Steelseries TUSQ
Steelseries TUSQ
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MUSIC: Good—7.6/10
CALLS: Poor—5.2/10
GAMING: Very Good—8.5/10
TV: Good—7.3/10
PODCASTS & AUDIOBOOKS: Poor—4.7/10
EXERCISE: Poor—4.2/10
AIR TRAVEL: Good—7.1/10
NOISE REDUCTION: Fair—6.0/10
BUILD QUALITY: Very Good—8.0/10
The Steelseries TUSQ earbuds are a budget-friendly wired option with a closed, stemless design that prioritizes gaming with a strong mic quality, boasting a boom mic that is both removable and replaceable. They're comfortable, have very good build quality and built-in controls, but are not optimal for calls, meetings, or exercise. They provide good sound quality, soundstage, and noise isolation, making them suitable for TV and video but not ideal for enjoying music or listening to books and podcasts. They're fairly portable, somewhat suitable for air travel, and have cable ear hooks for a more secure fit, but lack wireless capabilities, active noise cancelling, an app for equalization or control customization, and features like ear detection or options for optimizing for Android or Apple devices. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Evaluation
Pros
- Very good mic quality
- Sturdy build quality
- Good for gaming
Cons
- Poor score for calls, meetings
- Not optimal for exercise
- No wireless capability
Ratings by Category
Gaming:4.6
The Steelseries TUSQ is particularly suitable for gaming due to its good soundstage and imaging, which help in accurately locating in-game sounds, and its very good microphone quality ensures clear communication with teammates. Additionally, being wired, it avoids latency issues that could interfere with gaming performance.
Music:4.3
The Steelseries TUSQ earbuds are considered good for listening to music due to their "fair" overall sound quality, which is satisfactory for casual listening, and they offer a "good" soundstage/imaging score, making the audio experience more immersive with better instrument separation.
TV & Video:4.2
The Steelseries TUSQ earbuds are well-suited for watching TV and videos mainly because they are wired, eliminating audio lag, and they provide a good soundstage which enhances the audio experience by offering a sense of spatial location. Their comfort also makes them suitable for extended viewing sessions without causing ear fatigue.
Portability:4.2
The Portability score is based on an overall assessment that includes volume and maximum dimension of the product (and case, if relevant), and its weight. Special features like foldability for headphones are also taken into account.
Air Travel:4.0
This score evaluates the product for use on airplanes and other similar kinds of travel. It takes into account noise reduction and portability, including case shape, case size, and weight. It also incorporates the battery life of the product, long-haul comfort, noise reduction (both active and passive), and sound quality. We generally consider wireless products to be more suitable for air travel.
Full Specs
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
| Price | $55 | ||
Brand | Steelseries | ||
Release Date | August 1, 2021 | ||
Form Factor | Earbuds | ||
Connectivity | Wired | ||
SOUND | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Music Score  | 7.7/10 | ||
Phone Calls Score | 5.3/10 | ||
Gaming Score | 8.6/10 | ||
TV and Video Score | 7.4/10 | ||
Exercise Score | 4.2/10 | ||
FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Active Noise Cancelling | No | ||
Noise Reduction Score | 6/10 | ||
Mic Quality | 8.5/10 | ||
BUILD AND DESIGN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality | 8/10 | ||
Comfort score | 7.6/10 | ||
Size | Large | ||
Weight of single earbud | 11 Grams | ||
Microphone style | Boom | ||
Shopping
Steelseries TUSQ
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Can Buy or Not
Aloysius Low | March 2021
"The SteelSeries Arctis Tusq is a great headset for those on a more modest budget. You can use it for gaming or music, and I daresay it's also great for Zoom meetings when you don't want to be wearing on-ear or over-ear headphones."
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This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec earbuds & headphones team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest earbuds or headphones information and makes it digestible for you.
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