VZR Model One Gaming Headset – 3D Audio for First-Person Shooter/FPS Gaming, Patented CrossWave™ Spatial Audio, Removable Noise-Canceling Mic, 3.5mm Wired, Ultra Low Latency, All Day Comfort

My preferences so you understand my Model One thoughts:I usually reduce the 2k to 4k bands on EQ but don't mind the 8k and 16k on most headphones I've tried.Beyerdynamics like the MMX300 and Amiron Home way too bright even if that detail is nice in small doses. EQ required. My ears don't touch their earcups and the depth is good but my ears don't protrude out much (see Obama lol). Amiron have much less clamp than MMX300 so they're the most comfortable cans I've ever worn.Hifiman Edition XS are way too bright/analytical and "airy" for my taste. Made me realize I don't care that much about soundstage since it sounds artificial to me. I prefer a more intimate sound. Bass is good but not enough quantity to satisfy me (not a basshead but I want it to be present throughout the song/game/movie). Very comfortable due to massive earcups and light clamp, but they're awkward to handle when putting on and off due to shape and size.Sony WH-1000XM3 sound pretty good to me with stock tuning. Earcups slightly too small and not enough depth for my ears so they're not comfortable.HyperX Could Alpha wireless sound okay stock with no offensive frequencies. Bass is tuned higher on these out the box which suits my taste. I apply light eq. Comfort is almost perfect. I have to tweak the fit every now and then since my ears lightly touch either the cups or the driver, not sure which. No issues with clamp, feels medium to my head.Audeze Maxwell I just received so I haven't had much time with them. Too shouty for me in the 2k and 4k frequencies. But the great thing is eq gets saved to the headset itself so no problems here. Earcups big enough but don't offer enough depth, so my ears touch the drivers. Gonna have to buy replacement pads no question. Kinda heavy but ear discomfort keeps me from judging if weight is a problem. I wear headstrap one notch below max on one side and max on the other. Max on both sides is also fine.Audeze LCD X 2021 Agreeable stock tuning. Nothing stands out as a problem/annoyance tuning wise. Respond well to EQ. Earcups are spacious. Clamp is perfectly low. I had to adjust these to the max size setting, so maybe that's why the headband plus the weight start becoming noticeable after about 30 minutes, but I could wear them for 2 hours if I wanted. Once I take them off I feel more relief than I would've expected. I was able to tune these to sound similar to my KEF Q350s which I love stock. Returned but ordering the GX which I have high hopes for to be my go to open back cans with no EQ fussing. Should take care of the weight issue as well and they're less expensive.VZR Model One out of the box tuning is dark sounding to me, which is far better than if it were too bright. This allows me to crank up the volume when gaming without the fatigue. Bass is awesome. Sure LCD X bass is technically better, but these are great at this price point. I love the rumble and presence, which go a long way in immersing me in games/movies. I increase treble if I have access to EQ, but no big deal if I don't. Mid range tuning sounds kinda wonky, so I EQ if I can. Earcups are just big enough to fit my entire ear. Depth is good. Headband feels a little uncomfortable at first due to it pressing down instead of just resting, but I suppose I do have a big head so I just about max out the self adjusting strap. I hate the cable btw. It easily gets tangled because of its flat design. If it's not perfectly aligned, it coils and tangles. Wish it were round like every other cable. Overall my go to wired closed back headphone, especially if I don't want to fuss with EQ. Build quality is fantastic as other reviews mention. Highly recommend unless you want detailed/analytical headphones out the box or if tonality is a concern in the midrange. EQs fine in my experience.

