The XPG PRECOG Studio will draw you in with the claim of being the world's first balanced gaming headset, but that's not why you'll stick around. At the end of the day, for the target audience that's just a meaningless line from the product's technical specifications. What you should focus on instead is the fact that for the asking price of $60, the PRECOG Studio offers tremendous value.

It's a great performer, both in terms of sound and microphone quality. I'm a big fan of its grownup tuning. Instead of focusing on nothing but the bass, and going completely overboard with it, XPG opted for an impressively clean, expansive sound signature, one that works wonders in multiplayer shooters, as it gives you a ton of information about your surroundings. Not often do we run into inexpensive gaming headsets that fare as well in terms of spatial positioning. Of course, the XPG PRECOG Studio handles other game genres equally well and with just enough oomph not to sound dull.

The wearing comfort, another fundamental aspect of a gaming headset, is good. The suspended headband design works as well as ever in distributing the weight of the headset evenly. The clamping force is reasonable, as is the softness of the cloth-wrapped ear pads. They do leak sound in both directions, which XPG tried to compensate for by adding an inner layer of pleather, with moderate success. If you insist on being completely isolated from your surroundings, the XPG PRECOG Studio won't do you much good. The same goes for everyone who's super sensitive about build quality. There's no going around it: this thing feels cheap.

With everything taken into consideration, the conclusion is as clear as PRECOG Studio's sound: this is a great value option for gamers on a budget.