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Ciyce is launching a new Kickstarter campaign to take their new wireless gaming headset complete with RGB lighting effects and ANC, 7.1 virtual surround sound and more from concept to production. If you are in the market for an affordable high quality, fully featured, gaming headset the Ciyce crowdfunding campaign is definitely worth more investigation. Ciyce is a unique wireless headset easily connected to your games consoles, computer, smartphone or tablet using either the supplied 2-in-1 Bluetooth dongle or directly using an existing Bluetooth adapter integrated into your preferred device.
Ahead of launching their Kickstarter campaign Ciyce have kindly provided us with a pre-production sample of the headset to review, allowing us to give you a quick overview of what you can expect from a hands-on point of view. As you can see from the pictures above and below the Ciyce headset is shipped in a sleek black rectangular carton with an image of the headset and features overview. Inside the headset is securely protected during transit thanks to a robust foam insert, ideal for worldwide shipping when combined with an outer cardboard wrapper.
Inside the box you will also find a couple of small black cardboard boxes that include an extra set of fabric ear pads, the 2-in-1 Bluetooth dongle, USB-C charging cable, 3.5 mm audio cable and instructions.
Quality & Construction
When removing the wireless gaming headset from the box, backers will quickly notice the quality of the components and materials used to construct the headset frame and padded headband. Each side of the headset is equipped with adjustable metal arms, providing approximately 40 mm of adjustment allowing it to fit a wide variety of different head sizes from child to adult. The left and right side of the headset are clearly marked and the protruding connection wires offer a quick visual indication to the way the headset should be worn when you quickly pick it up off the desk. (Connecting wires should point to the rear of your head). The Ciye wireless gaming headset is equipped with 50 mm drivers and has its “tone quality” professionally adjusted, making low frequency audio more robust explained Ciyce.
Ergonomics, comfort and earpads
As explained the Ciyce headset comes supplied with two different sets of over ear pads with one pair included separately in the box and finished in a fabric for improved breathability and to relieve pressure on your ears when wearing the wireless headset during longer gaming sessions says Ciyce. Personally I found both sets great for longer play sessions with the other softer over ear pad finished in “protein leather” just as comfortable and a little more “squishy” to the touch. If you prefer a softer more comfortable headset then these are the option to choose and the ones I preferred using during my gaming sessions.
Although in hotter climates I can see the fabric ear pads providing more airflow and reducing heat buildup as you play. Both earpads provide good soundproofing when using the active noise cancelling mode and can be easily swapped out whenever needed with a careful pull around the edge to release the plastic locking tabs. The inclusion of 2 sets of ear pads also helps extend the life of the headset, as is normal with most headsets this is the first area that will show signs of wear after extended periods of use.
Even though the headset has a quality finish and uses a variety of different materials the development and team at Ciyce have been able to keep the weight of the gaming headset under 300g. Making it very comfortable to wear even when compared to my current go to everyday headset from Sennheiser which cost nearly five times as much to purchase.
Touch controls 
The wireless gaming headset is equipped with easy access controls positioned at the rear of both ear cups allowing you to quickly adjust volume, take calls, change connection modes and even accept calls at the press of a button using your thumbs. Ciyce has also included a sprinkling of handy unobtrusive indicator lights allowing you to quickly check which mode you are currently in, depending on whether you would like to connect using the Bluetooth dongle or Bluetooth directly from your device.
A neat feature of the headset is that it is fitted with two invisible touch buttons located in between the two lights on both sides of the headset on the outside of the ear cups. The left and side touch button provides easy access to adjust the lighting mode of the “eyes” to suit your preferences. While the right hand side touch button provides access to enable or disable the active noise cancelling (ANC) feature.
Dual Bluetooth dongle and Bluetooth connectivity
Ciyce have included a wealth of connectivity options for their wireless gaming headset providing not only direct Bluetooth connectivity straight from the headset but also via a dongle if preferred. The 2-in-1 dongle can be connected both to USB and USB-C ports allowing you to easily connect to a PlayStation, Xbox, PC, Mac, Linux PC or mobile device.
If you would prefer to connect to your phone, tablet, computer or console without a dongle simply tap the left-hand side bottom button three times to enter into the Bluetooth connection mode. The headset will then start searching for your device and appear in the list of available Bluetooth devices as “Ciyce”. Simply select it and you can enjoy wireless Bluetooth connectivity without the need to connect or carry any dongles with you on your travels.
When connected wirelessly the Ciyce team explain the headset offers a low latency 30ms connection allowing you to enjoy any type of game whether it be a first person shooter, role-playing game or casual play on your mobile device. Over the past few weeks I have had plenty of time to put the headset through its paces and connected it to both Mac and PC systems with ease using both the Bluetooth dongle and directly using integrated Bluetooth connectivity my laptop and iPhone without any issues.
Active Noise Cancelling & 7.1 Virtual surround sound
The Ciyce Active Noise Cancelling technology can easily be turned on or off by simply touching the touchpad in the centre of the right side cup. Simply touch your finger between the two RGB lights to turn the ANC on or off as required. For such an affordable pair of headphones the ANC technology integrated into the headset is impressive and allows you to cut out distracting noises in your office or when travelling.
The headset also features 7.1 Virtual surround sound providing good surround sound in all the games tested on my PC. Allowing you to easily locate the direction of action without any noticeable latency and offering an excellent immersive audio experience with a large range from high to deep tones.
RGB Lighting
If you like RGB lighting you’ll be pleased to know that the Ciyce wireless gaming headset includes a number of different lighting modes allowing you to set individual colours to the light up “eyes” on either side of the headset. You can choose from a pulsating colour changing mode, all have the light constantly showing your preferred colour choice from red, blue, green or white. Personally the red/orange colour is my personal favourite as it gives a fire effect as you move your headset during gameplay. If you prefer not to have any RGB lighting you can also blackout the headset by simply turning off the RGB effects.
Battery and charging
The wireless gaming headset can be used for up to 30 hours of playback on a full charge thanks to the integrated 800mAh battery. When flat the headset can be charged to full once again in under 2 hours using the included USB to USB-C charging cable. Unfortunately I don’t think you will be able to use the headset and charge it at the same time. When I tried to do this with the review unit it automatically turned itself off when I connected the USB-C charging cable from a spare port on my computer. Although this may be changed at a later date with an OTA firmware update. The development team at Ciyce are currently finalising and tweaking the headset’s firmware to provide the best quality audio possible from the headset. The Ciyce headset can be used via a wired connection thanks to the included 3.5 mm audio cable, although this will not charge the battery inside the headset as you listen to audio or play games.
Kickstarter early bird pricing
The Ciyce gaming headset is available on Kickstarter from just $78 for early bird backers and if you register on the company website and make a pledge to support the crowdfunding campaign, Ciyce will also provide an extra gift to all registered backers. The Kickstarter campaign will be running for the next 30 days but don’t delay if you would like to take advantage of the early bird pricing. For more information on all available pledges, full specifications and worldwide shipping details jump over to the official Kickstarter campaign page by following the link below.
Conclusion
If you are looking for an affordable, well-made, wireless gaming headset capable of providing excellent audio via either a Bluetooth dongle or directly from an existing Bluetooth adapter you may already own. The luxurious finish and construction of the $78 Ciyce headset is definitely worth checking out if you are a gamer.
Source: Kickstarter
Disclosure: “This is a sponsored post. Geeky Gadgets has been compensated for this post.”
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