Roccat Elo 7.1 Air, analysis

Roccat, the Turtle Beach brand oriented towards eSports, has quickly become popular thanks to a strategy that is as simple as it is effective: quality products, with a clear orientation to the video game fan and with an affordable price. Today we tested the Roccat Elo 7.1 Air, your bet for gamers who don’t want cables.

The Roccat Elo 7.1 Air are presented in careful packaging and accompanied by a USB-C cable to recharge their batteries, a dongle USB-A for connection and a short quick guide, which we can complete with the manual available on the official website. These headphones are specially designed for the PC, although they also work on devices such as the PS4 or the Nintendo Switch.

The battle for gaming headphones that are around 100 euros is fierce and, therefore, it is increasingly difficult for manufacturers to stand out against their rivals. The Roccat Elo 7.1 Air bet on a robust design and a gamer aesthetic, with the detail of a backlit brand logo on the left ear cup.

Roccat Elo 7.1 Air, technical specifications

• Circumaural Headphones
• Wireless (2.4 GHz)
• Compatible with PC, PS4 and Nintendo Switch
• 345 grams of weight
• Autonomy 24 hours (3 hours of charge)
• Frequencies 20 Hz to 20000 Hz
• 50 mm transducers
• Neodymium transducers material
• USB-C cable length 1.65 m
• Integrated microphone.
• Virtual 7.1 sound.

The build quality is correct, combining the metal in areas such as the head suspension frame and hinges with medium quality plastics. Their size, rather large (they weigh 350 grams), also allows them to adapt to any head shape and be very comfortable, with enough tension to be immersive but without being too tight. Especially noteworthy is how comfortable they are when used with glasses, something that does not always happen.

The basic setup comes down to turning them on and inserting the dongle into any USB port. Communication is wireless over the 2.4 GHz band, offering a rperformance and stability superior to Bluetooth alternatives. On the left ear cup there are physical buttons for power, volume and control of the mic that, as usual, require a period of adaptation in the form of involuntary keystrokes.

Obviously, the best option to get the most out of this device is to install the Rocat Swarm application that enables options such as 7.1 audio, full EQ control, customization of the LED light, microphone settings and much more.

When it comes to audio, the best feature of these Roccat Elo 7.1 Air is their precision: In most frequencies it offers a clean sound without fanfare or artifice and we are only beginning to notice that we are not facing much more expensive headphones when it comes to the bass, less impressive than we would like.

In practice, they are one headphones that will be used, mainly, to play. Therefore, it seems to us a success of Roccat does not “mask” the bass or bass with software so that they fulfill two objectives: to be immersive and to help the player to be better in their favorite titles.

On the downside, we miss a better level of pad insulation. It is the price to pay for being so comfortable and, since the use of these headphones will always be at home or in our play area, it does not seem like a very serious problem unless we live in a very noisy space.

The autonomy announced by Roccat is up to 24 hours And, in this case, our actual tests have shown us that they were not exaggerating. It is easy to exceed 20-22 hours of actual use without any problem, as long as we dispense with RGB. With the active, and depending on the mode, it reaches about 15-16 without the need to recharge them.

Conclusions

The Roccat Elo 7.1 Air are good headphones for gaming at a reasonable price. They offer precise sound, great autonomy and low latency. Its biggest problem is that of any of its rivals, the huge number of models in this price range.

In any case, it seems to us that the audio quality can tip the balance, a point above in this range and its excellent autonomy. On the other hand, its bulky design is comfortable but it will not like everyone and you should bear in mind that it does not support Bluetooth, so it will only work with compatible devices.