In a world of his own, Mr. Fereday
has been checking out a new headset
The Sound Blaster Tactic 3D Rage is a
gaming headset. Unlike most other gaming peripherals, this headset is an
untethered device and makes use of wireless technology as it operates in the
uncompressed 2.4GHz bandwidth to reduce any latency issues. While predominately
aimed at the gaming community, this headset is capable of fulfilling other
types of audio needs.
The
Sound Blaster Tactic 3D Rage is a gaming headset
The headset is constructed around a
SpringSteel steel core headband encased with a compressed plastic covering. A
leather-padded cushion provides comfort for the head while the rotatable
ear-pads have their own leather padded sponge coverings. Each ear-pad is
decorated with SB Prism RGB LED illuminated ear-caps on the outside. These
ear-caps initially pulse red, but this can be changed to other colors if you
wish. The left ear-pad features connections for inserting the supplied noise
cancelling boom mike and a micro USB slot for use with the supplied cord-style
USB lead for charging the headset to give up to 16 hours of playing time.
While the headset and accompanying USB
receiver stick are meant to arrive ready paired, this was not the case with my
review sample. Fortunately manual pairing is a simple operation. You just need
to hold down a button on both the headset and receiver until pairing lights
hold steady.
Often there can be a compromise between
style and comfort with headsets, but this Creative model has managed to avoid
falling into this trap. The combination of black, glossy red and pulsating
ear-caps works well and I found this headset to be one of the most comfortable
units that I have come across. With regards to performance, the 50mm FullSpectrum
drivers deliver high quality audio whether playing games or listening to music.
The only restriction being that you need to keep the signal source within a
radius of 10 metres, or the signal can break up quite quickly.
A
well designed, stylish wireless headset for gamers – and others
For general audio input, the boom mike is
fine. While not of the same high standard as the audio output, the quality was
more than adequate for tasks such as working with voice recognition software or
communicating with others. Correctly inserting the boom mike can, initially, be
a little fiddly but it does become easier.
Creative has developed software tools to
work with this headset. However these are not included in the box. You will
need to download them from the appropriate web site. Instructions for the
download are included in the Quick Start Guide, but I found these did not
always relate to what was shown on screen and so some searching was required
before I could track down the necessary file.
Sound
Blaster Tactic 3D Rage
The main element of this software package
is the Sound Blaster Tactic (3D) Control Panel. Using a series of vertical
tabs, this Control Panel allows you to switch between various elements that can
be adjusted. You can change the volume level for both the mike and speaker.
Options are available to make adjustment to restore highs and lows that are
sometimes compromised by compression, or add realism to certain audio effects.
You can apply a range of effects so that your voice will become unrecognizable
whether being used in a game or while make Skype calls. For those that enjoy
listening to their ripped music, there is an option that will attempt to
balance the volume level between tracks. An Equalizer module allows you to
adjust settings to suit your listening preferences. Change can be saved and
share with others via an Export feature.
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Details
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Price: $120
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Ratings: 9/10
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Manufacturer: Creative
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Website: www.creative.com
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Required spec: 1.6GHz processor with 512MB RAM
running either Windows XP (SP2) or later or Mac OS X 10.5 or later
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