Sharkoon H10 Gaming Headset Review

1. Introduction2. Packaging and Bundle3. Testing4. Conclusion 5. View All Pages

Today we are taking a look at the Sharkoon Shark Zone H10 Gaming Headset, Sharkoon has already proven itself as a quality budget brand with the M20 Gaming Mouse, but can it bring the same level of quality to its headsets? Lets find out…

The Sharkoon Shark Zone H10 features 40mm drivers in a closed back design. It's an analog headset, so it features separate audio jacks for the microphone and headphones, rather than one USB connection.

Specifications:

• Driver Diameter: 40mm.
• Frequency Response: 20Hz-20,000Hz.
• Sensitivity: 92 dB.
• Max Power: 100 mW.
• Connector: 3.5mm gold plated stereo jack.
• Cable Length: 2.5m.
• Weight: 285g.

 
The Sharkoon Shark Zone H10 headset comes in similar packaging to the Shark Zone M20 mouse that we recently reviewed. The front of the box features a magnetic flap, giving you a peek at what is inside, while the side of the box lists all of the key specifications.

The back of the box lists some key features in multiple languages, including the flexible microphone and closed back headphone design.

 

The headset maintains the Shark Zone yellow and black color scheme. The head band features thick but firm padding and the ear cups are fixed in place, so they won't swivel around at all.

The yellow metal arm running along either side of the H10 allows you to adjust the headphones to fit different head sizes. Personally, I'm not a big fan of the aesthetic here, I do like the yellow and black color scheme but I would have preferred a hidden sizing mechanism, rather than having it on display.

As you can see, the H10 uses a long, rubberized yellow wire. This will help prevent tangles but it also attracts black marks with ease.

 

The 3.5mm headphone and microphone jacks are gold-plated, while the in-line controller bares the Shark Zone logo, along with a volume control wheel and microphone mute switch.

Testing the Shark Zone H10 has been a pain-free experience. I would normally kick things off with a closer look at the software driver but this is a plug and play product. There is no additional software to download for things like virtual surround sound or adjustable EQ settings.

The time I have spent using the Shark Zone H10 as my main headset for my entertainment needs have left me with positive impressions. The closed back design helps with noise isolation, which is important as I can often hear traffic from my desk. I also found that the pair of 40mm drivers are capable of reproducing a range of frequencies, delivering a quality listening experience.

The headset does not feature an adjustable EQ, so the frequency response curve is fairly flat. Bass response is tame, providing about as much boom as you could expect from a headset competing in this end of the market.

When it comes to testing a headset with games, I have a few ‘go to' titles- Thief and Alien Isolation both feature fantastic sound design and demand immersion. I also like to have a few rounds of competitive Counter-Strike: Global Offensive as plenty of gamers buy headsets based on how clearly they can hear footsteps during first-person shooters.

Ambient sounds are easy to pick out in titles like Thief and Alien Isolation, and stereo panning is also on point.

Some virtual surround sound would have helped a bit with audio positioning but that may be asking for too much for a headset in the sub £30 price bracket. It is also important to note that there are third-party software solutions for virtual surround.

Comfort is always an important factor when it comes to buying a headset. The Shark Zone H10 features firm padding on the headband as well as on the ear cups. I had no issues with clamping pressure while wearing the headset for several hours at a time and the ear cups fit well.

The only problem I really have with this headset in terms of design is the yellow rubber cable- it simply attracts black marks and smudges too easily. However, this is rather picky, if Shark Zone had used a black cable or a braided cable like on the M20 mouse, then this problem would be solved.

Sound quality is good and the headset is comfortable enough but microphone quality is also of great importance. In order to test the Shark Zone H10 microphone, I hopped on a view Skype calls and Team Speak servers.

In all, the microphone performs well, it is fixed in place so it does not bend in to position.

My voice came across clearly and the microphone did a good job of picking up my voice without the need to boost it via software.  There was no distortion or feedback noise, which can be common in lower end headset microphones.

That said, noise cancellation could have been better, key strokes, mouse clicks and fans spinning in the room can be audible. This sort of thing can be fixed with a noise gate though, Team Speak has a pretty good one built-in but in order to set 0ne up across all programs you will need a third-party application like NoiseGator.

Overall, I am pleased with the Sharkoon Shark Zone H10 Stereo gaming headset – it is inexpensive and provides good value. It is clear that Sharkoon has a knack for delivering value – we were also impressed with the Shark Zone M20 gaming mouse, which we recently reviewed.

While the headset's padding is firm, it is comfortable enough to wear for long periods of time and the clamping pressure won't give you a headache.

Sound quality is well above average – the 40mm drivers are adjusted to give a fairly even sound across a range of frequencies … this does mean that different layers of sound are easy to pick out, whether it be the ambient noise while sneaking around the space station in Alien Isolation or listening out for footsteps in Counter-Strike.

I quite like the yellow and black color scheme, although others may prefer something a bit more traditional. That said though, the rubber yellow cable does attract black marks easily, if it were a different color then this would not be an issue.

There are better headsets out there but they come in at a significantly higher price point. The Shark Zone H10 can be found on Amazon for around £25 – at this price, it seems to compete well in the market and is certainly worth considering.

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Pros:

• Comfortable.
• 40mm drivers deliver decent sound.
• Can't argue with the price.

Cons:

• Color scheme won't be for everyone.

KitGuru Says: Sharkoon has delivered a good headset. If you don't feel like springing for one of the more expensive brands, then the H10 is certainly worth considering.

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