Customer Reviews

Plantronics GameCom 777 Surround Sound Gaming Headset with Dolby Technology

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(30)
3 star:		(17)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

I was expecting an awful lot, getting my hands and ears on Plantronics new 777 Gaming Headset. I still, to this day, absolutely love Plantronics 3D Surround Sound Gaming Headset (USB Full Range Stereo) (Audio 770), which you can find my review for here at Amazon. That headset is probably the most comfortable I've ever owned, had great sound quality and was just an all around good headset, minus a few annoyances.

So, when I had the opportunity of trying the new GameCom 777 Surround Sound Gaming Headset, I was hoping for huge improvements. Instead, I'm finding myself liking it but putting it aside for the 770.

First, the good. My biggest complaint with the previous 770 model was the USB connector that stood out a few inches. It's easy to knock into and I've had a friend break his on accident, basically ruining it. The 777 model comes with a similar dongle, but, as you can see from the pictures, it's a small square that hangs from the USB connector on your PC. This makes it a lot less easy to break and works fine. Another step up is the fact that the mic actually stays in place (my 770's mic started drooping and won't stay in place now) and also has an extender. I also like the fact that it's difficult to accidentally mute yourself since it's an actual sliding switch as opposed to an easily-pressed button.

So that's the good stuff. Unfortunately, everything else feels like a step back. I don't know why they changed the actual design of the headset. It envelopes my ears like the other one, which is nice, but I find the bottom of the earphones snaps shut like jaws on my jaw, pressing hard and eventually giving me headaches. Likewise, the top of the headset has a nice cushion, but it's nowhere as comfortable as the previous design which might have looked like a torture device but felt like air. The comfort factor of this one is better than some of the Logitech's I've had the displeasure of wearing, but it's nowhere near the comfort level of the 770.

Then there's the sound quality which is decent but it isn't surround sound, don't let it fool you. The previous model also promised surround sound and didn't deliver, but when you have the product page telling you it's 5.1 dolby surround I expected something more than I got. The sound doesn't feel as full as the 770 and voices if you use a VoIP like Ventrilo don't sound as nice; they sound a bit on the tinny side.

Finally, there's the biggest offense. I'm not a tech newbie, but it took me forever to set up this device (which comes with no directions, mind you). When I plugged it in, my PC discovered three different audio choices (speakers, headset and some other sound device). Thinking the obvious choice was headset, I spent forever trying to get them to register sound. After they wouldn't, I eventually migrated to the other choices and discovered that speakers was the one you're supposed to use. But the problems didn't stop there. Every time I turn on my PC it's a crapshoot whether the PC will register the headset. I've had to unplug and replug the USB dongle in more than a few times just so it'll register, sometimes necessitating me working with the audio settings again since they sometimes reset. I've never had that problem before and I don't have it with any other device, audio or no.

The 770 was a five star product that had a few design flaws that brought the rating down. The 777 is many steps below that previous product and I'm feeling a tad generous giving it a three star rating. It's a decent headset with okay sound quality and a nice mic with great mic quality for everyone else. But there's even more design flaws and technical problems than the previous headset and I can't recommend it as much as I thought I would. For my money, I'd purchase the cheaper and much better 770.

I've been through dozens of headsets in my MMO gaming career. Cords get worn from rubbing on the edges of desks, chairs and hoodie zippers. Mics are always flimsy and in the way when not in direct use. So many have poor sound quality even in the $50+ range. So finding a good headset is like trying to find the lost city of Atlantis.

Reading all of the features on this one though... you'd think it may just be the perfect one. The easy-to-adjust with one hand volume controls are a personal favorite. Any gamer knows you need both hands free the majority of the time. The ability to tuck the mic away in a safe place when not in use was actually what sold me on the headset and so far I LOVE it. I was worried it would be a right-side mic but it is a lefty (which I need) so if you prefer a right-sider this one won't work well for you. The sound quality is excellent and the fact that these are made so I can hear the phone ring or my kids calling for me while I play is very much a bonus. No more listening to people gripe because I didn't hear them talking to me.

BUT... after several weeks of using this headset and hoping that breaking it in would help... it's just way too tight. My head is average in size and while it sits comfortably on top with the well cushioned padding, the sides pinch so bad they give me a headache after only a couple of hours. If they were just an inch or so less tight or perhaps just a little less rounded in plastic structure they'd be an excellent set for the money.

Unfortunately I think I'm gonna offer these to one of my kids who have a smaller noggin' to cram into them and look for something similar without the brainsquishing tension. If you have a tiny head these may be perfect for you but I highly doubt anyone can wear these comfortably for more than a couple of hours.

