review

Redragon DIOMEDES H386 Review Non RGB Gaming Headset

Tuesday, December 06, 2022

 
The new DIOMEDES H386 gaming headset from Redragon - ultra lightweight and cool styling modeled after planar magnetic open back headphones!


The DIOMEDES H386 is a closed back 7.1 gaming headset that only weighs 196 grams - perfect for playing the upcoming Nintendo Switch game release: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.
The boom arm microphone is detachable - similar to the Redragon H848 Ire Pro, which means you can attach and detach the microphone from the headset and use the DIOMEDES H386 like a normal pair of headphones. The boom arm is made of flexible (non-memory wire) soft-touch rubber and features a 3.5mm connector and omnidirectional microphone capsule with a foam wind shield cover.


The DIOMEDES H386 headphones are equipped with large 53mm dynamic drivers of high sensitivity (114dB) and medium/high impedance (64 ohms). The 7.1 surround sound is built-in to the headset but can only be activated via the Redragon software. 


As mentioned earlier, the DIOMEDES H386 headset is extremely lightweight, thanks to the honeycomb perforations and aerated aluminum headband yoke similar to the one on the Helios H710 headset. The lightweight components keep the weight down and help with comfort too. The DIOMEDES H386 headset is super comfortable to wear for long sessions. It does not cause hot spot on top of the head and no pressure points on the ears, thanks to the low clamping force.
 
The headband is wrapped around with soft PU leather sewn together with red stitching.  The metal inner band slides into the headband and can be adjusted at different levels via a clicky ratchet mechanism. The underside of the headband is nicely padded with foam padding. The top of the headband is also slightly padded. The DIOMEDES H386 earcups tilt up and down but do not swivel around so, you cannot rotate them flat.
 
On-board the DIOMEDES H386 earcups, there is a mute switch for muting/unmuting the mic, as well as a volume wheel mounted on a standard potentiometer with stops for min/max volume. The earpads are over-ear style with a large inner hole opening to accommodate large ears. The top of the driver is flat and covered with thin (non-added) fabric. The outer dimensions of the earpads measures 10cm high x 8cm wide, while the inner hole measures 6cm high x 4.5cm wide.
 
The DIOMEDES H386 gaming headset is mostly plastic construction, while the headband yoke is made of a flat aluminum piece with red anodized finish that nicely compliments the red/black color theme. The DIOMEDES H386 headset uses USB-C connectivity for audio but the headset supports USB-C to 3.5mm connection so, you can still connect the DIOMEDES H386 headset to a phone's 3.5mm headphone jack. Would have been neat if the DIOMEDES H386 boom arm mic 3.5mm jack could also accept audio transmission but, unfortunately, it doesn't.  
 
The DIOMEDES H386 headset performs well, delivering loud volume, good bass and clear sound sound. The sound signature can be changed via Redragon's EQ software.

Potential deal breakers
  • 7.1 sound can only be enabled via software. No on-board/in-line remote for switching between stereo and 7.1 surround on the fly 
  • Exposed cabling styling
  • Earcups cannot be rotated
  • No 3.5mm audio port on-board the earcups
  • No wireless/bluetooth connectivity
  • Passive isolation not as good as the Zeus X H510 headset. This is due to the thin lightweight construction of the DIOMEDES H386 earcups. This also means, a lot sound leakage at 100% volume.
  • The earcup volume wheel does not control the volume of the audio source
  • No RGB lighting - you can get this feature with the Pandora2 H350 headset
     
 

Selling points for DIOMEDES H386
  • Large 53mm drivers
     
  • Super comfy earpads
  • Wired connection - delivers almost zero latency - perfect for offline and online gaming
  • Replaceable earpads
  • Over ear with large hole for big ears
  • Compatible with a phone's 3.5mm headphone jack
  • Detachable audio cable 
  • Super comfortable to wear
  • No RGB lighting - a plus for someone looking for a non-RGB gaming headset
  • Planar headphone styling
  • Immersive sound
  • Ultra lightweight weighs 186 grams without the boom arm mic
  • High sensitivity  - easy to drive from a smartphone 
  • Compatible with PC, PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch (NS), Windows OS (XP and above)
  • Premium fabric cable accessories
  • Detachable boom arm microphone with wind shield
  • Noise cancelling omnidirectional mic with good amplification, clear pickup and noise supression
 
Three cable accessories are included, namely a 10cm boom arm mic (weighs 10 grams), a 14cm audio/mic 3.5mm splitter cable with a soft fabric outer sheath, a 2 meter male to male audio cable (USB-C to 3.5mm) with medium stiff fabric (weighs 27 grams) and 14cm USB-A male to 3.5mm female cable adapter). You can buy the DIOMEDES H386 gaming headset from RedragonShop and amazon.

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