Gaming, mixing or simply chilling out. Thermaltake Tt esports introduce the DRACCO, an all rounder headset from their new CHAO range…
Product on Review : Tt eSPORTS CHAO DRACCO Headset
Manufacturer: Tt eSPORTS
Street Price: Tbc
Thermaltake have branched out by supporting esports with a range of high grade peripherals. Today we are revewing a product, not from their gaming range but still under the banner of Tt esports the Chao DRACCO headset. Chao is Thermatake’s new fashion and music amalgamation allowing the youth of today to express themselves with fashion without sacrificing the technology. So much so that Thermaltake Chao now have their own clothing range and to compliment this new wardrobe, a list of accessories to compliment it with.
The DRACCO headset is one such accessory. The vibrant colours of the Chao range are sure to raise a few eyebrows as canary yellow matched with sky blue or vivid pink, such as our sample, are colours not normally associated with the PC headset market. Herein lays the crux of the matter. The Tt Dracco is not aimed solely at the PC market. Instead, Thermaltake are looking to capture a wider audience with the Chao range, one which will appreciate the vibrant colour scheme yet enjoy all of the technological benefits Thermaltake have gained from the PC market sector.
Here’s what Thermaltake had to say about their new range:
CHAO
Tt eSPORTS CHAO series is about accessorizing your lifestyle and enhancing the unique characters of yours. It’s a bit of everything; from the way you dress, places you hang out, the choice of nightlife and your living philosophy. Chao is also a tribe with people imbuing a variety of artistic and street cultural elements in virtually everything, exactly what we are in the world full of acoustic and visual stimulations.
Chao is also about the influence of the crowd, favored by the majority, and share that same belief.
Tt eSPORTS CHAO series is about accessorizing your lifestyle and enhancing the unique characters of yours. It’s a bit of everything; from the way you dress, places you hang out, the choice of nightlife and your living philosophy. Chao is also a tribe with people imbuing a variety of artistic and street cultural elements in virtually everything, exactly what we are in the world full of acoustic and visual stimulations.
Chao is also about the influence of the crowd, favored by the majority, and share that same belief.
Technical Specification
Driver Unit : 50 mm Neodymium Magnet
Frequency Response : 10Hz ~ 22K Hz
Sensitivity : 98dB at 1K Hz
Cable length : 1.5 m
Connector : 3.5 mm
Frequency Response : 10Hz ~ 22K Hz
Sensitivity : 98dB at 1K Hz
Cable length : 1.5 m
Connector : 3.5 mm
Packaging & Accessories
Packaging Front
The front of the package is attractive and well laid out with a large window displaying the headset.
Packaging Back
The rear of the packaging has the feature set displayed both in avatar and list format with the Chao philosophy written in both English and Chinese.
Accessories
A neat cloth bag is included in the package which can be used to protect the headset from damage when not in use of indeed when transporting. Sadly there was no 6.3mm adaptor included which was a surprise considering this headset is aimed more at the audio market where 6.3mm is the standard used. While this won’t upset the iPod generation, DJ’s and the like may have to purchase a separate 3.5mm-6.3mm adaptor.
Let’s take a look at the headset itself…
Chao Dracco
Folded
The DRACCO folds up very neatly for storage. Another great feature of the DRACCO is that the cups can be angled/folded in such a way that it is possible to hold one driver to the side of your head DJ style. This multi-functionality does however come at a cost because it is very easy to get them disorientated and so it can take a little head scratching to get them back into position for normal use.
Normal Position
Unfolded, the DRACCO are much the same as any other headset. The cups sit on the ears rather than encompassing them so are comfortable to use. While the cups are ‘closed’ in nature I would expect some ambient noise intrusion and by the same respect, noise may also escape. More on this later.
Sides
Both the left and right sides of the headset are identical save for the fixed wire protruding from the left hand cup. Each cup is clearly identified with ‘R’ and ‘L’ on the hinges.
Extended
Both cups can be extended by 4cm (8cm total)which should grant enough girth for even the largest of head sizes.
Headband
The headband is made up of a meshed inner with a cross-stitched leatherette top. Strangely, the top section has a fair amount of padding while the inner padding which comes in direct contact with your head is minimal.
3.5mm Connection
The DRACCO has the 3.5mm gold plated connector hard-wired to the headset. While this is removable on the signature line there was no such luxury here. As stated previously, there is no 6.3mm adaptor included so you will have to purchase one separately if your audio device requires this size adaptor.
