CM Storm Sirus-C Gaming Headset Review

For PC users, there's a USB sound processor while console users get a 3.5mm jack and a 2.5mm jack for microphone use. However, the 3.5mm jack is for use on consoles only along with an included pass-though RCA cable and neither of these is able to dish out audio through your PC's existing sound card.


It's nice to have the option here and we've seen this with several headsets in the past but for the PC at least, you're limited to the sound provided over USB. The cable is 3m long and covered in a braided sleeve. This should be good for console use but again with PCs you'll have to tie up the excess length to prevent getting tangled.


Heading in to game and music testing, as always things can be subjective but we found the bass has plenty to offer and is certainly not lacking. Explosions, gunfire and drums alike were all punchy and quite immersive. However, the driver combination didn't offer compelling performance elsewhere. The mid-range and high-end were often drowned out and lacked clarity, especially at higher volumes compared to many other headsets we've tried on the PC.

We ended up reaching for a software equaliser to try to iron out the issues by tweaking the treble - this worked in a fashion but the lack of clarity was still evident. It was particularly noticeable in music, with voices suffering due to the overbearing bass and there was little we could do to fix this. At the extreme, though, drum and bass proved to be pretty potent indeed, but again, any instruments laid in on top didn't sound great. Likewise, the USB-enabled sound exhibited a noticeable hiss when sitting idly although few USB headsets don't and of course consoles fared much better with much less of an issue. Thankfully the microphone proved to be particularly clear with recordings and a Skype test call all but free of noise and distortion.


Conclusion

The Sirus-C is fairly well-rounded, very comfortable and offers both console and PC support plus has a great microphone. Games in general sounded good but in any situation where the mid-range and high-end are important, it did lack clarity. Again, busy scenes didn't show this up too much but it was fairly evident in music. As such, if gaming is all you'll be doing, the Sirus-C is definitely worth considering, especially for console owners. However, PC gamers should be aware of the USB audio's limitations and that there's no way round them.