The Iinvictor Soturi is the first gaming headset from the spin-off of a Singapore company Intricon, which specialises in high-end communication solutions to military, aviation and professional audio industries.
SPECS
PRICE: $138, available in Lazada and Shopee
DRIVERS: 50mm
CONNECTIVITY: USB-A, 3.5mm
WEIGHT: 295g
In fact, the Soturi is Intricon’s first consumer product that taps on its three decades of experience in the commercial audio field. In case you are wondering, Soturi means warrior in Finnish.
And this gaming warrior comes with its own Transporter DSP (digital signal processing) USB soundcard, a detachable microphone, braided sleeve cables, a carrying bag and even its own stand. All these for a very affordable price tag of only S$138.
DESIGN
For some unknown reasons, most gaming headsets come in black. But this wired gaming headset is predominantly white with only the leather cushions of its ear cups, the inner padding of the headband and the frame holding the ear cups being black.
There is no RGB lighting or any bell and whistles that you see from many gaming headsets. Instead, the Iinvictor logo adorns the exterior of each ear cup. I find the logo too big to my liking and the design too glaring. Some subtlety would have been great, as it would given the Soturi a minimalistic design.
There are no controls on either ear cups. There is an audio port on the left ear cup for you to insert the boom microphone, while the cable runs from here too.
The Transporter DSP soundcard doubles up as the inline control to adjust the volume of the headset as well as the microphone volume. In addition, this soundcard lets you toggle through three audio modes by pressing the mode button. The mode button will lit up in three different colours to show its respective modes. Blue is for balanced audio, green is for enhanced clarity while red is for enhanced bass.
I like that Soturi is using braided sleeve cables. They are stronger and more durable than conventional cables. Thus, you do not need to worry about cables becoming “sticky” in our hot and humid climate.
PERFORMANCE
First impressions are not always reflective of the real thing. While I think the Soturi’s design can be better, its comfort level cannot be any better.
From the first moment I wear the Soturi, the comfort level is sky high despite the hours I was gaming with it. The build quality is solid for its price.
FOR
+ Affordable pricing
+ Comes with DSP USB soundcard
+ Great sound output for gaming
+ Really comfortable to wear
+ Braided cables offer durability
AGAINST
– No RGB lighting
– Microphone might be too sensitive
– Ear cups cannot be folded
Some gaming headsets’ clamping force can cause headaches. Not the Soturi. Its headband rests on my big head nicely without clamping my head. Furthermore, the ear cups nicely cover my ears without any pressure and my ears do not feel sweaty.
And when the game starts, the hearing joy begins. While you can plug in the Soturi using the 3.5mm jack, the gaming headset is best used with the USB soundcard. Just plug the 3.5mm jack to the soundcard and connect the soundcard’s USB plug to the PC.
The best part is it is really plug and play. I connected the Soturi to both my iMac and gaming PC. And it works without a hitch in both platforms.
I find the red mode to be the best for gaming, as it really enhances the explosions and bullet screeches during gameplay. Its passive spatial awareness technology works pretty well in helping you to pin point where enemy fire is coming from. For example, when playing MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries, I can hear that a barrage of missiles flying towards my rear left. Thus, I was able to make a right turn to avoid the attack.
But if you are listening to music, I find the green mode to be better as it gives you a smoother soundscape. I generally avoid the blue mode, as it sounds a tad muted compared to the two other audio modes.
A bit of a nitpick is that the boom microphone being a tad too sensitive. It can clearly pick up my voice clearly, but it also picks up the humming sound of my gaming PC, the clacks of my mechanical keyboard and even the air conditioning. Thus, it can get quite distracting.
Perhaps, the biggest downer of Soturi is its ear cups cannot be folded for easy transport. I guess that’s why a large carrying bag is included.
VERDICT
If you are not too concerned about looks but big on pricing and performance, the Iinvictor Soturi is a very capable wired USB gaming headset that will deliver duly during your long gaming sessions.
RATINGS
FEATURES: 7/10
DESIGN: 7/10
PERFORMANCE: 8/10
VALUE FOR MONEY: 9/10
OVERALL: 8/10
