The following accessories being reviewed were provided by the company FIFINE as well as the hero image for this article.
I own a lot of headphones. Particularly during the pandemic I found myself amassing a collection of ’em, from the low-end of pricing all the way to headsets breaking to $500 plus barrier. And yet I rarely use them for gaming, as I always prefer to use my 5.1 home theatre set up. Part of that stems from how uncomfortable I’ve always felt using gaming-branded audio equipment—as even at $100 plus pricing manufacturers often preferred foam ear cups and weird shapes that almost never wrapped around my head proper.
So colour me surprised when I had the chance to give FIFINE’s AmpliGame H9 a whirl—and I was left impressed. Priced at roughly $38 USD/£50/$63 AUS, this headset works across PC and PlayStation consoles via USB and AUX, with Xbox consoles being compatible solely through your controller’s AUX port. But low pricing isn’t its only great point—faux leather ear cups, a form factor that wraps around my head proper, a solid control board, and most importantly: great stereo sound. This is a solid gaming headset for the price.
We’ll also cover the AmpliGame S3 Headset Stand a bit, for the RGB-lovers.
With a Smile
A smile greets you on the H9 headset, one on each side of the cups. The H9 comes ready to go and features a detacheable microphone for when you’re done breathing to the entire room the whole match. The construction of the headset is really nice, with FIFINE preferring to use a metal band to connect both ears and wrapping similar faux leather around, except for the scalp cushion which is foam. Both ear connections stick out a bit in the form of a small wire on each end, but you won’t be yanking on them accidentally.
The USB connection doesn’t work with Xbox consoles but that’s where the AUX connection comes in. For the week I used the H9, the stereo sound impressed me. It’s not bass-heavy (if anything it’s a little light) but I much prefer that anyway. During my Halo Infinite sessions, I had no problems picking up on baddie movements and I could even appreciate some extra details that sometimes go over my head when I have sound coming through my home theatre setup, such as the beeps and boops of nearby computers or the whirring of large fans.
Plugging the H9 into my PC I was able to have control of my sound through the little mixer that’s attached. It can be clipped to your shirt which is handy as, oftentimes, other headset makers love to leavy large dials that get dragged around when you don’t want them to. It’s a convenient little solution, from the board you can lower the volume of the headset or the microphone and both worked out of the box with no issues. There’s a giant 7.1 button for virtualised audio and, honestly, I’m not a fan of DSPs on any headset as they make the sound mixing appear tinny and almost echo-ey. The H9 can do great stereo sound and that’s all you’ll really need.
Now up next we have the AmpliGame S3 Headset Stand. It’s pretty, tall, and very reactive to sounds. See, when you talk, a sensor on the front of the stand picks up your squabbles and flashes you with lovely RGBs—and there are a total of nine different colour and style modes for you to pick from. On top of that, the base glows too, and offers a two-port USB-A hub for you to plug in and charge additional equipment. The S3 comes with a decently sized USB-C cable to power the thing up and it’s well-made, too. You can store additional wires in the back as well, which helps with wire management.
Having it sit on my already super-crowded desk, I’ve come to appreciate it’s flashiness. I have a much cheaper and simpler stand to hold my $10 Drop.com headsets, but I’ve taken a liking to the design of the stand and how it brightens up my little room. Quite literally, at one point my PC woke up around 4am, Wallpaper Engine started blaring out music, and when I woke to that the lights on the stand briefly blinded me. But my only real complaint is that the outputs on the hub are USB-A only—I would have liked to have at least one USB-C out connection.
Currently the S3 is not available for purchase, but the company plans to bring it back in the future. It retailed at $36.99 USD when it was available for purchase. To this, I say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. But I like it well enough that it continues to occupy space at my work desk. Most importantly, every headset I’ve shoved onto it fits snuggly.
A Lovely Kit
Both the H9 headset and S3 stand are well-made products and I was particularly impressed with how well the H9 stood up against my SteelSeries and Turtle Beach gaming headsets in terms of sound. And because it was ultimately more comfortable for me, I stuck with the H9 headset the whole week. And when I wasn’t using ’em, I shoved them into the rather chique stand. They have my stamp of approval, especially for those who are on a budget. Seriously, skip the $20 headphones at Best Buy and go for the H9, you’ll love these.
The AmpliGame H9 Headset is currently available at Amazon in the US, UK, and Australia in colours black, white, and pink. The AmpliGame S3 Headset Stand is currently unavailable, but the company is looking to bring it back in the future.
| Amazon US — $37.99 USD |
| Amazon UK — £49.99 GBP |
| Amazon AUS — $62.99 AUD |
