Roccat Kulo Stereo Gaming Headset Review

1. Introduction2. Packaging and Bundle3. The Headset: Design4. The Headset: Comfort and Performance5. Closing Thoughts6. View All Pages

Regular readers will have already seen our review of the Roccat Kave gaming headset that we published a few weeks back.  Overall the Kave was an impressive headset which had a number of desirable features, such as dedicated 5.1 surround sound.  Unfortunately, this caused it to be quite heavy and expensive; two traits which are likely to put off a number of users.  So Roccat have sent us their latest gaming headset that promises to be lightweight and considerably cheaper than the Kave.

Today we are going to look at the Kulo stereo gaming headset from Roccat which is targeted more towards casual gamers than the high-end crowd attracted by the Kave.  Its feature list is more sparsely populated than that of the Kave so it comes in around £15 – £20 cheaper.  At this price point it is up against some tough competition from the likes of SteelSeries so we're eager to see how it performs.

Features

• Premium Stero Sound – optimised for gaming, music and voice chat
• 40mm Drivers with Neodymium Magnets – for gutsy bass and crystal-clear trebles
• Noise-Filtering Microphone – for noise-free voice chat
• Ultra-Comfortable Earcup Padding – featuring passive noise cancellation
• In-line Slim Remote Control – for easy volume level adjustment
• Automatic Mic-Mute Function – mute the mic simply by folding the microphone arm up
• Rugged, Metal-reinforced Headband – with extra-soft cushioning
• Extra Lightweight, Flexible and Robust – for hour after hour of comfort
• High-Quality Materials – premium finish

Specification

Headset

• Frequency Range: 20 – 20 000 Hz
• Impedance: 50 Ohm ± 15 %
• Sensitivity @ 1 kHz: 102 dB ± 3 dB
• Max Output: 80 mW
• Driver Diameter: 40 mm
• Driver Magnets: Neodynium
• Driver Membrane: Mylar

Microphone

• Frequency Range: 70 – 20 000 Hz
• Sensitivity: -47 dB ± 3 dB
• Signal-to-noise Ratio: 50 dB
• Impedance: 2.2 KOhm
• Directivity: Bi-directional
• Type: Noise Filtering

General

• Weight: 178 g (excl. cable)
• Connection 2 x 3.5 mm
• Cable Length: 2.5 m

Roccat supply the Kulo in a large black cardboard box that is virtually identical in design to that of the Kave.  Almost the entire frontal area is engulfed by a clear plastic window that wraps around the side of the box.  This gives you a view of the entire headset within the box without having to open it up.  The border surrounding the window is littered with various badges and text boxes that illustrate some of the features of the headset.

Turning the box around reveals a large diagram of the Kulo which is annotated in different areas to highlight its main features.  Below this we find the features and technical specifications of the headset in vast amounts of detail.  Although most of the information is displayed in English, the main features of the product are repeated in no fewer than nine other languages.

Inside the box, the Kulo is secured to a vacuum formed plastic tray that will provide an extra level of protection.  The included bundle is almost non existent, consisting only of a quick start guide and a plastic credit card with your unique Roccat ID number on.  There aren't many accessories we would usually expect to receive with a gaming headset so the lack of bundled items isn't an issue.

The Kulo's design reflects many of the themes we've seen in the past from Roccat.  It incorporates their trademark angular lines and black finish which gives it a very different look to most gaming headsets.  Like Roccat's Kova+ gaming mouse we reviewed a few weeks back, the Kulo is finished in a combination of matte-black plastic and soft-touch black plastic.  This should prove practical in the long run even if it isn't overly exciting to look at.  Overall we're quite fond of the aesthetics but they aren't going to appeal to everyone's tastes.

Although the Kulo is finished predominantly in plastic, it has a metal backbone which will make it more durable long-term.  Thankfully this doesn't impose significantly on the weight of the headset which comes in at a respectable 178 g excluding the cable.  The plastics used in the Kulo's construction have a quality feel and the headset feels very well put together.  Our only gripe with the headset in terms of build quality is with the cable which carries  cheap-feeling plastic shielding.