Overall, the headset is nice to look at. While shocking pink won’t be to everyone’s tastes the accents and tones used throughout the design work well together. The choice of materials is a little suspect though. The metal headband assures us that this should flex well but I would prefer the metal to be shielded or hidden from sight. The plastics have a rubberised texture to them which enhances aesthetic appeal. The cable is not braided for protection though which is a shame and while the padded headrest is nice to the touch, the majority of the padding is where it won’t give the most benefit to the user.
Let’s see how it performs…
Performance Testing
As the Tt esports DRACCO needs no drivers it was simply a matter of plugging them into an audio device. Because we have tested all of our previous headsets on a PC, we will test the DRACCO on the same basis. We will however be looking at how portable they are by using them with an iPhone.
Music Test
We first began testing using them for which they are clearly designed – modern era music. The dance tracks we played were reproduced very well. There was some distortion at high volumes though, especially on tracks with a lot of bass. To be fair, this was at maximum volume which was uncomfortably loud anyway but it is certainly worth mentioning I feel.
Classical music wasn’t very good I’m afraid as the headset sounded dull in comparison to other headsets available. Rap and R’n’B tracks however were reproduced without issue and were perhaps where the DRACCO performed best. RZA – ‘Fatal’ sounding particularly good.
Gaming
While not designed specifically for gaming, the DRACCO performed fairly well. Again the ‘dull’ tones of the headset did it no favours in this arena where high frequencies/mid-tones/treble and voice reproduction are required. This isn’t to say it performed badly, it is just not as good as a dedicated headset. The explosions were however quite dramatic thanks to the 50mm drivers which reproduced the low frequencies well.
Durability
One area of concern that I raised earlier in the review was the materials. The headband, while adequate began to become slightly misshaped after a number of extensions due to the headband metal not stretching across the full breadth of the headband. This however was easily rectified but sadly the next area of concern was not so easily sorted:
The damage to one of the cup liners occurred during testing. While this is only aesthetic and does nothing to the acoustics of the headset, it does call into question the durability of the materials used if, after just a few hours use, damage of this nature can occur when simply sat at a desk.
Overall
The Chao DRACCO is clearly aimed more towards the music arena and music that is ‘popular’, not classical or contemporary. While it didn’t disgrace itself in games, I wouldn’t purchase this headset for gaming alone as it simply could not compete with headsets designed for this genre.
The headset cannot be accused of being crisp nor is it ‘head thumpingly bassy’. It is perhaps best described as a mid-tone headset that leans more towards bass reproduction than high frequencies as despite it’s bright aesthetics it sounds quite dull. This is good for bass tracks but not so good for voice reproduction and actually sounds quite poor in comparison for classical music, particularly percussion instruments.
Conclusion
The Tt-esports Chao DRACCO is a headset that will appeal to the younger generation with its funky colour schemes and bass acoustic ability of that there is no doubt but let me make it clear: This is NOT a gaming headset. Sure, it can perform this function adequately but there are better options available. This is a headset designed for one purpose in mind – music.
Audiophiles however will want to look elsewhere I’m afraid as it isn’t suitable for a wide range of musical tastes. Classical and instrumental music need crisp reproduction but the DRACCO was too dull for this. While messing about with equalisation did enhance the audio, it is an area the DRACCO needs to improve upon if it is to be considered as a good all-rounder. R’n’B and hip-hop was one area which the Dracco was well suited however and for the most part, dance tracks were also reproduced with clarity and good bass response. Sadly though this is where the good news ends.
Thermaltake should be applauded for spreading it’s wings and branching out but they need to up their game if their peripherals are to become popular outside the PC market because for the most part, the DRACCO puts form over function I’m afraid.
The padding materials used are of poor quality and the sound re-production is not the best I have heard by a long way. When compared to other popular audio headsets from Sennheiser and Grado the DRACCO’s simply cannot compete and while the visuals are sure to appeal, their are other sets such as Skullcandy which look just as fresh yet use better, more durable materials. It is therefore difficult to recommend this particular headset which is a shame as it isn’t a bad headset, it just doesn’t excel in any particular area to make it stand out from the crowd, unless of course you simply must have a Shocking Pink headset!
Pros
+ Good looking
+ Good Bass reproduction
+ 50mm Drivers
Cons
– Questionable cushioning material
– Dull acoustics in comparison to the competition
– No 6.3mm adaptor included
+ Good looking
+ Good Bass reproduction
+ 50mm Drivers
Cons
– Questionable cushioning material
– Dull acoustics in comparison to the competition
– No 6.3mm adaptor included
Click here for an explanation of our awards at Vortez.net.
