Vankyo Commander CM7000 Headset Review
Updated 4/16/21.
For a substantially lower price than many of the more famous brands, Vankyo offers a headset that delivers superior sound with the option of 7 .1 sound. It has compatibility with personal computers (via USB and/or RCA jacks), XBox, PS4, Nintendo Switch, and mobile phones through the use of the 5' cable. They even offer a 2-year warranty and free returns.
You can read their description and technical details here: VANKYO Gaming Headset CM7000 Pro PS4 Headset with 7.1 Surround Sound Stereo Xbox One Headset.
Microphone
The noise-cancelling microphone is mounted on the front of the left cub and is composed of a flexible cable so that you can turn it in whichever way you like. The mute button for it is located on the back of the cup and is fairly small; pushing it in mutes the mic.
Although I was able to get the microphone to work, it stopped working. I tried turning on and off the mute buttons on both the headset (left cup) and the 7.1 box, but the Windows test function didn't work (meaning it wasn't recognizing the presence of a mic) and the mic didn't work. It turns out that, for some reason, the 7.1 box was interfering. When I then left the 7.1 box connected via USB but disconnected the USB & RCA plugs from it and plugged the latter into the audio jack, the mic wouldn't work. Finally, I disconnected the 7.1 box entirely and made sure that the mute button on the headset was off (sticking out), and it worked. Then, I reconnected everything with the 7.1 box, and left the mute button on the box in the on (lit) position, and the mic worked. Apparently, the icon on the headset is incorrect - when the button with the mic is lit then the mic works instead of being muted. It would be advisable for the tiny icon by the mute button on the headset to show which position is on (pushed in). It is also important to change the icon on the mute button of the 7.1 box, OR change the lighting, because the icon shows that it's a mute button, which should be lit when muted, but it actually turns off the light when muted.
Months later, I needed to use the headset for an interview via Microsoft Teams. I could NOT get the mic to work and didn't have time to fiddle with it. This was a very frustrating experience.
Gamers who like to be able to turn off their mic by flipping the mic boom up will possibly be irritated by the small size of the mic mute button on the left cup's rear, as well as the mute-button lighting mismatch.
Lighting
There is a single red light on the outside of each cup, and it lights up a design that includes the Vankyo symbol (it looks like KC put together) as well as a oval dial effect around that. Since it's red, it doesn't become a distraction but, unless you're in a darkened room and you often set it down in random places (near your device, obviously, since the cabling isn't very long), it really isn't more than ornamental.
The attachable 7.1 surround sound box also has red lighting for the buttons, so it doesn't distract much from your viewing experience . There is a button on it to turn off the lights but, actually, you can just not attach the USB cable to this box (or to USB jack on your device) as that is the headset lights' power source.
I don't really see the point of the lights on the headset, although I'm sure it attracts some buyers. I'm glad that there's a way to turn them off via the 7.1 box, but they can't be turned off if you don't use the box. Couldn't you resolve this, or offer a model that doesn't have the lighting in the headset? Indeed, you could even offer 4 choices: no headset lights, single-colored, chromatic LEDs without customizable programming, and chromatic LEDs with customizable programming. Obviously, the latter 1 or both would require either hardwiring or programming so that your customers can fully customize the range of colors, duration, and brightness. Given cross-compatibility issues between all the platforms you support, the best choice would, thus, be a button on the headset for the last version so that they can switch the LED display, or perhaps multiple buttons/sliders/dials.
Cables
The 5' cable is sufficient to connect you to a nearby device, but you won't be able to sit far from a stationary gaming device if you have a large screen. With the 7.1 sound box's additional 2' cable, you can make it a bit longer. There's also a Y splitter to separate the RCA plug's audio to in and out on two RCA jacks.
The 7.1 surround sound box includes a button to un/mute the mic, turn 7.1 on/off, turn on/off the headset lights, and adjust the volume of the computer/game station. The USB plug goes into your device, then you plug the headset RCA & USB jacks into the 7.1 box; the USB jack doesn't need to be plugged into the box at all as it only powers the lights.
I wish that the headset included a cable extension to make it suitable for game station players sitting at a distance from their screens.
Earpieces
The cups cover the ears completely, which is great when it's cold where you are, and they fit comfortably over the ears unless your ears protrude a lot. I'm not sure if they are ventilated for warm temperatures as I got them during the winter. The cups are clearly marked with a large "L" and "R" on the foam covering the drivers (i.e. speakers), unlike some companies that mark them with hard-to-read letters due to size and color. The faux leather over the foam cushioning is comfortable and pleasant to the touch. The design is, overall, attractive without being gaudy, flashy or outstanding. The left cup has the mic mounted on the front, and the mute button on the back as well as the volume dial.
Adjustable Headband
The headband is not the typical friction slide or ratchet mechanism. Instead, there's a metal arc that provides a solid connection between the cups, and is made of springy metal that is lightweight. Under that is a faux leather band that fits your head due to its flexibility, and this has two thin cables on each end that are attached to spring-tension rolls inside the tops of the cups. One reviewer complained about vibrations of the metal arc being heard in the cups but I only experienced this if I tapped it hard, so I don't believe it's an issue.
The self-adjusting band doesn't have a catch mechanism so that you can prevent the tension from causing the headset to ride up your head, which also means that wearing a hat or cap is problematic because, although the metal arc gives enough space, the tension increases the farther out the tension cables are pulled, making it uncomfortable. I didn't find that I had trouble with the headset flying off my head as sideways tension was sufficient.
Sound Quality
With eight 50 mm drivers it sounds really good! Since 7.1 surround sound is an attachment you can use it or not unless you need to convert the two plugs (RCA & USB) into just USB. Although the instructions suggest you won't need the surround sound effect to listen to music, I find that it improves the experience beyond my 5.1 desktop speaker system. Perhaps musical techno-geeks will find fault with the sound range, but the average user probably won't.
Conclusion
This headset is a great deal and highly competitively priced. I hope they'll improve upon it with my suggestions, and definitely fix the mic issue. Overall, I really like this product. The sound quality is really nice and it is fairly comfortable with over-the-ears cups, a mic on a fully flexible rod, an optional 7.1 controller box, red lights on the headset and box (they aren't obnoxiously bright, although I have no need or use for the USB-powered headset lights), and a self-adjusting headband. I also really like the fact that "L" and "R" are printed in large letters in the cups, especially now that an eye infection has messed up my reading vision in one eye. This thoughtful idea is especially useful on other headsets without a mic. One of the ways Vankyo can offer such a great product is by cutting corners on the type of the materials (fake leather and plastic housing), but I can't yet say how long they'll last before usage causes damage. At this point, I'm satisfied with the quality. There are some things, though, that I'm not entirely thrilled with, as mentioned.
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