Season 1 of the myVGBC Podcast featured mostly game developers and others who worked in the gaming industry in some capacity. For Season 2, I still had some game developer guests, but also talked to some gaming adjacent people (like Mega Ran and Anjali Bhimani). Now to kick off Season 3, Episode 1 features Dylan Scarzafava from Dekoni Audio. Dylan doesn’t make games, but we had a great chat about something that many gamers (including myself) overlook in their gaming setup — Sound.

Dekoni Audio produces high-end replacement ear pads for existing headphone brands. I wanted to talk to Dylan because Dekoni recently added more gaming specific ear pad replacements to their lineup. Dekoni was kind enough to send over two replacement pads, one from the Dekoni Gaming Gel Series for my Razer Kraken headset and another for my Sony Studio headphones from their Choice Suede line.

BEFORE PHOTO

Changing out the ear pads on both of these headphones was very simple and quite an upgrade. First off, the pleather on my Razer Kraken headset has been falling off for some years (I had actually retired this set, but kept it around in case). Any time I wore them it looked like I had black pleather dandruff. With the Gel Series I can where these longer without my ears overheating, and Dylan threw in the extra tip of tossing just the ear pads in the freezer for a bit before putting them on.

I thought my Sony Studio headphones felt fine before the upgrade, but I do feel a huge difference in comfort now. When I first came across Dekoni Audio, I thought that their main goal was to create a more comfortable experience. Their replacement ear pads do provide comfort for longer listening/gaming sessions, but there are also other aspects that come into play when designing ear pads.

After talking to Dylan, I learned that he isn’t only looking to make your headphones more comfortable, but also to increase the sound quality. That could mean highlighting certain qualities on a specific headphone model, or it could mean balancing the total audio experience. So much goes into these ear pads, which is why people love this company.

Many gamers and gaming enthusiasts are usually more worried about the visuals in their games. Sound makes up a huge part of the gaming experience. You may not always notice great sound design in your games, because it’s something we expect. However, when there’s something wrong with the audio in a game, or it’s not quite right, we will definitely notice that. Sound is especially important when it comes to competitive and online gaming.

Talking to Dylan was definitely one of the most interesting talks I’ve had. And I’m hoping that anyone who listens to this episode will take a close look at their gaming setup, and put a little more thought into their sound setup. In the opening of the podcast I mentioned my old, run down PC which isn’t worth investing in. When I do finally upgrade to something new and better, I will be thinking about not just graphics cards and visuals, but also sound quality.

You can watch/listen to the entire interview below. Dylan did mention a few products and companies making great headphones and other audio accessories, so I recommend being ready to take notes or google some of them.

Thank you Dylan and Dekoni Audio for your time and for sending over some replacement ear pads.

*You can find out more about Dekoni Audio here.
**You can even search for your specific headphones to see what they offer here.