Why You Can Trust CNET Roccat Vire review: Roccat Vire
The Vire doesn't set records for sound quality, but it is certainly an able headset. If only it had an answer call button, Roccat would have had all bases covered.
Not content with just PC gaming, Roccat has expanded into mobile headsets via the Vire. Of course, the pitch is still all about gaming, but you'll find the Vire up to the task for music listening too, with good stereo separation and sound stage, which has moderate bass. There seems to be a lack of crispness in the high-end treble but the overall tone is rather well balanced, considering the size of the earphones.
Roccat Vire
The Good
The Bad
The Bottom Line
Plugging it into our Nexus One, we found the Vire has exceptionally low impedance — our in-call volume had to be dropped to the lowest setting lest our ears be blown off, while the media volume we set to about halfway to get appropriate volume. This is actually a good thing: regardless of system, you should be able to get acceptable volume out of it without having to rely on an amp.
Call quality didn't necessarily receive a boost, but the volume was definitely louder at the receiver's end when speaking through the Vire's microphone rather than that of the Nexus. The microphone is quite sensitive and is great at its default hang length — you won't want to talk into it directly as it'll cause clipping.
Typically, we find bud-style earphones to be quite uncomfortable compared to their canal counterparts, having to remove them after a fairly short duration. The Vire didn't exhibit this problem anywhere near as strongly, sitting comfortably for a considerably longer period.
The single 3.5mm jack serves both the microphone and earphones, making it suited to mobile phones as well, although the lack of dedicated answer button puts it at a disadvantage.
If you want to plug it into a system that has separate headphone and audio jacks, Roccat has you covered with two separate adapters, one 14cm in length, the other 1.3m — handily covering both personal mobile devices and things like laptops and desktops.
Also making the kit is a synthetic bag, which should be hard wearing and is slightly bigger than an iPhone. This is larger than we'd expect for an earphones pouch, but it also allows the 'phones to sit flatter, making the bag easier to fit in your pocket.
The Vire doesn't set records for sound quality, but it is certainly an able headset. If only it had an answer call button, Roccat would have had all bases covered.