The Roccat Elo 7.1 Air Wireless Headset is the top of the Elo series.Acquired by Turtle Beach in 2019, Roccat is now the company's official PC gaming accessory brand. As such, the Elo Air boasts Turtle Beach's patented Superhuman Hearing sound setup. Theoretically, you should be able to tell when you're about to be hit from behind.

I used to be skeptical about this "superhuman hearing." But now I'm convinced it's doing something. It's incredibly accurate, and thanks to the 7.1 channel surround sound, I was able to pinpoint the exact degree to which I needed to correct my aim when scouting for enemies with the Arma. Plus, I can hear the rumble of tanks a mile away, so I know when I need to get out of there or drop C4.

At first the sound was unappealing, but once the drivers were installed the difference in sound quality was incredible. Being able to play with the equalizer in the software is quite nice. You can also configure, import, and export different game profiles with your preferred sound and light settings (not as extensive as others, but there is a comprehensive list).

Roccat claims that the device will last a week on a single full charge, with about three hours of use per day. There is a handy widget that keeps track of the battery level and seems to warn you if the level gets too low, but I just saw it jump from 100% to 75%, and the software says something completely different, so I don't know how accurate this feature is.

Speaking of accuracy, one of my pet peeves with RGB is when they tease you with full color and then give you white instead of light orange. This headset is unfortunately one of those. However, it does have AIMO Intelligent Lighting, which reacts to what's on screen with (almost) appropriate color adaptation, adding another level of immersion during gaming.

In terms of comfort and fit, the Elo 7.1 really grips your head, allowing you to dance around and headbang without much shifting. However, during long gaming sessions, your face might feel the pressure. That said, I've been wearing them happily for about a week and haven't messed up my ears yet. I've heard that if you wear glasses, there is only a slight (but still bearable) pressure. Also, at only 12 ounces, the leather-covered headband is very gentle on the cranium.

The ear cups have great rotational movement and can be easily adjusted to fit the shape of your face. The metal enclosure is durable, but there is an odd "clang-clang" sound that can be irritating when the inside of the ear cups are tapped. However, the sound insulation is quite good, so you no longer have to listen to people upstairs making thumping noises.

The side dials are a bit inconvenient and the housing is on the left side (an odd position if you ask me). However, it is always a pleasure to be able to move around the house during an audio conference or while listening to music, and the Elo Airs have a communication range of 10 yards before they start getting any interference.

In terms of freedom of movement, I wouldn't take them outside. For one thing, they are quite bulky, and while the detachable microphone is portable, it can only be connected via a USB dongle. So unless your portable device has a USB port, you are out of luck.

I was actually a little skeptical about the removable microphone, but in fact there are no buzzing or other problems and it can be removed while eating (please follow my example and don't let your friends go through that). Anyway, the microphone is clear, no feedback, and it is great to be able to hear and see my voice in playback mode; the TrueVoice technology reproduces my voice very faithfully. So when I meet my online friends, rest assured that they won't say, "Wow, your voice sounds nothing like your actual voice." Unless, however, you've been playing with a magic voice changer.

So, laughs aside, the Roccat Elo Airs deliver punchy, quality sound, both input and output via the USB-A transmitter. They have great battery life and are charged via a USB-C connector for fast charging speeds. On the downside, this does not allow me to properly match the RGB colors of all my peripherals, and my face is starting to feel a bit squished.

But aside from that, this is a quality designed headphone and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who needs to keep pace during online calls.