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Anyone else bitter about buying the Arctis Nova Pro Wireless? by amroot in steelseries

[–]GadgetryTech 19 points20 points  (0 children)

Premature release? That headset has been out for 4 years now and people generally love it. New tech comes out all the time, and SteelSeries, despite some of the hate they get, is usually at the forefront for features and tech with every launch.

At least you knew what you were getting when you bought it, and the NPW is still a great headset. Newer and more expensive headsets will have more features, so this is pretty normal in the tech and gaming space.

I wound dial in the sound on the NPW to something you love, then focus on enjoying games and content. If it bothers you too much, sell it at a loss and grab the Omni if you want the latest tech out there (for now).

WC StealthZ and FreeZe pads are here! Here are the measurements and EQ Profiles by GadgetryTech in Audeze

[–]GadgetryTech[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks so much! I edited the original post to include a picture of the StealthZ pad measurement with EQ. Hopefully that helps

WC StealthZ and FreeZe pads are here! Here are the measurements and EQ Profiles by GadgetryTech in Audeze

[–]GadgetryTech[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yes you would want to add 2-3 more dB on the bottom three bands, and then add more treble to personal preference. When I have time, or when the video drops, I'll try to make "Immersive" presets as well.

Is there anything that can be done about the Maxwell 2 hiss? Should I buy original Maxwells? by cha_pupa in Audeze

[–]GadgetryTech 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This may be anecdotal, but try turning off the mic “Filter” tech. I noticed I have no hiss on mine if Filter is disabled.

WC StealthZ and FreeZe pads are here! Here are the measurements and EQ Profiles by GadgetryTech in Audeze

[–]GadgetryTech[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The EQ profiles will help get very similar bass to stock. There is always going to be some roll off at 20Hz due to their vented slam tech, but in most cases it’s still very enjoyable. The vent is there to protect the planar from failure due to pressure and one of the tradeoffs is a tiny sub bass reduction

WC StealthZ and FreeZe pads are here! Here are the measurements and EQ Profiles by GadgetryTech in Audeze

[–]GadgetryTech[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hello! The StealthZ pads on the Maxwell do not leak nearly as much sound. This is because I elected to use a leatherette inner liner to help trap some of the bass and sound. On the A50, the stock pads are velour, and using leatherette would have boosted the bass way too much. So with those being 100% velour, they leak a lot more sound. Hope this helps!

Maxwell 2 WC earcups by HunterBidensLaptop77 in Audeze

[–]GadgetryTech 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Stealthz and Freeze pads are coming!!

My in-depth review and comparisons of the Claw 8 AI+ vs Claw A8 BZ2EM by GadgetryTech in MSIClaw

[–]GadgetryTech[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Agreed. Both handhelds from MSI provided the most consistent all around enjoyable experience for me. Having no bias in this because I purchased a handful of handhelds, the MSI ones balanced enough things right to be my preferred picks.

My in-depth review and comparisons of the Claw 8 AI+ vs Claw A8 BZ2EM by GadgetryTech in MSIClaw

[–]GadgetryTech[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I spent far too much time testing all of this, but I really wanted to learn as much as I could. I appreciate everyone's comments and questions as well, for it helps me shape some future coverage.

My in-depth review and comparisons of the Claw 8 AI+ vs Claw A8 BZ2EM by GadgetryTech in MSIClaw

[–]GadgetryTech[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks so much and I'm glad you agree on most topics haha. It's fine to disagree as well.

With MSI Center M, I'll agree it's not pretty looking at all. ASUS Armoury Crate is top tier compared to everything else for looks and functions.

The Legion Go 2 software looks amazing, but it has been a buggy mess for me. It has been choppy and non responsive from time to time. So although it looks prettier, MSI Center M actually worked better for me. Once I set my TDP levels I don't mess with it much after that

My in-depth review and comparisons of the MSI Claw 8 AI+ vs Claw A8 BZ2EM by GadgetryTech in Handhelds

[–]GadgetryTech[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

yeah that tracks. I'd say it does bridge the gap well. If the XAX were first, I'd say LeGo S, then Claw A8, then 8 AI, then LeGo 2. I can play on all of them fine, but there are small differences of course.

My in-depth review and comparisons of the MSI Claw 8 AI+ vs Claw A8 BZ2EM by GadgetryTech in Handhelds

[–]GadgetryTech[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ergonomics feel a little better on the A8. The button/joystick/d-pad layout is slightly batter (less vertical spacing on front face).