Like most other gaming headsets on the market, the Kulo features an in line remote control for adjusting the headset's volume.  Unfortunately, Roccat's implementation isn't up to the standard of others as the volume slider provides far too much resistance, making it difficult to adjust the volume accurately.  At the end of the cable there are two silver-plated 3.5 mm connectors for headphone and microphone.

Instead of a microphone mute button, Roccat have designed an automatic microphone mute function that automatically mutes the microphone when it is stowed in the upright position.  When the microphone is folded down it is automatically activated and is ready for use.  Roccat have chosen to use a noise filtering bi-directional microphone which is designed to eliminate background noise.

Roccat have chosen quite an unusual ear pad design for the Kulo which consists of a centre cloth section surrounded by faux-leather.  Inside each earcup, Roccat have chosen to use 40mm driver units which have a frequency response of 20 – 20 000 Hz. They feature Neodynium magnets and a Mylar membrane and have a maximum output power of 80 mW.

Comfort

Thanks in part to it's light weight, the Roccat Kulo is a very comfortable headset to wear, even for long periods of time.  To achieve the most comfortable fit, though, you must adjust the headband on either side to the appropriate size for your head.  This headband has a padded leatherette inner lining which spreads the weight of the headset evenly across your head.  As a result of this, the earpieces only press lightly on your ears which does not cause any discomfort.

Music Playback

We tested the Kulo with a number of different tracks from our music collection, encompassing a wide spectrum of genres, using our trusty SteelSeries Siberia V2 as a reference.  In our classical piano track, Einaudi's Le Onde, the overall sound was well balanced but we noticed some  distortion in the higher registers when compared to the Siberia V2.  This distortion seemed to crop up again and again in the track which contributed to a less than impressive experience overall.

In our dance test track, Afrojack's Take Over Control, we found the bass level to be sufficient but not quite prominent enough for our taste; the treble registers seemed to overpower it in quite a few places.  Compared to the Siberia V2, the maximum volume level is much higher.  In fact turning the volume up to maximum is painful, so it is important to be very careful at higher volumes, especially over prolonged durations.

Movie Playback

For our movie playback test we popped in Batman: The Dark Knight which is one of our favorites for this test.  In the opening sequence, the deep bass notes were prominent and the sound panning was reasonably effective.  But the Kulo didn't seem to give us the same level of immersion as the Siberia V2.  A half decent set of speakers would beat this headset hands down in this test, especially if they supported surround sound.

Gaming Performance

Our first port of call in our gaming tests was Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. The overall sound was well balanced, allowing us to hear background noises clearly without gunfire overshadowing them too much.  There was a degree of sound panning noticeable in game, allowing us to identify with reasonable accuracy where the bullets originated.  But this wasn't anywhere near as effective as the Kave and its dedicated surround sound.  We also tested the Kulo with F1 2010 which contrasts completely with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.  The sounds from our revving engine were rendered clearly and accurately and the sound was well balanced.

The Kulo boasts an attractive design that will fit in perfectly if you already own any of Roccat's existing gaming peripherals.  Build quality is also on the same level as the rest of Roccat's range which means the Kulo should last you a long time, thanks to it's metal backbone and high quality plastics.

With the Kulo, Roccat have managed to reach new levels of comfort that would be unimaginable with the bulky Kave headset.  The compact form and light weight of the Kulo make it ideal for those who game on the move or frequent LAN events.  We were a little underwhelmed by the overall performance of the Kulo which wasn't as good as we were expecting, especially when playing music.  The gaming experience was better, though, so those who plan to use the headset for gaming only won't be disappointed.

The Roccat Kulo can be yours for a shade under £50 inc. VAT from Scan which puts in in a similar price range to the Corsair HS1A which is a much better buy at £55. We feel the Kulo is a little overpriced as it is only around £15 cheaper than the Kave and £10 cheaper than the SteelSeries Siberia V2 which both offer better value for money, despite the higher price.  If the price of the Kulo were to come down by £10, we would be much more inclined to recommend it.

KitGuru says: A good headset, let down only by the high retail price

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