Logitech Zone Vibe 125: The Little Black Dress of headsets
- Manufacturer: Logitech
- Model: Zone Vibe 125
- Price: £109
- Connectivity: Bluetooth/USB-A/USB-C
- Reviewed on: PC/Mobile/Switch
- Supplied by: Logitech
Logitech Zone Vibe 125 Review
The Logitech Zone Vibe 125, at a surface level, just seems like a nice work headset, and it essentially is.
The Vibe 125 is decked out with everything you could want in a professional environment: stylish and clean looks, lightweight comfort, a huge amount of connectivity and a clear microphone. But with its 40mm drivers, mobile phone features and Logitech DNA, it can go with you to more places than just the office, as it is pitched to be a headset that can knuckle down at work whilst also keeping up with movies and gaming after work – be that on the fly or at home.
First Impressions
Admittedly, my first impressions of the Zone Vibe 125 were that it looked dull. I’m a huge fan of headsets like the Logitech G733, G535 and Astro line of headsets, so a grey office-style headset isn’t my usual style. However, I’m not one to judge a book by its cover.
Out of the box the Logitech Zone Vibe 125 felt almost ridiculously light; Putting it on for a test fit I could easily forget it was there. The cushions felt amazingly soft, the extremely thin headband cover was just enough to keep the surprisingly flexible frame from touching my head, and overall, the appeal of the Zone Vibe 125 started to show.
Unboxing and accessories
Unboxing the Zone Vibe 125 you will be met with the headset itself, a standard USB Type-C charging cable, a two-part USB receiver with the standard USB-A connector and a converter for Type-C and lastly a grey fabric storage bag. The USB receiver having both USB-A and C was a really nice addition, as it expands the connectivity a great deal meaning most devices will be able to use the Zone Vibe 125.
The bag, however, was the cherry on top, fully selling the idea that these were made to go with you anywhere. It is made of a lovely feeling flexible material and it even has a built-in pouch for the dongle. It’s not a huge deal but it is an extra detail that has contributed toward making the Zone Vibe 125 my top travel headset.
Design and build
Design-wise the Zone Vibe 125 is simple and modern, constructed mainly of a light and flexible grey plastic that has mostly been finished with a matte textured look. The only contrast is the grey fabric of the headband and cups, which match up to make the Zone Vibe 125 look pretty nice. It’s very understated and definitely doesn’t stand out from the crowd, but that seems to be exactly what it is aiming for.
The design as a whole is very clean and minimalistic, with no needless edges or added contours. Everything is softly curved and the headband ends in two half-pipes that join into one single slider. The slider being embedded into the cup is the most stylized part of the Zone Vibe 125, but it was still a functional choice as it allows the sliders to protrude past the ear cups and not look ridiculous.
The cups are simple. With soft edges and only a cutout for the slider to go in there is not much to say. The attachment between the cups and sliders, however, is great. It allows for sliding up and down of course but it also has a good amount of pivot and tilt. It allows you to really dial in the fit and makes sure that equal pressure is applied around your ear, as well as creating an acoustic seal that benefits both sound quality and passive noise reduction.
Incorporated into the design are a few additional features. A pause button is positioned on the back of the right cup, and an answer/hang up button and volume rocker on the back of the left cup, as well as an ‘on/off/sync’ toggle switch on the bottom of the left cup.
Last on the design front is the rigid flip-to-mute mic that retracts into the headset so that when you aren’t using it it’s out of the way, blending into the design. If you are in a call or a meeting and you want to mute quickly without flipping up the mic, there is also a physical mute button on the boom, too, which is an unexpected yet welcome feature on the headset.
The biggest strength of the design is its understated and modern look. It’s going to look fine whether you are in an office, on a train, out in town or at home. There is no place where this headset won’t fit in.
Connectivity
The Vibe 125 is well provided for when it comes to connectivity, with in-headset Bluetooth, a Bluetooth dongle for systems without a Bluetooth receiver, and USB-A and USB-C available for connecting to your devices. All that is missing is the usual 3.5mm jack. With its host of connectivity, the only thing I have not been able to connect to is my Xbox which would have needed the 3.5mm jack, but connecting to my PC, Surface, Switch and phone was no problem at all.
The list of devices it will connect to far exceeds the ones it won’t, especially if you have modern devices, and the fact that it works flawlessly with mobile and Switch reinforces how suitable the Zone Vibe 125 is for being taken out and about with you.
Unfortunately, the included USB Type C cable is for changing only. It would have been amazing if there was an option to connect through Type C, especially with a Type C to Type C cable. The Zone Vibe 125 also comes with a Dongle as standard to pair with non-Bluetooth devices such as most desktop PCs.
Battery life on the Zone Vibe 125 is pretty good at around 20 hours of listening time and 18 hours of talk time from a full charge. While it’s not as high as some of the gaming-oriented Logitech headsets it’s more than enough to get you through a day of work and your free time afterwards.
Sound Quality
The sound pumping out of the two 40mm drivers is more than enough for most, and I would actually put it close to my Logitech G535 in terms of sound quality, maybe even a little better.
The quality is crisp and clear, with a neutral sound profile devoid of any noticeable tuning. Again, this falls back into the theme that it can do anything. You won’t be getting audiophile quality sound or Astro-tuned super hearing, but what you do get is excellent clarity, a decent soundstage and consistent performance.
At peak volume, the Vibe 125 still sounds great. You lose a little clarity but that is to be expected. At lower volumes, it still performed great with everything sounding crisp and clean.
Integration with G Hub for audio tuning would be great. You do get the capable Logi Tune software, but if you already have a load of Logitech gear that uses G Hub you don’t really want another control software eating up your system resources.
The mic is the star of the show, here, though. I would even be comfortable using the Zone Vibe 125 as an occasional alternative to my Rode VideoMicro when recording out and about. Crystal clear is the only way to describe it, but it is the noise cancellation where the Zone Vibe 125 shines. I wanted to truly put it to the test so I decided to put it on while in a car going for a drive down some 40mph roads with the windows wide open. My partner, who was on the receiving end, said it performed and sounded better than the system built into my car, which was made for this exact situation. I can not over-emphasise how impressive the noise cancellation and suppression are on the Zone Vibe 125.
Negatives/Improvements
The main negative is that I wish it was black. Grey is a great choice and looks fine, but black in my opinion would have looked better, as it would have made the Vibe 125 feel just a little more premium. I’d also mention that although the finish on the plastics of the headset is good, the cheaper quality materials Logitech has been using recently have yet to be proven to withstand intensive daily use. Whether the Zone Vibe 125 will still look as good six months down the line remains to be seen.
Other than that, I wouldn’t complain if the Vibe additionally supported a 3.5mm connection. It’s arguably unnecessary but it would have meant it could connect to a wider range of devices, including Xbox consoles and older PCs or laptops.
Summary
The Vibe 125 is a jack of all trades with an aesthetic that is suitable for a professional environment. The audio is crystal clear, the mic is fantastic and the looks are understated yet modern.
One size fits all with the Zone Vibe 125. It’s suitable for work, at home, or out and about – it is what I would call the “little black dress” of headsets… If only it was actually black.
