#thermatake

As time moves forward, it seems there is a cycle in the size of devices and their accessories. First they get smaller and smaller and then for some reason, we as consumers want the devices to get larger. When it comes to taking music with us on the go, I find that most ear bud style headsets miss the mark in truly representing the sounds the device is playing. Don’t get me wrong, they sound OK and are fine when you’re running through the park or on a treadmill or working out in the gym. Their light weight is ideal for those type of activities. The popularity of over and on the ear headphones is increasing as evidenced by the amount of products in the marketplace. Thermaltake  has an outstanding headset line with the Cronos series and has released a more mobile friendly version with the Cronos Go. The Cronos Go is designed as a dual purpose headset with a smaller size to ease with portability but yet retaining the sound performance of the other headsets in the Cronos product lineup.

[sc:sponsor sponsor=”Thermaltake” product_name=”Cronos Go” ]

  The packaging for the Cronos Go gives a clear view of about 1/2 of the headset through a window on the front of the box. The back and sides of the box go into detail about the features and specifications of the headset.

  The headset and the accessories are protected by a form fitting, clear plastic shell.

  The parts included with the Cronos Go are: a warranty information pamphlet, a 3.5mm mobile device cable, and a 3.5mm PC cable.

Specifications

Headphone

Driver Unit (mm) 38mm Neodymium Magnet Speaker Frequency Response 20Hz-22KHz Impedance 32 ohm Sensitivity 97 +/- 3dB Max. Input  100 mw

Microphone

Characteristic Omni-directional Frequency 100Hz-10KHz Impedance <2.2 Kohm Sensitivity -40 +/- 3dB

  [section_title title=A Closer Look at the Thermaltake Cronos Go headset]

A Closer Look at the Thermaltake Cronos Go headset

The Thermaltake Cronos Go is quite a bit smaller than the other headsets that I have reviewed in the Cronos line. The headband is narrower at just 15/16″ and the ear cups are just under 3″ at 2 7/8″.

    The outward facing sides of the ear cups feature Thermaltake’s dragon logo which is back lit and is powered by the USB connector. The hinges for the Cronos Go are made of sturdy plastic and each side is labeled with either L or R for proper orientation.

  The ear pads of the Cronos Go are a soft foam wrapped in a black fabric. The texture of the fabric is slightly rough to the touch but hardly noticeable when wearing the headset. The speaker grill is covered with a red “stretchy” fabric on the inside. This headset is a Supra-aural headset and is designed to be worn on the ear rather than around them.

  The inner headband is a soft silicon shell covering a foam insert. The outer edges of the headband are hard plastic.

  There are two sets of cables that are included with the Cronos Go. The first set below is for the PC connection. The two 3.5mm plugs are for the microphone and headset ports on your sound card and the USB connector provides power to the light for the logo on the side of the ear cups. The other set of headphones is for mobile devices such as cell phones or tablets.

  The other end of the cables plug into the right ear cup at the location pictured below. Initially, I was a little concerned that the connector would pop out during use but, the connector locks into place with a solid click.

The omni-directional microphone is retractable and is nearly hidden when retracted. The boom of the mic is very flexible and can be easily moved into position. To extend the mic pull it out away from the ear cup. To retract the mic, push it back in.

  The headset has  also has a basic set of controls for volume and muting of the microphone. What I really liked about the controls is the positioning of them. They sit closer to the headset rather than closer to the connector end. This allowed me to tidy up the cable as they ran to the PC and I didn’t have to hunt for the controls.

  The headset can be folded up for storage. When folded, the ear cups fit inside the space between the headbands.

[section_title title=Conclusion and Final Thoughts]

  To start, headset testing for audio is very subjective in our reviews. This means what I think sounds good, you may not think so. It all depends on the individual’s likes and dislikes.

  Personally, I have never been a fan of on the ear headphones. In the past I have had headphones that put too much pressure on the fleshy part of my ear and press it against my head. This tends to make the headset uncomfortable and I can’t wear them for long periods of time. My preferred headset is an over the ear style. However, the Cronos Go doesn’t put too much inward pressure on the ears and doesn’t rely on the ear cups to keep the headset in place. The headband bears most of the weight and the ear cups have a surprisingly light touch on the ears. I was able to wear the headset for about 3 or 4 hours at at time and quite often did I not notice they were on my ears.

To test the headset, I used it as I would any other headset. I tested it in various PC games, video calls in Skype, and listening to music on both my PC and my phone. I reset any EQ settings to flat before testing. Audio performance is good. The range of sounds doesn’t sound muddled. The bass is clean and clear but not over powering. The mid-range tones were sharp and clear and the highs were crisp with out being distorted or annoyingly loud. Audio calls were clear and the other end reported the mic was clear but background noise could be heard.

When I leave the house, I tend to travel light. I don’t really like to carry stuff around in my hands and tend to carry stuff that I can fit in my pockets. The Thermaltake Cronos Go won’t fit into any of my pockets but when traveling around it is light enough and can be folded up small enough to be carried around very easily. If you are looking for a good set of headphones that can serve a dual purpose, the Thermaltake Cronos Go should be one of your options. Don’t let the smaller size fool you, the Cronos Go stays true to its namesake and delivers good sound and great portibility.

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