AOSO J9 – 7.1 Gaming Headphone Review

19/04/2017

The AOSO J9 headset offers ‘Gamer Style’ & ‘Gamer Bass’ at a low price point but ultimately lacks comfort

Picking a decent pair of gaming headphones has become a ludicrously difficult challenge as the market has been swamped with headsets catering to all price ranges, especially the budget market.

We’re living in a time where unless you want to pay the big bucks for one of the well known gaming headphone brands you can often feel left in the dark when it comes to choosing a decent and reliable pair of cans.

Well hopefully I can light up this space a little more with another budget gaming headset review. This time I got my hands on the AOSO J9 7.1 Pro Gaming Headset which have been glued to my head for the last week so I can see how it fares when it comes to Sound Quality, Comfort, Design & Build Quality.

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First, check out my AOSO J9 Pro’s & Cons below before I look at each section in detail before finally deciding whether the J9’s deserve your time and money.

The J9 price tends to fluctuate a little but at the time of writing this review I found them on special offer at only £11.99 in the UK. Typically you can expect to pay a little more than this.

Pro’s

The BASS
Low Price Tag
LED Effect

Con’s

Un-even Ear Pressure Distribution
The ear padding is too firm for me.
The Cable is unwieldy.

Design & Build Quality

I’m in two minds about the design of the AOSO J9 headphones. On the one hand I quite like the copper effect (actually plastic) design complemented by the glowing Blue LEDs in the mesh side grills. On the other hand, I really dislike the cable which, to me anyway, resembles the look and feel of a steel wire bike lock and can be quite unwieldy.

The headphones use a gold plated standard USB connection and keep it simple with the only physical control being a volume wheel on the left ear-cup. It’d be nice to see a mute button somewhere as it’s aimed at gamers and comes with a built-in microphone.

When it comes to build quality the J9’s feel pretty sturdy and are mainly made from a painted plastic with the exception of the bendy metal micr0phone cable. A nice touch is that the USB cable has been fortified with a ridged plastic adapter which will help prolong the life of the headset.

You wouldn’t call these headphones premium but I couldn’t find any weak points in terms of build quality just build materials.

Comfort

I feel a little let down by the ergonomics and comfort on the AOSO J9’s. The ear cushioning isn’t the softest and the donut shaped sponge when combined with the dual-band arch didn’t distribute the pressure very evenly on my ears which lead to hot spots after around 20 minutes use.

Vertical ear adjustments are done through a soft band suspended between the dual plastic arches. The soft padded band is attached the headphones via two elasticated steel wires on each side adjusting automatically when you place the headphones on. This works pretty well with the right amount of elastic pressure to prevent them drooping or sliding back up your head.

I’m quite sensitive when it comes to headphone pressure and like a light grip. For this reason I didn’t get on too well with the J9’s but everyone’s head shape is different so I won’t write the J9’s off just yet.

Sound Quality

So most importantly, how do the AOSO J9’s sound when cranked up to 100% for a gaming session?

Side note: To test the headphones I used Razer’s Virtual 7.1 surround sound software and Modern Warfare for the PC.

Gaming on these J9’s was a pleasurable experience with a definite emphasis on the heavy atmospheric bass. I was also able to crank the headphones up to maximum volume without noticing any distortion or ruining the sound quality as well so top marks there.

The sound profile on the J9’s is certainly tuned towards bass heavy gaming situations and for the price I feel the 50mm drivers do a good job. The J9’s don’t match the 3D surround sound stage of my HyperX Cloud Revolvers but they don’t have as they sell for a fraction of the price.

Overall the J9′ are a good entry level gaming headset that perform well when it comes to bass and sit in the middle in terms of clarity and sound stage.

Final Thoughts on the AOSO J9 Headphones

Whilst I feel that you’re getting quality sound quality for the price in a well built package the comfort and design let me down. The headphones look great but that unwieldy plastic wrapped cable just gets in the way and feels awkward. The lack of a mute button also is a big negative on a gaming headset.

Personally, I didn’t find the headphones very comfortable but I’m the first to admit I’m super fussy about headphone pressure.

Do I recommend the AOSO J9’s? Only if the idea of the bike lock for a headphones cable gets your tech buds tingling. Just kidding, they are cheap and cheerful but, personally, I would spend a little extra for improved comfort and extra inline controls.