The Plantronics GameCom 777 Surround Sound Gaming Headset with Dolby Technology exceeded my expectations regarding comfort, which were admittedly quite low. I was really prepared for the worst because of all of the negative reviews of this product describing it like a "vice-grip" in the discomfort department. I had been in the market for a gaming set for PC gaming (think FPS) but I was reluctant to pull the trigger. I primarily buy headsets for music or general use. I knew I didn't want to spend the dollars that most high end gaming sets would require. I got to try these out and am glad to say that I now have a pair of my own.

COMFORT

I find the cushions on the ear-pieces and the head-band to be nice and soft. They have a velvet cloth covering them. Whatever the reason, these are definitely more comfortable than many headphones I use regularly. So there is a possibility that because I have spent so much time testing and using entry level headsets that these feel comfortable by comparison. Either way, I cannot report the pinching tightness that others here have written about.

I originally wondered if those complaining about excessive tightness had actually adjusted the headset arms out from the center band. They are adjustable, and mine seemed to adjust on their own when I put them on. But after reconsidering it, I actually shortened the band all the way and noticed that it seemed to relieve the pressure on the bottom of the earpads instead of increasing it. That was my first clue that my case was unique. Luckily these never felt tight on my head. I used to think I had an average sized to slightly large head. Perhaps my head is just smaller than the average. So as far as tightness goes, I think the adjustable bands may only help a little. If these feel too tight, you really need to stretch out the band by opening this pair over something to relieve the tightness. Opening them over a few books and leaving them for a day or two would probably work well for that purpose. Try to expand out the earphones as far as you can, and if that doesn't work I recommend having a friend with a larger head wear them for a while before you do. :)

SOUND

Sound quality is a subjective area. I tried these both with and without the Dolby digital USB dongle. Without the USB dongle, it's hard for me not to notice that the sound quality was very average. Even my cheap pair of standby music headphones, the Sennheiser HD201 Headphones sound louder and clearer at the same volume settings. So for multi-media use, these are underwhelming using standard connections.

However, with the Dolby USB dongle the sound quality really does come alive for gaming. I was half expecting that dongle to have no impact, because it looks somewhat like a gimmick. Originally, I noticed that the sound didn't improve on one of my laptops while it was noticably better on another. My first assumption was that the dongle required input from a system with a Dolby capable sound-card. Most new systems are Dolby capable, but you have to make sure it is activated. Now it seems like people are implying that the dongle itself has a Dolby processor in it. That surprises me because of the limited power output of USB2.0, but the truth is I am not exactly sure why the Dolby sound was so much better on the one system verus the other. I will have to look into this a little more.

It may depend what kind of game you are playing, but for FPS it seemed to make a noticeable difference. I still use a different set of headphones for music, but for gaming you almost have to use the Dolby in order to justify this purchase. So if you don't notice a difference between the standard stereo sound and the sound with the USB dongle, rest assured that something needs to be adjusted because it should sound better.

MICROPHONE

The microphone worked fine for me. Once again, I was definitely sensitive to reports that the microphone was not very well situated for voice. I don't use the mic often, but I have a recording application on my PC that I used to test the mic. It sounded good. I would make sure that there are no software issues distoring your mic if you have problems. If that is not it, you may want to replace your set as you likely just got a dud.

CONCLUSION

I have suffered the head-pinching feeling with other headsets before, so I don't know why these didn't bother me as much. All the warnings had me hyper sensitive to that aspect, but these headphones definitely were more comfortable than I expected. The sound quality is only average when plugging in with the standard connections, but once you use the Dolby USB dongle this headset will add a lot of dimension to gaming. I can't comment on how they sound on consoles yet because I haven't tried them yet for that purpose. But for PC gaming, these perform well given the price.

Give these a try and make sure you have broken in the headband and adjusted the arms if you feel discomfort.

Enjoy.

So i couldnt find any hard facts on this headset for the ps3 so i bought this item not knowing if it would work or not on the PS3 system. Well i did get it to work which i will explain below but its not as easy as it should be.

If you plug this headset in with the provided adapter then only the microphone works and you get know actual in game sound. This is annoying and stupid but to get it game sound you must first plug the usb adapter into the ps3 and turn it on, it should have a blue light on. Then plug only the 3.5mm jack with the mic on it into the designated mic slot on the usb adapter. DO NOT PLUG IN THE ONE WITH THE HEADPHONE ICON INTO THE ADAPTER. this means you only have one of the two 3.5mm jacks plugged in. To get the sound to work you have to use a 3.5mm extender running from the other 3.5 mm jack to your TVs headphone jack. Annoying right? anyways once that is done you must then go into accessory settings on your ps3. scroll down to audio device settings. For mic input you have to change it to usb device. Then for mic output you choose system default device. Finally you are all set and ready to go. For some reason i have to turn up my tv really loud to get even a medium amount of sound. But so far this is the only way to get these to work on a ps3 system that i know of.