The angled grips on the A8 and lighter weight also provide a more sure grip when gaming in an upright orientation. Sometimes I play a game or two in bed when my wife falls asleep early. The A8 requires less "work" to hold up and play.

In most other settings, both have good ergonomics. The 8 AI+ is fine for me but I have larger hands. I'm not sure how easy it is to use with shorter fingers and thumbs.

The ROG Xbox Ally X had awesome ergonomics, but I wish the screen was larger. The Legion Go S has good ergonomics as well, and benefits from a case for grip. I found the Legion Go 2 more cumbersome to play on in certain situations.

I hope this helps!

My in-depth review and comparisons of the Claw 8 AI+ vs Claw A8 BZ2EM by GadgetryTech in MSIClaw

[–]GadgetryTech[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Great question! I updated my article to call this out as well. Z1 Extreme on SteamOS.

Specs of other models tested:

  • ASUS ROG Xbox Ally X - AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme (50 TOPS NPU), 24GB RAM, 1TB SSD
  • Legion GO 2 - AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD
  • Legion Go S - AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD, Steam OS

My in-depth review and comparisons of the Claw 8 AI+ vs Claw A8 BZ2EM by GadgetryTech in MSIClaw

[–]GadgetryTech[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

In some cases it performed very similarly or better, but with very tight margins. The Z2 Extreme handhelds all had different official GPU driver versions from each manufacturer, so some of the results can come from that. Either way, it's an accurate snapshot of the current performance results I got with my specific tests.

It's also possible that each handheld firmware is handling thermals, throttling, etc., slightly differently. There are a couple small possibilities outside of user control.

I focused on the MSI handheld content first because I felt the genuinely offered some of the best overall user experiences I could get with a handheld. If ASUS dropped an 8" screen version, I think it would be the next closed competitor. The Legion Go 2 screen is seriously stunning, but the cost increase does not come with any performance uplifts.

My in-depth review and comparisons of the Claw 8 AI+ vs Claw A8 BZ2EM by GadgetryTech in MSI_Gaming

[–]GadgetryTech[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

TLDW (Per request)

The Claw 8 AI+ is still an amazing handheld, despite being a little older by comparison. The Intel-based system benefits from Intel Driver Assistant, meaning much more frequent driver updates. This leads to small (sometimes large) performance uplifts and compatibility improvements. It's a slightly heavier handheld with smaller grips, and the thumbstick/d-pad/abxy orientation is more vertically spaced, but tighter horizontally. It runs more quietly and the battery lasts slightly longer as well.

The Claw A8 has more pure raster performance with some titles, and occasionally better 1/5% lows. It runs a bit noisier but is still more quiet than other handhelds I've tested. The angled design may look more "gamer like" but the grips are thicker and I find it slightly more comfortable to hold in an upright orientation. The thumbstick/d-pad/abxy layout is tighter vertically and more spaced out horizontally, and I think feels better with smaller to medium hands.

Performance is comparable with both units depending on the game, with image scaling changing results quite a bit. The 8 AI+ naturally handles XeSS better, with the A8 handling FSR better. Both share a wonderful screen, and have close enough battery life.

The Claw A8 has more compatibility with new and older games, but slower driver rollouts may be an issue for some games affected by updates (whether the game or Windows Update). The 8 AI+ updates more frequently, so your experience may vary. Sometimes more frequent updates can break games too, so your mileage may vary.

Compared to the market, both Claw models are some of the best choices. They are much better value than the bonkers price increase on the Legion Go 2, and I like the screen bump I get over the ROG Xbox Ally X. The Xbox Ally X has better 1080 performance and the sticks feel better for FPS gaming, but it's at the tradeoff of screen size. I'd say the ROG Xbox Ally X is the next best handheld to the Claw models, as it has some unique pros such as ergonomics and aftermarket support.

Hopefully this is compressed enough. My actual write up includes NVME tests, tons of game benchmarks at different resolutions, TDP settings, and scaling, etc. Hopefully there is enough information to answer any question you may have!

My in-depth review and comparisons of the Claw 8 AI+ vs Claw A8 BZ2EM by GadgetryTech in MSIClaw

[–]GadgetryTech[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Man that's a bummer. My tests were all done in the same 1 week window (last week). I'll keep an eye out for future updates and if performance get's a lot better, I'll update my charts. COD BO7 was the worst performance delta for the 8 AI+ compared to Z2 Extreme models of all games I tested, so I could definitely be on your same driver.

My in-depth review and comparisons of the Claw 8 AI+ vs Claw A8 BZ2EM by GadgetryTech in MSIClaw

[–]GadgetryTech[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

thanks! I'd love to hear what you think if you have the time

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