Roccat Kave Pro Reviews

After being impressed by another of ROCCAT's products, the Kone gaming mouse, we were excited to see what sort of gamer-focused experience ROCCAT would produce with its Kave 5.1 gaming headset. After using this headset for many hours, it is clear to us that ROCCAT designed this headset with 5.1 channel gaming in mind, and they successfully did so. At first we were a bit disappointed by the performance of this headset because we tested first in stereo mode. Unfortunately, the stereo performance of this headset was unremarkable. The highs were adequate, with things like vocals during music, higher pitched instruments, and higher frequency sound effects during games coming through crisp and clear. We particularly enjoyed playing Alan Wake in stereo mode, where the atmosphere of the game surrounded us. However, the bass in stereo mode was a bit mediocre, and both music and games lacked a certain punch that would have made the experience more enjoyable. Its most unfortunate setback, however, was the midrange performance. Particularly during music playback, we found the midrange reproduction to sound a bit off color.

The best features of the Kave are its portability, having a good surround performance while gaming, and its microphone. The use of the illuminated tip to indicate whether the microphone is on mute is great. Because of the small rectangular opening on the ear cups, no sound bleeds to the microphone. On the other hand, that shape is somewhat uncomfortable and can be tiring on the ear. The separate unit allows on-the-fly independent volume control.

The Roccat Kave 5.1 Surround Sound Gaming Headset is exactly what you need when using the product as directed. For gaming online, integrating voice chat and getting a clear sound from the game, it’s a pretty ideal headset. Being able to tweak levels of each speaker to suit your tastes is a huge added bonus. The switcher that lets the sound change from game to movie though is a bit misleading, as while the sound quality I got using this headset for other types of entertainment was fine enough, but not really anything spectacular to blow away a mid-level sound system for music or movies. Comfortable, durable, and powerful, the Roccat Kave should be on the radar of any gamers you know looking for a superior headset.

ROCCAT's Kave is a good 5.1 headset but it does not manage to steer clear of the known pitfalls commonly associated with these types of headsets. Compared to other similarly priced 5.1 headsets it has just as good performance, but it is not a headset that truly excels at anything.