These days all companies are riding the RGB hype-train and would just do anything to put RGB in any of their products – even at the expense of performance.
But today, We’ve acquired this piece of RGB goodness from good ol’ Thermaltake with a price that isn’t heavy for most enthusiasts and casual gamers alike.
Behold another bringer of light – Thermaltake Cronos Riing RGB 7.1
- Platform: Anything that has a USB port (PC, Mac, PS4, XBOX)
- Driver: 50mm Dynamic, Neodymium
- Type: Closed Back
- Impedance: 32 Ohm
- Frequency: 20Hz-20KHz
- Sensitivity: 99 ±3 dB
- Microphone: Omni-directional, 10Hz-10KHz, -42dB ± 3DB
- Cable: Non Braided, 2 meters
- RGB: Yes, 16.8 Mil
The Package
The packaging for me is on the cheap side but not too cheap – lets put it on the lower average side. encasing the headphones is a cardboard box with a portion revealing a part of the headphones through plastic. The headphones look properly packaged and fitted inside and would withstand the same amount of force as headphones packaged in full cardboard boxes due to the plastic shell it is cradled on.
At the left side of the box displays all the major features of the headphones and the back includes all the technical details, the picture of the headphones, the parts of the inline controls, and the different major colors of the RGB feature.
Box contents include the headphones with the non braided cable and inline controls. due to this piece being acquired through special means it does not include the warranty leaflet and quick installation guide that would normally be included in the package
Build
The headphones itself has a matte black finish and a highly noticeable plastic construction – It’s headband design is similar to that of the Cloud Revolvers which automatically adjusts to the size of your head. The ear pieces rotate 90 degrees enough to place it flat down on any surface and for transport use. Overall, the feel of the build looks cheap but is sturdy enough to not bend in any weird position when tested – it’s so sturdy that it’s stiff, too stiff on the headband and the ear pieces.
Comfort
The Cronos features a super convenient easy to remove mesh ear cups – this may look different from the usual leather accent that most are used to but this comes with its own perks such as the absence of shedding and the need of heavy maintenance of leather in the long run. I’ll put the comfort of the Cronos at average, to be honest the only thing that ruined the experience was the stiffness of the build that contributed to some moments that made me uncomfortable with the headphones on. Why you may ask? The ear cups are 25mm in depth and an internal diameter of 50mm – that means that some people might have to cram their ears a little to avoid getting pinned down in long periods of usage.
Hardware and Performance
First, let’s clear the RGB – yes it is the true 16.8 million type RGB, how? it does this by having a badass software. The transition between colors are smooth and the execution and intervals of speed are properly implemented.
Second, The mic – average, mediocre if not average, the omni directional mic does do a great job in isolating sound even without a pop filter or mic foam. its good but at some point it did pickup some noises during usage in my gaming sessions. You can judge for yourself the quality of the mic below
Lastly, lets go over the performance of the sound overall. through tests on the mediums stated below.
Songs
– Barracuda by Heart (Great Highs)
– Slow Ride by Foghat (Great Lows and Mid Lows)
– Too Much Time Together by Cisco (Great Highs and Mid Highs, Average Mids)
– Soul of the Night by The Dig (Great Highs and Mid Highs, Average Mids) (Good Space)
Games
– Rainbow Six: Siege (Caveira Silent Step Test) (PS4 – Barely Passed, PC – Fully Passed)
– PUBG (Multi Floor test – Passed, Footsteps test – Passed, and Waves test – Passed but missing depth without 7.1 surround sound)
Tests we’re made without any added effects from the software to see the base performance of the headphones. Music wise the Cronos shines with its bass on the Lows and Mid lows, coming second are the excellent Highs and Mid highs, the Mids are somewhat average and sounds what they should but nothing too extraordinary about it. Testing on games, I have noted of using this in PS4 and PC due to the USB connector but compatibility will be discussed later. The Cronos passed the Caveira Silent Step test barely on console and with flying colors in PC – for those not familiar, Caveira is a character in the game Rainbow Six: Siege that has an ability to have near inaudible sound when moving, since her release I have been using her ability to test headphones in trying to pickup the little to non existent traces of sound she makes in moving. Moving on our tests in PUBG, PUBG is a great game in testing many elements of games in a single go. The Cronos paired with its 7.1 surround sound was very responsive in the Multi-Floor test by testing in a School drop. The 7.1 surround sound sounds legitimate and this is proven through the PUBG footsteps test by having a distinct sound change of footsteps in different surfaces and doesn’t lose distinct traces of sound per surface – concrete sounds concrete, grass sounds grass, vinyl flooring sounds like vinyl flooring, and metal sheet sounds metal sheet. The last test in PUBG, is the waves test – from the name, go to any place near water in PUBG; now listen for every element of sound present on the waves. The Cronos picks up the sound of the waves perfectly without and negative discrepancies but do note that the sound only feels complete with the 7.1 surround sound turned on.
Compatibility
Theoretically, you can use these headphones in PC and Consoles – provided you can connect this to a USB port.
Short and Sweet – Use this on the PC and not in a console. The Cronos shine with the drivers it has that incorporates the resources of a PC – This isn’t present when you use it on a console like a PS4, the inline controls aren’t even usable when I tried it on my PS4; I did however manage to use the mute button. Do yourself a favor and only use this in the PC – where you can fully utilize all the features. Besides, that’s the reason why you bought the Cronos – for the features.
Software
The Cronos comes bundled with software support from the site itself. It covers the basics with some more advanced features when you double click the respective categories.
Speakers
The speakers menu offers a wide range of features to boost or alter your experience. The equalizer is also available here and other more useful tools that can’t be accessed through the inline controls such as Audio Brilliant, Dynamic Bass, Smart Volume, Voice Clarity, and Surround Max.
Mic
The mic offers some features for the mic such as volume control and even a sample volume so you can hear yourself when recording. sample rate and Magic voice is also available in this menu.
Lighting Effects
Lastly, the lightning effects for the RGB lighting present on the inline controls logo and the earpieces. you can also see that the RGB isn’t some cheap RGB lighting that missed some LEDs or did something funky with the software. The intervals and speed seem proper and even the different spectrum seen per change during the spectrum running looks smooth and clean.
Conclusion
Man, Why didn’t I acquire these headphones earlier? On its price range, it delivers more for what you’re paying for. If you’re looking for a general purpose headphone for your PC – This will satisfy your needs and offer more features that you can explore while you’re figuring out what color to rock it on each day of the week. It can serve as a quick replacement headphone for consoles but not as a long term fix. The RGB lighting on this beast will not only match your RGB system but will also look high quality and sleek doing it.
Pros
– High price to performance ratio (90$ or when I saw these at ESGS 2017 at 3500 pesos-ish)
– Quality 7.1 surround sound
– Great highs, mid highs, lows, and mid lows
– Good software and features support
– 16.8 mil color RGB
– Inline controls feature all the major attributes that need to be tweaked most of the time
– Great for traveling due to the angles you can put the headphones on
Cons
– Packaging looks a bit cheap
– Average Mids
– Can fully be utilized in PC but falls short for console use
– Non braided cable
– RGB doesn’t include the letters in the inline controls making it hard to see because of the glare from the RGB lighting in the logo at the controls
– Plastic construction
– Not sure of any shops in the PH that carries these babies
