Func HS-260 headset review

1. Introduction2. Packaging and Bundle3. Func HS-260 Headset4. Comfort and Performance5. Closing Thoughts6. View All Pages

Despite the fact that being a PC gamer usually means you're swimming in much deeper nerd waters than your average console or handheld gamer, there's always been a desire to make peripherals look cool. A lot of the time, that means black, heavy duty plastic and bright LEDs with varying colours. But not so with the Func: HS-260. It combines greys, blacks and a touch of orange to make it stand out from the crowd – at least that's what Func is hoping for. This headset represents the first in a line of new audio devices from the peripheral maker and today we are taking a look at the flagship model.

Of course it's not all about the looks. This is a headset equipped with 50mm drivers that Func claims have been especially tuned and optimised for gaming. On top of that it comes with different ear cup options for those that have a preference of velour over leather and detachable cabling for easy storage and transport.

Func is hoping this headset will help it stay competitive in the hotly contested gamer headset scene. Can it stack up with the best of them? Let's find out.

Features

• Intuitive control interface integration.
• Detachable cord solution.
• Optimised sound image for gaming.
• Plug n' play, no need for installation.
• Closed type design.
• Velour and leather cushions.

Right off the bat the Func-HS-260 exudes class with its stark white box and hint of orange styling. It's also got a lovely matt finish – though part of me does wonder how much a nice box and design has pushed the price tag up.

The rest of the packaging is pretty much what you would expect: a nice big picture of the headset itself and a whistle stop tour of its most impressive features.

It's one of those clamshell designs, so you can open it up and take a look at some more detailed specifications and the headset itself, protected by its vacuum formed plastic shell.

As with many peripheral makers these days, Func invites you to register your purchase of the new HS-260 headset by giving you a member's card with your own unique ID. This sort of thing rarely ends up being more than getting you ‘access' to a mailing list, but it's there for those that want it.

The bundled microphone boom is a detachable one, with a simple 3.5mm jack on one end, where you also find the mic-mute switch switch. The boom itself is very flexible, meaning you should be able to bend this to whatever weird position your mouth happens to be in.

Like the mic, the audio cable that hooks your Func headset up to the PC is also detachable and comes rolled up with a little Velcro cable tidy. It splits off at the end to offer mic and audio input headers, each labelled with a little colour coded band around the connector.

The HS-260 comes with two earcup options:  pre attached velour or a leather option for those that prefer it. 


The headset itself is quite a breath of fresh air – because it's so understated. This isn't some highly contrasting, stark black and neon green affair, or a solar flare white …. no it's a subtle black/grey combination, with a hint of silver on the earphones themselves.

The headphones are coated in soft plastic that you find on a few gaming mice, giving them quite a high-quality feel. The frame itself isn't quite as stellar, as twisting the whole thing back and forth a little feels like it would break without too much force, but it's strong enough to take a bit of rough handling.

The HS-260 is an over-the-ear cup design, which unless you're a Dumbo relative should mean they fully cover your ears. This has its upsides as it means it's not crushing the delicate cartilage, but the downside is it often means your ears can get hot.

The default material in use with this headset's cups is velour, though you can switch out for the leather ones if you prefer.

Changing from one to the other isn't the easiest, but I'd rather that than have them slipping off mid-game.

The headband has about an inch of foam padding that stretches right across, giving good coverage for even someone with a large head like myself.

At the base of each earcup you will find a pair of hidden 3.5mm connectors, one for the detachable microphone and another for the audio jack. However they are totally interchangeable, so whichever side the PC is on … or if you have a preferred side you want the mic to rest, this headset can cater to it.

It's worth noting though, that the 3.5mm jacks are a little stiff, so make sure to give the audio connector a good push to get it in. If you don't the sound will come out tinny and give you a first impression this headset doesn't deserve.

There's also a volume control built into the base of the left ear cup, which means you always know where it is and aren't fiddling with an in-line one that could get caught on your clothing or fall on the floor.

As a side note, when using an audio splitter on a sound card, we found that raising and lowering the volume on the headset caused the speakers to alter their output in the opposite. So raising the headphone volume would at the same time reduce that of the speakers. Odd.

