ROCCAT Kave 5.1 Surround Sound Gaming Headset Review

1. Introduction2. Packaging and Bundle3. The ROCCAT Kave Headset4. Comfort and Performance5. Closing Thoughts6. View All Pages

We can't say that the ROCCAT Kave is the most comfortable gaming headset we've had the pleasure of testing here at KitGuru but it is far from the worst.  The main issue regarding comfort is the headsets' weight which is quite significant as a result of having three separate driver units in each earcup.  The leather ear pads and headband pads are well designed, though, so that the weight of the headset is evenly distributed around your head.

Another desirable quality of the leather earpads is their noise isolating properties.  As the earpads fit over your ears, they form a sealed environment that blocks out external noise when the volume is set to a reasonable level.  This is an ideal attribute for LAN gaming as the headset will block out the sounds from other people around you.  It also means that other people are less likely to be disturbed by your gameplay as the noise isolation works both ways.

Gaming performance will be the most important aspect of this headset for most users and, we have to say, the ROCCAT Kave delivers on every level.  The in line control allows you to set up the headset for different types of games to achieve the best possible gaming experience.  The dedicated surround sound built into the headset further enhances the gaming experience, delivering very effective sound panning which can help you in game by providing an accurate representation of where you are being shot from.

While the Kave isn't designed specifically to be used for music playback, it is reasonably well equipped for listening to music.  This is, in part, a result of being able to configure each volume channel independently, allowing you to set up the headset for listening to music.  We managed to achieve a well balanced sound overall, despite the headset lacking slightly in the lower registers before adjusting the different channels.

For our movie playback test we opted for ‘The Dark Knight' on blu-ray and set the headset to the movie playback.  We found the experience to be quite good on the whole, helped in part by the effective sound panning of the headset.  To achieve the best possible experience, we were forced to fiddle around with the level controls a little, especially the bass which was a little feeble for our tastes using the standard settings.

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