As for the headphones themselves, they are super tight at first but i ind them getting more comfortable. I think its just my head getting used to the sqeezing and my head is not big, 7 3/8 hat size. The dolby isnt really 5.1 surround i didnt notice a difference in sound going from a pc using the usb adapter and the ps3 which isnt completely using the adapter. Just a dolby gimmick if you ask me. The mic sound quality is good but can be fragile. Make sure to keep it folded up if not using mic. I bent mine a lil jus setting them on the floor. my fault but be careful. They are also large. I know they were gonna be big but there a little overwhelming to me. For the price i say it was a decent buy. If your a p3 gamer and play COD these work fine but the steps taken to get them to work were a little annoying. These obviously arent for everyone if you dont want more wires goin to your tv and you MUST have a headphone jack in your tv. I gave these 3 stars because how tight they were and the cost/utility to me. I hope this helps those in the dark ps3 players and happy gaming.

Recently bought this headset so some of my thoughts may change over time but here is my initial impression after about a week of use:

The materials on this headset are quite good. Compared to other virtual surround sound headsets, you would think the price point on this one came from cheap materials but it really doesn't feel that way. The padding is quite nice and you can tell the plastic used on these will last quite some time. Although I would not test them from impact abuse, these will not wear out from general usage like some other headsets in the same price bracket.

The mic is good. I haven't tested it a whole bunch online but I have never seen other reviewers comeplain. I still LAN periodically (old school!) and I like that I can tuck this away and not worry if it will get snapped off in my travel bag. Also, I watch movies and TV quite a lot on my computer and I like being able to get this out of my face while I munch on popcorn or something.

The surround sound is deceptively easy to set up. Plantronics plays this off as a plug and play type model which is only partially true. It is plug and play in so far as it come with no bundeled software to figure out (I actually would have appreciated greater functionality and tweeking ability of bundled software). I have tested a few different alternatives to virtual surround. SRS has a program called sandbox that does this with any stereo headset and I have also tested the Dolby Headphone tech that comes bundled in PowerDVD software. I felt that these two did a much better job converting the sound to virtual surround. I haven't really put this up against a blockbuster DVD where this would be really apparent but I did try it with an FPS and found the positional location to be average to above average but not excellent. This is where some software would've been nice. Both of the other two examples, of virtual surround I mentioned here had multiple settings that you could adjust the surround settings to improve this. Virtual surround realies on some pretty complex equations which partially include the distance of the speakers to your ears. Since everyone is different, the SRS program for example, had setting that allowed you to kinda mess with this a little. That way everyone could find the "sweet spot" for the best positional sound for their particular ears. It woulda been nice to have a small amount of that tweekability on these.

That said, there are a few things you can do. First, keep in mind that I this device is designed to take a STEREO singal and convert it to virtual surround. I found that the sound in general improved when I set windows to stereo headset rather than 5.1. When I had it on 5.1 in windows settings, the audio sounded extrememly hollow. This is a commmon criticism I have seen of this headset elsewhere and I wonder if people just had their settings set incorrectly. I will say this may vary from person to person and comp to comp. The point is, this headset is not exactly plug and play because you may have to mess around with both the windows settings and the settings in whatever program you are using to come up with the best results. The other thing I will say here is that I must admit I went two days with this thing not realizing that I didn't have the dolby unit turned on. Make sure the blue light is showing.

As for stereo listening, this thing does a pretty good job. To be honest, the thing that irritates me the most about the sound on this headset is that the bass is actually too strong. It sounds overly amplified and not natural. This can really be annoying to those whole like to listen to classical or jazz. Those who listen to pop or rap may find this to be exactly what they want. This also works okay in movies but can sometimes get overbearing in certain games. For example, when I am standing next to a fire elemental in WOW, the bass is just constant because of the fire noise they have and I actually had to turn the headset down. When you do this, you lose a ton of the mid-range at low levels. So, anyway, this is not a perfect sound field is what I am saying. This is also why I would've appreciated some bundled software with at the very less an EQ to mess with.

