Sound Quality

The XPG PRECOG Studio is equipped with a pair of 50-millimeter dynamic drivers with a specified frequency response of 20-20,000 Hz. The supplied dongle gives it the ability to handle 32-bit/96 kHz PCM audio files, at least according to technical specifications; I wasn't able to push it past 24-bit/96 kHz in Windows 11 Pro. Not that it matters.

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.

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. To compensate for minor seal variances, I'm measuring each ear until I get 10 usable results, reseating the headphones 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.

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 XPG PRECOG Studio, both averaged and for each channel separately.




This is one of those rare cases where my listening impressions don't sync up with what the frequency response graphs are telling us. The main reason I'm including them is because I took over 30 measurements of each ear and kept getting the same results. First of all, the implication is that the XPG PRECOG Studio has a heavily boosted bass, which in reality isn't the case at all. If anything, the bass is the least pronounced aspect of the PRECOG Studio's sound signature. It's there when it has to be, but has no overbearing thickness (which is good) or particular punchiness (which is not as good). Diehard bass-heads are likely to find it underwhelming. I'd love to hear a bit more attack and bite in the lower registers, but that obviously wasn't what XPG was going for with the PRECOG Studio. It's safe to assume that the discrepancy from the test results is caused by the fit; the PRECOG Studio obviously sits differently on my head compared to the miniDSP EARS test fixture. Headphones with cloth ear pads, which are inherently prone to leaking more sound both inward and outward, are particularly sensitive to the exact fit.

What it lacks in slam, the PRECOG Studio offers in cleanliness and width of the sound. When playing online shooters like Battlefield 2042, PUBG and Valorant, I constantly had a feeling of complete control over my surroundings. At times the PRECOG Studio sounded so expansive that I was inclined to check if I had virtual surround turned on by accident. Pinpointing my virtual targets felt like a breeze, and that's definitely something I didn't expect from a $60 gaming headset. I'm absolutely positive this is at least partially because of the sound processing done by the supplied dongle. When I plugged the PRECOG Studio into the 4.4-mm output of my headphone amplifier, the outstanding Topping A90 Discrete, it sounded more meaty and energetic, but noticeably narrower.

All in all, I like what XPG did with the tuning of the PRECOG Studio. It sounds balanced, clean and detailed, almost like it was purposefully made for grownups, rather than kids who generally don't care for much other than bass. With that in mind, the PRECOG Studio punches well above its weight in the sound quality department.