The IOGEAR Kaliber Gaming UNIKOMM Universal Headset is meant for people getting in to gaming. Let me explain. I started to get into eSports and competitive gaming when I was in high school, where League of Legends and Call of Duty games were growing really popular. As more of my friends began getting into the game, I had to start thinking about getting better equipment to match our flourishing competitive drive. Of course, at the age of fourteen, it can be tough to earn money to buy the best gear from the limited options companies like Razer or SteelSeries offered before. So, finding the best bang-for-buck deals was a major priority.
IOGEAR did exactly what I was searching for back around 2009-2010, by creating a headset affordable to entry-level gamers and everyday music listeners. The Kaliber Gaming UNIKOMM Universal Headset fits this mould nicely with a little extra punch. The headset boasted being “universal” as gaming consoles and devices have expanded with the Xbox Series X|S, PS5, PC/Mac and mobile devices.
I can confirm the large 50 mm stereo headset delivered a reasonable amount of bass and clarity of voices in-game or when used for communicating with friends. It had a simple matte black finish with dual swivelling ear cups, which made it comfortable to put on and take off. The sad sacrifice for a more affordable option here was that there was no RGB lighting, more like HyperX’s standard headsets.
The ear cups and inner headset were cushioned in soft pleather. At first, I thought it was a bit too stiff, but it needed time to break it in and mould to my head shape. For its $24.95 price point, it was not a terrible experience in comfortability. I was typically trying to get through long stints of gaming in Horizon Zero Dawn and Sea of Thieves, where I was not breaking a sweat in my ear region. So, there was breathability in the ear cups.
As for the communication features, the removable, flexible boom microphone quality was great and the feedback I got from friends and other players said that my voice was clear. The built-in thumbwheel volume control and mute switch were a standard up-and-down switch to adjust output volume from audio on a device. Again, with the budget being limited to create this headset, the IOGEAR Kaliber Gaming UNIKOMM Universal Headset could only be classified as noise isolating, not with any active/passive noise-cancelling features.
My overall impression of the Kaliber Gaming UNIKOMM Universal Headset’s design was that it did what it set out to do. The price point of $24.95 seemed reasonable for the features it provided, or even a little extra. I appreciated the mic being as crisp as it was—having it removable was great when just using it to listen to music on Spotify or YouTube. However, the plug-in port was a bit janky and always required a little extra push to lock it in place.
“The IOGEAR Kaliber Gaming UNIKOMM Universal Headset is the perfect headset to buy for players who have a tight budget.”
Some other unsatisfying moments with the IOGEAR Kaliber Gaming UNIKOMM Universal Headset was its low volume for some games such as Valorant and Apex Legends. Other cinematic single player games were fine like Horizon Zero Dawn or Deathloop, so I figured it may have been a bit more unsteady with online multiplayer games.
The most disappointing aspect of this budget headset was its false pretenses with the Y adapter being included with the IOGEAR Kaliber Gaming UNIKOMM Universal Headset. As someone who does not have an audio port that runs both audio in and out in one port, it was troubling. What made it worse was that it was said supposed to have it on the purchase page but was nowhere to be found in the physical manual. While this may be a rare case, I felt the fact that there was not a splitter included, it lost a little bit of universality.
Letting bygones be bygones, everything else was amazing for this headset being a cost-friendly option that still offered the distinction of a “universal headset.” Other than my PC and laptop, it worked on my phone and Xbox One. I really liked the sound quality the most on my Xbox One while I was playing through Aliens: Fireteam Elite—some unnecessary jump scares to shake my brittle bones, but very satisfying weapon firing sounds.
If my EPOS headphones or my Razer headphones ever died, and I needed a reliable, quick headset to grab in a pinch, the Kaliber Gaming UNIKOMM Universal Headset is my pick. I went into this experience with low impressions for the price point but came out flummoxed beyond belief. While it would not be my go-to number one headset or headphones, it earned its place as a benchwarmer in case of an emergency.
The IOGEAR Kaliber Gaming UNIKOMM Universal Headset is the perfect headset to buy for players who have a tight budget, and it is versatile enough to take along on commuting trips to use as a regular headphones. If IOGEAR included that Y adapter/splitter, I think this would be so close to being the best budget-friendly headset. I cannot wait to check out IOGEAR’s economical gaming gear if they develop more in the future.
