At first we would like to thank Creative for offering us a sample of their HS-720 V2 USB Headset with Noise-canceling Condenser Mic for testing and reviewing.

 

 

 

About Creative:

 

“Creative is the worldwide leader in digital entertainment products. Founded in Singapore in 1981, Creative started with the vision that multimedia would revolutionize the way people interact with their PCs.

 

Famous for its Sound Blaster sound cards and for launching the multimedia revolution, Creative is now driving digital entertainment with cutting-edge audio solutions, premium wireless speakers, high performance earphone products and portable media devices. The company's innovative hardware, proprietary technology, applications and services enable consumers to experience high-quality digital entertainment - anytime, anywhere.

 

Since launching the phenomenally successful Sound Blaster sound cards and setting the de-facto standard for PC audio in 1989, Creative has been able to leverage on its leading-edge audio technology, a huge user base of 400 million, and strong brand name to expand into the exciting lifestyle Personal Digital Entertainment (PDE) market.

 

Creative is now well recognized as a global leader for product innovation in the audio and PDE segments, offering consumers a complete, high quality digital entertainment experience through Creative's hardware, software applications and services. Finding the perfect balance between form and function, Creative strives for every product to be a sensory feast for the eyes and ears.

 

Today, Creative is spearheading new product categories with its groundbreaking Sound BlasterAxx audio enhancement devices and solutions, highly-acclaimed Creative D5xm Signature Series of modular Bluetooth wireless speakers, Aurvana premium headsets, Sound Blaster wireless gaming headsets, and cross-platform Sound Blaster Recon3D for Xbox 360, Playstation 3, PC or Mac.

 

These products and solutions are marketed to consumers and system integrators through a worldwide distribution network that includes traditional marketing channels, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and the Internet.

 

Moving forward, Creative's mission is to expand its leadership role in the lifestyle Personal Digital Entertainment market, using groundbreaking technology and leading-edge designs for not just the technically-savvy consumers, but for everyone who enjoys entertainment. With strong focus on user-friendly interface, multiple features and cool industrial designs, the Creative brand is synonymous with lifestyle Personal Digital Entertainment.

 

Creative's global corporate headquarters is located in Singapore, in the heart of the Asia-Pacific region. It has regional business units in the US (Milpitas, California), Europe (Dublin, Ireland) and Asia (Singapore).

 

Creative is a public listed company on the main board of the Singapore Exchange (SGX) since June 1994.”

 

BE HEARD CLEARLY WITH NOISE-CANCELLING MIC

Featuring a passive noise-cancelling condenser mic, the Creative HS-720 V2 lets you speak clearly to your bosses and co-workers during any video call. The headset’s boom mic picks up your voice over the surrounding noises so that you are heard without audible disruptions from the background, keeping your audience focused on what you have to say. Besides, the flexible boom microphone allows you to easily adjust it to any angle for the right fit

KEEP TRACK OF YOUR VOLUME VIA MIC-MONITORING FEATURE

Hear how loud you sound to others during an online video call with the mic-monitoring (sidetone) feature on the Creative HS-720 V2. This feature plays your own voice back into your ears, allowing you to consciously adjust your speaking volume when necessary, and so you can speak more comfortably and confidently to the team

QUICK ACCESS TO MIC MUTE AND CALLS PICK-UP

Without having to go back to the conference call’s app screen to mute or unmute yourself, the HS-720 V2 comes with an integrated mic button located on the headset's inline remote. While muted, the mic button will light up in red so that you are aware of your mic’s status.

Besides, the inline control also features a direct call pick-up button as well as the volume and playback buttons, all conveniently located at your fingertips

BE MEETING-READY IN SECONDS VIA SIMPLE USB PLUG-AND-PLAY

Without the need to install any extra software or to fiddle with settings, the Creative HS-720 V2 works immediately once it is plugged in via the USB-A port. This simple plug-and-play headset is suitable for use with any PC or Mac laptops or computers, and works with all the popular online conference apps like Microsoft Teams, Skype, Zoom, and Cisco WebEx

LIGHTWEIGHT AND COMFORTABLE WITH GREAT AUDIO PERFORMANCE

The Creative HS-720 V2 is designed to be lightweight (135g / 4.76 oz) so that you can wear it for long hours on end without feeling weighed down. At 2m (6.56 ft), the cable length provides just enough buffer for you to move around or stand up to stretch whilst in a long meeting. The headset is also equipped with 30 mm Neodymium drivers that are faithfully tuned to deliver powerful acoustics and enhanced digital audio for all use scenarios

 

Interface: USB-A

Product Type: Wired Headset

Weight: Headset: 135g (4.76 oz)

