Introduction

ROCCAT known for their gaming products have finally launched a 5.1 surround headset. As other 5.1 headsets the Kave features a USB powered amplifier and control box that adds essential gaming features. The Kave headset has true 5.1 surround sound through eight separate drivers. Cramming four dynamic drivers into each ear cup puts severe limitations on driver size and positioning. ROCCAT have managed to get this right in a reasonably sized headset which is neat.

The Kave headset features a lot of well designed pads so the headset should remain comfortable even for extended periods of use.

The Package & Closer Examination

In the usual ROCCAT fashion the Kave arrived in a colorful box that highlights all of the features that the Kave headset brings to the table.


The bundle is dismal, but that has much to do with all the features being incorporated into the control box.


ROCCAT have clearly spent some time designing the mini-jacks and USB plug with regards to improving the durability.

Closer Examination

Soft-touch surfaces are all the rage at the moment it seems. Pretty much all ROCCAT products feature this finish in some form or another. For the Kave headset it is mostly an aesthetic feature, whereas on mice it has some bearing on the long term comfort. Overall the headset looks good, not too many funky features or odd design choices. The Kave has a solid headband with an interesting pad layout that should work good independently of head size, the pressure is albeit higher per pad.


Price considered, the build quality is top-notch. Everything is well put together and the mechanical design leaves very little to be desired.


The ROCCAT Kave headset comes complete with a dedicated headphone amplifier and control box. Besides allowing for an external equalizing unit there is also a volume control and a microphone mute button. The Kave headset has two different modes of operation, gaming and movies. The differences between the two settings is minimal which will be discussed in the performance part of this review.


The insides of the ear cups is pretty normal for a set of surround sound headphones. The drivers all feature an offset angle which gives the directional effects. This also highlights the core issue with 5.1 headset, namely interference and unwanted reverberations.


The microphone and attachment mechanism is well implemented and seems to withstand a good amount of abuse. The microphone has an LED attached to the tip of the it which indicates whether the microphone is muted.


Padding wise the Kave headset is alright. The ear pads are quite comfortable despite their somewhat small opening. The headband pads are nothing special and remind me of the annoying bulges on the AKG K701s headband. Due to the small surface area you get the feeling that there are six distinct pressure points. This is not super comfortable for longer gaming sessions or movie watching for that matter. The low weight of the headset saves this from being a big issue.


The size adjusters are well engineered and are easy to adjust.


The Kave design is apparently a quasi-openback design with several vents along the outer rim of the ear cups.