Stay with me here, I'm pretty picky about my audio. I passed on Audeze, Astro, Nova Pro and the new Sennheiser's to try the VZR. I did a lot of looking. So let’s start by saying the VZR Model One sounds fantastic, plain and simple. From high resolution audiophile style audio tracks like from artists like Chris Jones to Tool’s Pneuma, metal and even listening to movies. I’m impressed at this price point. I was not paid or coerced to write this.VZR build quality is superb. Aluminum head band and frame, carbon fiber inlays, soft leather and memory foam make them stand out. Clamping force is perfect. Deep ear cups and auto adjusting headband make them very comfortable.Audio clarity is perfect. High's sound good, mid is solid although sounding scooped a little for my tastes due to the very tight and punchy bass that can really rumble. No clutter added to the mix. For gaming, this is an upgrade for me from some open back Sennheiser's. Sennheiser makes a good set of cans with astonishing mids that cut through a mix for great clarity. Open back makes them spacious. The VZR seem to trade a hair (and only a hair if that) of that mid clarity for great lows and noise isolation. Using EQ, I like to bump the high mids while gaming, just because that's what my ears like. Though you will find it’s not that necessary unless you’re picky like me in similar ways. The clarity is there, crisp, and no distortion at high volumes. And man do these come alive at higher volume. ***updated 6/24/22 after a little more than a week's use, they seem to break in and mellow out a little. Not that they were harsh before, but the sound is really warm and full..... This headset is supposed to sound "natural" and I think this is being brought out more now than in my initial reactions. I've started listening to live concerts on Youtube in amazement of how much it really sounds like you are there, in the crowd.The Crosswave technology really works. You get your lows from the closed back design, and they most certainly have a spacious sound. Far better than any closed back I've used. If your current headset sounds weird to you when your character turns or sounds move from left to right, like it jumps from ear to ear. Just wait until you use something like this that really brings out the spatial accuracy and those sounds start to move around, behind and above you. You can tell when sounds are closer or further and in what direction all at once. Of course you need something like Atmos for that to work to it’s best, but the distances and the sound field in these is huge and makes it work as intended. Also, the Crosswave really makes these sound like speakers in a room. Find you some good jazz, close your eyes and the drum kit sounds like it's there in the room with you, not inside your head. Different instruments have their place in the sound field closer, around you, in the room, it's truly a great experience.Man I'm happy to finally see a gaming headset at above average quality that keeps it simple. I don't want to pay for wireless technology that adds latency. I don't need gadgets to fiddle with the sound and buttons all over the ear cups. I don’t mind wires. Here's to keeping it simple stupid. Audio quality above all else. The VZR delivers.I have experienced the Xbox mic issue mentioned in other reviews. I was bummed at first. I'm told a longer mic will start shipping soon to help correct. However, the quicker fix is to remove the foam filter and put a small piece of tape around the end of the mic to cover the 4 holes close to the tip. This has made it usable for me. The issue comes from something the Xbox wireless signal is doing to "noise gate" the mic volume. The VZR mic is high clarity / low gain and that doesn’t play well with Xbox for some reason. The mic does sound good though, no complaints there.I emailed/called VZR to address the above issue and their customer service was….well…. You don't get the level of customer service they provided from anyone these days. I feel like I've purchased something they want to stand behind, like seriously, no joke. I'm blown away.If you have the means at this price point, they are very nice and I’m happy with my purchase.

TLDR audiophile for gaming, not music unless tuned.The VZR Model One is a nicely built headset and feels comfortable for long gaming sessions.I wouldn’t call the sound profile anything special. It’s ok? The profile is bass and treble heavy. The representation of that profile is quality though. I EQ’d mine and it was decent for music.As far as the crosswave tech goes… I can’t really tell any significant difference between these and my other gaming headsets for Spatial Audio. It seems like marketing.In hindsight, I would t pay more than $200 for a set of headphones that sound like this. They do have good build quality though. The only problem build wise that I’ve had is that one of the aluminum thumb grips on my cable came loose too shortly after I got it but I glued it and it has been fine.The boom mic sucks. It’s super quiet and needs a large gain adjustment unless it’s basically touching your mouth. It doesn’t environmental noise well either.As a note, I use my headset with a Soundblaster g6 amplifier.Honestly just get a Audeze Maxwell if you are going to shell out 300 on a pair of headphones. They sound amazing.