Audio

CM Storm Sirus 5.1 Headset Review

Richard Weatherstone
November 28, 2011 19 Min Read
3 0

Storm is the gaming peripheral arm of Cooler Master. Join us as we take a look at their first 5.1 headset and try it out on today’s most popular gaming titles.



Product on Review: CM Storm Sirus
Manufacturer and Sponsor: CM Storm (Cooler Master)
Street Price: Approx. £107inc. VAT

We often rage about Cooler Master products here at Vortez due to the supreme quality and attention to detail. While Cooler Master are perhaps most widely regarded as manufacturing PC CPU coolers and obviously they are also known to produce some damn good PC cases. ‘Stick to what you know’ is advice that could be thrown at many PC component manufacturers who attempt to branch out into areas perhaps alien to them. Too many times we see the constant re-branding stifling originality so when Cooler Master told us about their new Sirus headset we were both intrigued as this is a completely new direction for them but it is also one which could quite easily end in failure if they don’t get it right. We have been impressed thus far with CM Storm, the gaming peripheral arm of Cooler Master, so we enter this review with a clear mind yet hopeful that the Sirus is all it’s cracked up to be.

Being a 5.1 headset it is quite obviously aimed at gamers. Some headsets of this nature have worked yet sacrificed sound quality while others have been very quirky, crippled either by software or imitation surround effects. So, Cooler Master have taken a very bold move in making a 5.1 headset their first product into the audio market. Re-creating 5.1 sound in a headset is never going to be easy. It is a fine art of striking a good balance between audio finesse and emulation of a true 5.1 environment – no easy task when you consider the small space available in each ear cup.


I’ve always favoured a good quality stereo headset over 5.1 varieties as they do pretty much everything well. Deep bass, clear acoustics, excellent vocals are so much easier for a stereo headset that doesn’t have to worry about 5.1 sound thanks to the simpler design and more space to fit quality drivers. For this reason I will be comparing the CM Storm Sirus against my own Sennheiser HD595’s, an all round performer very popular with audiophiles and gamers alike. The CM Storm Sirus certainly has its work cut out if it is to come anywhere near the quality the Senn’s produce even in gaming but Cooler Master seem confident in their product so who are we to argue?

Cooler Master Storm Sirus
Built for gaming enthusiasts and audiophiles alike, the CM Storm Sirus 5.1 Surround Sound Headset creates an immersive gaming experience with hi-fidelity sounds capes and intensified bass.

Sirus produces precise and immaculate sound through its 8 discrete speaker channel pairs of front, rear, center, and sub; delivering accurate real-time 360 degree audio that is fully adjustable through its tactical mixing console. In addition, Sirus is coupled with a uni-directional microphone with background noise cancellation that enables crystal clear conversations with teammates and enemy combatants.


Let’s get this show on the road and take a look at the specification and features of the CM Storm Sirus…

Specification & Features


Features

– True 5.1 Surround Sound
– On-The-Fly Rear, Center, & Front speaker control for maximum sound customization
– Interchangeable ear-cups for breathable audio and noise cancelation
– Microphone with LED mute indicator
– Drivers on each side:
– Center channel: 30 mm
– Front channel: 30mm
– Rear channel: 30mm
– Subwoofer: 40mm
– Retractable microphone with LED mute indicator
– Circumaural design for a comfortable fit
– Microfiber ear pads for breathable audio & added comfort
– Leatherette ear pads for noise cancellation
– Tactical mixing console for on-the-fly adjustments
– Dual gold-plated USB for more power

Specifications

Headphones

Channels:
True 5.1
Driver:
F/R/C: 30mm Sub: 40mm
Transducer Principle:
Dynamic closed
Impedance:
F/R/C: 32 Ohms Sub: 16 Ohms
Ear coupling:
Circumaural
Ear cushions:
Detachable micro fiber/Leatherette
Sensitivity:
>105dB
Frequency Response:
10Hz – 20,000Hz
Distortion:
Less than 1%

Microphone

Pick-up pattern:
Uni-directional
Frequency Response:
100Hz – 10,000 Hz
Impedance:
2.2k Ohms
Sensitivity:
-46 dB ±3dB

Packaging & Accessories



Box Front

The front of the package is very well presented with a printed, matt black cardboard box which has to be said is both heavy and large. There is a nice plastic window showing the product itself with the product title found underneath coupled with the reddot design award winner 2011 emblem.


