After a ground up rebuild, we get the chance to test the ROCCAT Kave XTD 5.1 Digital surround headset, fans of true ‘surround headsets’ will not want to miss this!
Product on review: ROCCAT Kave XTD 5.1 Digital
Manufacturer & Sponsor: ROCCAT
Street Price: £155 inc VAT
ROCCAT have become a common name amongst gamers, for some it may be strange to think that it has been 5 years since the release of the Kone mouse. Through cutting edge innovation and marked improvement, it wasn’t long before ROCCAT ventured into the realm of gaming audio, delivering what is, arguably, considered one of the best ‘real’ 5.1 surround gaming headsets, the Kave. That was now 2 years ago.
Today we look at the successor, the Kave XTD 5.1 Digital, rebuilt from the ground up to make improvements upon the original. Amongst various changes such as using USB and a semi discrete audio processor, a concern many hold over ‘real’ surround headsets is the weight, after all, you have to fit in three times the amount of audio drivers. The Kave XTD comes in at 335g, close to 25% lighter than the original which will be a welcome change. Let’s move on and take at some of the other new features.
Overview by ROCCAT
Our mission: to take the most successful surround sound gaming headset ever created and rebuild it from the ground up, adding game-changing innovations and performance-improving refinements. Mission accomplished. The next generation Kave XTD 5.1 Digital is a legend in the making, with remastered real 5.1 surround sound, enhanced comfort and an upgraded, robust design. What sets the Kave XTD 5.1 Digital miles apart and leaves its rivals in the dust is its feature-packed desktop remote, which works as an audio command center. Containing ROCCAT-pioneered smartphone to headset Bluetooth pairing, a premium-quality, multi-channel integrated sound card, comprehensive audio controls and heaps more, the desktop remote complements the headset perfectly to provide a gaming audio solution of unprecedented quality and innovation – leaving NO SOUND UNHEARD.
Specifications & Features
CENTER/FRONT/REAR DRIVER UNITS
Frequency response: 20~20.000Hz
Max. SPL at 1kHz: 115±3dB
Max. input power: 50mW
Drive diameter front: 40mm
Drive diameter rear: 40mm
VIBRATION DRIVER UNITS
Frequency response: 20~100Hz
Max. input power: 300mW
Drive diameter: 30mm
MICROPHONE
Frequency response: 10~10.000Hz
Sensitivity at 1kHz: -32±2dB
Directivity: omni-directional
Diameter: 4×1.5mm
Impedance: 2.2 kΩ + 15%
SYSTEM
Connection: USB
Impedance: 32 Ω
Cable length: 3.6m
Weight (Headset only): 335gr
Frequency response: 20~20.000Hz
Max. SPL at 1kHz: 115±3dB
Max. input power: 50mW
Drive diameter front: 40mm
Drive diameter rear: 40mm
VIBRATION DRIVER UNITS
Frequency response: 20~100Hz
Max. input power: 300mW
Drive diameter: 30mm
MICROPHONE
Frequency response: 10~10.000Hz
Sensitivity at 1kHz: -32±2dB
Directivity: omni-directional
Diameter: 4×1.5mm
Impedance: 2.2 kΩ + 15%
SYSTEM
Connection: USB
Impedance: 32 Ω
Cable length: 3.6m
Weight (Headset only): 335gr
REAL 5.1 SURROUND SOUND
Nobody does it like ROCCAT. With two 40mm driver units and one 30mm vibration unit per ear cup, a fully immersive, genuine surround sound experience with pitch-perfect crisp and clear audio is ensured. The Kave XTD 5.1 Digital’s three high-end driver units are aligned precisely at a 12° angle, matching the natural form of your ear. This alignment provides a real – not virtual – 5.1 surround environment in which you can pinpoint enemy locations easily, giving you the edge over your opponents.
FULLY-EQUIPPED REMOTE
With an inbuilt multi-channel sound card, the Kave XTD 5.1 Digital remote gives you total control at your fingertips. It allows you to pair your smartphone to your headset via Bluetooth, so you can call your friends without leaving the action. Whether you’re playing a game or watching a flick, the game/movie mode toggle provides enhanced audio. Complete with 5.1 speaker ports, you can switch between speaker and headset outputs seamlessly. Complemented by mute and master volume controls, the LED illumination gives an overview of your sound levels.
ROCCAT™ SMART LINK®
You’re in-game and your phone starts ringing right at that crucial moment. You can’t pause an online game so you either stop playing or ignore the call, right? Wrong! The Kave XTD 5.1 Digital features Smart Link®, a ROCCAT™ innovation that lets you pair your smartphone to the remote so you can make and receive calls through the headset – without leaving the action. The Bluetooth-facilitated technology means you can keep on fragging and let the other person on the other end of the phone line know all about it.
