Good sounding and reasonably priced, the Sades A6 upgraded version is a better quality gaming headset than the price tag suggests and, on top of that, the Sades A6 comes with a suspension headband and an external boom microphone for in-game chatting!
The suspension headband integrates an inner band made of a hard plastic with a black/grey checkered pattern. Thanks to the lightweight construction of the suspension headband, it adds very little discomfort on top of the head.
The underside of the suspension headband has three separated firm padded sections that allow air to flow and alleviate any heat spot from the weight of the headset. The Sades A6 weighs 320 grams.
The top of the suspension headband is padded with soft foam and features the Sades brand logo etched on top in large text, using a custom all-caps font. While padding on top of a headband doesn't provide any practical functionality, it does feel nice.
The suspension-like cables above the suspension headband are made of hard plastic and are designed to provide structural support. The self adjusting mechanism of the suspension band works well without issues.
The Sades A6 headband yoke doesn't have the traditional curvy Y design. Instead, the yoke has more of a T design with the plastic pivot at the centre-sides of the earcup, allowing the earcups to tilt substantially forward and backward.
The front panels of the earcups have a shallow depression around the perimeter with a single orange led panel embedded in the centre. The orange led panel is protected by a non-metallic perforated grill and produces a pulsing fading light.
A chunky remote control can be found inline the cable, featuring a large volume knob and two clicky buttons for muting/unmuting the microphone and turning off/on the RGB lighting of the Sades A6 headset. The ribbed volume knob provides good grip with sweaty fingers and regulates the volume in three levels: low, medium and high.
The Sades A6 audio cable is 2.2 meter long and built-in to the left earcup. The audio cable terminates in a USB-A connector with a 9cm long and chunky, Sades-branded plug. The inline remote control has been positioned 2 feet away from the earcup so, the remote hangs around waist level.
Being that the Sades A6 is a USB headset, it isn't designed for mobile gaming on a smartphone, although if you have an OTG cable laying around, you can connect the Sades A6 to an Android smartphone without problems. The low 24 ohm impedance rating of the speaker drivers, makes driving the Sades A6 very easy from a smartphone.
The long positioning of the inline remote in the cable means you can be sitting a couple of feet away from a desk, while the remote is on the desk without hanging off the ground in mid air. The backside of the inline remote features rubber feet, which prevent the remote from sliding off a desk. The remote measures 9cm long and 2cm thick.
The non-detachable boom microphone has a flexible 11cm long arm and an orange led at the tip to indicate the status of the microphone (muted or unmuted). The microphone capsule is contained inside a small shiny hard plastic shell with a pinhole. The design of the Sades A6 microphone is reminiscent to the microphone found on the in-line remote of many wired earphones.
The quality of the Sades A6 microphone is good, although it doesn't come with noise isolation or a pop filter to minimize popping sounds; hence you have to keep the microphone not too close to the mouth. Alternatively though, you can inexpensively buy a third-party boom microphone pop filter online.
The Sades A6 earpads have a 55mm inner diameter and 100mm outer diameter with 25mm thick firm foam padding. The earcup depth is 15mm and covered with thin orange fabric and a black mesh on top.
The Sades A6 leatherette earpads are designed to go over the ears and provide a comfortable fit for a 2-hour gaming session. There isn't any breathable mesh on the inside of the earcup though, so you can expect the usual heat/sweaty build up.
Sound-wise, the Sades A6 upgraded version does not let down. The 40mm diameter drivers deliver superb audio dynamics without distortions at max or low volume level. The Sades A6 are easily driven from a computer with very loud volume output, superb bass and treble clarity. The sensitivity rating on the speakers states 96±3dB/ 1 kHz, although the Sades A6 drivers feel like they can put out more volume power than just 96dB!
There is 18 month warranty which can be extended to a further 6 months by registering the Sades A6 headset online. You can buy the Sades A6 upgraded version gaming headphones on Amazon. Check out the review of the Sades Mpower headset.