In another doze of Tt eSports, we take a look at the Bass Boosted edition of the Cronos gaming headset which promises to deliver intense gaming audio.
Product on Review: Tt eSports Cronos (Bass Boosted)
Manufacturer: Tt eSports
Price: UK: £39.99 US: $49.99
Rather than actually being a replacement or refresh of the original Cronos, the Bass Boosted edition seems offer better value with its lower price tag than its predecessor. In our earlier review, we found that the Cronos was a fairly well balanced headset. So here we will judge how different the Bass Boosted edition is and whether its worth your hard earned cash.
Fitted with 40mm drivers, soft Lycra fabric on the headband and ear pads and a large microphone boom, the easy conclusion to make is that the specification and design is practically identical, the primary difference being that the cable is hard-lined, not removable, and there is no carry bag included. Will our testing prove different?
Overview by Tt eSports
CRONOS (Boosted Bass Edition) – Gaming Headset – Highly functional stereo headset optimized to deliver awesome pleasure and excitement, and provide you the full experience for your games satisfaction! Control the game by adjusting the volume and mute the microphone as you like via the in-line control box. Whether you’re in an intense game, you can easily control the audio without hesitation!
Technical Specifications
Color: BLACK
Cable Length: 1.8 METERS
Connector: 3.5MM PLUG&USB
Platform: PC/MOBILE
Driver Unit (mm): 40MM NEODYMIUM MAGNET
DTS Certified: NO
Channel: STEREO
Frequency Response: 20HZ ~ 20 KHZ
USB Connector: YES
3.5 mm Gold Plug: YES
Plug&Play Microphone: YES
External In-Line Controller: YES
Mic Directivity: OMNI -DIRECTIONAL
Mic Noise Cancelling: NO
Mic Sensitivity: -54 ± 3DB
Mic Frequency: 100HZ ~ 10 KHZ
Mic Impedance: 2.2K OHM
Cable Length: 1.8 METERS
Connector: 3.5MM PLUG&USB
Platform: PC/MOBILE
Driver Unit (mm): 40MM NEODYMIUM MAGNET
DTS Certified: NO
Channel: STEREO
Frequency Response: 20HZ ~ 20 KHZ
USB Connector: YES
3.5 mm Gold Plug: YES
Plug&Play Microphone: YES
External In-Line Controller: YES
Mic Directivity: OMNI -DIRECTIONAL
Mic Noise Cancelling: NO
Mic Sensitivity: -54 ± 3DB
Mic Frequency: 100HZ ~ 10 KHZ
Mic Impedance: 2.2K OHM
Packaging & First Look
The packaging had a large see through window to allow the product to be displayed with some features listed at the side. Otherwise most of the information is all branding.
At the back there is a diagram listing the various features included with this product, with the detailed specification listed on the side.
The inline remote is small but functional, featuring a volume dial and microphone mute switch.
This headset is connected via 2x 3.5mm jacks, one for stereo audio the other for microphone; the USB is just to power the lighting.
The Cronos headset.
Closer Look
There are three cushions for the headband which are covered by soft Lycra.
The earcups are quite large, with soft padding again covered with Lycra fabric, which will help keep the headset comfortable.
Though there is no carry bag, the Cronos can still fold flat.
The large microphone boom is flexible, but doesn’t really retain shape very well, but is long enough to reach near your mouth anyway.
The lighting on the earcup and microphone.
Performance Testing
Setup, Design & Observations
Running straight from your audio source, there is no need for any extra driver installation, though some may find the additional need for a USB port annoying especially as it serves no major purpose other than for the lighting. Upon wearing the Cronos, the Lycra on the earpads and headband feel very soft and pleasing, providing a breathable experience. The headset itself doesn’t seem to ‘stretch open’ though, the generous size makes for a relatively light clamp strength.
The microphone boom is reasonable and does have some flex to it, though it doesn’t tend to hold its position too well, though this isn’t a huge problem considering it reaches close to the mouth perfectly fine. It is a shame that Tt eSports haven’t refreshed the design of the Cronos as making the microphone and cable modular would have been a nice touch. The folding design is a carry over from the original Cronos design, and while it does allow for flexibility in the earcups, being able to fold seems to be a relatively pointless feature without the carry bag being included. The braided cable is attractive red and black, and is supple enough to go where you want it to, though some may find it to be a little short if they prefer to plug their headset into the back of their PC. The build quality of the in-line remote is fine, placed at a reasonable distance down the cable and because it is light and unimposing, it doesn’t cause any distraction or yanks or cause any noticeable extra weight hanging off your head.
Multimedia
Listening through a music playlist of familiar tracks, the Cronos seemed balanced capable of providing detailed audio, yet quite flat and lifeless, in a non-existant sound stage kind of way. This made for good general listening but lacked any wow factor. Though the ‘Bass Boosted’ tag is more of a way to differentiate editions, it does seem fairly misleading as I didn’t experience any real powerful bass, though that being said, the bass was present and clear, though not quite in a way the term ‘Bass Boosted’ might lead you to believe.
In games, the audio was certainly enjoyable, with its clarity lending itself well for identifying footsteps in CS:GO with enough character to make explosions lively, but some may prefer more of a deep bass kick to drag you into the action.
Microphone
The microphone by default was rather quiet, but once in position, it sounded good and didn’t pick up a huge amount of background noise though without any noise reduction software , you will have to find the best balance as upping any bass boost may introduce a large amount of static.
Conclusion
Tt eSports Cronos (Bass Boosted) seems like an adjusted version of the original Cronos rather than a refresh and seems to have taken some steps backwards. Though it has retained some of its good points too, hitting the main pillars of what a gaming headset should be; comfortable for long sessions (the breathable Lycra feels great), have reasonable audio quality and have a reasonable microphone. The downside is, it remains in a realm where an audio enthusiast wouldn’t look twice.
At Vortez we like to be fair and objective in our presentation of products to allow our readers to get a good understanding of the item we are looking at so they can make their own conclusion too. This is mentioned because its difficult to understand what role the Cronos is trying to adopt in its approach to the gaming headset market. As a ‘gaming headset’ it is ‘reasonable’, but hasn’t taken any major steps to receive the praise some competing products have. For example: Modular cables/microphone, 16.8M RGB lighting, a wider soundstage with virtual 7.1 surround out the box and simply ‘better audio quality’. Because of this, the Cronos (Bass Boosted) becomes comparable to many generic Chinese OEM mass produced headsets lacking innovation and originality, yet is capable of delivering on the basic promise of a gaming headset. However, the Tt eSports branding with the Cronos serves little more than an excuse to mark the price up a little, making it intrude into a range where some notable headsets are dwelling.
These considerations echo our previous experience with the Cronos, highlighting that it is an enjoyable headset and if you like the style, will serve your gaming purposes very well. However, it is stuck in a price range where there is a lot of strong competition. Certainly one to put on the list, but may not make it to the top.
The Tt eSports Cronos (Bass Boosted Edition) gives gamers a comfortable and satisfying experience, plus it has dragons!!
Pros.
+ Comfortable
+ Attractive lighting and aesthetic (Dragons!!)
+ Reasonable all round performance
Cons.
– Price
– Tough competition
+ Comfortable
+ Attractive lighting and aesthetic (Dragons!!)
+ Reasonable all round performance
Cons.
– Price
– Tough competition
Click here for an explanation of our awards at Vortez.net.
