If you’re on a budget and want a wireless headset that won’t let you down, the AOC GH401 is a great choice
- Manufacturer: AOC
- Model: AOC Gaming GH401
- Type: 2.4GHz Wireless Stereo Headset
- Price: £79.99 MSRP (£67.99/$59.99 Amazon UK/US)
- Supported Platforms – Wireless: PC, Mac, PS4/5, Switch (Docked)
- Supported Platforms – Wired: Xbox One/Series XS, Mobile, Switch (3.5mm)
- Reviewed on: Windows PC, Xbox Series X, Samsung mobile
- Supplied by: AOC
AOC GH401 Review
Overview
AOC may be known for its fantastic range of gaming and office monitors, but they’re rapidly becoming a contender in the peripherals market, too. Much like how many of their monitors offer class-leading feature sets at attainable prices, their peripherals continue this trend, offering affordable yet high performant gaming mice, keyboards and, as we are reviewing here, headsets.
The AOC Gaming GH401 is an affordable 2.4GHz wireless headset that is compatible with PC, Mac, Switch (when docked) and PS4/5 using the wireless dongle, but can also connect to any device with a 3.5mm headphone port. Lightweight, comfortable and with an audio-tune customised for gaming, the GH401 has surprised me in all the right ways.
There are a couple of areas where I think AOC could make improvements, but considering the price and that this is their first wireless headset, I think AOC has made a fantastic headset.
Design and build
What’s in the box?
- GH401 Gaming Headset
- Detachable microphone
- 2 metre braided 3.5mm audio cable
- USB-A to USB-C charging cable
- Quick-start guide
I love some of the detail that has gone into the GH401. Anyone familiar with AOC products will recognise the classic red-on-black colourway, but the way it has been integrated is very tasteful. Contrasting red stitching joins the leatherette around the amply padded headband, which looks fantastic and is very neatly done, whilst the steel forks have a beautiful metallic red finish.
As these are single-piece steel forks, there is no swivel adjustment – I like to have one earphone half over my ear sometimes so I can keep an ear out for my kids or chat to my partner; Although it’s not uncomfortable to do this with the GH401, it causes the ear cups to rotate slightly which ruins the seal and causes a noticeable drop in bass and mids.
The ear cups are made of hardened plastic, with a circular metal mesh section that has an AOC logo visible behind it. This mesh is purely cosmetic, however, as this is a closed-back headset. The ear cups are chunky without being oversized, and they are very well assembled, with no creaking components when flexed.
The earpads are stuffed with plenty of soft foam and coated with supple leatherette. It’s very comfortable, but it can make your ears quite warm compared to fabric coverings. I found the sizing to be ample to completely cover my ears and wearing the headset correctly created a very effective acoustic seal, which is important for both sound quality and passive noise reduction.
AOC has judged the clamping force perfectly; some headsets can squeeze across your temples or below your ears but these sit perfectly for my taste. The GH401 is also well suited to glasses-wearers, as the ear pads are soft enough that they won’t press on the arms and cause discomfort. It’s not quite on the same level as Turtle Beach’s ProSpecs padding, as you do lose the seal slightly, but that’s a common thing glasses-wearers have to put up with, unfortunately.
Features and controls
All of the controls are located on the left ear cup, and I found them very easy to locate and operate. I like how it only takes a single press to turn on the GH401, rather than a press and hold; it’s a very minor quality of life improvement, but it’s one of those things that once you try it, you wonder why that isn’t the standard.
From left to right in the image below;
Power on/off, indicator light, USB-C connection (charging only), 3.5mm TRRS jack for analogue connection, mute indicator light (green when muted), mic mute switch, volume dial, and below the power button is the microphone connection.
Having the mic mute easily accessible is a bonus, and although the visual indicator is out of sight when using the headset there is a vocal confirmation (“Talk mic mute”/“Talk mic unmute”) so you don’t accidentally leave your voice unmuted.
The AOC GH401 uses a scroll wheel to control volume, but unlike other headsets where it controls the volume on the PC, this one only adjusts the signal volume received from the source. It’s reliable though and doesn’t have any crackle or static noise sometimes attributed to these physical volume adjusters.
I’m a little disappointed that the GH401 does not have any software to adjust mic monitoring and volume, chat balance or the audio profile. The AOC GH300 uses AOC Audio Center, which despite being quite basic gets the job done, so the omission of any control software or onboard profiles feels like a missed opportunity. It’s not too hard to adjust these settings within software like Discord or Game Bar, and you can tweak the audio EQ within Windows if needed, but if you’re using an Xbox, for example, you’re stuck with the default sound profile.
Connectivity
The AOC Gaming GH401 is a 2.4GHz wireless headset, which can also be used with other devices via the included 3.5mm TRRS jack cable. Users will appreciate that the GH401 comes already paired to its wireless dongle, so it is a very simple plug and play connection. Although it has a USB-C connector, this is only used for charging and does not transmit audio.
