THE AUDIO
Quest’s “Speakers”
Speaker Quality:
Coming from Valve’s excellent off-ear speaker design on the Index (and replicated in the HP Reverb G2), I’ve been spoiled with clear, loud sound, with a wide immersive soundstage. Likely for cost savings, Oculus has swapped to piped-in sound from a narrow speaker opening built into the headband of the HMD. I won’t pull punches; switching between the Index and the Quest 2 feels like going from a high-end audiophile headphone to the earbuds that come with your iPhone.
It’s tinny but serviceable sound that works fine for playing arcade-style games.
Its sound stage is surprisingly wide, giving you the impression that sound is coming from all around you, but it’s utterly let down by low volume and lack of clarity. I’ve resorted to playing most games with max volume as a result. It’s tinny but serviceable sound that works fine for playing arcade-style games. Where it really falls flat is playing more immersive games over Quest Link. A round of Star Wars Squadrons in Quest 2 was mostly fantastic, save for the crappy audio, that simply lacked the immediacy of other HMD audio setups.
The saving grace here is that the device has a headphone jack, so you can easily throw on a pair of headphones for the games where you want greater immersion. Oculus has even partnered with Logitech to offer a custom short-cabled headphone for exactly that purpose.
Personally, I found with early HMDs that over-ear headphones plus a headset is just too much weight resting on my noggin, but in-ear headphones are a good compromise, and those willing to consult the modding scene will certainly find third-party headbands with better built-in sound solutions.
Microphone:
I’ve got no criticisms here. Partying up with a fellow Quest 2 owner, I found his voice came through loud and clear. It’s a great mic that somehow doesn’t pickup any echo from the off-ear speakers.
COMFORT
The Oft-Maligned Quest 2 Head-Strap
Much has been made of the Quest 2 headband being a cheap letdown compared to the first gen version. Personally, I found it difficult to find the perfect fit, but fairly comfortable once I dialed it in (you want most of the weight resting on the curve where the back of your head meets your scalp, with a modest pressure front-to-back). I recently got a Covid haircut from the intrepid Mrs. ByteGremlin, and I haven’t had a chance to tweak the fit on my Valve Index. As a result, it actually felt more comfortable to play on the Quest that was perfectly adjusted.
I was pleasantly surprised to find that I could live without the headband upgrade
Oculus also sells two accessory headband upgrades (both use the same strap, but one includes a secondary battery on the back of the strap for increasing battery life). I was pleasantly surprised to find that I could live without the headband upgrade, but if you’re planning on doing two or three hour jaunts in Elite Dangerous or the like, you might find yourself wanting the Oculus Elite Strap. If I opt to upgrade down the road, I’d lean toward the more expensive battery+strap, as the extra battery weight would prove to be a good counter-balance to the HMD itself. I’d personally try your luck with the default strap before buying a replacement.