Thrustmaster Y-400PW – Hardware Review
The last Thrustmaster headset to appear on the site was the Y-250CPX, which we loved thanks to its affordable price, sturdiness and comfort and of course the sound quality. Thrustmaster decided to take this already successful formula and turn this ‘type’ of headset into a wireless device. Wireless devices are not always applauded upon release. Let’s hope the Y-400PW shifts the opinion of many (and perhaps even ourselves).
Design
Overall the headset looks exactly the same as the original Y-250 models, except for the two small switches on the left ear pad. The ear pads are quite big again, with a gridded exterior and the overall bulkiness is still present. You’ll notice that the plastic of the headband still connects itself to the ear pads in a fashionable matter, making the headset seem like one big whole, instead of linked pieces.
New to the equation are the wireless remote and the transmitter for you to actually use your headset. The wireless remote looks quite simple, but good enough to do the trick. The transmitter itself looks quite good, with the shape of a small rack to hang your headset on, but sadly it is too small. The white color, with the black gridded front and back make it look more like a small portable speaker, instead of a transmitter.
Comfort
The Y-400PW proves to be as comfortable as its wired counterpart. The big ear pads will cover your entire ear and thus block out the surrounding noises a lot. Depending on which of the cushions you use (leather or fabric) you will be able to block out more of the surrounding noise. When using the leather ones, they prove to be very comfortable and soft, but you will sweat a tad more easily than when using the fabric ones. These are also soft, but overall you will notice that the leather ones feel more qualitative.
Without the cable hampering movements, this wireless Thrustmaster headset proves to be very enjoyable when you are constantly working on other items as well, when you’re casually playing games.
The adjustable headband makes sure you can adjust the headset to your liking. It still has the same ‘tight’ grip as the Y-250 models, which is great to keep it in place.
Specs
- Detachable and adjustable microphone
- Compatible with PS3, PS4 and PC (separate version for Xbox 360)
- Extra remote control
Overview
The Y-400PW is easy to install for PC, but a tad trickier for PS3 and PS4. The PC setup is pretty much plug and play, as you will only need to collect the transmitter to your PC and make sure the headset is charged. Charging the headset can be done with the supplied USB to mini USB cable.
Hooking up the headset with your desired console, will require you to plug in some extra cables in order to get it to work. Other than that, when your setup is done, you can leave the extra cable connected to the console, even if you switch back to pc usage.
A fun extra feature on the headset itself are the two switches on the left ear pad on the front and backside. You can easily arrange the master volume settings on the front, and the bass settings on the back. This is easy if you’re relaxing in the sofa, with some music, and the next song in your playlist happens to be too loud, or if you want to give it some extra power. A great and appreciated feature.
As an extra, you will receive a small remote control, in order to arrange volume settings, when gaming with a console set up. The remote control itself, is small, thus it hardly takes up room. It works as it should and that’s basically about it.
You’ll be able to attach/detach the microphone to your liking. It’s done by a standard jack, thus making it easy to work with. Even though the microphone is sturdy, it’s still flexible enough to adjust it to your liking.
If you don’t have any walls between you and the transmitter, the headset can reach the 10 meters mark quite easily. Even with a few walls in between, you will still be able to reach several meters, before the headset tends to disconnect. Sadly, you’ll hear a bit of static, when not playing any sound.
Overall the sound quality seems to be on par with the wired models, except for a bit of background static. The bass seems to be a bit flatter than the other models, but overall, you’re treated to a qualitative headset.
Everything seems to add up in a good fashion, except for the transmitter. Even though the transmitter looks good, it feels odd the developers chose a shape that looks like a stand to store your headset on. Sadly, it is too small and thus there is no reason why they would opt for a shape like this. It kind of feels like a missed chance, especially when it comes to user comfort.
Conclusion
Thrustmaster’s Y-400PW proves to be a great headset, if you don’t like wired devices. The battery has a decent lifespan and everything is easy to work with. Whilst the transmitter misses a swing on the comfort department, the extra added switches on the headset make up for it big time. Certainly a great, comfortable and good looking headset, for an affordable price.
Thrustmaster Y-400PW - Hardware Review,
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