In Use:

The first thing I noticed is that the headset light on the control pod didn't light up. I pressed it, thinking maybe it lights up when muted... nope. It seems that this is an issue with the pre-release sample that was received. If it is supposed to light up, I would expect Cooler Master will have this working when it is released.

The Sirus headset is very comfortable, so wearing them for extended periods of time isn’t a very big deal. They are somewhat heavy, so after a few hours you can feel the weight of them when you take them off. Their weight, and how tight they fit greatly reduce background noise. In fact, there were several times that I could not hear somebody talking when they were standing right next to me.

The cord from the headset to the control pod is four feet long; this is not nearly long enough in my opinion. If I were to turn around in my chair, the control pod would be pulled off the desk. Likewise, if I dropped something and went to pick it up, the control pod would again be pulled off the desk.



The microphone automatically turns on when it is put into place. Likewise, if it is raised, it mutes itself. Another way to mute the microphone is by pressing a button on the control pod. Keep in mind that if you use the microphone mute button on the control pod, and then raise the microphone boom, when the boom is lowered, it will still be muted. On the end of the microphone boom is a red LED that shows it is active. On the sample provided, the red LED was very dim, at first it was assumed the microphone wasn't turned on. In my opinion it should be as bright as the CM Storm logo on the ear cups.

According to Cooler Master, they are working on an add-on piece of hardware for the Sirus; a Decoder box. This box would allow the Sirus headset to be connected to various consoles. No word on availability for this add-on, however I will keep an eye out for additional information.

Sound Quality:

Testing out the headset involved playing F.E.A.R. 3 and Call of Duty: Black Ops for several hours, as well as watching movies and listening to various types of music. During each of these, the volume level would be adjusted several times by the control pod to see how each channel sounded.

Gamers are a key audience for this headset; having 5.1 channel surround sound stereo can mean the difference between defeat and victory. Hearing the location of the enemy is a great advantage. If the sound levels are adjusted correctly, it is possible to tell whether the sound is coming from the front or rear speakers. This took some getting used to, as each speaker is fairly close together in the headset so that it sounds like it's from the same location. Adjusting the sound level of the front and center channel helped resolve this, and then the rear channel stands out.

Music and movies are also going to benefit from the CM Sirus headset. The sound is really different than that from stereo speakers. It is quite a bit fuller and the sound comes from all around you. Watching various action movies, it's incredible to hear something come from behind around to the front channel. While it can't fully replicate a 5.1 speaker system, it still does a great job and is much better than a stereo headset.

The microphone is sensitive enough to pick up a normal "talking" voice while gaming or using Skype. Users on the receiving end stated that the sound was clear, and that there was very little background noise. Comparing the voice quality between the Cooler Master Sirus and a Plantronics headset, the CM Sirus was much better sounding.