INBUILT MULTI-CHANNEL SOUND CARD
Complete with a multi-channel sound card built in to the desktop remote, interference and distraction-free surround sound audio is delivered. The benefit of having the multi-channel sound card built in to the remote is that it avoids the problem common to setups with on-board audio, whereby signal noise or interference can be heard through the headset. With its feature-rich driver and premium inbuilt sound card, the Kave XTD 5.1 Digital ensures you hear only what you’re supposed to hear – your game sounds – so the pitter patter of footsteps you’re listening out for isn’t drowned out by untimely noise.
COMFORTABLE AND ROBUST DESIGN
Robust, ultra light, and with comfortable headband and ear cup padding, this is a headset that is built to last and suitable for hardcore gaming sessions. Weighing in at 335g, the Kave XTD 5.1 Digital is extremely low in weight. This, coupled with a soft, ergonomic headband cushion and high-comfort leatherette ear cushions, provides a headset that can be worn for extended periods without causing discomfort. In spite of its low weight, the Kave XTD 5.1 Digital is also remarkably robust and durable, meaning its battle-proof design is ideal for hardcore gamers.
Packaging & Accessories
Box Front
The packaging is adorned with the blue on black in the expected ROCCAT fashion and features a partial window to allow vision of the product. At the side there is another window showing the remote control box.
Reverse side of the packaging
At the back we find an image of the product pointing out various features of the product. The feature list can be found in various languages and the specifications can be found in the bottom right section.
Easy setup
Besides the driver disc and installation manual, accessories are tied together on one line. Unlike the original Kave headset, which uses a selection of analogue 3.5mm jacks, the Kave XTD has an advantage of using USB, making it easy to setup. The remote control box contains the audio processor for the headset and goes beyond being just a volume/mute device.
Not just a remote
The remote is fairly large and most certainly needs to be mounted on the desk. There is a movie button, speaker button, channel button, a large central dial, an answer call button and microphone mute button.
3.5mm jacks supports a 5.1 speaker configuration
ROCCAT have designed the control box to be used as an external sound card, this will prove fruitful for those seeking for an efficient way to improve their audio quality over an integrated solution they may be using.
Closer Look
profile view of the ROCCAT Kave XTD
The ROCCAT Kave XTD is mostly black with exception for a few blue logos. The large earcups dominate most of the visual space of this product and will please most avid gamers.
Headband padding
There is plenty of squishy padding to keep things comfortable on top.
Adjustable strap
There is a fair amount of extention given on the adjustable straps, ideal to help give the perfect fit.
The Kave XTD earcup
The inside of the earcup is literally like a cavern, a hole cut out of soft synthetic leather that not just surrounds your ears, but also guides them into an intentional position in relation to the drivers. Something to note, is that the opening is not that large comparatively.
The microphone boom is removable
The sides are fairly plain, coated in a rubberised finish with the ROCCAT Kave logo shown in a fairly understated manner. There is a blue LED circle that lights up when the microphone is attached.
The ROCCAT Kave XTD
At the bottom edge of each earcup there are 3 aggressive looking vents, likely to be acting as a bass port for the woofers.
The microphone boom
The microphone rotates 360 degrees and is flexible, but not strictly adjustable. It has a blue LED on the tip that comes on when muted to serve as a reminder.
Software
The software is stylish and easy to navigate, if you have experienced a ROCCAT product before the included software will not be all that alien. The main page gives access to the volume control of each individual speaker channel, which can also be adjusted via the remote, as well as options for stereo, 5.1 and stereo mix output modes. As the ROCCAT Kave XTD is a gaming headset, we are not too surprised to find that the sample rate is limited to 48 KHz. The advanced tab offers various effects including the ‘Brilliant Audio’ option, that adds a load of ‘hiss’ in the name of ‘improving’ low quality audio sources. The remaining tabs include an equaliser and update/support information.
Performance Testing
Setup, Design & Observations
Setup for this product was fairly simple, except, initially the microphone wouldn’t work, after moving around various USB ports, I realised I only have 2x USB 2.0 ports to which my mouse and keyboard were plugged into. To get it working correctly, it needs to be plugged into a USB 2.0 port and not a USB 3.0 port.
The overall impression of the Kave is fairly minimalistic, with some hints of aggressive gamer details which should appeal to many people. The ROCCAT Kave XTD is light and comfortable and has a reasonable clamping force but will certainly come off if you decide to head bang at your desk. The holes for your ears at 62mm x 45mm are on the smaller side, my ears seem to just fit so may cause an issue for people with larger ears. Overall the Kave XTD hits a good level of comfort over long periods of time and wearing glasses doesn’t cause any problems to that. The construction is mostly out of plastic, at this price many would hope to see some metal but it is flexible and robust so isn’t a huge concern.
