit is perfect for most people, and you’ll not be required to make any changes in most cases.
Performance
As it said earlier, pairing this headset with your Xbox One is very easy and fast. You just have to press the pairing button of your Xbox as well as the pairing button of this headset, and this is it. It hardly takes more than 10 seconds to get you started.
Its overall sound profile is balanced. There is just the right amount of punchy Bass, while the sound feels rich.
Its mic delivers voice loud and clear too, but the same can’t be said about the secondary one. Still, it’s good to have it as a Plan-B.
You can connect LS35x to your Windows PC too, but in order to accomplish that, you’ll have to get the Xbox One USB Adapter. On the other hand, if you want a wired connection with a device, there’s 3.5mm audio cable for you.
Even when I played some soundtracks, both in wired and wireless connections, the performance was simply excellent. Vocals are loud and clear while the bass is just enough – as in games.
Only at the highest volume level, I was able to notice a slight distortion. But you won’t feel it unless you have some experience with some $250+ headphones.
Alternatives
In case you still feel that LS35X isn’t suitable for you, here are some of the alternatives are their pros/cons.
Sennheiser GSP 600
- Solid Body
- Good sound quality
- Decent mic
- A slightly Bulky design
- Volume button difficult to locate
Astro A50 Wireless
- Surround sound
- Excellent sound quality
- Comfortable build
- Pretty expensive
Razer Nari Ultimate
- Balanced sound
- Spacious earcups
- 8 Hours battery life
- Slightly expensive
Conclusion
Apart from a relatively high price, everything is almost perfect in LS35X. You could argue that its mic should be retractable instead of being removable, but this is somewhat subjective.
On the positive side, it has a ridiculously simple Xbox connectivity, excellent sound, a 14+ hour battery, elegant design, as well as comfy fit.
In a nutshell, this is arguably the best gaming headset for Xbox one owners.