CM Storm Ceres-400 Gaming Headset Review

1. Introduction2. Packaging & Bundle3. The Ceres-400 Headset4. Comfort and Performance5. Closing Thoughts6. View All Pages

CM Storm has managed to produce a praiseworthy headset in the Ceres-400. Good build quality, clear audio output and a comfortable fit are all attributes that gamers insist upon from a modern peripheral; the Ceres-400 offers them all.

The CM Storm Ceres-400's sound quality is excellent, thanks to the unit's large 40mm drivers. A deep bass output made explosions sound like they were occurring inches away from our ears while the good levels of treble made speech and voices very clear and easy to understand.

An ability to reproduce a variety of special-effects tones without making them sound too unreal or merged together was another impressive performance point for the Ceres-400.

Build quality is good, but not quite perfect. Sturdiness that is required by on-the-go users was a clear motive for the designers at CM Storm, and that is evident when looking at the 40mm-thick, stiff-plastic headband and large earpad protectors.

A comfortable, impact-absorbing padding spanning the 90mm earpads’ outer perimeters makes wearing the Ceres-400 a pleasant experience.

This same padding provides a comfort-enhancing layer between one's head and the Ceres-400's plastic headband, but unfortunately the sticky tape's quick and unintentional exposure makes removing the headset a painful, hair-plucking procedure. There is a simple workaround, but this issue shouldn't exist on a £35 product from a company as experienced as CM Storm.

Utilising the globally-recognised 3.5mm jack makes the CM Storm Ceres-400 compatible with virtually every modern audio-capable device on the consumer market. Plugging the headset into our HTC mobile phone allowed us to listen to high-quality music without being limited to the awful earphones supplied by most manufacturers.

Perhaps being able to use the Ceres-400 with mobile devices is where CM Storm's ‘ultra mobile' marketing claim derives because the bulky headset is far from ultra portable.

We do have a few complaints about the Ceres-400. Microphone positioning is restricted due to the unit's less-than-flexible design. This translated into a substandard experience when engaging in a barely-understandable (for our recipient) conversion to friends over Skype. Bulky physical dimensions also make the Ceres-400 less-than-ideal for users wanting to listen to music while walking or travelling via public transport.

Storage when not in use is also made more difficult by the large physical dimensions. Noise isolation is almost non-existent, other than the earpads being able to drown out very quiet disturbances.

CM Storm has taken a bold step into the hotly-contested sub-£40 headset market with the stereo-output Ceres-400. Excellent bass and treble, a comfortable fit and generally good build quality make the Ceres-400 worthy of consideration with its £34.08 price tag. Just don't expect it to be the greatest unit for talking to friends over Skype or communicating with team-mates in a game.

Pros:

• Excellent sound quality in a variety of scenarios.
• Very comfortable.
• Good weight distribution.
• Attractive, gamer-orientated style.
• Widespread compatibility – uses 3.5mm jacks.
• 2.5m cable.

Cons:

• Bulky design – certainly not ‘ultra mobile'.
• Limited microphone positioning can have a negative effect on speech reception.
• Comfort-enhancing foam on headband can cause hair to stick to the headset.
• Poor noise-isolation performance by the earpads.

KitGuru says: A good headset that offers excellent sound quality, deep bass and a comfortable fit. Well worthy of consideration to consumers wanting a versatile, sub-£40 headset.

Become a Patron!