The most immediately obvious note to make about the Func HS-260, is that's it's incredibly comfortable. I've worn this thing for a few hours at a time and it's not caused a problem. My ears didn't overheat, my head didn't start to ache. It is a great marathon gamer set and would see you right at a LAN party or similar.

Once you start listening to it though, you will realise this is more than just a comfortable set of ear muffs. While the HS-260 isn't going to blow away any professional grade headphones, or even the top end of gamer offerings, it delivers a solid performance through most genres of music and in most games.

Nothing is particularly impressive about it, as the highs lack a little punch and the bass frequencies a little oomph, but playing around with sound settings can get you that bit closer to where you wish it was.

In testing I tried a variety of games, some of them Oculus Rift experiences since I've been playing a lot of those recently including some Half Life 2 which was a nice reminder of one of my favourite games from the earlier 2000s –  rise and shine, Mr. Freeman.

The bark of guns come out nicely on the HS-260, so if you're a shooter fan this one should work well for you. It's not quite as hot with haunting instrumentals, but considering there's more games out there with explosions rather than heartfelt laments, that's probably a good trade off for Func.

As a side note, with headsets like the Rift beginning to become more popular, someone has to make an over-ear headset that doesn't creak when you move your head. Games without sound or those in quiet moments have their immersion destroyed by a squeak in your ear.

The HS-260 is as guilty as any of them.

Movie wise, it's much of the same and places this headset around where you'd expect for its £60 price point. Voices are a little muddied, but no more than most audio hardware that doesn't break the bank.

You might be able to find a few better for the money and this certainly isn't going to replace your home cinema set up, but if you watch movies as a secondary activity to your gaming and prefer a headset over speakers, you could do a lot worse than this one.

This being a stereo headset, the surround effect isn't massively impressive. There's a solid enough stereo sound for panning to be obvious, but unless you have a sound card that can emulate a 3D environment, don't expect much in the way of environmental awareness.

However, with that mode switched on with my card, the Func did an admirable job, though it's still a far cry from the real deal.

Of course gaming is where this headset is most suited and is designed for and it does do well in that arena, providing good quality sound and a very crisp and clear mic quality throughout. However, I would say that it could do with some improved insulation between the headphones and the outside world, as well as making the mic a bit more focused, as even with the cans at two thirds volume, my Skype mates reported that they could hear the music I was listening to in the background. I later confirmed this with a couple of quick recording tests.

However noise cancelling is pretty damn good, as even with relatively quite tracks, I struggled to hear myself singing along like an idiot.

The use of detachable cabling was a nice touch, as it makes packing away or traveling with the headset a lot easier. However, I thought it was a bit of an oversight on Func's part not to make the headset fold away, as that combined with the cable and the comfort would have made this a must have for LAN goers who don't want to spend hundreds on a headset. Unfortunately it doesn't really fold at all and any efforts to do so just made you realise that a good hard twist would snap something really important.

For their first foray into audio devices, the HS-260 is an noteworthy design. It is also certainly an indication that Func will be a force to be reckoned with in the coming years.

The HS-260 is a very understated and classy looking gamer's headset, with some nice features, decent sound quality and is incredibly comfortable, giving you two ear cup options should you prefer leather or velour over the other.

It has detachable cabling that makes it a great travel companion, even if it doesn't fold away into a little bundled bag and the mic is of very high quality … though it isn't particularly great at filtering out the sound from the earphones themselves.

You will also not find yourself listening to anything anyone else is saying with these on, as they filter out background noise pretty well – even when the volume is down low.

On a more negative note, the build quality is not the greatest and dropping them from any height is likely to cause damage.

Overall, we would not have any trouble recommending the Func HS-260 headphones if comfort and looks are your main concerns. If audio quality is your thing, chances are you're spending more, but if not, then you may want to weigh in other products from leading makers such as Steelseries and Turtle Beach.

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Pros

• Looks classy and understated.
• Detachable mic and audio cable is handy.
• Games sound great, music is perfectly listenable.
• Incredibly comfortable – you can wear these for hours.
• Mic quality is very clear.

Cons

• Some comparably priced headsets have better sound quality.
• Build quality isn't astounding – the frame flexes a lot when twisted or moved.
• Mic easily picks up what the headphones are putting out.

KitGuru Says: A classy piece of kit without too hefty a price tag. Just don't expect to be blown away by the audio quality.

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