Saitek Cyborg 5.1 Headset review

The ultimate gaming headset?

1 May 2008 12:00 GMT / By Stephen Patrick

Saitek's gaming range incorporates a wide range of peripherals designed to enhance the gaming experience. These headphones claim to offer 5.1 surround sound using it's own integrated sound card.

The headphones have a good amount of adjust to them and fit comfortably on your head. The cans are large, so neatly encase your ears and manage to cut out most external noise.

Connecting to your notebook you need to have the headphone and microphone sockets free, as well as a USB port as the headphones drivers take over the controls of your sound card.

A noise-cancelling microphone comes as part of the package. This can be un-screwed when not needed, which is a nice touch, especially if you're just using them for listening to music.

It comes with an in-line control that offers volume, stereo/5.1 and mute functions and is the weakest part of the package, as we found the buttons awkward to use and felt on the cheap side. That said, the controls tended to work well but we hope Saitek revises its design for the next version.

When listening to music, they sound great with plenty of bass and all-round warmth. However, as these headphones are made primarily for gaming, you'll find six drivers are built-in that are designed to enhance 5.1-surround capabilities.

Verdict

We were impressed with the Saitek Cyborg 5.1 Headset. While the quality of the headphones isn't the highest we've seen – the plastic feels cheap – there is no denying the sound quality, which really helps you pinpoint opponents and really get the most from your games.

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Review Recap

Made by: Saitek
Price as reviewed: £69.99
Latest price: Compare prices
The good: Six drivers, good sized cans, good sound
The bad: Quite cheap plastic
Quick verdict: The plastic used is a little on the cheap side but the overall sound quality more than makes up for it
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