A 5.1 surround sound gaming audio solution from ROCCAT, featuring on the fly tweaking via a remote control.
Product on Review: ROCCAT Kave
Manufacturer and Sponsor: ROCCAT
Street Price: £68
What a year ROCCAT have had. We have seen a countless exchange of innovation from a variety of products – Kone+, Pyra, Kova and that only includes mice, we have also seen a new keyboard and many gaming surfaces. They certainly haven’t been idle in 2010.
Earlier on in the yea saw the launch of 2 new audio solutions by ROCCAT, the Vire Gaming Headset which were classified as the ‘lightest headset in the world’. A few months before the launch of the Vire though, ROCCAT launched a fully closed solution named the Kave. As of yet we haven’t looked at the Kave, it has been on the list though. So today sees the day when we finally take a long awaited look at the ROCCAT Kave.
ROCCAT’s Take:
A Desert Eagle isn’t worth its fancy name, if you don’t know where to aim. Imagine your advantage within the heat of the battle when you exactly hear where your opponents are before you can actually see them. Knowing the position of your enemy is half the frag. Realistic 3D surround sound makes you locate your opponents easily by the noise they generate. The desktop control enables you to adjust to situations quickly with sound and microphone mute buttons and volume control for different channels.
Specifications
CENTER/FRONT/REAR DRIVER UNITS
Frequency response
– 20~20,000Hz
Max. SPL at 1KHz
– 114±3dB
Max. input power
– 100mW (30mW)
Drive diameter front
– 40mm
Drive diameter rear
– 40mm
VIBRATION DRIVER UNITS
Frequency response
– 20~100Hz ()
Max. input power
– 1000mW
Drive diameter
– 30mm
MICROPHONE
Frequency response
– 20~18,000Hz
Sensitivity at 1KHz
-36dB
Impedance
– 2.2KOhm +15%
Directivity
– omni-directional
Diameter
– 4×1.5mm
SYSTEM
5.1 Headset Connection
– 4 X 3.5mm jack plug
Input impedance
– 10KOhm
Cable length
– 3,4m total (2,0m Remote > PC)
Between ear cups and remote
– 140cm
Between remote and splitter
– 180cm
Between splitter and PC
– 20cm
Packaging & First Look
Comparable to the other ROCCAT products we have come to appreciate, the Kave headset is presented in a well designed box. Features are printed on the front and back with technical specifications too, the sides show a visual representation of some of the features. The box has a transparent window to allow a brief viewing of the headset.
ROCCAT Kave packaging
Sliding the contents out of the box we have a grey plastic mould to which the Kave is secured. Bundled with the Kave there is a manual, setup guide, membership card and CD. Although there is a CD included, the Kave does not require software in order to work. In fact quite the contrary, this product is designed to work straight out of the box. Below is a quote from the ROCCAT website: Please note: The ROCCAT™ Kave, including the Remote Control, is designed to work with your operating system without additional drivers.
ROCCAT Kave packaging
Finally we can take our first look at the headset in question. The Kave features rather large earphones but they certainly look comfortable. There is additional cushioning on the inside of the headband. Lets take a closer look at the Kave’s features.
Overview of the ROCCAT Kave
Closer Look
The ROCCAT Kave has quite a bulky exterior. The ear-cups don’t actually move a great deal but the pivot which attaches the ear-cups to the headband allow for substantial movement. In fact you can fold the ear-cups inwards for storage or transportation which is a very useful idea.
The exterior of the Kave headset
Ear-cups fold in, making the Kave easy to transport
Within the ear-cup we have a 3 separate speakers that provide the channelling of 5.1 surround into the ear, these speakers are angled at 12º. Around these speakers are soft leather cushions that have been hand-sewn. The shape of the cut-out for the ear is oval shaped rather than circular that some headsets seem to adopt. Quality so far is excellent.
Netting covers 3 speakers within ear-cups
The headband spanning across the top of the Kave bridges the 2 ear-cups. This is composed of thick plastic which has the ROCCAT insignia engraved.
ROCCAT engraved on the headband
On the inside of the headband are 3 additional pads that are square shaped. These have been placed to allow for equal weight distribution. As you can see the Kave headset has quite a chunky exterior so this is a beneficial inclusion.
Inner headband cushions for equal weight distribution
Closer Look (Continued)
Being classified as a headset the Kave’s required to have a microphone. This is attached to the left ear-cup. Although the mic is not retractable it is removable and simply unplugs, featuring a coaxial jack. The mic allows for full rotation when it is plugged in. When the Kave has USB power – the tip that has a clear LED, illuminates blue. The contact point between the headset and mic also emits a cool blue glow. If you have the mic set to mute the blue glow disappears, so this is a good indicator as to whether the mic is on or off.
The microphone on the Kave
The Kave comes with a control hub that is named “Tip ‘N’ Control Desktop Remote”. With this device you can scroll through the volume by spinning the large circular wheel – it doesn’t have any indicators but spinning clock-wise increases volume and anti-clockwise decreases volume. Pressing the middle of the circle mutes playback. We also have a mute button for the Microphone.
