Gaming Headset Shootout Locked And Loud (Part 4) - Roccat Kulo, Sennheiser PC 363D

Overall audio performance for the G430 is mediocre. There are no tonal characteristics which jump to mind when first listening to the headset. While there are no glaring flaws with the audio rendition of tracks, such as Hotel California by the Eagles, the experience is unfortunately forgettable. The G430 comes with Dolby Headphone technology but no Dolby Pro Logic Ilx. The 7.1 virtual surround sound effect while gaming is not an expansive as the other headsets tested. It is difficult to accurately pinpoint the source of the sound and the direction it is coming from with the G430. Simply put, the G430 cannot seriously compete with the rest in this shootout in terms of raw gaming audio performance.

Roccat Kulo

Founded in 2007, Roccat is a relative new-corner to the gaming peripherals market. At present their product ranges include keyboards, mice and gaming headsets, of which the last category is represented by the Kulo gaming headset.

Roccat Kulo

Barring this ROCCat gaming headset, all other contenders in this shootout come with a circumaural design. The Kulo 7.1 however sports a supra-aural wearing style. The choice of on-ear design means that the Roccat gaming headset is dwarfed in size when compared with the others. That said, the Kulo's build quality is excellent. The Kulo comes in black, with small blue Roccat signage on the ear-cups and a sliver of silver on the headband.

The supra-aural wearing style and a low contact pressure help the Kulo be very comfortable. Since the ear-pads do not cover the listener's entire ears, over-heating after prolonged usage really isn't a problem. The covering for the cushions is synthetic and closely resembles leather. Additionally Roccat also provides cushions with velvet covering which can be swapped in (this option is apparently only available in Europe, mind you). Our main concern with regard to the Tit and comfort of the headset was related to the stiff adjustment mechanism that makes it hard to properly set the headset in place.

Supra-aural design means that the ear-pads of the Kulo are small

Like all the other contenders you have the option to plug in the Kulo to your computer via USB or 3.5mm jack. There is an in-line control pod provided for controlling volume, but the stiff slider makes it difficult to make minute changes to decibel levels. There is also a microphone for handling communications while gaming. The Kulo also comes with a companion software platform that can be used to help the headset reach its full potential. It has a number of customization options for 7.1 virtual surround, though the experience is marred by an unintuitive user interface.

The supra-aural design of the Kulo helps in terms of comfort, though has the unfortunate side effect of being a detriment in 7.1 virtual surround sound for gaming. The audio from the headset comes across as constricted, and with insufficient space to develop. Add to that the lack of assistance from Dolby technologies (or anything of that sort). With the odds stacked against it, the Kulo simply cannot keep up with the pack.

And the Best Gaming Headset is…

Sennheiser PC 363D

If we look at only gaming performance, three contenders pull ahead of the pack. The Sennheiser PC 363D, Razer Kraken 7.1 and SteelSeries Siberia Elite all had excellent 7.1 virtual surround sound courtesy of either Dolby technologies, or in the case of Razer, proprietary audio enhancement. But when other factors are considered, a clear winner emerges. The Sennheiser PC 363D provided a great degree of comfort due to its “XXL” ear-cups, and the open back design not only delivered a wide, natural soundstage, but also prevented over-heating thanks to great ventilation.

Sennheiser PC 363D

Finally, a neutral tone allowed the Sennheiser headset to excel when handling music as well. Taking overall performance into account, the PC 363D turned out to be worthy of our Best Performance award.

Razer Kraken 7.1

When it came to the Best Value award, the Logitech G430 and the Razer Kraken 7.1 were in the frame for consideration. The Logitech gaming headset had a slight edge in terms of comfort thanks to its sporty ear-pad cushion covering. But with proprietary audio technology on its side the Razer Kraken 7.1 had much better gaming performance. In addition the customization and calibration made available by Razer’s Synapse 2.0 software meant that the Kraken 7.1 could be tweaked to significantly improve your gaming performance.