Plantronics Gamecom 380 Review

Plantronics is a relatively well-known brand among the gaming community, while they don't focus solely on gaming solutions like other brands do, they are still able to deliver very capable products to the gaming market.

The Plantronics Gamecom 380 is a follow-up to the 377 and features a few changes and improvements when compared to its predecessor, particularly in the build quality department this product removes much of the issues that the 377 had, for example the headband this time around feels a lot more flexible and the connections to the ear-cups are actually made from steel, amazing at this price point, certainly it will prevent the headband from easily cracking and breaking like it did in the 377.

Stilll regarding the build quality we have to point out the exposed cables between the ear-cups and the headband, it didn't cause us any problems, but they look something out of an unfinished project, they are made out of a thick plastic/rubber so accidentally cutting them will not be an issue, still the visual impact they inflict is certainly not positive in our opinion.

The 380 also does not have a braided cable which is unfortunate as it is something we always prefer to see in the products we review, still the 2 meter cable is very thick and durable, even if it's not great looking.

Visually this headset is actually pretty boring, nothing stands out aside form the Gamecom logo on top of the headband. It's certainly more elegant than the 377 which just looked kind of awkward, the 380 has a more adult feel to it, simplicity and functionality seemed to be the main goals that Plantronics was going for, they seem to have pulled it off, it doesn't impress but it gets the job done.

The 380 has nonetheless some interesting features, the removal of the in-line controller, instead placed directly in the ear-cups is simply genius, no more fishing down the line for it, simply reach for the left ear-cup and there you go, both the volume controller and microphone mute button are present there and feel great.

The headset is also extremely portable as the ear-cups can be swiveled flat, they are also pretty light so the weight should not be a big problem.

Regarding comfort there is not much to say, the ear-cups cushions are not from leather and tend to gather a lot of dust in them, but overall are well done and don't hurt your ears which is the important thing. The headband on the other hand could use a bit more of work as the protection it has is pretty thin and narrow, a bit more of "fluffiness" and grip to prevent the headset from moving would've been great.

Thankfully the sound quality that these 380 deliver is acceptable for the price range, while they aren't good enough for a more professional use, all your stereo gaming needs should be covered with these, they also do a good job when it comes to protecting you from outside noises, the biggest problem we found was a lack-luster bass.

Regarding the microphone, what you say sounds very crisp and clear, even if the noise cancelling feature is kind of disappointing as it does not work all that well, you will pretty much still record everything that goes on around you.

Final Thoughts

At the end of the day and in a price-range where there's a lot of competition the Plantronics Gamecom 380 kind of blend in with the crowd. They are not bad per se, the build and sound quality are pretty decent, but there are similar options out there, because of that we recommend the Gamecom 380 if you like their design, maybe you can even find yourself a pretty nice deal if you look around.

At the time of this review the price on Amazon for this product was around 50$.

The Good
-Good build quality
-Decent stereo sound
-Very portable
-Volume controller and mic mute buttons

The Bad
-No braided cable
-Noise cancelling is not very effective
-Looks boring
-Not very original
-A lot of competition