Omen Blast Wired 7.1 Gaming Headset Review – Does Sound Outweigh Style?

Everyone seems to have their foot in the gaming headset market, offering ways to experience the wonderful soundwaves of video games. On the note, HP Omen is getting into the game with their wired Omen Blast Headset boasting 7.1 surround sound. The headset initially released last year, but did 2020 really even happen? While the offering of sound quality is notable, this headset brings nothing new to the gaming space, leaving a questionable taste in my mouth.

Style / Feel / Build / Hardware

When first picking up the Omen Blast Headset, the product is on the lighter side, which isn’t the best first impression. Made up of primarily plastic, the speakers appear to be toy-like. Luckily, the overall aesthetic hides this downfall, but I expected a little less plastic.

When placing the headrest on your head, it seems to be confused and almost dangles over your ears, rather than sitting comfortably with intent. It’s almost as if the Omen Blast Headset takes the “one size fits all” fitment a little too seriously. Still, the headset will never cause pain because it is as light as a cloud and possibly one of the lightest I have ever worn.

The Omen Blast Headset lacks the shape and design to cuff my head the way I’d prefer, a true first from my experience with headsets. The extra frame pieces at the top may look cool, but they carry that flimsy plastic touch, and they also keep bumping into my gaming chair when I sit back. The headset just takes up a lot of real estate. Be careful, headbangers. The most notable part about its design would be the comfort and weight. If you’re sitting in front of a screen for long periods of time, at least you’ll be comfortable.

I want to point out that the audio cable is built into the headset, which wouldn’t be the best choice. If your cable breaks, so does your headset. Omen had to save the cost somewhere on this 7.1 headset, the costs $79.99, and they did just that. The padding seems to be mock leather of some kind, which is fine by me. When it comes to the boom mic, I found the retracting internal boom a little cheesy. It’s almost like a dog leash or rubber toy that could have used a bit more TLC. Omen also traded off the aesthetic of the boom for this design choice.

Lastly, and I’ve said this before, but the fact that we have a universal wired headset here is that we are left with running audio through 3.5mm compression to maintain controller support. If you are an audio nerd, connection options are limited for high-fidelity users. It’s only a matter of time before we see a complete removal of this jack and see a complete transition to high-speed USB or alternate digital connections.

Performance / Hands on Use / Features / User Experience / Analysis / Etc.

If this headset has to offer anything, it would be its simple and decent audio quality. You get a nice-sounding gaming headset for the price, but what really brings it home is the Omen Command Center App, where you can customize the sound of the device. It is also here where you enable the 7.1 surround sound feature, which doesn’t sound bad, actually.

The feature definitely adds gain to the mids and highs substantially, and from there, you can customize your preference of sound by enabling the audio equalizer. I found this easy to use and almost a must use when getting better sound out of this set of speakers. Out of the box, they need some tuning for sure, at least for my taste. Customize how you like, and save your preset for later.

Also, the boom mic is surprisingly high quality, disregarding its negative appearance. One can make content with this mic and enjoy the quality. That is exactly what I like to see, and I’m glad I can point out another feature that I enjoyed about this product. Not to undermine what I just said, but be careful of audio bleed due to the fit of the earcups. I experienced major on the xbox windows party chat app. Your friends won’t complain about your Walmart quality mic with the Omen Blast Headset. I primarily tested the 7.1 feature with Call of Duty Warzone. I find using high-budget titles; we can get a better feel for the true audio potential. The Omen Blast Headset gives you an edge in gaming, leaving the enemies’ footsteps vulnerable to your ears. The bass tones and volume produced from nearby targets were satisfying.

I am conflicted about the Omen Blast Headset. It seems cool, but once you put it in your hands and on your head, I felt immediately underwhelmed. This is a headset, after all, so it all comes down to what it sounds like. Luckily, for the price, it’s all you can ask for in speaker quality and customizability. If we have to decide, I would say other headsets in a near price range may offer you a better fit and style than the Omen Blast Headset. Unless you have all Omen gear and need to top it off, I would probably make sure this is the right one for you. After all, it sounds great, and the mic doesn’t hold the waste either.