At first, we would like to thank AQIRYS for offering us a sample of their ANDROMEDA Blue Gaming Headset for testing and reviewing.

 

 

 

About AQIRYS:

 

“AQIRYS is about IT products and hardware dedicated to gaming.

Our solutions are developed and perfected by a passionate team with over 15 years of expertise in the IT & gaming industry, heavily focused on variety, quality, and affordability.

We all are avid gamers, some of us even reaching pro levels. Top that with the excitement for PC modding and overclocking that was well established through our parent company about 13 years ago (the first company in our country to receive the NVIDIA SLI certification).

The whole experience we amassed from gaming and crafting super high-end PC’s is now put to work in developing the AQIRYS products.

Our final goal is to deliver these products in a cool, dynamic way to people who are keen or enthusiastic about PC gaming and modding, making them feel more satisfied than before.

Welcome to AQIRYS! The galaxy of gaming tools that will lead you to victory!

Fun fact

Our logo resembles the image of a galaxy, the AQIRYS galaxy, which revolves in the universe of gaming and technology. That is why most of our products will borrow their names from actual stars, planets or other celestial bodies. We invite you to check out the fun facts on each product page and discover some cool stuff about the actual Universe!”

 

DISCOVER ANDROMEDA BLUE

Prologue

Just like the actual Universe is expanding, so is the AQIRYS universe. If our cases impersonated the big bang, and let you SEE a new gaming universe unfolding, now the time has come for you to, also, HEAR it! We are thrilled to unveil our new gaming headsets, and we welcome you to the sound of AQIRYS!

Named after the closest spiral galaxy to the Milky Way - where our solar system is, ANDROMEDA takes our flagship headset a step further by adding 2.4 GHz Wireless connectivity and refining the design. You end up with the same fully equipped but enhanced headset that lets you dive deep into your gaming universe, plus this time you can experience it wirelessly in 360-degrees of brilliant audio!

Thanks to the 2-type wireless-wired connectivity, ANDROMEDA is compatible with PC, consoles, and mobile devices, offering a complete audio solution for all gaming enthusiasts!

FULL SPEED WIRELESS AUDIO

ANDROMEDA is powered by a highly integrated single-chip USB audio solution, embedding all essential analog modules such as dual DAC and headphone amplifier, ADC, microphone booster, and built-in pop noise reduction circuitry.

You can enjoy lag-free wireless 7.1 Surround Sound on your PC by connecting the headset using the included USB receiver and installing the AQIRYS software. The software supports XearTM sound effects for Windows OS and 48/44.1 kHz sampling rate for Playback and Recording.

IMPROVED 50 MM DRIVERS

Larger driver units produce richer and deeper acoustics than smaller counterparts, meaning that you will hear and feel every split-second of the action at higher fidelity.

By employing upgraded 50 mm drivers and placing them inside closed ear-cups, we passively cut out much of the outside noise and further enhanced the audio field of ANDROMEDA.

TEAMSPEAK CERTIFIED MIC PERFORMANCE

ANDROMEDA has passed the TeamSpeak certification process, the number one choice VoIP communication system for Online Gaming, and the de facto “voice of esports”! You are guaranteed to use natural, crystal clear, e-sport grade sound to communicate with your teammates for flawless coordination! The included sponge windscreen will help reduce the pressure over the mic membrane, avoiding unwanted voice distortion.

Furthermore, the Mic is detachable, so when matches are over, you can plug ANDROMEDA into your smartphone and take it for a stroll while listening to your favorite tracks with a cleaner, relaxed look

INTERCHANGEABLE EAR-PADS

Bold sound or enhanced comfort? You are free to customize your ANDROMEDA experience by using the leatherette pads for enriched audio or the fabric ones for more breathable and cooler wear. Both types are filled with memory foam to better conform to your head anatomy and included in the standard package!

REFINED DESIGN

ANDROMEDA’s brilliant audio could only be matched and paired with good ergonomics, clean design, and high-quality build. Soft memory-foam filled headband and ear-pads, elegantly stitched headband, aluminum frame, all these circumscribe to the above, having the sole purpose of delivering you a truly dependable and durable gaming headset!