Box Rear

Flipping the box over we see a lengthy intro adjacent to the products main features in most of the world’s popular languages.


Accessories

The accessory list is quite a bundle. For your money you get an instruction manual, product guide, an alternative set of leatherette ear cups and an analogue adapter. There is also dialogue informing us to download the latest software drivers from the CM Storm website as no driver CD is included. Perhaps the only other item missing here is some form of carry case which is a great shame as it would be tragic if this headset was damaged in transit to a LAN event.


Alternative Ear Cups

Here we see the alternative set of leather ear cups. A set of cloth cups are fitted as standard and as we will detail later in the review are perhaps the most comfortable. The faux leather option does however offer greater external noise reduction should you wish but in practice they are not as comfortable or practical for long gaming sessions due to retaining heat and therefore sweat/moisture.


Clip-on design

Changing the cups is a simple matter of giving the cup in-place a gentle tug which will release the plastic lugs holding the cup to the headphone speaker. I wouldn’t however recommend repeated changes as the lugs are quite brittle and do not look as though they will stand regular changes without becoming worn and loose.


Analogue Connection

The Sirus is primarily a USB headset and to gain the most benefits from the products features, it will be coupled to the Tactical Mixing Console. It does however afford the capability to attach the headset to a soundcard via 4x 3.5mm plugs.


Din Plug

The method of switching between analogue and USB compatibility is through a 10-pin mini-DIN plug which along with all of the USB and 3.5 audio plugs is gold plated to ensure durability and the very best connection. It should also be noted at this point that the dual USB plugs used by the Tactical Mixing Console helps with improved signal quality.


Tactical Mixing Console

If you intend on using USB connections as opposed to your own 5.1 capable soundcard, CM Storm have provided an all-in-one unit which will allow on the fly configuration. There are essentially three buttons made from the same quality plastic as the headset itself. The central button switches through the channels: Rear, Front, Master, Center and Bass. To adjust the levels of each channel is a very well weighted dial. The two other buttons control mute for both the microphone and headset.


Weighted Control

The control station, it has to be said, is fairly heavy and robust and thanks to the rubberised, scored base ensures that it will not move around on the desktop. It is extremely well built yet compact enough to easily be accommodated and when lit up (red) looks fantastic.

Let’s take a look at the main feature, the CM Storm Sirus 5.1 Headset…

CM Storm Sirus 5.1 Headset


Profile Rear

This is how the headset will look from behind with the mic not in use. The plastic used is fairly rigid but there is some give in it thankfully. The main unit is coloured gunmetal grey, similar to the colour used by Sennheiser and has contrasting black cushioning coupled with black rubberised plastic inserts. Overall the unit certainly gives off an air of professionalism and thanks to the materials used is simply divine throughout. My one very minor complaint would be that the plastic trimming used is could perhaps be a little better as there is a fine line left where the injection moulding process has been completed.


Profile Front

Here we see the front profile of the Sirus with the microphone in the lowered position. The cabling from the headset is sleeved in quality black dense weave braiding which is both thick yet flexible. The cable is protected both by the braiding and a rubber plug at both the headset and connector ends of the cable furthering the durability of the product. You will also see that the headband has a cushion made from the same material as the ear cups (stock) ensuring the ultimate in comfort – something you will thank CM Storm for during long gaming sessions.


Microphone Adjustment

While the microphone cannot be removed it can be swung out of the way vertical to the left hand headphone. The mic is very pliable though and can be bent to a variety of positions, forward, back, up and down to ensure unwanted breathing is not heard by your teammates – a pet hate of mine!


