Alienware AW988 User manual

Regulatory Model: AW988
Alienware Wireless Gaming Headset
AW988
User’s Guide

2
Notes, cautions, and warnings
NOTE: A NOTE indicates important information that helps you make
better use of your computer.
CAUTION: A CAUTION indicates potential damage to hardware or loss
of data if instructions are not followed.
WARNING: A WARNING indicates a potential for property damage,
personal injury, or death.
Copyright © 2018 Dell Inc. All rights reserved. This product is protected by U.S. and international
copyright and intellectual property laws. DellTM and the DELL logo are trademarks of Dell Inc. in
the United States and/or other jurisdictions. All other marks and names mentioned herein may be
trademarks of their respective companies.
2018 – 06
Rev. A00

3
Contents
What‘s in the box................................5
About the headset...............................6
Setting up your headset on your computer ..........7
System requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Connecting the headset to your computer using the USB
wireless dongle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Configuring the headset on your computer. . . . . . . . . . 7
Connecting the headset to your computer or mobile device
using the 3.5 mm audio cable (optional) . . . . . . . . . . .10
Alienware Headset Center.......................11
Installing the Alienware Headset Center . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Charging the headset ...........................13
Battery life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
Auto power off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
Using the headset ..............................14
Adjusting the headset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
Turning on/off your headset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
Adjusting the master volume . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
Muting/unmuting the microphone . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
Switching between the audio presets . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
Adjusting the chat balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
Storing the USB wireless dongle in the headset . . . . . . .18
Replacing the earcup cushions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19

4
Troubleshooting............................... 20
Specifications ................................. 23
General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
Physical characteristics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
Environmental . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
Warranty information .......................... 24
Limited warranty and return policies . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
For U.S. customers:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
For European, Middle Eastern and African customers: . . 24
For non-U.S. customers: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

5
What‘s in the box
Alienware Wireless
Gaming Headset
AW988
1
5
4
2
3
1 Alienware Wireless Gaming
Headset—AW988
2 USB wireless dongle
3 USB cable for battery charging 4 Documents
5 Audio cable (3.5 mm)
NOTE: The documents shipped with the headset may vary based on your
region.

6
About the headset
1
2
4
3
5
6 7
8
12
11
10
9
1 Power button 2 Alienware two zones lighting
3 Microphone mute indicator 4 Retractable boom mic
5 Audio preset button 6 Micro-USB charging port
7 3.5 mm audio port 8 Battery status indicator
9USB wireless dongle
storage slot 10 Master volume control
11 Microphone mute button 12 Game/chat volume mixer control

7
Setting up your headset on your computer
System requirements
• One USB port for USB wireless dongle
• One USB port for charging (optional)
• Microsoft Windows 10 operating system
Connecting the headset to your computer using the USB
wireless dongle
Connect the USB wireless dongle to the USB port on your computer. The
headset and the USB wireless dongle are pre-paired.
Configuring the headset on your computer
To use your headset for gaming or to listen to music from your computer, it has
to be selected as the default playback device and the default recording device
in Windows Audio Settings.
1 On Windows toolbar, right-click the speaker icon to access the Windows
Audio Settings. The Sound dialog box appears.

8
2 Click the Playback tab and set the following:
- Alienware AW988 Game as the Default Playback device.
- Alienware AW988 Chat as the Default Communication device.
3 Click the Recording tab, set the Alienware AW988 Chat as the Default
Device.

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4 Click the Communications tab, select Do nothing.

10
Connecting the headset to your computer or mobile device
using the 3.5 mm audio cable (optional)
Connect one end of the audio cable to the 3.5 mm audio port on your headset,
and connect the other end to the audio/headset port on your computer or
mobile device.
The headset speakers and the microphone on the cable will function even when
the headset is powered off, as long as the headset is connected to a 3.5 mm
audio port. The buttons and LEDs will not function when powered off.
NOTE: Audio preset is not supported for 3.5 mm audio port.
Microphone
Mic offMic on

11
Alienware Headset Center
Installing the Alienware Headset Center
You need to install one of the following applications to configure the Alienware
Wireless Gaming Headset—AW988 features.
• Alienware Command Center (AWCC)
• Alienware Headset Center (AWHC)
Before installing AWCC or AWHC on your computer, ensure that your computer
is connected to internet.
If your computer is preinstalled with AWCC 5.0 or later, you can configure the
headset through AlienFX and Fusion available in AWCC.
Connect the AW988 wireless dongle shipped with your headset to your computer
to ensure that the latest AWCC application is installed in your computer.
If your computer is not preinstalled with AWCC 5.0 or later, install AWHC using
the wireless dongle shipped with your headset or from the Dell Support website
at www.dell.com/support.
Installing AWHC using the wireless dongle
1 Connect the wireless dongle that shipped with the headset to your computer.
The AWHC application is downloaded and installed automatically. AWHC
installation may take up to 10 minutes to complete.
2 Navigate to the program folder to ensure that the AWHC installation is
complete. Alternatively, you can find the AWHC application in the Start
menu.
3 If the application cannot be found in your computer after 10 minutes,
perform the following:
•In the Settings window, click Windows Update, and then click Check for
updates to check the Alienware driver update progress.
•If the driver update is not responding in your computer, install AWHC
from the Dell Support website. After installing the application, connect
your headset to your computer.
4 Restart your computer after installing the application.
5 Turn on the headset and connect it to your computer.

