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It's funny how many hardware companies previously without any prior presence in to the audio market have suddenly taken the plunge into it recently. Names like Corsair and Thermaltake come to mind since Neoseeker has reviewed some of their HS1 and the eSports Shock headsets, respectively.
As the review title plainly suggests, Cooler Master also joins the party today with its first audio product that will part of the CM Storm product lineup, specifically aimed at gamers. Its approach will be quite different, as the CM Storm Sirius product is actually a 5.1 surround sound headset instead of a stereo one. Neither Thermaltake nor Corsair have comparable products. Not even ASUS, which has been in the PC audio domain for a good while, has a comparable product. Until now, one had to turn to Razer or Psyko if they were curious about getting 5.1 surround in headsets for PC.
Compared to the Psyko's product, the Sirus is more standard in design, with all the speakers placed in the earcup, so it's going to be interesting to see how it fares against the best (and more established) when it comes to spatial sound representation.
| Headphones Specifications | |
| Channel | True 5.1 |
| Driver |
Front, rear, center: 30mm Sub: 40mm |
| Impedance |
Front, rear, center: 32Ω Sub: 16 Ω |
| Transducer Principle | Dynamic Closed |
| Ear coupling | Circumaural |
| Ear Cushions | Detachable Micro-fiber |
| Sensitivity | >105dB |
| Frequency Response | 10Hz - 20kHz |
| Distortion | Less than 1% |
| Microphone Specifications | |
| Pick-up Pattern | Uni-directional |
| Frequency Response | 100Hz - 10kHz |
| Impedance | 2.2kΩ |
| Sensitivity | -46dB ± 3dB |
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"At $130, the Sirius is definitely more expensive than other stereo gaming headsets, but it's definitely worth it if one is looking for surround sound capabilities that aren't really too shabby, and versatile connectivity all for a reasonable price."
stack up against the Corsair 1500? There you mention it is quite spot on with the 3D sound, but they are stereo speakers.
My colleague Chris found out that the stereo setup in the Vengeance was indeed great at simulating surround sounds, something I always had a bit of difficulty with. If you want the best possible sound localization, I would recommend looking at something more advanced, like the Psyko 5.1 headset.
That being said, both the Vengeance 1500 and Sirus are great products. Buying one over the other really comes down to personal preference. The sound quality offered by the USB connection will be similar, but the sirus control unit offers more flexibility. However, the Sirus software does not offer an equalizer and the various adjustments to the environment. All in all, if you have a need for analog connectivity or have a decent soundcard, the Sirus would be nice. Else, the Vengeance 1500 would be a safer bet.