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To test the Cooler Master MasterPulse ear buds I put them through their paces over several days of music listening at a desktop PC with on board audio and using a smartphone (Sony Xperia Z5 Compact). All the while I judged them for their audio quality with various genres of music and at different volumes, considering the comfort of their fit over long periods of use.
Although designed more as an entertainment set of ear buds than with gaming in mind, the MasterPulse actually worked quite well as a set of gaming ear phones too. Whether in atmospheric titles like Alien Isolation and Subnautica, or in more explosive games like Spare Pirate Trainer and Unreal Tournament, the Master Pulse did a good job of making you feel like you are part of the game world.
The stereo panning is decent and you can get a good feel for where the Xenomorph or Reaper Leviathan are while you make your way through the various games' settings.
Although it is an optional feature, I think for most games you are going to want to activate bass boost, as it does lend an added depth to the sound. While it might muddy the waters of the more mid-range frequencies a little, in most cases it is worth the trade off.
When it comes to music, that is much less apparent and I found that the MasterPulse did a solid job of handling the entire auditory spectrum. Bass heavy tracks could enjoy a thumping and rumbling lower end, while highs come through nice and clear in more melodic tracks.
If I had one criticism of the MasterPulse is that it does not have the crispest of sounds though. It does not sound like a mess as some lower end headsets can sound, but you do lose a little of the clarity that more expensive headsets are capable of. This is most pronounced when bass boost is enabled. While I do like what it does to the sound, it may not be a setting that audiophiles want to leave enabled all of the time.
Volume wise, the MasterPulse can hit respectable noise levels. You are not going to blow your ear drums, but there is enough headroom that you will be able to give yourself a headache if you push it. Unfortunately there is some clarity loss at the very top end of the volume scale, though that is not that uncommon at this price point.
Comfort wise I found these Cooler Master ear buds to be lovely to wear. I happily had them plugged in for a few hours at a time without chafing or rubbing or any kind. They rarely fell out too, which was a nice bonus, especially when playing active VR titles.
Running was another matter, but it is rare to find in-ear buds that will stay in throughout mile upon mile of road running. These ones hang around long enough though, so you will not find yourself shoving them back in every few seconds.
In terms of the fit, I found the Cooler Master MasterPulse a little finicky to work with. While the temptation with in-ear buds is to shove them in deep so that they stay put, I found – particularly with the left ear bud – that this could sometimes cause the sound to be almost completely muted. While it feels counter intuitive, the best sound with these ear buds comes when they are a little loose and sit just inside your ear.
I do like the cable though. Although its shape does not prevent it from being easily tangled, its shaping seems to have almost completely eliminate microphonics. It is also lightweight and strong, so if these get yanked out of your ears you do not need to worry about it breaking.
Noise cancellation when the ear buds are in and in-use is pretty strong. They are not as good as some of the active noise-cancelling headphones we have tried in the past, but when typing and a music track is playing around 50 per cent volume, I am unable to hear my clacking on a mechanical keyboard, which is a pretty solid endorsement.
Microphone quality was about on par for an in-line microphone: fine for VOIP, but do not expect to record your next album on it.