 

Sound: 7.1 Virtual Surround

Frequency response: 20 Hz - 20 KHz

Sensitivity: 92 ± 3 dB

Impedance: 32 Ω

Driver size: 50 mm

Backlight: No

Microphone pattern: Omnidirectional

Microphone type: Removable

Microphone frequency response: 100 Hz - 10 KHz

Microphone sensitivity: -38 ± 3 dB

Microphone impedance: ? 2200 Ω

Noise cancelling: Yes

Microphone size: 6.0 x 2.7 mm

Headphone type: Over-ear

In-line remote: No

Connection type: Dual-mode - Wireless 2.4GHz, Wired

Battery: 1100mA / max charging time: 7h

Battery Life: Up to 17 hours

Operating distance: 10m

Connectors: 1x TRRS 3.5 mm jack (PS, XBOX, mobile), 2x TRS 3.5 mm jack (PC, stereo), USB 2.0 (Wireless receiver PC, Mobile with USB-A to USB Type-C adapter)

Cable length: 1m (audio cable) + 1 m (break-away) + 1.8 m (Micro-USB charging cable)

OS support: Microsoft Windows 7 or newer

Color: Black, Blue

Weight: 332 g

 

AQIRYS sent us an interesting wireless headset to check out, the ANDROMEDA Blue, which is the same ANDROMEDA model but with blue accents and a blue-colored frame. The product name comes from the closest spiral galaxy to the Milky Way, where our solar system is, employs 50mm drivers for well-represented lows, a 17-hour battery, virtual surround thanks to the integrated sound card with Xear sound effects, while the microphone is TeamSpeak certified.

 

The headset has arrived inside a quite large cardboard enclosure (you will see in a moment why), the manufacturer showing via small icons some of the main product highlights, but also compatibility with different platforms:

 

 

 

In-depth features are explained on the side of the box:

 

 

 

The opposite area does show some more info on the product, including the technical specifications; we will note here that AQIRYS has also mentioned the total capacity of the rechargeable battery, which is 1100 mAh:

 

 

 

 

The inside content is also shown via drawings and here we will also note the product name along with the product serial number:

 

 

 

On the back, we have a more detailed view of the product along with the wireless receiver and additional explanations:

 

 

 

After opening the box, we will note a lot of goodies inside:

 

 

 

First, we do have two leaflets, one thanking us for the acquisition and the other containing links to some online resources:

 

 

 

On their back, we do have use case scenarios depending on the product we are connecting to, while on the other we will note the saying “Who needs a wallhack when you can HEAR them loud and clear?”:

 

 

 

Moving on, we do have the Quick Start Guide together with a nice set of stickers:

 

 

 

The stickers are quite different in size, color or shape, so you have a lot of options to choose from:

 

 

 

The Quick Guide is quite helpful, showing the user all types of supported connections: wireless, wired via combo jack, but also wired via split microphone/headphone jacks:

 

 

 

 

As a bonus, we will receive a free small cloth mouse pad, sporting AQIRYS theme colors:

 

 

 

On the back, the mouse pad comes with a rubberized layer, so it won’t slip on the desk while gaming:

 

 

 

 

The ANDROMEDA Blue Gaming Headset is fully secured inside with sponge-like material and is surrounded by its hardware bundle:

 

 

 

Besides the stock set of leatherette earpads, we will also receive a secondary one from cloth material:

 

 

 

 

The removable microphone has a pre-applied filter, has a frequency response between 100Hz and 10kHz, a sensitivity of -38 =/- 3dB, while the impedance is set at 2200 ohms. It features an omnidirectional pickup pattern and comes with noise cancelling as well:

 

 

 

The connection to the headset is done via a jack plug, which is gold plated in order to obtain optimal contact:

 

 

 

The wireless dongle allows an operating wireless distance of about 10 meters and on the frontal area we will note a blue AQIRYS logo:

 

 

 

On its back, we have a similar design, only this time there is also an activity LED present; AQIRYS has chosen to go with this design so the LED won’t bother you, but instead it will illuminate the desk around the USB port (if you are using it with a laptop):

 

 

 

If we remove the protective plastic cover from the connector, we will note a standard USB 2.0 Type-A interface:

 

 

 

AQIRYS is also supplying a 4GB USB flash drive, containing the product drivers, with a design of a bracelet:

 

 

 

 

 

The bottom layer comes with even more hardware bundle!

 

 

 

Here we will have three different cables, but also an useful carry bag:

 

 

 

Besides the regular space to fit the headset, we will also get one extra compartment for the cables:

 

 

 

 

The AQIRYS logo is also noted here:

 

 

 

The micro-USB cable will be used for charging the headset battery and is fully braided, for additional durability:

 

 

 

Next, we do have the combo jack cable, which will be used with analog sources that have a single jack port for both headphones and the microphone, such as laptops or other mobile devices:

 

 

 

The last cable is basically an adapter which splits the signal to two different jacks (headphone, microphone), usually helpful when connecting to desktop computers:

 

 

 

ANDROMEDA Blue does have a compact footprint while not in used, even if the earpads and the headband are quite thick for added comfort:

 

 

 

