Comprehensive Review of Headphones [Hardware]: SIVGA SV021, VR500, UX3000, and VR2000

Comprehensive Review of Headphones [Hardware]: SIVGA SV021, VR500, UX3000, and VR2000

We’ve been lucky enough to have been given a few sets of headphones from Final to test out, from standard sets to closed-back units. Interestingly, they’re all well suited for gaming, making them a good fit for this very site. So read on to see what we thought of a trio of Final products.

### SIVGA SV021 Review

We were given a set of these SIVGA SV021 headphones to test out too, and they certainly look the part with a natural wooden look and ear pads with comfortable skin-friendly velour. In terms of sound, they can’t be faulted either, with a frequency response of 20Hz – 20kHz and Oxygen-free copper cable meaning we heard everything we played loud and clear – from booming explosions to the tiniest notification jingle. They are on the higher price end at £179 when it comes to budget options, but if you’re looking for headphones that are good for watching TV/Films **and** gaming, these are a decent bet.

### Final VR3000 Review

One of the more expensive Final offerings, but these justify their cost and then some, especially as they’ve been designed with gaming in mind – which is always nice. They have imaging far better than others in their budget field and offer superb bass performance. Music sounds good on these, but they excel when playing immersive gaming experiences with crisp treble making sure you catch every important sound and (where relevant) gunshot.

### VR500 Review

Wired headphones may be a relative rarity in the audio game nowadays, but the affordable VR500s are definitely not to be ignored. Designed for all uses, we found these worked particularly well for gaming thanks to their full-range dynamic drivers. There’s an impressive level of detail retrieval, spaciousness, precision, and fidelity too – meaning these gave us an immersive experience while playing a range of different games. Another advantage is the rock-solid build quality, with the ABS resin construction meaning we felt we could leave these in our bag, coat pocket, or really anywhere with no fear of them being damaged or breaking. The fact these are wired will, of course, put off many immediately, but these are ideal for those looking for a more reliable audio source that doesn’t rely on a large headset or tiny easy-to-lose earbuds. The 1.2m cable is more than long enough, and there’s even a one-button in-line remote with a mic – something much easier to use than earbuds with their fiddly touch controls. This and the price make the VR500 an option that may surprise a few.

### UX3000 Review

From cheap and cheerful to possibly slightly overpriced, the UX3000s are closed-back headphones that are hard to **fully** recommend because of the cost. And – yes – the fact they’re closed back headphones. But if you can look past those two points, these are a set of headphones that, quite simply, sound fantastic. For gaming and, really, almost anything else. The drivers have been specifically designed for this set – due to the fact the ANC feature usually causes issues to drivers. In terms of the actual noise canceling, it works well with little hiss or noticeable noise. Soundstage is solidly wide, with acceptable instrument separation. The bass is impressively tight and detailed – we found that with the more action-based games we played the set came into its own. Treble in comparison is merely serviceable. Like most Final products, the build of the UX3000s is rock solid, with a robust quality that meant we never worried they’d fall apart if dropped or take a whack. There are some issues with the UX3000s, with them perhaps not offering quite enough in the way of comfort for the price tag – but the sound quality and number of features mean they can’t be dismissed entirely. Ultimately, these are perhaps a little overpriced for what they are, but are still affordable for a gamer who doesn’t care too much about audiophile fripperies and just wants good sound. That may well be you.

### VR2000 Review

Our final piece of hardware is the VR2000s, and these are our favorite of the three units tested. And not just because of their ambitious full name, saying they’re “Virtual Reality In-Ear Isolating Gaming” headphones. Although being made with gamers in mind is definitely helpful – specifically mobile gamers. Lovely. But what makes these worth investing in is simple – for the relatively low price, they offer superb latency and remarkable sound quality. Simply put, every game experience we tried with these was elevated. Action games’ explosions were punchy and near-ear shattering (in a good way), and more relaxed fare saw the music envelope and soothe. The over-ear design is perhaps not for everyone, but for the budget, we can’t recommend these enough for those who put some serious hours into their mobile gaming.