KIWI Design Oculus Quest Q9 Earmuffs (Hardware)
Official GBAtemp Review
Product Information:
- Official Store: https://www.kiwidesign.shop
Review Approach:
The Oculus Quest is one of the most user friendly VR headsets on the market thanks to it’s all-in-one design. It’s easy to just pick up and play without any additional setup. Even the built-in speakers are surprisingly good and make jumping into a quick game a hassle-free experience.
Unfortunately the integrated speakers don’t get particularly loud which means many users tend to opt for wearing earphones/headphones when playing.
We previously reviewed KIWI Design’s Oculus Quest earphones which make use of the Quest’s built-in 3.5mm audio jacks which we rated quite highly. However, for those looking for a richer audio experience from the Quest without isolating themselves from the outside world there aren’t many budget options.
KIWI Design have created their Q9 Earmuffs that aim to bridge the gap between better, louder audio and a more user friendly, social experience on the Quest.
Let’s take a look to see how the KIWI Design Q9 Earmuffs perform…
Hardware
The KIWI Design Q9 Earmuffs are a strikingly simple product. If you’ve ever cupped your hand over a speaker to redirect and boost the sound volume towards you then you’ll understand how this product works.
In the packet you get a pair of moulded silicone cups. One for each ear. They are made of a nice soft-touch silicone and feel high quality. While flexible they are surprisingly rigid.
The cup of the earmuffs is 92mm high and should accommodate most ear sizes.
They are black in colour and do a good job of matching the Oculus Quest’s aesthetic. They have subtle branding on the outside but it’s not too gaudy.
Installation
Getting the Q9 Earmuffs installed is simple and takes just seconds.
Simply slide them over the brackets on the side of the Oculus Quest. They slip in easy thanks to their flexible design and feel secure in place. Thankfully they do not block any buttons or ports on the Quest.
Thanks to the choice of material used, getting the headset on and off is no more cumbersome than without them. They easily bend out of the way and the soft touch silicone does not scratch or hurt your ears while getting the headset on.
The oddly named Q9 “Earmuffs” do not actually touch or cover your ears. They float just a few centimeters (~1 inch) away from your ears.
Testing
The KIWI Design Q9 earmuffs are designed to catch and bounce the sound around from the Quest’s built-in speakers and then redirect it to your ears - effectively amplifying the sound. In our testing, the difference was immediately noticeable. At max volume the sound is much louder - approx 50-70% louder by my estimate.
While it may be obvious, this is not a product for audiophiles. Although the Quest’s built-in speakers are perfectly serviceable on their own, when you begin to amplify them, the lack of any real bass or particular detail is simply more apparent. The tinniness and quality of the audio becomes more obvious. That’s not to say this is a bad product - it was never designed to increase sound quality but instead louden and raise the intensity as simply as possible and it does just that. For such a simple product it’s surprisingly effective.
For those looking for a better audio quality and total immersion in VR, a pair of ear/headphones will be a much better choice. However you’ll also be isolated from the outside world and be unable to socialise with others while playing.
As for the KIWI Design Q9 Earmuffs, in certain games the benefit will be more apparent than perhaps in other games that don’t rely on audio as much. The extra volume made certain noises more apparent and increased immersion.
Weighing in at 55g each, the pair of earmuffs will add an extra of 110g to your Oculus Quest. This may not sound like much but due to the Quest’s already heavy design - the extra weight does tot up. While you’d probably become accustomed to it; during my testing I did notice the difference in weight.
During fast movement the Q9 Earmuffs can wobble slightly and on occasion I found them bouncing against my ears which was distracting but this was infrequent.
Final Thoughts
If you’re not an audiophile and are looking for a simple way to boost the volume from your Quest when isolating yourself with headphones isn’t an option then the KIWI Design Q9 Earmuffs work very well.
However, at $19.99 for what is essentially a pair of silicone cups, we feel they are quite overpriced and should really be sold for half that.
Verdict
- Really does boost your Quest’s volume
- Simple installation
- Nice soft-touch, flexible material
- Does not detach you from the outside world like headphones
- Overpriced
- Not for audiophiles
- Adds 110g of weight to the headset
- Can wobble and touch your ears
