The windows mixed reality experience provided by the Dell Visor VR Headset can be considerably enhanced by just the right headphones, as audio really is an important aspect of immersive MR/VR. Here are some headphones that are recommended for the Dell Visor, and which go best with it. All of them, of course, can plug into the 3.5mm jack.
Over the Head Headphones
Over the head headphones really provide the best clarity, and what is more important, perhaps, shutting out of environmental sounds, as this can interfere with the more immersive VR apps, though windows mixed reality is more tolerant. We’ll take a look at some of our options in over the head headphones, before going on to the earbud headphones that many people find to be a more comfortable alternative for mixed reality.
Blue Lola Sealed Over-Ear High-Fidelity Headphones
These are a unique set of over the head headphones, without the commonly seen adjustable headband. Instead, they have a hinge system on each ear cup, which can be used to adjust its position and angle to get a snug fit. While this might seem a little different from the norm, once you get used to them, you will see that they provide a comfortable fit every time. Not only that, but the specialized padding on the cups and the headband make this set of headphones comfortable to wear for hours on end.
As far as noise cancellation and sound quality are concerned, these do the job perfectly. They are designed to block out most external sounds. While these external sounds are not too much of a problem in mixed reality, they certainly interfere with immersion in VR.
As for the quality of the sound itself, the Lola delivers beautifully. They provide a great soundstage and distinctly allow you to perceive changes in sound panning. They also allow you to perceive distances in MR and VR. This is especially important when you’re listening to a soundscape in either MR or VR. And when we’ve said that, you know that the Lola is also optimally suited forVR gaming, allowing you to perceive sounds in motion around you.
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Sennheiser HD 380 PRO Headphones
With the natural noise isolation that they provide, their light weight and comfortable fit, Sennheiser HD 380 PRO Headphones are an optimal accessory for your mixed reality headset. The company claims that the HD380 PRO can cancel background noises up to 32dB, with its closed back design and around-the-ear cushioning.
While this claim might be a bit optimistic, the headset does reduce environmental noises significantly. Both the ear cushions and the shape of the ear cups ensure that there is little to no leakage of external sounds while maximizing comfort at the same time. The headphones are sturdy and solidly built, but light enough that they do not add much to the weight of the VR headset itself.
The audio sounds very natural, and the timbre is perfect – and in this we feel that open back headphones are considerably better than closed backs. This model, however, does a decent job here as well. A careful listener might observe a little boosting of the midrange, but it is quite subtle and one gets used to it fairly quickly.
The Sennheiser HD 380 PRO Headphones are a truly professional set of headphones, and you can expect high sound fidelity, quite similar to that of a pair of studio headphones. These headphones provide a wider audio range while retaining perfect clarity, making your VR experience as acoustically realistic as it could possibly get.
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Earbud headphones
Earbud headphones are actually much to be recommended with a VR headset – they’re lightweight, they’re comfortable, and they can be more or less guaranteed to be compatible with just about any mixed reality headset. The only downside is that they offer far less noise cancellation than a cup headphone, and external noises can seriously affect immersion in VR.
That said, external noises aren’t that much of a problem in mixed reality, so if you intend to use your Dell Visor for what’s it primarily designed for, you don’t really require total cancellation of external sounds. And it goes without saying that some people prefer the comfort and guaranteed ‘fit-compatibility’ of an earbud headphone set over the lack of near-complete noise cancellation. So here are a few earbud headphones that are most compatible with the Dell Visor.
VAVA MOOV 11 In Ear Earbud Headphones
These headphones can take your Mixed Reality or VR experience to the next level with a wide audio range and high sound fidelity, both achieved by a unique driver mechanism. The stereo effects that the VAVA MOOV 11 bring to the table are essential for a convincing and immersive 3D mixed reality or VR experience, while the bass and midrange settings provide a delicate balance and clarity at the same time.
The ear buds are ingeniously designed to take the shape of your ears and do not fall off easily. These headphones are a strong sell for the comfortable fit, as well as for their sleek exterior, which is semitransparent and shows off the internal hardware.
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Koss KSC75
These headphones are cheap, durable and sound good. What more could you ask for? These are your classic fallback, cheap headphones in under twenty dollars that give you reasonable sound, are perfectly comfortable, and perfectly compatible with the Dell Visor.
These headphones come with ear hooks that keep them from falling off during a particularly exciting MR or VR experience. As far as appearances go, they are purely functional, and they don’t have any external controls for audio, but this isn’t much of an issue in VR, where sound is modulated in the apps anyway. At the minimal price range, the Koss KSC75 certainly delivers sufficiently well as to quality.
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SONY MDR-XB50AP
These are as beautiful as you can possibly get in the low-price bracket. They may be cheap, but they have a sophisticated sci-fi beauty, with a smooth metallic exterior. SONY has obviously gone all-out to make these headphones look anything but low priced, and the three color options they come in (blue, white and black) don’t hurt this one bit.
Unlike most other headphones in this price range, these come with a strong and durable cable, its serrated design preventing tangling, which solves one of the major issues regarding wired headphones in MR or VR. While the SONY MDR-XB55AP does look good, it also delivers in terms of performance, delivering the audio quality that you expect for a reasonably immersive MR experience, or in a virtual reality game.
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Sennheiser CX 275
If it is simplicity and practicality you are after, look no further. Sennheiser CX 275 headphones come in a simple black matte, with metallic grey ear pieces. There is an inherent bass boost which will raise the bass and the mid-range of most of the VR or MR audio directed into them. This can be a bit of a problem if you wish to hear the higher notes cleanly, but it’s something that one can get used to quite rapidly, and of course, there are many people who prefer the emphasis on the bass.
The Sennheiser CX 275 comes with a built-in microphone, and while it does not have any other controls, delivers seamless audio when used with a Dell Visor. Overall, they are reasonably decent for the extremely competitive price range.
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All in all, you have quite a range of compatible headphones, from high-definition and noise-canceling cup headphones, to extremely lightweight earbud headphones that allow for maximum compatibility and comfort when you’re actually wearing the Dell Visor.
There’s also quite a difference in price range, from reasonably priced headphones that deliver superb sound quality, to the minimal Koss KSC75, which is a steal in under twenty dollars. You can choose whichever headphones ‘feel’ most right to you – there’s something for everybody.