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Installing AWHC from the Dell Support website
1 Download the latest version of the application at www.dell.com/
support/drivers.
2 After downloading AWHC, navigate to the folder where you saved the
setup file.
3 Connect the wireless dongle to your computer.
4 Double-click the setup file and follow the on-screen instructions to install
the application.
5 Restart your computer after installing the application.
6 Turn on the headset and connect it to your computer.
NOTE: You can use your headset on your computer even without
installing the Alienware Headset Center. Install the Alienware Headset
Center to customize your settings.

13
Charging the headset
To charge the headset, connect one end of the USB cable to the micro-USB
port on your headset, and connect the other end to the USB port on your
computer.
Green Battery charge above 80%
Orange Battery charge is between 10% and 80%
Red Battery charge is below 10%
Battery life
The headset battery can last up to 14 hours of gaming/audio playback (with the
lights turned off). It can last up to 8 hours when the lights are turned on. The
complete charging of battery may take up to 2.5 hours.
When the headset is not charging, the battery status light indicates the charge
remaining on the battery.
Off Above 10% battery
Red Below 10% battery (low or critical)
Auto power off
When the wireless connection between the headset and the USB wireless
dongle is lost (either the computer is powered off or the USB wireless dongle
is removed from the USB port), the headset will automatically turn off after 30
minutes. You can adjust the timer using the software. To turn the headset on,
press the Power button.

14
Using the headset
Adjusting the headset
Adjust the headband to find the optimal fit for your head. When using the
retractable microphone, position it approximately two centimeters away from
your mouth.
2 cm
The earcups can be rotated to wear the headset around the neck comfortably,
or for easier storage.

15
Turning on/off your headset
Press the power button on the left earcup to turn the headset on. Press and hold
the power button for 3 seconds to turn the headset o.
Adjusting the master volume
Use the Master volume control to adjust the speaker volume. Turn the control up
to increase the volume, or down to decrease the volume.

16
Muting/unmuting the microphone
Use the mute button to mute or unmute the microphone. Alternatively, fold the
retractable microphone back into place to mute the microphone, or lower the
retractable microphone to unmute the microphone.
30°
The microphone mute light turns red to indicate the microphone is on mute.
NOTE: You will hear an audio prompt when the retractable microphone is
opened or closed.

17
Switching between the audio presets
Press the Audio preset button to cycle through the available presets.
When the headset software is running, pressing the Audio preset button will
cycle through all presets as listed in the software.
When the headset software is not running, pressing the Audio preset button will
cycle through Gaming, Music, and Movie presets.
An audible voice prompt is played to indicate the selected preset is activated.

18
Adjusting the chat balance
Use the Chat balance control to find a preferred balance between chat audio
and game audio.
Turn the control up to focus on the game volume, reducing the chat volume
from 100% to 0%. Turn the control down to focus on the chat volume, reducing
the game volume from 100% to 0%. Turn the control to the center position, as
indicated by the white marker, to set chat and game audio to their original levels.
Focus game volume
(reduce chat volume)
Balance game/
chat volume
Focus chat
(reduce game volume)
Storing the USB wireless dongle in the headset
The USB wireless dongle can be stored in the USB wireless dongle storage slot.
To secure the wireless dongle, insert it into the slot as shown and push until you
hear an audible click sound.
To remove the wireless dongle, push it inside the headset until you hear an
audible click, then remove your finger. The wireless dongle will pop out of
storage slot and is held in place by a magnet. Pull the USB wireless dongle out
of the slot to use it.

19
Replacing the earcup cushions
The earcup cushions can be removed and replaced, if necessary. To order new
earcup cushions go to www.dell.com.
To remove the cushion, hold the cushion firmly and rotate clockwise (left
cushion) or counter-clockwise (right cushion), and then pull the cushion away
from the headset.
To replace the cushion, fit them around the edges of the earcup firmly and
rotate them into position.

20
Troubleshooting
Problems Possible solutions
Headset has no sound • Ensure that the headset is turned on, and
properly connected through the wireless
dongle or audio cable.
• Ensure that the audio player is playing
music, and that the computer volume and
media player volume are on and not muted.
- Click the volume icon on your computer.
- Adjust the volume level on the volume bar.
• Check the playback setting on the
computer, and ensure that the default
device is set to DEVICE NAME.
• Check the headset is within range (12 m) of
the wireless dongle (if connected through
the wireless dongle).
• Check wireless connection is good
(Blue LED on dongle not blinking)
The person on the other end
cannot hear me.
• Ensure the micophone is positioned close to
the mouth.
• Ensure the microphone is not muted. The
mute light should be off.
• Ensure the headset is within range (12 m) of
the wireless dongle (if connected through
the wireless dongle).
• Ensure that the audio plug end with 3
poles is inserted into the headset port, and
the end with 4 poles is inserted into your
computer or mobile (if connected through
the audio cable).