The Creative SoundblasterX H5 may sound like it was named by a committee of twelve year olds trying to come up with a name after their previous suggestion of Headsetty McHeadset was rejected, but at its heart the Soundblaster is a relatively low key, function over form headset.

The Soundblaster is a damn comfortable headset due to its over ear headphone design, with comfortable faux leather textured padding for both the earcups themselves and the supporting headband which sits atop your dome. The rest of the design follows the Batman philosophy of does it come in black, with the only coloured details coming in the form of the sleek, brushed metal of the adjustable headband supports and the striking, if a little garish, red x which adorns the side.

Rounding out the standard headset feature list, there is a volume control switch on the cable and of course the cable is braided, because who doesn’t braid their cables these days? Communists that’s who. The cable itself is a combined audio and mic single jack, with an extension to split the lines which is a weird choice, presumably made to allow the Soundblaster to function as a normal pair of headphones too. The cable can also detach from the headset where it joins with the cup; a small but welcome feature which makes replacing the cable when it breaks much less of a ballache. It’s a good job too as even with the magical braided cable, I’ve already started hearing crackle when the wire is moving during use which doesn’t fill me with confidence for the long term survivability of the Soundblaster.