IOGEAR manufactures reliable tech products, and their Kaliber Gaming line of keyboards, mice, and headset are targeted at budget-conscious gamers who are looking to get the essentials.

The NUKLEUS Universal Gaming Headset is built with the intention of everyday use with the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC, and mobile devices. It’s got 50mm drivers to bring all the sounds of your favorite games close to you. With built-in volume control, a flexible boom mic, and a universal 3.5mm audio connector, the headset has the must-have features, but nothing else. It’s a barebones entry into the world of gaming at a price point that won’t break the bank.

Is it worth it?

What’s In The Box

First things first: the gaming headset. That’s the bulk of the package, as both the audio cable, with the angled connector, and the microphone are attached to the NUKLEUS. Also, there is the PC Y adapter dongle, the quick start guide, and the warranty card.

And the quick start guide doesn’t warrant much attention. The folded packet covers the contents, the system requirements, the overview of the gaming headset, and information for connecting to consoles and PC. But you’ll likely not need it. It’s a plug-and-play gaming headset. The only time you’ll need anything other than the NUKLEUS and its attached audio cable is if you connect to the PC Audio Adapter before plugging into a tower.

Other than that, you’re good to go. Easy start right out of the box. It’s worth noting, though, that for use with an Xbox One, the NUKLEUS gaming headset works with Xbox One controllers that have a 3.5mm jack. If they don’t have that 3.5mm jack, you’ll have to use a Stereo Headset Adapter—which is not included in the box.

Aesthetics And Build Quality

The NUKLEUS looks nice for the price. A matte black finish on all of the plastic, a metal grille covering the Kaliber Gaming logo on the outside of the ear cups, and a thick audio cable all combine into an appealing aesthetic. The soft-cushioned headband and the spacious ear cups don’t constrict the head so it’s a comfortable fit.

The flexible boom mic is one of the more disappointing features of the headset, though. It feels cheap compared to most of the other microphones I’ve used, and the inability to detach it or mute it does detract from the gaming experience. There were times when I wanted to just use the headset at night watching TV shows or movies and I wished for the functional ability to detach the mic. And most of the gaming headsets I use regularly can be muted, which helps when you have to take a phone call, talk to someone in the house, or just not talk for a little bit. That absence in the design of the NUKLEUS was noticeable.

The PC adapter cable doesn’t have the same thick, corded construction of the audio cable attached to the headset, but that’s fine. It’s a dongle that you’ll either have permanently plugged into your computer or that you’ll rarely pull out when you need to switch systems with the headset. For the sake of durability, it would have been nice to feature the same material as the headset cable, as I’ve experienced a lot of the flat cables wearing out quickly.

One design choice I did appreciate was the right-angled connector on the audio cable. That’s something that I wish more cables included to avoid the damage and wear that always occurs right near the audio ports. If you take care of the NUKLEUS headset, you should be able to avoid having that stereotypical wear and tear at the connector.

Again, it’s not as sleek or impressive as other headsets I’ve used, but for the price it gets the job done.

Specs And Audio Quality

Here’s a detailed look at the specifications for the headphones.

IOGEAR has fitted out the NUKLEUS headset with new 50mm drivers. The company states that these are 36% larger than previous models and that improvement is designed to bring deeper bass and higher quality audio than before.

To assist with the listening experience, the cups are deep enough to cover your ears and to help filter out any unwanted noise.

Unfortunately, the audio is where I noticed the most significant decline in quality compared to more expensive models. The NUKLEUS Universal Gaming Headset is only marginally better with regards to sound than a pair of earbuds. Soft-cushioned ear cups help to isolate sound and the volume control can increase it somewhat, but it’s not a great listening experience.

I wouldn’t count on these to hear those muffled footsteps in a tense battle royale and I wouldn’t choose to wear these when watching a movie on my laptop in bed. And the ear cups are big. Too big in fact. The headset takes up more desk space and more bedroom space than other headsets that I would choose to use first.

If it was $300 pair of headphones, sure, takes up all the space you want on my desk, but for $35 it feels clunky more than anything.

The sound is tinny. It doesn’t boast the richness or dynamic range of more expensive models, and the lack of features might make the price point attainable for the company, but the scarcity of features makes it less likely that I’ll ever use the NUKLEUS headset again.

It may seem unfair to compare this budget gaming headset to models three, four, or five times as expensive, but I want to buy something once that will do the job in an exceptional manner for the longest amount of time possible. I’ve still got a $100 pair of Sennheiser headphones from when I was in high school. And I’d choose them any day over these. Yes, they were three times the price. But they’ve lasted over 10 years. I’m not sure the NUKLEUS will have that kind of lifespan.

What It Could Have Done Better

A detachable mic with a button to toggle between on and off would be one of the first things on my list to improve the NUKLEUS headset.

The ear cups could also stand with a reduction in size. They’re gargantuan, but the quality of the audio is not reflected in that plastic, metal, and cushioned footprint.

Fix those, and I could see this being a better pick to go along with the eye-catching price tag.

Verdict

They say you get what you pay for, and that’s the case with the NUKLEUS Universal Gaming Headset. It’s $35 (even less on Amazon) but is the quick savings worth it in the long run? I don’t think so.

If you’re strapped for cash and absolutely cannot afford to spend anything more on a gaming headset, then you’ll be fine with the NUKLEUS. It does what it’s supposed to do. But if you have enough to spend more, it’s worth the investment because the lack of features and disappointing audio quality might make you regret not digging deeper to get something better.