Headband

The headband is relatively rigid in movement but once extended to one of nine positions, exposes the metal plate it becomes more compliant. In position it is very comfortable, perhaps more so than the Sennheiser HD595 we are comparing it against today. Given more time I’m sure the headset will loosen up further as initially it did seem to grip your head a little too firmly. Whether you like this or not will be to your own tastes. Personally I prefer not to believe I’m not wearing a headset at all but the due to the weight of the Sirus this is unlikely to ever be the case. That said, the Sirus is an extremely comfortable piece of kit so I have little complaint in this area.


Microfiber ear-cups

In stock form, the Sirus arrives with the microfiber cushioned ear pads in place. This is large enough to accommodate the full ear unless your head resembles the F.A cup. Again, I must stress the quality of materials used as the cushioning is very comfortable, cushioned yet firm, plush yet durable. As previously stated, there are leatherette versions also included but for the sake of a couple of decibels I doubt anyone will opt for those over the microfiber ones.

Let’s delve a little deeper and power up the headset…

Closer Look


Powered

With the Sirus attached to the Tactical Control Centre, the CM Storm emblems on each headphone glow red (static) and are neither too bright nor dim. I’m not normally fond of LED’s for the sake of aesthetics but I must confess, these look great.


LED’s

Using a bit of ‘jiggery pokery’ in camera settings we can see that each emblem has a set of four LED’s to ensure the emblem is uniformly illuminated. Having four LED’s also serves as a backup should one of the LED’s fail ensuring the headset still looks great.


Mic LED

A great little feature of the Sirus is having a Mic LED. How often have you been on teamspeak cursing a teammates abilities only to find you are transmitting the info to all and sundry (I have and it wasn’t pleasant!)? While CM Storm cannot prevent such embarrassing actions it appears I am not the only one this has happened to as they have included an LED on the mic itself to remind you that you are either transmitting or muted (on/off).


Cup removed

Removing the cups, we see that the speakers are protected by a vented plate. The plate is securely screwed into place and is a perfect fit so there should be no irritating vibration when in use.


Drivers

Above we can identify that there are four drivers delivering audio to centre, front, rear and sub. The centre, front and rears are 30mm featuring an impedance of 64, 32 and 32 Ohms respectively while the sub is 40mm and has an impedance of 24 Ohms. Interestingly the tagged driver are in contrast to what the official specifications state. The headset overall though has a sensitivity rating of 105dB with a frequency response of 10Hz-20,000Hz.

Let’s take a look at the Storm Sirus software…

Software

There is no included software with the package, instead it is advised you download the latest version from the CM Storm website.

Once installed, the software is pre-loaded upon windows start-up. Once the console is opened you are greeted with what initially looks to be a very basic configuration tool. However, there is more than meets the eye…


Right clicking on the Speaker icon brings up a sub-menu allowing you to adjust a whole host of settings and effects:


After the initial volume configuration you can adjust the surround settings along with testing each speaker to ensure your headset is working correctly in stereo, quadraphonic or 5.1.


The sample rate can be adjusted from 44.1KHz to 48KHz depending on the file being played.


The equalizer setting has the usual array of features which can be adjusted manually and then saved to a profile or if you prefer there are 12 predefined profiles to suit any musical taste.


If the equalizer didn’t provide enough tweaking then there’s always the Environmental effects to set. Any setting from a ‘padded cell’ to a ‘parking lot’ can be pre-defined. While it’s great to have these settings to play with, I doubt they would be of much use other than for the novelty value. The room size can also be adjusted but this didn’t seem to have any effect on the audio.


Flex Bass II allows, as you would expect, flexible bass level adjustments in both frequency and decibels. The virtual shifter will be familiar to both Creative and ASUS users in that the speakers ‘virtual’ position can be adjusted to perfect the auditorium effect along with the surround volume.


If that wasn’t enough, you can also tweak the mic settings. Within the mic settings is a cute little feature that allows the user to change the voice synthesis to sound like a monster, cartoon, male or female. While not a new feature by any means it does get some giggles on Teamspeak/Ventrillo.

