To say that there is a plethora of options when it comes to gaming audio is a dramatic understatement. Every day, it seems like there are more and more companies popping out of the woodwork to grab their piece of the market. What does it take to stand out in an already crowded space? You have got to deliver more than promises; a product needs to look good, feel good, be well-built, and provide an experience worthy of the money risked on it.
Into this landscape, LucidSound drops the LS50X: a gaming headset that promises a premium audio experience that even the legendary Doggfather himself approves of. You read that right: the LucidSound LS50X has a limited edition model complete with voice prompts and a Snoopadelic EQ recorded and tuned by Snoop Dogg. While we didn’t get our hands on the limited edition model for our review, we did get the LucidSound LS50X to test out!
Is this all a smokescreen of hype? Will the LS50X leave you high and dry or elevate your gaming experience?
Let’s find out.
Specifications
- MSRP: $199.99 USD (LucidSound - WAS $249.99)
- Driver Diameter: 50mm driver
- Impedance: Ohms
- Max SPL: 97 +/-3dB
- Modes: 5 EQ settings (Bass Boost, Movie Mode, Music Mode, Flat EQ, Signature Sound)
- Microphone Type: Omni-directional
- Connection Type: 3.5mm, Bluetooth 4.2, 2.4 GHz RF Wireless
- Battery life: up to 20 hours
- Included Accessories: removable boom mic, USB transponder, 3.5mm cable, mic port cover, travel case
- Available in Black or White (Snoop Dogg Limited Edition)
If you are not familiar with the brand, LucidSound that’s okay - they are relatively new to the scene. Founded in 2016 and then acquired by gaming peripherals company PowerA , LucidSound’s core mission has been to create audiophile-grade experiences in the gaming space with well-built and aesthetically creative peripherals. That is an admirable and ambitious task - and one that I am here for!
With a fairly extensive catalog of products for all gaming platforms, from wired to wireless experiences, the LS50X represents the pinnacle of what LucidSound has to offer. With versatility in connectivity, soundscape, and control as well as high quality attention to design, it’s no small wonder why these are at the top. With the background information in our sights, let’s dig a little deeper in these details of this product.
Beginning with connectivity, the LS50X gives users multiple options for connection… and when I say multiple, I mean that on a couple levels. Users have the option to connect wirelessly via Bluetooth or 2.4 GHz transponder or wired with a 3.5mm cable, but they can also connect to multiple devices at once. While this isn’t a unique option, it is a premium one that we have seen in a number of other headsets.
Why is this such a big deal? Let me give you an example:
Let’s say that you have a friend looking to join you for some Destiny 2 CrossPlay. For example, let’s say that you are playing on your sweet, sweet gaming PC and your friend is on an Xbox platform. Discord seems like the natural place to go, but it isn’t supported on Xbox (yet), so your friend has to use their phone for Discord. There is a problem, though: your friend now has to use two different devices for sound. So, this option that the LS50X provides can serve as a solution to that problem by marrying two connections into one device.
This attention to detail goes beyond connection and bleeds over into the controls. On the headset itself, there are rotary controls on both the left and right earcups that control the overall volume, volume of mic monitoring, balance game-to-chat audio, and the balance of audio per connection. Both knobs also function as buttons to mute audio, mute the mic, answer calls, and to turn on and off mic monitoring. The best part? This headset gives you immediate control of balance on the fly without having to dig into program settings.
Speaking of microphones, the LS50X comes with a removable boom mic. This mic is omnidirectional, but it works in tandem with a built-in mic on the headset to provide environmental noise canceling and mic monitoring. As mentioned above, noise-canceling can be turned off or on via the headset controls. The overall sound of the mic is decent, albeit a little compressed for my liking. Here is a sample:
This brings us to the overall sound of the LucidSound LS50X… and this is where things get a bit more interesting. We have seen a number of headsets with software-based EQing and ones that are specifically voiced without options for adjustment. The LS50X is a bit of a combination of both, but rather than having software-based EQ, the headset comes with five EQ presets - each with their own unique voicing.
Typically, this is where I would talk about the gambit of audio track I put the headset through, but with each preset I tested them in the space they were designed to fit and allowed the settings to do the talking. What I discovered is that each mode excels at their intended purpose. Movie Mode provides deep, atmospheric space for low end presence that you would expect from a theater setting. Bass Boost emphasizes heavier low end frequencies without muddying the mix, perfect for a thunderous experience with EDM. Music Mode puts a bit more emphasis within the midrange with some low end enhancement. Flat EQ gives you the natural voicing of the headset, which is a bit bass-forward, but not quite as much as the Bass Boost Mode. Finally, the Signature Sound setting scoops a bit of the midrange frequencies out, allowing a bit more space at either end of the sound spectrum. This was the setting I found myself gravitating toward In a gaming situation. I found this setting was helpful in first person shooters, enabling me to hear gunshots and footsteps more distinctly from other in-game sounds.
To round out our experience with the LS50X, we have to talk about the design of this headset. The overall construction is pretty solid and built for comfort. The headband is wrapped with a quilted layer of padding and the ear cups are fairly large and soft, thanks to the gel-cooled memory foam inside. The ear cups also articulate to lay flat in case you need to take the headset off.
Final Thoughts
Overall, our experience with the LucidSound LS50X has been a highly positive one. The versatility of the headset in control, soundscape, and connectivity provide a possible “one-stop-shop” for audio needs. There were, however, a few parts of the experience that were slightly weaker for me, but may not be a consideration for other users. Those two places were in the comfort level and mic quality.
Starting with the comfort level, the design, weight, and quality of the LS50X were good, but as someone who wears thick-framed glasses, longer term (2+ hours) use got a bit uncomfortable. It isn’t the worst experience I have had, but it was enough to make note of. I also find that the type of material used for the ear cups tends to get warm quickly.
As for the microphone, the sound quality is adequate for in-game chat and Discord calls, but sounds a bit too compressed and bassy for my liking in audio recording. It’s a picky thing, for sure, but in situations where clarity in communication matters, the quality of a mic can be the make or break of a match or encounter.
At the end of the day, whether you are a PC game, console gamer, or an O.G. looking to chill out to your favorite beats, LucidSound has provided a premium audio experience for multiplatform use. All of this does, however, come at a premium price. At $249.99, the LucidSound LS50X seems like a bit of an investment. However, if you are looking for a headset to connect to multiple sources with higher than typical options for mixing audio volumes on the fly, the LS50X might be worth some deeper consideration.
