Thermaltake has churned out a long list of products under their Tt eSPORTS branding this past year and with each offering have displayed unique designs and portability minded function. Earlier we reviewed the MEKA G-Unit Illuminated keyboard and today we are back with a headset. The Cronos is a mid-range offering looking to deliver on the brands staples while also offering clear audio and voice communication all gamers crave. Join me as I put the Cronos through its paces and see if it is indeed worthy of the Tt eSPORTS name.
Product Name: Tt eSPORTS Cronos Gaming Headset
Review Sample provided by: Thermaltake
Review by: Debo
Pictures by: Debo
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Specifications |
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Brand & Model |
Tt eSPORTS Cronos |
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Model Numbers |
HT-CRO008ECBL (Black) HT-CRO008ECWH (White) |
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Headphone Style |
Over-ear Headband |
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Headphone Type |
Stereo |
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Cord Length |
2m Inline & Standard |
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Frequency Response |
20Hz~20 KHz |
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Impendance |
32 ohm |
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Sensitivity |
114+/-3dB |
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Driver Unit Size |
40mm |
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Microphone |
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Type |
Bidirectional with noise cancellation |
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Impedance |
2.2 k ohm |
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Frequency |
100~10KHz |
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Sensitivity |
-45dB+/-3dB |
Packaging
At first glance the Cronos’ box tells you everything you’d want to know about the product. We are given a view of the headset, itself, in what has become the traditional Thermaltake gloss as well as a few specific highlights of features. A few things to note here are the fact that the Cronos comes ready for PC or mobile device use and all cabling to it is removable and interchangeable.
Flipping the box over, there is a bunch of detailed information here for a consumer’s perusal. A full layout of the headset and all its cabling are the first things that catch the eye seeing as how it is all labeled and references all the features. The full specs come after that and finally a closer inspection section is available to give you a first look at the features about the Cronos that really matter. This form of loading the packaging with so much information before we even get hands-on with the product is something I like and something I’ve noticed a lot with Tt eSPORTS branded gear.
Lauding over the box will only get you so many points and when we finally open it what’s inside? First off we find the one year warranty information as well as a large felt bag with a drawstring meant to serve as the Cronos’ carrying case. These cases are included with all Tt eSPORTS products and enforce the portability aspect of the brand.
The next things we pull out are the connector cables. As these are detachable you actually have a choice about which one you use depending on what platform you may want to use the headset with. Included is an inline cable meant for mobile devices such as tablets or ever a cellphone as well as the traditional PC cable we know and love. The PC cable includes the microphone and volume control box we all are used to and a USB connection to run the glowing LEDs present in the ear cuffs.
Finally we can get to what we came here for, the Cronos. The headset is folded away and sealed in plastic when we are greeted to it for the first time and in this configuration you can see why, at first glance, the packaging felt a little thin. The ear pieces actually rotate perpendicular to the headband letting the whole unit fold into a very low profile package for storage and transport.
Audio Quality and Comfort
There is a lot at play when it comes to the comfort of the Cronos. The point of a gaming headset is to find a balance between a firm fit and comfort over a long duration. To do this Tt eSPORTS has chosen to make the headband padding out of a trio of Lycra pads. That’s right, spandex on your head. The same weaved material is also present in the ear cuffs as well in contrast to the normal faux leather padding found in a lot of headsets. This use of a more durable fabric is a nice thing to see. The whole headband is also adjustable along a sturdy metal slider making sure you’ll be afforded that perfect fit.
The overall feel is one to get accustomed to at first like anything you are meant to wear. The Lycra headband pads sure do offer reduced pressure overall, instead distributing what would be all the weight to the top of your head to three points around it. The different fabric on the ear cuffs also feels a bit different at first but doesn’t chafe as one might expect. The feel is light and doesn’t cause a problem with extended use. Still, I feel the ear cuffs are a bit smaller then I like to see in gaming headset. Overall the Cronos is a very light headset and doesn’t leave you with that weighted down feeling.
Bone Thugs ‘N Harmony – The Crossroads: With underlying elements and a strong bass track, this song actually proves to be a pretty decent track for testing the functionality of a gaming headset. The bass is not powerful but manages to convey that feeling when it is present. What the Cronos excels at is picking up the subtler elements of the song.
Nat King Cole – Unforgettable: A mellow piano track is certainly not something this headphone was made to deliver on but the Cronos does its job admirably, picking up on almost everything in the low to mid-range.
Eric Clapton – Tears in Heaven: A mellow rock track with a lot of individual instruments. Again the Cronos proves it can handle things it wasn’t meant to and means that if you’d like to listen to a little music on the side when you aren’t gaming it will be more than adequate.
Ludwig van Beethoven – Fur Elise: A classical masterpiece notoriously known for its low to high transitions and subtlety, the Cronos handles Beethoven like it would any game and conveys a sense of clarity you’d want.
Game – Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn: I chose to forego the usual TV/Movie test and instead review a pair of games since that is the Cronos’ primary intention. My first choice was a game that while sound may not be important, without it the whole experience is remarkably less (and to provide reason that I maybe have been playing it a bit too much lately.) The ambient noise comes across perfectly in tandem with Masayoshi Soken's perfectly adapted score bring the game to life.
Game – CS:GO: If you are like me, you play Counterstirke more with your ears then you do with your eyes. Subtle things like the volume of footsteps and the sound of bullets are more important that the radar could ever be. The Cronos do not disappoint. Keying on many things I sensed during the music testing, the headset is true the “premium sound for increased gaming awareness” tag line on the box. The Cronos is great at differentiating more subtle noises while still providing enjoyable sound quality.
Overall and Final Verdict
My first impression upon handling the Cronos for the first time was that the headset felt light and, to a point, the connections at the swivel points feel thin especially for a key stress point. Also a few places on the headband and the microphone Thermaltake has chosen to use stickers instead of silk-screening which they had used in other places on the headset. While these stickers might have been an attempt at providing some glossy accents to the overall product it does leave the feeling of being just a tad cheap.
Outer design gripes aside, the Cronos does perform exactly how you would want a gaming headset to perform by picking up on some of the more subtle details and enhancing your overall gaming experience. The omnidirectional microphone is clear over both Skype and various voice chat programs and is adjustable enough to fit a range of heads and faces. The LEDs are a nice touch, I just wish it didn’t have to take up a USB port to use them but that is just one less set of batteries you have to worry about going out.
If you are in the market for a headset but don’t have a ton of money to spare it is certainly worth the look and if you find yourself switching from mobile to PC gaming a lot the cord options are certainly a plus. The connection issues with the detachable cords are non-existent in the Cronos. On the whole the Cronos is a solid mid-range design that is true to the Tt eSPORTS brand.
