ROCCAT Kave XTD 5.1 Surround Sound Gaming Headphones Review

ROCCAT impressed us with its Isku FX gaming keyboard last year. This time around the company sent us its Kave XTD 5.1 Surround Sound gaming headset. With a “true” hardware-based surround sound design, as opposed to a software-emulated one, how good is the Kave XTD 5.1? Find out as we put it through its paces.

Almost a full year ago, I reviewed ROCCAT’s Isku FX gaming keyboard. While it didn’t quite earn Techgage’s Editor’s Choice award, it still impressed with its long list of gamer-friendly features. Today we have something new from the good folks at ROCCAT: The Kave XTD, a 5.1 surround sound gaming headset.

This is something of a cherry-breaker for me. You see, this is the very first time I’ve ever sampled a hardware-based surround sound solution. I did review a surround sound headset several months ago, but that was more of a software-emulated type of surround sound. After all, that headset had just one speaker driver per ear cup; the surround sound effects came from the in-line USB sound processor which worked in conjunction with a software package that had to be configured to get the best effect. If the user chose to not plug in the USB sound processor, that headset functions fine as a stereo set.

In contrast, ROCCAT’s Kave XTD 5.1 features three drivers in each ear cup. Just by knowing this fact alone, you’ll know that this is a hardware surround sound solution.

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