Color: Headphone: Black, USB cable: Black

Frequency Response: 20–20,000 Hz

Cable Length: 2m / 6.5 ft

Driver: 30 mm (1.18 inches) Neodymium magnet

Wearing Style: On-ear

Microphone: Frequency Response: 100–18,000 Hz

Sensitivity: - 42 dBV / Pa

Type: Noise cancelling condenser x 1

Operating Temperature: 0–45°C

Music playback and calls control: Yes

Supported Operating Systems: Windows® 8.1, Windows® 10, Windows® 8, Mac OS X v10.9 and above

 

Just recently, Creative has sent us one of their peripherals meant to help users which are frequently on calls in different applications such as Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, Zoom and so on. The product is a very light USB headset featuring a noise-cancelling condenser microphone but also 30mm Neodymium drivers; unlike previous models we have tested so far, this one is over-ear, which can pose sometimes difficulties to people wearing glasses but let’s not get ahead of ourselves and test out the product first!

 

The HS-720 V2 headset is shipped inside a compact cardboard packaging; on one of the box sides we will note the main highlights of the product but also its very low weight of about 135 grams:

 

 

 

Moving on, we will note the product specifications, along with the list of package contents:

 

 

 

The opposite side will inform us on the functionality of the in-line remote, but also the list of compatible conference applications:

 

 

 

On the back, we will note the main product features in multiple languages but also the product code name and serial number:

 

 

 

After removing the top packaging layer, we will note an additional cardboard layer in which the headset is held securely:

 

 

 

Besides the HS-720 V2, which is wrapped inside a transparent plastic bag, we will also receive the Quick Start Guide, the Worldwide Compliance leaflet but also the Worldwide Warranty leaflet:

 

 

 

The Quick Start Guide is quite useful because from here we can learn the main product components but also how the remote buttons do operate in calls or when working with other multimedia content:

 

 

 

The headset does come with a simple design when comparing to other on-ear models and right from the start we can note different thickness for the cable on the left and right side of the remote; this was done specifically in order to increase product comfort and make the upper cable more flexible:

 

 

 

On the outside of the right cup we will note a subtle Creative logo:

 

 

 

The earcups can be adjusted in two different directions, to fit any head shape and size:

 

 

 

 

On the inside we will note thick leatherette padding which covers the 30mm Neodymium drivers:

 

 

 

The headband can be easily adjusted as well:

 

 

 

Thick padding can be found in the upper area, for enhancing comfort:

 

 

 

The left cup does come with a similar design, only here we do also have the microphone (non-removable):

 

 

 

The microphone is a noise cancelling condenser which means that it prioritizes your voice ahead of the background noises, to be clearly heard inside meetings. The body of the microphone is flexible, so it can be adjusted freely in the ideal position for a clear voice pickup:

 

 

 

Here is a closer look at the microphone casing as well; it does not feature a Mute function LED, this one has been moved to the remote:

 

 

 

The cable between the left earcup and the remote is more flexible than the rest and short in order not to add unnecessary extra weight:

 

 

 

The in-line remote does feature a black Creative logo on the back (piano-black finish layer):

 

 

 

On the side it features the Volume -/+ buttons which can be used for navigating through tracks as well:

 

 

 

The top area includes a button for taking calls, Play/Pause and more! Here there is the microphone Mute button, which can also enable microphone monitoring; the LED lights up red so you know when you are on Mute:

 

 

 

 

The supplied cable is 2 meters long, so it should suffice for most applications:

 

 

 

The USB connector has a regular, compact shape:

 

 

 

We have connected the HS-720 V2 headset to our test laptop and started testing in Skype, but also in Discord. The sound tests in Skype did confirm the clarity of the microphone and was also mentioned by the person on the other side of the calls. At the same time, we were quite happy to see that the voices were rendered loud and clear, the volume control on the in-line remote being directly connected to the volume controls in Windows OS. After finishing testing the calls aspect of the headset, we moved on and listened to some vlogs on YouTube but also to some music clips; we were quite surprised that the 30mm Neodymium drivers could deliver quite a bit of bass without being overwhelming, especially at this price level!

 

Since we are dealing with an on-ear headset, we were curious to see how this model does feel after longer periods of use, while wearing computer glasses. Due to the very low weight and low pressure on the ears, you can barely feel them while in use, but after some time they would get hot due to the included leatherette and lack of skin breathing in the respective area.

 

The HS-720 V2 do not come with extra software but are strictly plug-and-play; this is a benefit when handed to less techy people in companies or at home, which prefer stuff to “just work”.

 

The headset can be found online for about 35 Euros, which is quite good for what Creative offers! In terms of warranty, we can expect two years in EU countries and only one year in non-EU areas.

 

Creative HS-720 V2 USB Headset with Noise-canceling Condenser Mic is Recommended for:

 

 

We would like to thank again to Creative for making this review possible!