Back in February, just before the lockdown, I was excited to have a Strike 3 on the way - seemed like it would be nice addition for occasional conference calls, some gaming, maybe music when I was working from home. Already had a headset in the office, so this was for my home office. Of course, a very few weeks later that become my only office for most of the remainder of the year. So these have seen a LOT of use.
These headphones are very comfortable. All day wearing with minimal issues - or at least, hours at a time, then a break for lunch or a walk, and then hours again. Not true of every set of headphones. These are solid, but well padded, so it works out to be comfortable even with a little extra weight on your head.
Functionally, they sound great. Music is clear, volume will go much higher than I need without distortion, and they are equally good for listening to music, movies, or conversation. The mic is clear and consistent, no issues with anyone hearing me, which is a great help. The mic is removable - it is also flexible, but not enough to really get out of the way. So if you want a clear space in front of your face, you have to take it off completely. That is good and bad - it is no obstruction at that point, but if you set it down in the wrong place it can be hard to find later.
They connect over USB - great for computers, no go on the Xbox. That is Microsoft’s fault and not a knock on these, get a Strike 1 if you need it for that console. Mac or PC, either worked immediately and with no issues for me.
They also look great. The blue light would be nice to have a shut off, but it isn’t overly glaring, and is fine in a professional environment. For those interested in pictures, I have taken a few in the gallery, and those are still available, I linked a few below.
The one issue I have had - at the beginning of November, I took them off one day, and noticed that one earpiece was sitting at a funny angle. The plastic in the part of the band just above the right earpiece, where it narrows to go smoothly into the top part of the headband to be adjustable, had cracked. The plastic had just weakened, seems to have been a stress point from the pressure of gripping my head for almost 9 months. Superglue doesn’t hold for a fix, the plastic is just weak now, and they basically are unusable with the crack in place. I wasn’t able to find any way to repair it. I contacted soundcore support, and they were able to send me a replacement pair, very much appreciated, and the support from this company is why a lot of us are here enjoying their products. But it does leave me a little bit concerned about long term quality - I would expect more than 9 months from a $50 set of headphones.
However, the time without a pair available was a good reminder - for daily use with a computer, a plug in headset is much better than bluetooth. No awkward profile switching, or low quality music when it is on the wrong profile. No battery to charge. The mic in front of your face has much better pickup than one beside your ear. Just much nicer to have it in front of you.
So overall, I am very happy with these - performance, comfort, and good support when needed. The only question mark is whether mine just had a defect in the manufacturing, or whether that failure was inevitable based on the design. But the good news is that they have great support if you do end up needing it. I expect to be using the replacement headset I got regularly for a long time to come.