Overall then, the software is very good but it is slightly let down by not having tabs for each section. While it is not difficult to right click the speaker or mic to access the settings, it would be more user friendly to have the settings made available via tabs of some description. It would also be nice to have a ‘default/reset’ button to return all of your settings back to factory default should you tweak a little too far. That said though, the level of adjustment is great and should allow anyone to set the headset up precisely to their own preference.

Let’s put the CM Storm Sirus 5.1 headset to the test…

Testing Methodology

The CM Strom Sirus 5.1 is first and foremost a headset built from the ground up for gamers. Therefore the bulk of the testing will be from a gaming perspective. For this testing we will play a variety of games including Battlefield 3, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.

As most users will not be changing this headset for another to listen to music we will also play a variety of tracks from Dance (2Bad Mice), rock (Nickleback), rap (Wu-Tang Clan) and Classical (Vivaldi). We will also put the 5.1 setup to the test by listening through the landings at Omaha Beach (Saving Private Ryan).

Before thoroughly testing the headphones they were used for a variety of purposes for a month before reviewing to sufficiently allow the headset to bed in as testing a brand new headset can sound very different a month down the line, after a period of heavy use.

We will be using our X79 test bench which includes the following components:

Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-X79-UD5 – Realtek ALC 898 Codec
CPU: Intel Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition
Graphics Card: NVIDIA GTX560Ti
RAM – 16GB (4x4GB) Corsair Vengeance (Red) DDR3 @ 1866MHz 9-10-9-27
Power Supply – Corsair TX750M 750W
Hard Drive – Hitachi SATA II 250GB
Samsung F3 1TB
Cooler – Corsair H100
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit (sp1)

Performance


Gaming

Both Battlefield 3 and Modern Warfare 3 sound truly amazing. With the 5.1 surround settings enabled every bullet, ricochet and explosion was very well placed. Positional audio will obviously never be quite as good as a true surround sound speaker setup due to the physics involved but the Sirus 5.1 comes pretty damn close. Picking up voices and footsteps was so much easier than using a traditional 2 speaker headset and made finding the enemy that much easier. There’s nothing better than finding a good sniping spot and still being able to pick up the creeping foot steps behind you when needed!

The clarity of the voices was exceptional, as you would expect from a gaming headset and despite the relatively small drivers, the explosions were head shakingly realistic, so much so the headset really did feel as though it was vibrating! Voice communication was easy to configure and very clear. The LED mute button also came in handy as expected acting as a healthy reminder to keep my opinions low key!

Being new games, I ‘extensively’ tested the headset to the point that 8 hour gaming sessions resulted in very little discomfort thanks to the very well padded headset. I did try the leatherette cups but gave up after an hour or so as they became hot and sweaty so I would guess they are fine for short periods but cannot compete with the cloth cups for both comfort and ventilation.

All in all, the gaming experience offered by the CM Storm Sirus was nothing short of exceptional. In stereo configuration the Sennheiser HD595 did just edge the quality. However, in 5.1 surround sound the Sirus came alive and ate the Sennheisers for breakfast allowing me to pinpoint enemies’ locations that the Sennheiser could only dream of doing.


Music

The thumping bass of ‘Bomb Scare’ from 2 Bad Mice was great with no distortion until both the volume and bass levels were set to maximum which for all intents and purposes would have been very uncomfortable for an extended period of time anyway such is the level of volume.

‘How you remind me’ (Nickleback) was great with clear vocals, deep bass and great lead and bass guitar reproduction throughout.

‘Ride of the Valkyries’ (Wagner) again showed clarity between all of the instruments. Unfortunately for the Sirus, the Sennheiser HD595’s were distinctly better in this area with much clearer definition throughout.

Movie

It has to be said that the beach landing scene from Saving Private Ryan’s is perhaps one of the most breathtaking examples of surround sound used in a movie. The audio really puts you straight in that forsaken battle and here is where the Sirus excels. The 5.1 reproduction was very good and while I must state again that the headset is no replacement for true surround sound speaker setup, the audio reproduction and surround spacing was excellent.