The other complaint I was seeing that I was worried about for this headset was comfort. This is highly subjective so I am always skeptical of people who simply say "this was the most uncomfortable headset I have ever owned" and then don't say a words as to why. The padding on these looked exceptional so I took a chance. I find these to be moderately confortable but I am coming from a Logitech behind the head set that was the most comfortable thing I had ever used. There are two things about this headset that may make it uncomfortable for certain users. First, beyond the padding that goes around your ear, there is no padding inside the cups. There is a thin sheet of foam over the speakers and that is it. If you have big ears or ones that stick out a bit, you will feel hard plastic up against your ear cartilidge (sp?). This could get annoying. Second, the way they have the size adjustments on these are a little strange. Because of the curved headband (it curves all the way around not just at the top), it creates an odd phenomenon as you lengthen the band. As you pull the bands out, the ear pieces actually get pushed inward. Now, this is tempered by the fact that they seem to have slightly less force pressing in on them as they are expanded but it does make them hard to adjust. You end up having to strike a balance between band length and how much pressure it puts on your head. I can imagine that this relies highly on having certain head proportions. I happen to have a pretty average head I guess so this is no big deal. However, I wonder what someone with a thick or long head would do with these. It might be virtually impossible for them to figure out a good band length without crushing their skull (a complaint you hear from some users). Anyway, just keep that in mind before purchasing. If you got a big noggin you might look elsewhere. On the other hand, these are very snug and are not likely to fall off even with quite a bit of movment or tugging. I could probably do an exercise video with these on and they wouldn't fall off (not recommended).

The final thing I was partially annoyed with is that they did not list the cord length in their specs - not even at their home website. This is always a key piece of information for any user. From me to you: it is about 7 feet long.

Summary: The headset is made of solid materials. It provides average sound and surround capabilities. It is at a hell of a price point. The design is smart. It is best for movies and games and probably not so good for most music listening. Probably comfortable for some users and not others. It has the potential to be vastly improved if you can find an equalizer program that can be coupled with this.

I'm an avid gamer and play a lot of FPS! I just got this today and played with it on for about 2 hours. Like most of the other reviews said, it does feel like a vice grip on your head for those breaking periods, but what new pair doesn't? It was a little difficult to get setup because the package doesn't come with instructions and the plantronics website wasn't much of a help either. I'm running vista and had to go through the sound driver built in to ensure that my mic worked via the USB dongle that comes with the headset.

Overall if you're a little savvy with computers or aren't afraid to mess with the sound drivers on your computer then this is a must buy! If you don't want to mess with it then you can opt to not use the dongle (then the headset just has 2 regular headphone jacks), but if you do there are plenty of cheaper headsets out there that just put out stereo rather than synthesized surround sound.

The surround sound synthesizer is pretty good. You definitely feel like you're in a great hall with stereos blasting you, but it sounds a little metallic at first. For all you audiophiles I would just get surround speakers instead.

Pretty nice headphones, I'm glad I purchased them. Great for hobby and casual gamer, not for professionals, still sound great though.

Sound quality
They are for gaming and precise listening. The bass for songs isn't too great, unless you set them up to be. The quality without the usb sound card is pretty good. But the usb sound card made these headphones -amazing-. After setting up the usb card (Control Panel>Sound>Set USB as default device) my music became amazing. Please use the usb sound card, you'll love it. I can hear every single instrument in my music but the treble is a little high.. but I adjusted it in my sound equalizer. For gaming I only tried it out a little bit, but they are really nice for hearing everything loud and clear.
The microphone is pretty nice too. I don't know why people are complaining about it. It tucks away in the side and can even extend farther towards your face.

Another thing about sound quality. If you have them about 1/4 - 1/2 you can still carry a conversation, but after 3/4.. you can't hear too much around you. And if you crank them up, people can hear your music a bit. Not as closed listening as I thought.

Ease of use
Had to go into Control panel>sound>Set usb card as default.. wasn't too difficult. If it's not plugged into a computer, everything works pretty well. The dials and switches on the headset and cord are pretty convenient. You may want to get a rubber band or something because the cord is long

Comfort
Pretty comfy headphones. Pretty big also. This headset seems like it is tight on my head, but after a few seconds I forget they were on. I easily sat there for hours with the headset on.


Durability
Durability doesn't seem too high with these. Not really made for travel, but if you take care of them they won't break. The biggest issue is the adjustment for head size seems a little cheaply made. But I'll just see how it goes. I don't think it will be a problem. The cord and all of the knobs are pretty good quality.

Look
I'm a pretty basic guy when it comes to look. I like the ways these look, nothing too fancy. The side panel is pretty cool looking. They look big on my small head.

