A few days ago, I posted my first impressions of the Afterglow Wireless Headset that I recently bought for the PS4. My initial impressions were very positive, but I needed to have a lot more use from it so that I can post a proper review about it. I can tell you right now that I still have very positive things to say about this headset after giving it a proper run down of its features and different uses (It doesn’t just solely work on the PS4).

Afterglow Kral Wireless Headset

 

The first thing you notice when opening the box and pulling out the headset is the size and weight. The weight makes it very snug and unlikely to slip off your head while playing and they fit over your ears quite nicely and the padding for the ears are soft and comfortable (at least for me they are). The headset can definitely be extended if you need more length, but will still fit quite comfortably.

It comes with a USB transmitter that you plug into a USB port on the PS4 so that way the headset will be connected to the PS4 system wirelessly. The system recognizes the transmitter almost immediately and all you have to do is go to the system settings and change the audio and microphone output to the wireless headphones. You can set the volume of the headset through the PS4 in system settings or you can do it on the headset via a scrolling button on the left part of the headset where the power/mute button as well as the mode button for the microphone are located. I usually just do a mic test through the system settings just to make sure it sounds good and is not too loud.

Sound

As I’ve mentioned before in my first impressions, the sound is quite spectacular as it gives that strong surround sound feel to it. I’ve played The Crew, Grand Theft Auto V, and Outlast with these headphones and it sounds like you’re actually in the game. You can hear the subtle background noises that sound like they are coming from behind you. I especially noticed this in the horror game Outlast as it just added to the overall tension of the game and made the jump moments that much more intense and frightening! The game radios in both GTA 5 and The Crew sound extremely well like you are playing the radio in your car.

There’s another feature the Kral wireless headset has and that is Bass Boost. I have tried it out a couple of times and it does add some stronger bass to it, however, at its highest setting it does sound a little bit distorted so I rarely use it. The regular bass setting is good enough and I believe you really don’t need to use the bass boost all that much. Trust me, the original sound settings when you turn on the headset for the first time are good enough and do a good job of drowning out other sound which is what I like about the Afterglow headset.

I do like the microphone as well as you can extend it out from the headset and push it back in when you are finished. The microphone does light up in either blue or red depending on which mode you put it in as one mode cancels out other sound except your voice and the other includes other sound it can detect in your immediate vicinity. I generally prefer the noise cancelling mode especially since there is a very busy set or train tracks behind my house and it will cancel the noise of the numerous trains going by. I definitely enjoy using the microphone included on this headset versus the one included with the PS4 when you buy it.

Other Features

A very cool thing about the Afterglow Kral headset is that it can be used on a few other things other than the PS4. You can use it for your PC and also for your smartphone. It comes with a 3.5mm gray cable that you plug one end into the headset and the other end into the mobile device. Unfortunately it is not wireless when using your smartphone as there are no USB ports to put the transmitter into. That is perfectly fine with me as I like plugging in headphones into my smartphone anyway and just listening to music. Your PC on the other hand should have USB ports so there should be no problem for you using the headset wirelessly with your PC. You can plug in the grey cable though into the headphone port it you prefer.

Now lets talk about the battery life. The Afterglow headset comes with a USB cable to plug into the computer or PS4 so the battery in the headset can be recharged. The nice thing about the PS4 is that with the latest updates, the system doesn’t have to be fully on for the headset to be charged. It now has a rest mode and suspend mode so that way there will be just enough power on the system to charge controllers and whatever other accessories you may have that need to be recharged. The battery life is pretty good as it is slated to last at least 11 hours. I haven’t reached the full 11 hours yet, but I’ve played at least 9 hours without recharging it.

Something else to mention is that when you power on the headset, it has led lights that light up on both sides of the headset. The good news though is that since they cover your ears, you don’t see the lights, but sometimes your peripheral vision will catch the light from the microphone. It sometimes can be a minor annoyance, but it easily fixed since you can adjust the microphone.

Verdict

I definitely recommend getting this wireless headset for the PS4. The sound is great (minus the Boost Bass at times), they are padded just right and hug the ears perfectly and the headset is easily adjustable. Excellent battery life, plus you are able to use it with your smartphone via the gray cable and also use it wirelessly with your PC. The price for it goes anywhere from $69 to $99 depending on where you buy it from. I decided to buy it from Best Buy’s website and have it shipped to my house as my local Wal Mart were out of them. Also to let you know, it is on sale on Best Buy’s site at $79.99 and you will get free shipping with it. This headset gets a 4 out of 5 stars from me with really the only negative I have with it is the Bass Boost as I mentioned earlier it can get distorted at times. Nevertheless, this headset is worth it!

Note: Would you like to see me use this headset in action? Want to see me interact with other players online? Having trouble getting past a certain area or mission on an open world game for the PS4? Check back to ps4driving.com during the month of April as I will be launching something new where all of this will be possible. New and exciting things are coming!