The design is fairly clever having moved the audio processing off of the headset and into the remote, this is a fairly large factor for the weight loss, as the extra weight is still there just not directly on the headset. The remote is fairly solid and all the buttons, except for the dial, have a rubberised soft feel to them. To pair a mobile phone for smart link you simply hold the ‘answer call’ button for 5s and connect with your mobile, once done the Bluetooth indicator will stay on. This is a great idea for those who often receive calls while gaming as it allows you to take your call using the Kave XTD headset. Looking at other features on the remote, the mute microphone button causes a LED indicator to light up as a reminder that you have muted your microphone, which is helpful, while the channel button allows you to switch between each audio channel (front, centre, woofer, rear) to individually adjust the volume level. The speaker button allows you to switch between any attached speakers and back again to the Kave XTD headset. Finally, pressing the main dial down mutes all audio.
Multi-Media
The Kave XTD has a more gaming orientated audio with the bass and middle tones taking precedent though can be solved with a slight adjustment in the equaliser. Once equalised, the audio really shines with crisp tones throughout. If you are listening to music, either use stereo mode or enable the stereo mix to get the most out of the Kave XTD, this allows all the drivers to kick into action. The bass supplied is smooth and pleasant, when the vibration kicks in it can really take you off guard.
In Battlefield 4, the directional prowess of the Kave XTD is exceptional, you really get a sense of being in the game and goes beyond the spatial awareness you get from virtual solutions. The vibration from the woofers can be startling at times, in a good way, but some may take a while to get used to it. In DOTA 2, the directional audio isn’t a huge benefit over stereo solutions, but you do hear clear sounds throughout, allowing for a more pronounced experience.
Watching movies in 5.1 also serves a great experience, Star Trek: Into Darkness was a thrilling experience and a joy to watch. If you have a 5.1 speaker system that is incorrectly set up due to space constraints, and you aren’t getting the full surround experience, the ROCCAT Kave XTD 5.1 Digital can really take you to the next level of surround experience you are looking for.
Microphone
The microphone is removable and can rotate through a full 360 degrees, however, it isn’t adjustable in the sense that is does not bend to desired position without springing back to its original position. In voice conversations, it works well and was described as natural sounding in SKYPE, though can be a little sensitive when set to max sensitivity. It is best to increase the microphone sampling rate to 48 KHz because at 44.1 KHz, other members sometimes received squealing noises. Also when adjusting the microphone using the ROCCAT software, others also experienced clicking noises that also disturbed the conversation.
Conclusion
ROCCAT have done great with the Kave XTD, offering what could be one of the best surround headset solutions available, it is light, comfortable and easy to set up. The robust and stylish remote that supports the Kave XTD beyond a simple volume control is an impressive inclusion, it has built in Bluetooth for Smart Link with your phone and can be used as an external sound card with up to a 5.1 speaker system.
Looking at the product more constructively, there were many missed opportunities. It is not fully modular, meaning, you are tethered to a large, relatively heavy remote, like a ball and chain, to which if any component fails between each of the cables the product becomes nothing more than a glorified bolas. Considering the price, the Kave XTD could have been wireless and it seems like a shame that the Smart Link function doesn’t allow you to stream music from mobile devices that could have been played directly though the headset or any attached speakers too. Regardless, the Kave XTD is packed with fantastic unique features and anyone looking for an exceptional surround experience will not be let down. For those reasons listed, we happily present the ROCCAT Kave XTD 5.1 Digital our Silver and Creative awards.
The Kave XTD 5.1 Digital, supported by the genius remote-come external sound card, beams the ROCCAT culture into your ears to ensure gamers get that true surround experience they seek from their headset.
Pros.
+ Excellent ‘real’ 5.1 channel surround/ spatial awareness
+ Clear gaming orientated audio
+ Surprising vibrational power
+ Comfortable
+ Remote doubles as sound card
+ Smart link
Cons.
– Price
– Needs equalising to improve default sound
– Not fully modular
– Not Wireless
– Potential microphone issues
– Limited sample rates
+ Excellent ‘real’ 5.1 channel surround/ spatial awareness
+ Clear gaming orientated audio
+ Surprising vibrational power
+ Comfortable
+ Remote doubles as sound card
+ Smart link
Cons.
– Price
– Needs equalising to improve default sound
– Not fully modular
– Not Wireless
– Potential microphone issues
– Limited sample rates
Click here for an explanation of our awards at Vortez.net. Thanks to ROCCAT for providing today’s review sample.