On the outside of the earcups, we will find a blue AQIRYS logo on a smooth plastic black background:

 

 

 

The headband includes black plastic covers on both ends and on the inside we will see noted the audio channel:

 

 

 

The metallic frame is painted in a catchy blue color (as the stitching on the headband) and provides quite a bit of durability to the entire product:

 

 

 

On the left cup, we will note a Microphone mute LED, paired with a Microphone mute button; nearby we do have the Microphone jack port, with a small cut-out so it will help with the placement in the correct position:

 

 

 

Moving on, we will note the 3.5mm jack port for using the headset with the provided cable, while in analog mode but also the USB charging port:

 

 

 

Finally, we will find the Status LED (pairing, battery status), the Power LED but also the Volume wheel:

 

 

 

Underneath the earpads we will find large 50mm drivers with a frequency response between 20Hz up to 20KHz, a sensitivity of 92 +/- 3dB and an impedance of 32 ohms. These are specific to standard headphones meant for gaming:

 

 

 

The microphone can be adjusted as needed thanks to its flexible body:

 

 

 

The padded headband comes with good quality leatherette:

 

 

 

On the top of the cups, we will note some breathing orifices:

 

 

 

The AQIRYS logo is present on the top area of the headband as well:

 

 

 

After powering up the headset, we will note that the Status LED is quite visible and if the dongle is not active it will enter in pairing mode:

 

 

 

Before first use, we will be instructed by the software application to make sure that the corresponding interfaces are ticked in order to be able to configure it:

 

 

 

In this case, we do have separate configuration for both Speakers and Microphone and the interface is identical to the one we have seen with other headsets employing Xear (Cmedia) audio effects; the top info section can be toggled for revealing more info:

 

 

 

 

By clicking on the Microphone interface, only volume selection is available initially:

 

 

 

In order to access additional settings, you need to right click the interfaces; here are the settings for the headphones:

 

 

 

The Sample Rate area does only have one option to select:

 

 

 

From the Equalizer menu, we can choose one of the many presets available or go with Manual and create or own:

 

 

 

 

Xear Surround Headphone will create a multi-speaker experience with two different modes, while the virtual speaker placement depending on room size can be chosen as well:

 

 

 

Xear Audio Brilliant can restore the clarity and details of compressed audio in music and is found with all Xear-based headsets as well:

 

 

 

Bass response can be customized with a separate filter as well:

 

 

 

The volume normalization filter is next:

 

 

 

Perceived voice can be further enhanced via the Xear Voice Clarity filter:

 

 

 

Xear Surround Max can expand stereo audio content to each output channel; this option works only if the initial Surround Speaker option is selected:

 

 

 

The Microphone area has its own options we can choose from:

 

 

 

The Sample Rate remains fixed at 16KHz:

 

 

 

Voice morphing is available via Magic Voice:

 

 

 

Noise from different sources can be suppressed to a certain level via Noise Reduction filter:

 

 

 

The application offers more info regarding the drivers and firmware versions:

 

 

 

After checking out the drivers from Windows OS, found out that these were made by AlfaPlus Semiconductor, AlfaPlus IC being in charge of the wireless transmission:

 

 

 

After setting up ANDROMEDA Blue via the dedicated application, with the default EQ and the other filters deactivated, we fired up Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy and we were welcomed by the rich bass during fights, clear voices and the old music did sound really good as well! We have also run Dauntless, Spec Ops: The Line (an older title) and Forza Horizon 5…the 50mm drivers really help getting a richer experience overall and for a mainstream product we are really happy with the output. Microphone-wise, the product does not disappoint regarding quality; we have tried it in both Skype and Discord and we were heard on the other side loud and clear without any distortions.

 

With the headset on, we moved from room to room in our apartment and did not notice any interruptions, meaning that the 10-meter specification is correct. In order to conserve battery life, AQIRYS did not use RGB lighting on the headset, which would be quite useless anyway in normal use because you cannot see it while gaming.

 

Things we did not like regarding the ANDROMEDA Blue were two: the headset cannot be used while charging as we have seen with other wireless products from this area and when no audio is transmitted wireless, we noted a small background noise.

 

Thanks to the wired interface, the headset can be used with a multitude of other analog sound sources and the connectivity cables are offered as standard. The USB Flash Drive bracelet and AQIRYS mouse pad are complementary bonuses, while the second set of earpads are really useful when the stock ones do get worn out.

 

The AQIRYS ANDROMEDA Blue is available online for about 83 Euros, a fair price for what we are getting!

 

The product can be now purchased from the AQIRYS online store !

 

AQIRYS ANDROMEDA Blue Gaming Headset is Recommended for:

 

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