In
the past we have reviewed several gaming mice and gaming surfaces
from a company called Mionix. They are based out of Sweden with a
good reputation in Europe for their gaming products and accessories.
Now they are trying to establish themselves as an elite gaming
peripheral company in the States.

Today
we will be looking at their first entry into the gaming audio market
– the Keid 20. This headset is named after a star system and
Mionix hopes this headset will shine as brightly as its namesake.

The
Keid 20 is an ergonomically designed gaming headset which features
passive noise reduction and sound optimized for gaming. The ear cups
are made with special memory foam that conforms to the shape of the
user’s ears.

So
let’s take a closer look at Mionix’s first foray into the gaming
headset market. Let’s get started…….

Mionix
Keid 20 Gaming Headphones

Reviewed
by: Tomas Ratas

Sponsor: Mionix

Tech
Specs,Features or the Basic Info:

Mionix
Keid 20 Gaming Headphones

A
STAR HAS BEEN BORN
Keid
is a triple star system located 16.5 light-years away from Earth and
belongs to the constellation Eridanus, the sixth largest
constellation. Keid means egg or egg shells and it resembles the
central plate on the ear cups. Keid has gained popularity thanks to
its proximity to Jupiter It´s easily visible from Earth and shines
with a bright light due to its high temperature. Keid has two
companions, one of which is a white dwarf that orbits Keid.

MODEL
OVERVIEW
The
Mionix Keid 20 is a comfortable, high quality headset, specifically
developed for gaming. The 50 mm driver is optimized for clear and
precise sound. The large-size ear pads have an ergonomic design and
are equipped with a special memory foam that forms after your ears.
The headband is flexible and auto adjusts to your head. The ergonomic
design, superior comfort and an optimized sound makes Mionix Keid 20
to a perfect choice for long sessions of intensive
gaming.

FEATURES
• Ergonomic
design
Truly
ergonomic design with memory foam that forms after your ears
• Clear
and precise sound
Optimized
sound to give a clear and precise sound suitable for gaming
• Passive
noise reduction
Passive
noise reduction filter that clarifies your voice from background
noise
• Braided
cables
Braided
cables to prevent cable breakage
• Volume
control
Volume
control with microphone mute function

TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATION
•
Type: Circumaural / Full-size stereo headset
• Driver: 50 mm
•
Magnet type: NdfeB
• Frequency response: 20Hz – 20 000 Hz
•
Speaker impedance: 32Ω
• Sensitivity (@1 kHz): 100dB +/- 3 dB
•
Max input power: 400 mW
• Connection type: 3.5 mm goldplated
plugs
• Cable length: 3 m braided cable
• Cable diameter: 3
mm
• Volume control: On cable, from mute to full
volume

MICROPHONE
•
Frequency range: 300Hz- 3 300 Hz
• Mute Microphone: Yes
•
Directivity type: Omni-directional
• Sensitivity (@1 kHz): -36dB
+/- 5dB
• Max. Operation Voltage: 10 V

{mospagebreak
title=A Better Look at things}

A
Better Look at Things:

The
Keid 20 comes packaged in a cardboard black box with the headset seen
through a clear plastic window. On the back of the box is a picture
of the headset with a list of its features. Inside the package we
find the headset, a pleather carrying bag and a little instruction
card.

There
are two versions of the Keid 20, a black and white model; for our
review we received the white version. The white style looks like
something from the 80s sci-fi movie Buck Rogers. Since most PC set
ups such as my own are black, the white version sticks out like a
sore thumb. I have very strong feeling that the black model will
outsell the white one by a significant margin. This is not to say
that the Keid 20 is not a nice looking or well-designed headset. On
the contrary, it’s just that the white model does not really do it
for me.

Mionix
created the Keid 20 with a pair of 50mm audio drivers with a
frequency response of 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz while the Omni directional
microphone’s frequency range is 300 Hz — 3300 Hz . To keep outside
noise abated the Keid 20 uses passive noise reduction technology.

The
Keid 20 is primarily composed of plastic with a flexible metal
support for the frame. It is similar in appearance to DJ style
headsets. While the Keid 20 is big in size it is surprisingly
lightweight.

Looking
from the top down we see an adjustable headband beneath the flexible
metal frame. The Mionix logo is printed on top of the pleathery
covered headband. This padded band is designed to automatically
adjust the size of your head once the Keid 20 is in place.

On
each side of the headset are two stereo speakers housed in
well-padded cups. These headphone cups are also covered by a soft
pleathery like material with an additional set of padding protecting
the actual speakers. For some reason Mionix rigidly attached the
speakers to the headset frame which precludes up-and-down adjustment
of the cups.

Coming
off the left speaker is a boom style microphone with a flexible arm
for optimal microphone positioning. Mionix provides a long 3 meter
cable which also comes off the left speaker. The Keid 20 eschews the
Y-style of headset cabling that I usually find in the way or just get
tangled.

The
cable itself is braided with an in-line remote for volume and
microphone control. The remote has a clip on the back. At the
opposite end of the cable we find the two audio connectors; one for
speaker out and the other for microphone in.

{mospagebreak
title=Installation, Testing and Comparison}

Installation,
Testing and Comparison:

For
testing the Keid 20 I used it with several PC games, for Skype
conversations, and for listening to music. For two of these three
tasks the Keid 20 held its own.

Overall
the sound was clear and game play audio sounded crisp. Game sounds
were dynamic, for instance the zombie moans from Left4Dead seemed to come from all around.

Once
bass rich music was played then the Keid 20 came up short. For cans
as big as these there was a surprising lack of bass. Music sounded
somewhat flat which was quite surprising, as game play did not sound
feeble. Another issue I noticed was the ability to hear ambient
noise despite the Kied 20 resting snuggly against my ears. Typing on
the keyboard was very noticeable with the Keid 20 playing music at an
average volume. This sound leakage may be the reason why the base is
lacking.

Comfort
wise Mionix does an excellent job with their headset. The ear cups
are well cushioned and rest comfortably against one’s ears. The
lightweight and padding of the headset makes them almost unnoticeable
especially during long gaming sessions. The memory foam in the ear
cups does take a little while to break in so if at first you’re not
feeling comfortable with the Keid 20, give it some time.

The
microphone functioned as expected. The people on the other end of my
conversations told me that I sounded crystal clear. The flexible boom
held its position after its initial adjustment.

{mospagebreak
title=Summary and Comments}

Summary:

The
Mionix Keid 20 gaming headset is a decent first foray into the gaming
audio market. The design and build of the headset is top notch now
all my Mionix needs to do is address the acoustic aspect of the
headset. Of course if you build an audio product then the sound
should be the primary focus.

For
the price the Mionix is not currently worth the investment.
Hopefully the next version or model by Mionix will address some of
the acoustic concerns mentioned.

DragonSteelMods
gives the Keid
20 a 3.5 out of 5 score.

Pros:

+Quality
build

+Lightweight

+Includes
carrying case

+Comfortable
even with prolonged use

Cons:

-Lacking
bass

-Lets
in ambient noise

-Price

review#635

Disclosure: This
product was given to DragonSteelMods for review by the company for
review purposes only, and is not considered by us as payment for the
review, we do not, never have, and never will, accept payment from
companies to review their products.

To
learn more about our review policy, testing methods and ratings
please see this page.