Overall then, the Sennheiser HD595’s were clear winners in the music tests. While the Sirus performed very well they couldn’t keep pace for either clarity or bass of the HD595’s. The Sirus however faired far better in the movie test thanks to the 5.1 capability which the Sennheisers simply couldn’t compete with. The ace up CM Storm’s sleeve however was with the gaming tests. Being a 5.1 headset, the surround sound capability of the Sirus blew the HD595’s out of the water. The Sennheisers are no slouch when it comes to reproducing bass and with that I mean explosions however the Sirus not only did this extremely well but thanks to the positional audio, each bullet, call for help and detonation made the gaming experience all the more enjoyable.

Let’s wrap things up as I gather my thoughts in the conclusion…

Conclusion

Reproducing 5.1 audio in such a confined space such as a headset, more often than not results in varying results ranging from at best, mediocre to outright pathetic. The physics involved simply does not afford accurate positional audio to be of much use. That was however until the CM Storm Sirus headset arrived.

While not perfect, the Sirus 5.1 headset is by far the best 5.1 headset we have tested to date. It does 5.1 very well and while it cannot compete with a ‘proper’ 5.1 speaker setup it does imitate the effect really well. That isn’t to say the headset is fake by any stretch of the imagination as it features four drivers per cup and therefore doesn’t need to use software effects to emulate 5.1 surround sound. Listening to Saving Private Ryan was nothing short of exceptional considering the Sirus’ primary use was gaming and while music reproduction was great, it is outclassed by the Sennheiser HD595 in reproducing crystal clear audio. The Sirus was never aimed at audiophiles though, it is a gaming headset and here is where it has performance by the bucket load.


Both Battlefield 3 and Modern Warfare 3 placed the Sirus on the winner’s podium not only because of the 5.1 reproduction but the quality of voices both in-game and through voice communication software. While those two games were used to benchmark the Sirus, I also played the new Elder Scrolls title, Skyrim. Again, the Sirus excelled which goes to show it’s not just FPS that the Sirus can accommodate. Starcraft II also performed very well strangely better in 5.1 than stereo despite the game not specific to 5.1 audio. The same could be said for audio where 5.1 simply sounded better in surround than in stereo.

The software used to configure the Sirus is very good while perhaps not being the most user friendly console I have ever used. Coupled with the tactical control unit on the desktop then you have the best of both worlds, quick access to the most needed settings using the dock (including both mic and headset mute buttons) and the software based console for the (much) finer adjustments.

The packaging of the CM Storm is next to perfect. The option of analogue connectivity was a great addition as all too often we find gaming headsets being limited to either analogue or more often than not, USB. Having the option to use a soundcard, which many gamers will be reluctant to forgo, will save a lot of heartbreak. I did test the Sirus with an ASUS Xonar D2 card I had but in truth, it made very little discernible difference to the audio quality of the headset and as I found the tactical console very user friendly, I decided to go with USB. Pretty much everything is included in the package too with one exception; a carry case. Carrying a headset that costs over £100 to and from LAN events will mean the headset quickly starts to show battle scars which is a crying shame as the headset simply looks divine. With no option to fold away or removable cable I fear damage will be inevitable for those transporting the headset on a regular basis.

Other than the issues identified above the CM Storm Sirus 5.1 gaming headset is a fantastic product, even more so when you consider this is CM Storm’s first foray into the audio market. The headset does most things very well and the rest…nothing short of exceptional! It really is that good and if you are a gamer who craves amazing audio this headset should be at the very top of your shopping list. For that reason the CM Storm Sirus 5.1 gaming headset is a deserved winner of both our Gold and Elite awards.

Pros:
+Very good 5.1 reproduction for a headset
+Stunning looks
+Tactical dock for on-the-fly adjustments
+Very comfortable
+Great Packaging

Cons:
– No carry case
– Software needs tweaking






Click here for an explanation of our awards at Vortez.net. Thanks to CM Storm for providing today’s review sample.

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Richard Weatherstone