Tip ‘N’ Control Desktop Remote
Opening the lid reveals equalizers that allow you to control center, front, rear and bass tones. Additionally we can switch between sound-profiles on the remote, there are two settings. Game and Movie. A little later we will monitor the usage on this remote to see how well it operates.
Removing the lid reveals equalizers
Being able to alter center, front, rear and bass means that the Kave features 5.1 audio attributes. So, running from the remote are 4 cables that plug into the sound card on your computer. Grouped with these cables is a USB2.0 connector that gives the unit overall power to function. The audio cables which are 3.5mm have covers on to protect and preserve longevity.
With such cabling it does mean things can get a little messy at the back of the machine.
Cabling running from the Kave remote
Performance
With the ROCCAT Kave headset being designed for gaming its only fair that we observe its performance in the gaming environment. Although it is primarily a gaming peripheral, that isn’t to say it won’t be used for other applications such as music and movies. Its useful to those reading this article that I report the Kave’s performance in multiple environments. So bearing all these aspects in mind – gaming, music and movies will be considered to give a decent and profound assumption of the performance of our headset today.
Its good practise to compare the headset in question against other solutions too, so I will be testing the Kave headset along-side the Creative X-Fi Fatal1ty, SteelSeries Siberia V2 and 7H. These headsets are well regarded gaming peripherals within the community. They are recognised as being quality audio solutions. It’s also important to keep the testing on a fair plane – so for the purpose of this examination, audio will be provided via the 5.1 onboard solution found on the ASUS Rampage III Formula.
Gaming
Gaming headsets are generally designed with FPS (First Person Shooter) gamers in mind especially as the Kave is 5.1 it will be useful in isolating sound from specific directions in-game. So the following games were loaded up for some hardcore FPS gaming sessions.
Call of Duty Black Ops
Battlefield Bad Company 2
Both are extremely popular titles and feature not only intense visual action but also strong, pulsating audio tones from explosions, gunfire and other audio effects.
The audio performance is obviously quite variable to the remote control unit having the sliders for center, front, rear and bass. I found the sweet spot to be with center 1/4, front and rear 1/2 and bass (sub) 3/4.
Picking out each individual sound can sometimes be a difficult task when sampling audio, especially in-game. The Kave did a great job at locating directional sound. Noise coming to the ear is rich, accurate and lively. Low, mid and high tones are easily picked up. Enemy creeping behind are easily traced and the direction of battles going on elsewhere can be identified quite easily. So on the audio side of things the Kave does a fantastic job at delivering a surround sound solution. I especially like the way that you can modify the equalizers on the fly and mute should you need to. I found placing the remote right next to the keyboard – so that it was out of the way but easy to reach was the best option. On a whole, I’m pleased with the playback from the Kave headset.
NOTE: I did test the microphone out and discovered no apparent flaws. It was precise, accurate and crisp as with other mic’s we have tested on headsets.
Music & Movies
For this series of tests. I played the following tracks which offer a vast range of audio tones and also watched a short action scene of Clash of the Titans on Blu-Ray.
The Naked and the Famous – Punching in a dream
Milk Inc. – In My eyes
Linkin Park – Waiting for the End
Audio playback featured in the tracks above and the movie scene were handled rather well by the Kave. Music was fairly average compared to the recently reviewed 7H (treble suffers) but were the Kave did shine was during the movie phase. The native surround sound could only be described as excellent. The action scene that was played featured some dramatic background music and sword action with plenty of well planned choreography . The audio delivered via the Kave was very pleasing and I can’t really fault it at all.
Comfort
The Kave headset is a rather large headset compared to other offerings. After some time using it, you can feel the weight impacting the neck slightly. Around the ears the cushions were good, but not the most comfortable I have tested – I don’t think the weight helps this. Memory-foam would have been a better solution to integrate here perhaps.
Conclusion
ROCCAT can be proud with what they have achieved over the past year. They have brought some very stimulating products to the market. Their mice especially have won countless awards due to innovation, styling and quality. Today’s audio gaming headset isn’t shy of these characteristics either.
The Kave is a true 5.1 surround sound audio solution for the gamer. It puts the gamer in control and provides excellent sound quality in-game. I really like the remote control named “Tip ‘N’ Control’ that ROCCAT have included with the Kave, the ability to alter audio attributes on the fly is very useful.
The only niggles I would identify with the Kave is weight and size of the headset and music performance. It is amongst the chunkiest I’ve reviewed as a result comfort is affected slightly. The audio playback when listening to various tracks resulted in weak treble. The remote control could also do with volume indicators so that you know what setting you are actually at.
Upon release the Kave headset came in at around £80 but since then we have seen a small price-drop meaning you can pickup the headset for between £60-70 at some stores making it a great buy if you are looking to invest in a new gaming headset. It has some great features and is very functional – I have no trouble in recommending it to the avid gamer.
Pros
+ Excellent sound quality
+ 5.1 surround sound
+ Remote control audio equalizer
+ Fold up – portable
Cons
– Comfort hindered slightly by weight
– No volume indication on remote
+ Excellent sound quality
+ 5.1 surround sound
+ Remote control audio equalizer
+ Fold up – portable
Cons
– Comfort hindered slightly by weight
– No volume indication on remote
ROCCAT can add another award to their bag. The Kave is a premium gaming headset.
