Recently ROCCAT launched a new gaming headset. We take a look at ROCCAT Kulo – a lightweight audio solution for the casual gamer.
Product on Review: ROCCAT Kulo Stereo Headset
Manufacturer & Sponsor: ROCCAT / Meroncourt
Street Price: Around 50 GBP inc. VAT
ROCCAT have built up a strong reputation within the gaming community as being a quality esports product manufacturer. We have been joining ROCCAT on their journey over the last 18 months and have been impressed by the innovative products they have brought to the table.
It is today that we look in anticipation to a product that we first cast our eyes on at CeBIT some weeks ago now. ROCCAT Kulo is an extremely lightweight gaming headset designed for those on the move, with their compact design they are sure to feature at the yearly LAN party. ROCCAT claim that this headset will offer great audio performance and has a robust construction thus allowing it to withstand the knocks and bashes, twists and pulls that some peripherals have to endure whilst in transit.
I’ve been waiting to review this headset for some time now, so lets begin!
Technical Specifications
HEADSET
Frequency range: 20~20.000 Hz
Impedance: 50 Ω ± 15 %
Sensitivity at 1kHz: 102 dB ± 3 dB
Max. output: 80mW
Driver diameter: 40mm
Driver magnets: Neodymium
Driver membrane: Mylar®
MICROPHONE
Frequency range: 70~20,000Hz
Sensitivity: -47 dB ± 3 dB
Signal-to-noise ratio: 50dB
Impedance: 2,2 KΩ
Directivity: Bi-directional
Type: Noise filtering
GENERAL
Weight: 178g (excl. cable)
Connection: 2 x 3.5mm
Cable length: 2.5m
Packaging & Bundle
The ROCCAT Kulo is presented in identical packaging to that of previous ROCCAT products. I’ve always found their packaging and approach to it very engaging, the colours, typography are all very attractive and combine well.
Information is printed on the sides and back, revealing finer technicalities. The window on the front of the box allows us to have a sneak preview of what’s inside, albeit very limited. So lets get inside and take a look.
ROCCAT Kulo packaging is presented in a very attractive box
Inside, the bundle is fairly scarce of any additional items apart from a quick install guide and membership ID card for use on ROCCAT’s website.
The ROCCAT Kulo bundle – quick start guide, membership ID and headset
Closer Look
With the headset out of the packaging, lets take a closer look. You will notice first of all the design of Kulo is almost a trimmed down version of ROCCAT Kave. The ear cups are small and will just about fit on the ear but they are not closed. The outer shell on the right ear cup has the ROCCAT Kulo branding printed on it. Each ear cup incidentally, can rotate slightly – in all directions. This is to allow accurate fitting to the ear.
The right ear cup with ROCCAT Kulo branding
Inside the ear cups is imitation leather. This material is plastic and features an odd shaped cut-out to enable the speakers to reach the ear. Disappointingly the materials here are not breathable and so its expectant that the ear will get moist during usage, especially as the Kulo uses an on-ear design. Underneath we have the 40mm neodymium magnet driver.
Unclosed design for ear cups – no breathability
One of the great features about Kulo is its microphone. This microphone will automatically mute when it is rotated beyond a certain point. So, when the mic is moved upwards, away from your mouth – you can be certain it is disabled. ROCCAT went with this design concept due to the absence of power because this headset doesn’t incorporated USB power – so they were fairly limited by their options. As it is though, I think this works great and will be very useful. The mic can even be manipulated in order to keep it fixed in a certain direction – so it is firm but pliable too.
The automatic mic-mute – simply move the mic award from your mouth in an upwards fashion
The headband is another strong selling point of Kulo. ROCCAT have used reinforced metal so that no matter how much you twist the headset it will not break. We even had a demo of how robust this is at CeBIT 2011 some weeks back now. Ideal for those who are on the move, taking the headset to LAN parties – were perhaps the headset will take a few knocks! On the alternate side we again have imitation leather. Although the material is very soft, it feels as though there is just air trapped inside.
Reinforced-metal integrated within the headband for a robustness
A soft cushion on the inside for added comfort
Sound Performance & Comfort
With the ROCCAT Kulo 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. Therefore, it is useful to those reading this article that I report the Kulo’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 Kulo 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, so with this in mind the following games were loaded up for some hardcore FPS gaming sessions.
Call of Duty Black Ops
Battlefield Bad Company 2
Both of the above are extremely popular gaming titles and feature not only intense visual action but also strong, pulsating audio tones from explosions, gunfire and other audio effects.
Overall sound quality in-game was good. Kulo offers good balance across both titles, sound is accurate and precise, there was a distinct lack of bass with gunfire and explosions though. Compared to the other headsets we have used and tested at Vortez, Kulo falls behind slightly.
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 Kulo. Music was fairly average compared to other headsets such as the SteelSeries 7H and Siberia. The action scene that was played on our movie featured some dramatic background music and sword action with plenty of well planned choreography . The audio delivered via the Kulo was good but still I felt underwhelmed by their ability to immerse me within the action. The bass lacked real punch, the drivers used appear to be quite budget orientated as certain aspects of music and movie were good but others lacking.
Comfort
Being lightweight, Kulo presents no weight problems whilst being used but I found the ear cup design uncomfortable and even irritating. Remember, there is no breathable material around the ears and the ear cups are being pressed directly onto the ear with only a few cm of cushion. After just 30 minutes of using the Kulo I was ready to take them off.
Personally I prefer a closed headset, this hybrid design of on-the-ear design isn’t great. It makes the ears moist and uncomfortable for even short durations.
Conclusion
Ever since setting eyes on Kulo at CeBIT I was eager to get this headset in for review and take a look at it in greater detail. ROCCAT have impressed us here at Vortez, their mice, pads, keyboards and headsets have always favoured well.
Kulo is a lightweight, compact headset that brings some interesting features to the table. It has a reinforced metal headband to guarantee it endures the ‘rough n tumble’ at LAN parties and has a well thought out microphone that automatically mutes when it is moved past a certain position. It also has a very handy inline volume control switch that allows you to change volume settings on the fly. This control isn’t bulky or obstructive but it lines up with the cable for slim, discreet styling.
In our audio tests the Kulo made a satisfactory performance but was let down by being inconsistent on varying platforms. The chosen drivers are certainly associated with budget type audio solutions and I felt that especially the bass tones coming from them reflected this. The one aspect that concerned me though was the comfort of the Kulo headset. Sure enough they are lightweight, but even after short sessions they begin to ache the ears due to the on-ear pressure, furthermore, with a lack of breathable material on the inside of the ear cup ears are moist as a result of the imitation leather fabric ROCCAT have chosen to use. Comfort is an important element with headsets and the Kulo headset falls short here.
Priced at around £50 inc. VAT the Kulo’s are in direct competition with SteelSeries Siberia V2 and Corsair’s HS1. Both are well known and respected, personally I would opt for the Siberia V2’s at this price point.
I really did expect more from ROCCAT in terms of audio performance and comfort with Kulo. It does deliver some noteworthy features that in retrospect are very useful but the lacklustre performance and comfort brings the scale down. Comfort, for me is the key ingredient with any gaming headset. It should be the primary concern!
+ Very robust
+ Noise-cancellation and automatic mute mic
+ Lightweight
+ Handy inline volume control
Cons
– Inconsistent sound reproduction
– Uncomfortable
