Sound Quality

The AQIRYS Alnair is equipped with a pair of 40-millimeter dynamic drivers with a specified frequency response of 20-20,000 Hz in wireless mode. The headset can work with 16-bit/48 kHz PCM audio files.

For gaming headset frequency response measurements I'm using the miniDSP EARS headphone test fixture, probably the least expensive such device on the market. It consists of two miniDSP UMIK-1 microphones placed inside a pair of silicone ears and affixed to a steel headphone stand. It's a USB-powered device, perfectly integrated with the fantastic Room EQ Wizard (REW) software, which is used for headphone and microphone calibration, as well as doing the measurements themselves. Every single miniDSP EARS unit comes with its own microphone calibration files, which are loaded into REW before doing the measurements. The miniDSP EARS certainly has its quirks. The artificial ear canals aren't particularly deep, so I wouldn't consider it a viable option for IEM testing. The integrated microphones are exceptionally sensitive to headphone positioning, partially because of the screws affixing the silicone ears to the stand, which aren't perfectly flush with the silicone surface. Some users also claim that the fixture is too narrow for very large Hi-fi headphones, so they have to use rubber bands to tighten the clamping force. The latter isn't something I ever had an issue with, though; all my headsets and headphones fit perfectly.

Because of all that, the miniDSP EARS is prone to user error. Whoever is using it has to know how to interpret the results and, even more importantly, how to spot those that are clearly flawed. After getting rid of the bad data, assuming the initial configuration and calibration were done properly, the resulting frequency response measurements are usable and in line with what one would hear from the headphones (or headset) in question. Once I got to where the frequency response plots corresponded to what I heard from the headphones and headsets I measured, I knew it was time to bring the results into my reviews. My testing methodology mostly follows the best practices of using the miniDSP EARS as covered in great detail in this article on Headphonesty. The most significant difference is that I'm using the updated HEQ compensation, where a subjectively neutral headphone would measure approximately flat. The audio source for my analog headphone and headset tests is the fantastic EVGA NU Audio Pro PCI Express sound card. For the AQIRYS Alnair, I used the supplied 2.4 GHz wireless dongle as the source, as that best represents the experience the future owners of the headset are going to have when listening to it. To compensate for minor seal variances, I'm measuring each ear until I get 10 usable results and reseat the headphones, or headset, between runs. After I have my results for one ear, I apply a 1/12 octave smoothing and average the measured responses. I then repeat the process for the other ear for an idea of whether any channel imbalance exists. It's important to keep in mind that my results cannot be directly compared to anyone else's, as only an identical methodology conducted on my exact sample of the miniDSP EARS would yield directly comparable results. Still, we now have a relevant visual representation of the sound characteristics of the headphones or headset under review, so I hope you find it useful.

You can explore my gaming headset frequency measurement database and follow its progress on my personal Squiglink. Let's take a look at the frequency response measurement of the AQIRYS Alnair, both averaged and for each channel separately.




Seasoned multiplayer FPS gamers will take one look at the frequency response graph and know exactly what AQIRYS was going for with the Alnair. With the huge bump in the 400-800 Hz range, it's obvious that the intention was to boost the region in which games like PUBG, Counter-Strike 2 and Valorant reproduce sounds like footsteps, magazine reloading, character rustling, and other cues that could help you hear your enemies sooner than you would with a more neutral sound signature. In that regard, the AQIRYS Alnair does its job very well. You get a sense of hyper-awareness, and with that comes a certain level of psychological comfort, stemming from the feeling that nobody can easily sneak up on you. Spatial awareness is decent, too, so you not only get the ability to hear your enemies slightly ahead of time but also the possibility to roughly estimate their location, or the direction they're shooting from. To add some excitement to the whole experience, Alnair has a boosted bass response as well.

The obvious downside of this approach, where sound is tailored for one particular type of usage, is that the tonality of the device, in this case the AQIRYS Alnair, is far from neutral and natural. When listening to music, the vocals and instruments sound too pushed forward. The bass is tuned in a way that it attempts to compensate for the upper midrange boost – just look at that massive 100-300 Hz shelf! – but in the end ends up sounding too empowering. It doesn't offer much in terms of nuance, texture, or bite. It has the thickness, but not the speed or the attack, so it falls into the sluggish category. The upper harmonics sound fairly neutral, at least until you activate the active noise cancellation – more on that in a moment.

I also have to point out that the 2.4 GHz wireless connection causes background static noise, which will be easily audible to anyone with more sensitive (or trained) ears. Because of this, the sound of the AQIRYS Alnair can't be described as clean. The static noise is absent when either a Bluetooth or wired connection is used, so the issue is related to the quality of the supplied 2.4 GHz wireless dongle and/or connection.

Active Noise Cancellation and Transparency Mode

The AQIRYS Alnair boasts a hybrid noise cancellation feature, which isn't usually offered by gaming headsets in its price range. The ANC technology used in this device does a solid job of filtering out deeper sounds (think fans, air conditioners and similar), as well as muffling various typical home background noises. However, turning the ANC on changes the sound output of the AQIRYS Alnair, particularly in higher frequencies, where sharpness and sibilance is introduced.

The Transparency Mode does the opposite of ANC – external sounds are captured and reproduced through headphones, with the intention of keeping you aware of your surroundings. This works well in practice, and proves to be quite useful in various situations, where using a regular closed-back gaming headset wouldn't be appropriate. For example, when you're trying to get a game or two of Valorant on, while your kids are asleep.