You can use the wireless dongle with PCs, Macs, both PS4 and PS5 consoles, as well as the Nintendo Switch when it is docked. This makes it a great all-round headset if you have multiple consoles and don’t mind switching the dongle between devices.
Wireless range is above average, maintaining connection up to around 6 metres without any drops, but this lowers to a few metres if there are any obstructions or interference. As this headset is geared towards PC users you likely won’t have any issues with wireless range or connection stability, and I found the range more than adequate to allow wandering off to the kitchen to grab drinks and snacks.
An unexpected but useful feature is that if you connect the GH401 with the 3.5mm analogue jack it turns off the headset completely, so you won’t be running the battery down. This is very useful if you use your headset as a multi-purpose device; You can listen to your headset on your commute, then switch to wireless when you get home safe in the knowledge you have plenty of battery life left. However, there is a minor drawback in that the mic mute switch is disabled in analogue mode.
Sound Quality
Much like my colleague Andy noted when he reviewed the AOC GH300 and GH200 headsets, the AOC GH401 has a very specific gamer-focused audio tuning. Rather than the bass-heavy tune many manufacturers use, the GH401 has a mostly neutral profile, with an emphasis on the mids and lower high end that makes the audio sound bright and clear. If you play competitive games you’ll appreciate this even more, as its native tuning is very similar to enhanced modes on other headsets, adding clarity and a nice boost to sounds like gunfire, footsteps and voices.
It’s refreshing to hear an audio tune that acknowledges what its target market needs. I get the appeal of thundering bass, but when it overpowers everything else you miss important audio cues that we gamers rely on. Here, the bass is still punchy, but it’s not overwhelming, allowing the mids and treble to shine through.
There is a minor tendency for the sound to become muddied when there’s lots of audio coming through across all frequencies, but compared to other headsets in this price range performance is above average. Overall, I think AOC has nailed the balance, especially in a wireless headset that can be picked up for under £70.
Although this audio tune is great for gaming, it lacks warmth. If you spend as much time watching movies or listening to music as you do gaming there are better headsets, but it’s hard to complain when this is a very specific choice that AOC made. As long as you have access to software EQ you can make it more than good enough for multi-use, but without adjustment, it doesn’t give the impact that cinematic games and movies need.
AOC markets the GH401 as a 2.0 stereo headset, as it doesn’t have any custom surround-sound processing, but you can still use Windows Sonic, Dolby Atmos or DTS sound processors. It’s not as effective as it could be, though. The soundstage of the GH401 is quite narrow, lacking the spaciousness you get from higher-end headsets. Sound separation is good at a medium volume level, allowing you to accurately pick out directional cues, but gauging distance isn’t as easy as it could be, as everything sounds quite close.
A final note on the sound quality; At full volume, the GH401 has a moderate amount of distortion, which makes the resultant sound messy and lacking definition. If you prefer/need to use your headset at the maximum volume I wouldn’t recommend this headset, but if you keep the volume at a reasonable level it performs very well.
Microphone quality
The microphone is about what you’d expect from a budget headset. Clarity is decent but bass tones are subdued, meaning it’s not an accurate representation of your voice. It has an omnidirectional pickup pattern, which is great for picking up your voice if your mic is a bit out of place, but I found it picked up background noise like the clickety-clack of my keyboard. This is another area where custom control software would have been convenient, though I managed to fine-tune the mic gain on my PC to reduce the excess pickup.
There are guide notches on the mic itself and on the headset to aid proper connection, and when it’s snapped in place it has a very secure fit. The neck of the microphone is a bit springy, but I had no problems positioning it close to my mouth. The length is also good, sitting just off the corner of my mouth, which prevents plosives and heavy breathing from becoming a nuisance to your listeners.
Battery life
Battery life is rated at 17 hours, which is very good and more than enough for several days of use for all but the most dedicated gamers. There is no way of monitoring the remaining battery life – when the headset drops down to 2% life, a low battery warning will sound indicating around 15 minutes of use remains before it shuts down automatically.
Although 15 minutes should be enough time to finish your match or pause your game, it feels unnecessarily restrictive. A >10% warning would be preferable, both for convenience and to ensure longevity, as you don’t want to run your batteries flat if you can help it.
Charging is relatively fast, even when drawing power from a PC or console USB port. I didn’t get a measurement from 0-100% but charging after a couple of days’ average use (4/5 hours per day – estimated 50-60% use) took under an hour. The indicator light glows red whilst charging, turning off when fully charged.
Summary
I’m impressed with what AOC has achieved, especially as this is one of their first headsets. It has great looks and solid build quality that give it a premium feel beyond what you’d expect from a budget headset. The microphone could be improved and I would have liked AOC to offer slightly more features like the side-tone adjustment found on the GH300, but it’s forgivable and will hopefully be addressed with future iterations.
Overall, the AOC Gaming GH401 is a brilliant wireless headset within its price range. Sound quality is understandably not as good as on high-end headsets, but the crisp and bright gamer-focused audio tune is well suited to gaming. If you’re on a budget and want a wireless headset that won’t let you down, the AOC GH401 is a great choice.
