Acer Predator Galea 365 Review
A budget headset that fails to impress
Verdict
The Acer Predator Galea 365 features a mediocre design, questionable build quality and uninspiring audio performance. I recommend saving your pennies for something better.
Pros
- Great comfort, thanks to the breathable mesh material
- Good passive noise isolation
- Detachable microphone
Cons
- Durability concerns on the adjustment mechanism and built-in cable
- Questionable 7.1 virtual surround benefits
- Unimpressive sound
Key Features
- Detachable microphoneDetach, re-attach when needed… and try not lose it.
- Multi-platformAnywhere you have a full USB port or 3.5mm stereo jack—which is admittedly becoming increasingly rare nowadays.
- Comfortable designDeep over-ear cups covered with a breathable mesh mean you should have no issues wearing this for long gaming sessions.
Introduction
The Acer Predator Galea 365 is a budget gaming headset, expanding on the company’s hugely successful gaming laptops range. At around £50, it aims to offer a strong budget gaming headset experience (in theory, anyway).
Aiming at casual gamers on a budget, it offers a barebones feature set of wired connectivity only and 7.1 virtual surround (though without any companion software or game support). At it’s low price, you were never going to get high-end audio but it has tough competition to take on. Here’s my full review.
Design and Features
- Generic, grey design
- Flimsy adjustment mechanism
- Detachable microphone
- Comfortable for extended use
The Galea 365 design is understated (one might also call it “boring”), with only a hint of branding on the cups and a softly embossed triangular pattern covering part of the headband.
Only one colorway is available for the Galea 365: a generic dark grey plastic.
The headband is steady with metal reinforcement, but the click-clack adjustment on the cups is awkward and was already becoming loose. The cups can’t twist to lay flat, so they’re no good for traveling with, either.
The box shows a headset stand that’s included; but don’t get too excited – it’s made of cardboard.
One aspect of the design that I do appreciate is the detachable microphone, which clicks in securely and can be bent to shape.
The Galea 365 doesn’t feature any wireless connectivity and, hence, no battery. While the wire is braided, it’s built-in and can’t be removed. That’s a big minus point for durability – if the cable frays or becomes snagged, there’s no easy way to repair it. At around one and half metres long, it’s not convenient for consoles or living room gaming, either.
The cable terminates in a standard 3.5mm stereo plug. The boasted USB connectivity comes in the form of an adaptor that you can plug the headset into (USB-A 2.0, not USB-C). This includes an inline media remote with play/pause, mute, and volume buttons. This is probably how you will usually connect the headset, but the 3.5mm plug is there for older, incompatible devices.
Unless you’re a streamer, the somewhat boring design can be forgiven. Comfort is more important, especially if you’re going to settle in for some long sessions with these. And as far as comfort goes, the fully enclosed ear cups with plenty of soft padding didn’t disappoint.
Covered with a breathable mesh fabric, which is replicated on the underside of the headband, too, I felt no uncomfortable pressure on my ears or head even after a few hours of use.
At 320g, the Galea 365 are on the heavier side, but in practice, not so heavy it makes any difference. Despite the slightly loose adjustment mechanism, they didn’t slip once I was wearing them, either.
Audio and Microphone
- Strong passive noise isolation
- Muddy soundstage
- No EQ adjustments or software companion
- Clear microphone
The good news is that the sound isolation from those ear cups is brilliant. I couldn’t hear anything from the white noise app on my phone at full volume.
Equipped with 50mm neodymium drivers, you’d expect half-decent audio performance. And, it wasn’t bad at all, with a clear distinction between dialogue and other sounds. I happily lost myself to the moment driving down a Los Santos freeway in GTA Online – until someone smashed their helicopter into me, and it all got a bit too loud. Explosions are not fun with this headset.
The good news pretty much stops there, however. Turning my attention to some music, the soundstage felt muddy, and so tuned to the top end to the point that I couldn’t bear to listen to any pop music on it. My favorite trance classics lacked any thumping bass. Nuance was lost, and frequencies were muddled together, no matter what I listened to. There’s no app to adjust the EQ, so you’ll need some third-party software if you want finer control.
I can confidently say these cans will sound better than your built-in laptop or monitor speakers, but that’s about it.
They can get really loud; I couldn’t go past 30/100 on Windows, and even that started to distort. If you’re buying these for your kids, make sure you enable a volume limiter on their gaming PC or console.
The microphone is acceptably clear, though without active noise cancellation or companion software, plenty of ambient sound is allowed through.
The virtual 7.1 surround sound features are proudly advertised everywhere the Galea 365 is sold. This requires the use of the USB cable rather than the generic 3.5mm jack, and enabling it is as simple as holding down the play/pause button on the inline remote.
Unfortunately, there’s seemingly no support on the Windows driver side for this: Windows refused to recognise anything other than stereo mode, which means all the processing for this virtual 7.1 surround sound is being interpolated on that small USB adaptor from a stereo input. Without that being recognised and supported in games, it’s a bit meaningless.
Virtual surround systems are iffy at the best of times; the only difference I felt with this enabled was a more ethereal soundstage with some brighter high ends. It didn’t help me to place footsteps or the sounds of players reloading any easier than basic stereo.
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Should you buy it?
You’re on a limited budget
The Acer Predator Galea 365 doesn’t sound terrible, and the sound isolation and comfort are it’s strong suit.
You want the best audio, wireless connectivity, or a standout design
The Acer Predator Galea 365 audio is muddy and unbearable at higher volumes. The lack of wireless means it’s only suitable for PC gaming at a desk – not consoles or in your living room. And it just looks boring.
Final Thoughts
The Acer Predator Galea 365 is about as budget-level as you can get without literally grabbing an end-of-aisle supermarket special from Lidl. As a cheap gaming headset, it looks, feels, and sounds like it. It’s not terrible by any means, and if £60 is your budget limit, then you could certainly do worse.
For our money, we’d recommend the Razer Kraken X instead – it offers a similar feature set as the Galea 365, but at an even cheaper price point, and with companion PC software to actually make use of virtual surround in supported games. Alternatively, the Kingston HyperX Cloud II is an oldie but beloved classic at an almost identical price.
Ultimately, there will be compromises no matter what headset you choose at this end of the market. Design, comfort, audio quality, and cost – choose two. The Galea 365 opts for cost and comfort, sacrificing design and audio quality. Depending on how often you’ll be using your headset, I’d strongly encourage you to save up some more pennies and treat your ears to something in our best gaming headsets guide that just sounds better.
How we test
We use every headset we test for at least a week. During that time, we’ll check it for ease of use and put it through its paces by using it in a variety of games, as well as playing music in order to get the full experience.
We also check each headset’s software (if applicable) to see how easy it is to customise and set up.
Use as our primary gaming headset for at least a week.
Tested with a variety of games.
Also tested with music playback.
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FAQs
Yes, you can use the same USB adaptor in the full-size USB ports on the rear. But you’ll need to be sitting close to your console!
No. It doesn’t support wireless connectivity of any sort, and most smartphones no longer feature a 3.5mm stereo port. In addition, the earcups don’t fold down, so it’s not great for packing.
Full specs
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
