How To Set Up Skullcandy Slyr On Pc

Skullcandy has been a headphone visitor for a long time, but lately information technology's been looking to get into gaming products. This started with the company's acquisition of Astro Gaming, which makes our Editors' Option A50 wireless gaming headset. At present, Skullcandy is releasing its own line of gaming headsets, lower-end than Astro's headsets and more targeted toward affordability. The Skullcandy PLYR 2 is its start wireless gaming headset, and it'south built very much similar a scaled back Astro A50 with a very reasonable $129.99 (direct) toll tag. Nevertheless, that cost cut means it takes a big striking in audio quality from its alternatively branded bigger blood brother.

Design
The PLYR 2 features a wireless module shaped vaguely similar a hockey puck with a glowing white skull on it. It has USB, mini USB, and 3.5mm sound ports on the back, and a notch effectually the sides for holding the included cables when not in utilize. To set it up, connect the longer USB-to-mini-USB cablevision from your calculator to the puck, and then plug in the shorter cable from the puck to the headset to accuse it. The receiver uses USB for both power and audio; unless you're connecting information technology to a media role player or other audio device, y'all won't need the 3.5mm port.

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The headset is lightweight, though a trivial bulky thanks to the over-the-ear earcups, and slightly tight-fitting to kicking. It'due south almost entirely plastic, and the matte cease and light weight of the headset can brand it feel flimsy and inexpensive. However, it held up well in our tests, and has proven resilient when dealing with the standard bending and dropping a gaming headset usually endures. And thanks to its calorie-free weight, it won't counterbalance your head downwardly.

The right earcup holds the Power button and a four-manner rocker switch that controls volume and balance between voice conversation and game volume. The rocker switch isn't platonic for changing those settings, since it's a niggling sluggish compared with a bicycle. The left earcup holds the flip-down microphone, which is on a flexible rubber arm. When information technology's upwards, it clicks into place and mutes the microphone, and then you don't have to worry nigh whether it's picking up your frustrated expletives.

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Performance
Gaming headsets aren't known for amazing sound quality, and an inexpensive wireless headset like the PLYR 2 won't please audiophiles or users who desire powerful bass. With our bass test track, The Knife's "Silent Shout," bass synth notes distorted slightly but noticeably, and didn't accept the power or depth establish in the wired, more expensive, Mad Catz Cyborg F.R.E.Q. five. When watching video, dialog on the PLYR two sounds slightly bright, cheers to the headset'southward mildly forrad treble response. It also doesn't offer surround sound audio, only that'south not a big deal for gaming headsets; even when headsets take discrete drivers for each channel, they tin't produce nearly the imaging and sense of direction that a real surround audio home theater system can.

Skullcandy PLYR 2 For gaming, the PLYR ii does the job, but it lacks the bass punch expected when playing games with lots of explosions. I played Team Fortress two with the PLYR 2, and while my Soldier's rockets sounded suitably loud, they lacked a sense of depth or weight. I could hear squad chat relatively clearly, but the blunt, loud bass washed out some of the spoken communication'south texture, and the bright treble made dialog sound slightly crackly. The game/voice rocker switch lets you lot tweak that balance, only information technology still leaves the PLYR 2 with middling low-end.

The wireless range of the PLYR two is excellent. I walked the full length of the PCMag Lab, a solid 50 feet, before the sound began to crackle and fade out. The range is significantly better than a Bluetooth headset's 33-foot maximum range, and edges out the dedicated wireless gaming headsets nosotros've reviewed in the past.

The Skullcandy PLYR ii wireless gaming headset is affordable and offers plenty of functionality, but at the expense of sound quality. The weak, hollow bass and vivid treble disappoints, but its $130 cost tag for wireless gaming and voice conversation make it a tempting headset if you want to cutting the cord. Logitech'southward G930 wireless gaming headset costs slightly more, but it offers much better sound quality and is a better pick overall. If you actually want to splurge, go the high-end Editors' Choice Astro Gaming A50 wireless gaming headset; information technology costs over twice as much, but it sounds much better and is clearly worth its price.

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Skullcandy PLYR two Gaming Headset

The Bottom Line

The Skullcandy PLYR 2 is a relatively inexpensive, lightweight gaming headset that lets yous cutting the cord for $130.

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