HP OMEN X Mindframe Gaming Headset Review: Peltiers Keep Your Ears Cool

cageymaru

cageymaru

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Windows Central has reviewed the all new HP OMEN X Mindframe Advanced Gaming Headset that features FrostCap Technology. The thermoelectric cooling device in each ear cup is actually a peltier that keeps each ear cup cool. The peltier moves the heat from the inner ear cup to the outer ear cup creating a nice cool environment for your ears. The temperature difference is noticeable according to the reviewer as it created a cooling effect when touched inside the headphone and the extra heat was noticeable on the outer shell of the ear cups. In a 72F degree room the inside of the headphones was 66F at the inner ear cup and 90F on the outer ear cup. The review goes on to delve into the sound quality, build quality, comfort and more of the unique HP OMEN X Mindframe gaming headset.

The lack of audio optimizations or higher-quality sound reproduction seems to be a tradeoff for the advanced cooling tech. In other words, these headphones lean towards extreme comfort rather than extreme sound for a feature set. That's OK so long as you know what you a getting. Others may prefer more authentic gaming audio from other other headphones but you may have to put up with some head soreness or getting hot and sweaty.
 
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skates15

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"In a 72F degree room the inside of the headphones was 66F at the inner ear cup and 90F on the outer ear cup."

This is why Peltiers are not efficient...90F on the out ear cup in a room temperature of 72F. The heat from the other side of the Peltier plate is super hot and will form a wall of heat around the outside of the headphones. The heat has to go somewhere, it can't be on the inside of the ear cup because of condensation. This is a bad idea considering the heat exchange is right by your head.
 
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nightanole

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skates15 said:
"In a 72F degree room the inside of the headphones was 66F at the inner ear cup and 90F on the outer ear cup."

This is why Peltiers are not efficient...90F on the out ear cup in a room temperature of 72F. The heat from the other side of the Peltier plate is super hot and will form a wall of heat around the outside of the headphones. The heat has to go somewhere, it can't be on the inside of the ear cup because of condensation. This is a bad idea considering the heat exchange is right by your head.
Click to expand...


It doesnt help that they are horribly inefficient. so for every .1 watt of ear heat they remove, the other side heats up a full watt .
 
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Dermen

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I have used a headset in the past that made my ears annoyingly warm, but the room was also too warm. Like a lot of people in the thread I now have a headset with open backs and it isn't a problem, I also have a properly cooled room too though.
 
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OnceOver

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I was just thinking the other day I wished someone made cooled headphones. Not kidding. However, I won't pay $200. In the summer with the door shut my office gets hot AF. If I turn the AC down then the other rooms get too cold. First world problems... I know.
 
oldmanbal

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man I remember peltiers from my conroe overclocking days. However my open ear senns stay at ambient temperature. I could imaging if you have some big ass wonky noise cancelling rubber / plastic headphones that apply too much pressure to your head (which would be shit engineering) you could get a bit uncomfortable. The first gen beats I got were definitely in this class of good sound crappy comfort. Then again, using a peltier would only be engineering a solution to your own shit engineering so collectively we have a giant circle jerk.
 
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homernoy

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These headset's might be the most effective when people are playing room scale VR titles. Obviously, if you are sitting in a chair and playing standard video games on a monitor or HDTV, these are probably not necessary. That being said, when your jumping around your living room in VR with a HMD strapped to your head, it can get a little toasty.
 
Twisted Kidney

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ccityinstaller said:
I do the same with Sennheiser 598s..Super comfy, great sound, and great price!
Click to expand...

Sennheiser is another open ear brand I love. Nice and light, lots of air. Everything you want, even if they aren't on all that long it's still nice to be comfortable.
 
DrBorg

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Are they adding a 1000W power supply? :)

Seriously, most peltiers want ~10A@12V to cool a beer can; these must use a USB-C port, as it can power up to 100W at 20V.
 
AngeloBJ

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What the actual f'cuk....If your ears hot while you game I have the answer.

thermostat-heat-no-aux.jpg


Hit the button pointing towards the floor....

IJS
 
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EODetroit

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I never once thought to myself while wearing headphones, "Gee my ears are hot."
 
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defaultluser

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I don't wear heavy earphones because they make my head hot.

But I'd rather just turn on the speakers. The number of times I've needed to talk to somebody while gaming is almost nill.

$200 is a lot to ask for a product that I would rarely use.
 
N4CR

N4CR

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I like closed cans when on the go. In summer they can get a little hot so pelts for this application would be awesome.
Just now there is another thing to charge.. and more weight.
 
McCartney

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Armenius said:
My ears have never felt like they get too hot using my Astro A40, even after 4 hours. A solution looking for a problem, or just an excuse to sell mediocre headsets at a premium price?
Click to expand...
guy,

when you mackin' em hunnies on ventrilo... (as Toni braxton's "makin me high" insinuated):

"tempacha risin'"

these babies are perfect for "submitting game" (literally and metaphorically lulz): keepin' me cool, ensuring i can command the ventrilo/teamspeak chatroom.

feel me?

where the natty ice at? ;)
 
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