Genius HS-04U USB Dolby Gaming Headset

Pros:-As others have mentioned this headset is extremely comfortable for hours of use.-The sound is clear and crisp.-Mic works well.Cons:-Do not use them until you install the drivers, which I found to be simple and it only took about 5 minutes for the whole installation. If you do not, it is set to max volume and there is no way to adjust it.-The blinking light on the volume control is very bright as others have mentioned, but turning it upside down works. Just be careful not to hit the buttons to change the volume by accident.Opinions (Neither Pros nor Cons:-The cord is just the right length in my opinion, but others might find it short. The last ones I owned it was entirely way to long and this one is just right.-After the drivers are installed it took me some time to set up the sound to where it was perfect. There are lots of options to adjust, so it does take a little while, and having to change the volume for every individual program is a bit annoying. But once set they are amazingly clear.-Since they have openings around the speaker part, people who need to hear household noises, such as kids or animals will find these to be very nice, since it doesn't block all the background noise, like other headphones which cover the ears.-The mic is not very long, but again that's a personal preference. Perfect length for me.Conclusion:These headphones are a great buy and work excellent and as described by the product manufacturer.For the price they are a great buy.Would definitely buy again and recommend.Update 4/28/2013I now have had these headphones for 8 months and they still work perfectly. No issues with them what so ever and unlike previous brands (have tried several) these have not lost a connection to one of the ear pieces. I still use them daily and if they ever fail will post another update to give an approximate length of time for how long they lasted. But as of now, I have no reason to think they will give out anytime soon.Update 7/17/2013So, as with all of my headphones, the wire that meets the control box wore out and they stopped working. This, for me, is common and occurs with every pair of headphones within a year's span. I am still in love with these and ordered a new pair earlier in the week and they should arrive tomorrow. Again, I am ordering this exact product b/c I have had nothing but good experience. The fix for the old ones is easy if you wanna mess with either soldering or splicing wires, but I don't care to do that, and just ordered a new pair.I've noticed comments on driver issues with installs and such. I found no problem installing the drivers. Plug in the headphones, pop in the CD, auto play or manually install. The drivers will not install if the headphones are not plugged in.

Windows 7 on my desktop computer. Once the drivers are installed, the volume is nice in that it has a very broad range of adjustment, not just loud, medium, quiet. The large open area between the cushions and the speakers helps keep your head cooler. I live in the San Joaquin Valley, and heat dissipation in the summer is a plus. The drivers on the Genius download site are .rar instead of .zip. Spent about 1/2 hour Google search till I found a free .rar unzipper that works and is also free [...] Don't use the browser driven unzipper, because it doesn't unzip all the needed info. I downloaded the desktop (free) to do the unzipping on my desktop. Because it is free, watch the little checkboxes when you start the install interface. There are three checkboxes that are prechecked, I unchecked all three. Some freeware will install odd unwanted things on your browser or computer. They may be harmless, but I wasn't going to risk it. You have to do some sound adjusting on Skype in the sound options, because the Mic needs a lot of boost. Once you get the sound and Mic adjusted right on Skype, don't forget to hit "save" on the bottom of the Skype options box.

I usually don't write reviews but after wasting 2 hours to get this POS to stop screeching in vent with no success, I feel I should give fair warning. The sound from the earphones is mediocre at best. There is little or no base, so they aren't even good for listening to music.The worst thing about this steaming pile is the microphone. I tweaked settings, reloaded software, updated drivers etc... all worthless. Everyone in vent was either running for the hills or couldn't hear me at all.Do not buy this....I'm returning mine today.

As has been mentioned in other reviews, the drivers are next to impossible to install correctly, if you can get them to install at all. The sound seemed okay from the headset once I FINALLY got it working without breaking my eardrums, but the microphone was useless because, as one person in mumble described it "it sounds like a helicopter sending morse code." There was a horrible whining sound anytime the mic was enabled and it really did sound like the "whupping" of helicopter blades just under that. Don't bother with this headset.

Comfortable ear cups.Cumbersome and flimsy mic boom.Annoying flashing lights on wire.USB interface is annoying. You cannot plug in after executing game or they don't work.I cut the chip out and soldered two 1/8" phono jacks on to bypass the USB interface. Not a recommended product.

i have had these for over a year, maybe close to two. the sound is good and they are comfortable. my only complaint so far is the lack of universal volume control.

The Sound was mediocre and the mic was just horrid sounded like you was talking through a fan. I have windows 7 64bit and the drivers just did not work with my computer. The drivers would actually blue screen my computer. I returned them with in the week and got something else all in all not impressed

I don't know how it works, but you really do get great quality surround sound from a headset. Since the ear pieces are open, you can still notice sounds around you (like the phone ringing, doorbell, etc.). The blinking lights on the volume control are not at all distracting. Easy install. I couldn't be happier

These headphones do anything they say on the box. They are great for talking on skype, listening to music, watching films, specially late at night. The digital virtual surround sound. Sounds pretty good to me, but I'm no expert in the field. I also use a program Dragon naturally speaking, which really works great for these headphones and Mike, which I'm actually writing this review with. I've had them for a year now, had no problems.