Overall I think I will enjoy these. They give you a alternative when you need to be more quiet in a room. Clear sound quality, awesome sound card, and comfy is what I like most. I'm also a sound fanatic.. so these are living up to some big standards.

I bought one of these deciding i wanted to get my self a quality heavy duty pair of heads, after wearing them for about a month one day when pulling them apart a little to put them on my head the band on the mic side cracked in half.. After mentioning this to a couple other people who have also bought these, they stated that there pairs have also broken in the exact same place.e

So if you do buy a pair of these be careful as they seem fragile on the band of the mic side.

Alright, first off, anyone who had trouble setting this up on PC, is a failure. I plugged it in, the end. I don't see how people are complaining about getting it to register sounds, I plugged it in, and it worked as a headset.

Now, I noticed immediately, it wasn't giving any surround (Remember noobs to tech world, Dolby Pro Logic II is mostly emulated, not a true surround.) I did some digging on my computer, and found almost 100% of speaker settings, were set to headset, which means the computer was purposely only giving me two channels of sound, so, no duh, the headset only output just that.

After going into control panel, and setting it to surround speakers, then going in WoW (World of Warcraft) and tweaking the audio there, I was at first, slightly confused, then amazed by the sound quality; and the feeling of surround, it was pretty accurate. (IMO) I'll try some Left 4 Dead today, and maybe some Counter-Strike to determine just how accurate it is.

The bass on these things, is pretty good; it's picks up mainly deep bass, and makes it sort of lofty; not hard hitting like lil buds, which is good; if you're doing several things at one time, it sounds like it seperates all the sounds, which takes some getting used to as well.

As far as vent and talking over that, I haven't tried it for that yet, but I'm sure it'll perform up to par.


I also find them VERY comfortable; I admittedly have a big head; and these things feel great, they cover my ear, instead of resting on them; and after getting used to them, you can barely tell they're on your head. (I'm used to tight fitting Microsoft Livechat headphones, which aren't bad, but not on par with the 777).

Now, the cord, and the "on hand" volume control, in my opinion is a bit hockey. I think for the amount I paid at best buy that the cord would be threaded; but it's not, and the volume swivel is alil cheap feeling; though I'll probably never use it for it's purpose.


Overall, I'd definitely recommend this product to a friend, they're very nice, especially if you're just upgradin from "normal" headsets.

I needed a replacement for my previous REALLY cheap headset and looked around quite a bit before I settled on this one. I've always been curious about Plantronics and the whole virtual surround sound kind of intrigued me. So I put it in my cart and waited for the price to go down.

And down it went. Two Jacksons and a Hamilton and it was on the way! I had the requisite "issue" liberating it from its packaging, but once out, I plugged it into the USB adaptor (included) and then plugged it into my Dell/Vista box and was off and listening to creepy baddies in Bioshock stalking me. And I could tell from what direction they were coming.

I have no idea how they do that. I mean, c'mon, it's like what... two speakers on my head and yet I can tell if something is not only on my left or right (pretty basic) but whether it's in front or back; up or down or any combination thereof. Nice.

The microphone storage is just like they describe. When it's stored, you don't even know the headset has one. When it's deployed, it's one solid piece. You can't bend it to fit, but then again, you don't need to. The boom holds the microphone about two finger widths away from your cheek, maybe halfway between your ear and the corner of your mouth.

I have Vista and I like to use the built in voice recognition feature and I thought that for sure that the placement of the microphone would make it extremely difficult for the program to recognize my words. Nothing could be further from the truth! I can speak in a very low tone of voice. The same tone I would use to talk to someone next to me in a meeting, for example, and the program has no trouble understanding me. It's pretty awesome to surf the web, open, use and close applications for an hour or more without ever touching the keyboard or mouse. But that gets into reviewing a feature of Vista, which is not the point.

It is worth noting that if you wish to change back and forth from your speakers to the headphones you should plug or unplug the headphones before you activate the application in question. For example, if I'm playing a game online without the headphones and I want to watch a movie on Netflix, if I simply plug in the headphones, the sound still gets sent to the speakers. To use the headphones, I have to close the browser, plug them in then restart the browser. I'm assuming that such would be the case with any headphone plugged into a USB port instead of the headphone jack, so that has no bearing on my rating.

My giving this four stars is because of the comfort factor. The headphone part is padded... slightly. The part that goes over the top of your head is generously padded. Oh, and it's cloth padding all around. No sweaty vinyl. But they do get to be a little uncomfortable after watching a two hour movie.

Anyway, bottom line is that I would definitely recommend these for anyone except for die hard audiophiles and I would buy them again without a second thought.